Spiritual Growth Foundations Unit 6 Lesson 6 Service, Solitude and Worship Riverview Church Term 2, 2017 Page 1 of 7
Introduction To excel in anything in life, discipline is needed. This is true for athletes, musicians, people who work in trades or offices, as well as disciples of Jesus. Effective discipline results in delight: delight that the disciplined skill reaps significant fruit in the life of the individual and the community. Consider a concert pianist. The effort with which she displays her skill is the outcome of years of disciplined practice. The benefit of her discipline is not only felt by her as she plays, but by everyone who hears her play. Her disciplined approach to growing in her skill impacts more than just herself. Likewise, your disciplined approach to being transformed into a Royal Priesthood has a ripple effect far beyond your own personal life. The Christian life is played out against the backdrop of community and, as such, your commitment to spiritual growth impacts your community and vice versa. Growing spiritually is a necessity for every believer so that you can become all God has called you to be and those around you can do likewise. Service The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me? But the Good Samaritan reversed the question: If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him? Martin Luther King Jr. Foster notes, As the cross is the sign of submission, so the towel is the sign of service. Service cannot be done in absentia. It necessitates our personal involvement and time commitment. The fact that we are finite creatures means that to say yes to one task of service means saying no to other tasks. The discipline of service asks us to serve irrespective of class or status distinctions, but it also recognises our human limitations. The balance can be difficult to maintain but that is the reason for the discipline. Remember, the disciplined person is the one who can do what needs to be done when it needs to be done. Mark 10:42 45 Jesus called them together and said, You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Riverview Church Term 2, 2017 Page 2 of 7
This is Jesus most famous teaching on service. Notice that it completely subverts a me first culture. It offers liberation from the world s games of promotion and authority. It abolishes our need (and desire) to be on top of the pecking order. The point here is not that Jesus did away with leadership or authority but, rather, he redefined leadership and rearranged the lines of authority. Foster notes two very different, opposed approaches to service: (a) Self-Righteous Service (b) Self-Denying Service Self-Righteous Self-seeking, proud Public, external visible rewards Human effort, energy sapping Results driven Reciprocity expected Picks and chooses who to serve Affected by moods and whims Fractures community Self-Denying Other-seeking, humble Private, internal invisible rewards Relationship with God, life giving No distinct results necessary Service just because Indiscriminate A lifestyle Builds community Nothing disciplines the inordinate desires of the flesh like service, and nothing transforms the desires of the flesh like serving in hiddenness (Richard Foster). 1 The second service that one should perform for another in a Christian community is that of active helpfulness. This means, initially, simple assistance in trifling, external matters. There is a multitude of these things wherever people live together. Nobody is too good for the meanest service. One who worries about the loss of time that such petty, outward acts of helpfulness entail is usually taking the importance of his own career too solemnly (Dietrich Bonhoeffer). 2 Solitude Solitude is an important healthy relational practice of the Christian faith. However, it ought to be held in balance with community Christians need both a day together as well as a day alone. 1 R. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1980), p. 114. 2 D. Bonhoeffer, Life Together (New York: Harper and Row, 1952), p. 99. Riverview Church Term 2, 2017 Page 3 of 7
Let him who cannot be alone beware of community Let him who is not in community beware of being alone Each by itself has profound pitfalls and perils. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation and despair (Dietrich Bonhoeffer). 3 The Rhythm of Faith Structuring Time When we consider an outward spiritual discipline such as solitude, we recognise that it can only be embraced by structuring time into our day/week/year in order to practice it. Without a regular structured time, it is difficult to develop a rhythm. A study of Church History reveals the rhythms and structures exhibited by those who have gone before us. i) The Christian Day The monastic day a structuring of the day to ensure much time was given to solitude. ii) The Christian Week Setting aside Sunday as the day to stop from labour and make space for God. iii) The Christian Year Times like Advent, Lent and Holy Week. The Place of Faith Structuring Space Choosing a space that will enhance your time of solitude is essential. An essential characteristic of a space of solitude is silence. Without silence, we are too easily distracted from the practice of the discipline. Two biblical examples of solitude spaces are: i) Deserts ii) Mountains 3 D. Bonhoeffer, Life Together (New York: Harper and Row, 1952), pp. 77-78. Riverview Church Term 2, 2017 Page 4 of 7
Silence enables us to be aware of God, to let mind and imagination dwell upon his truth, to let prayer be listening before it is talking, and to discover our own selves in a way that is not always possible when we are making or listening to noise. There comes sometimes an inner silence in which the soul discovers itself in a new dimension of energy and peace, a dimension which the restless life can miss Into the Christian s use of silence there may flow the wonder of God the creator, the recollection of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus, the recalling of scenes in his life, often a passage of the Bible, the glories of nature in which the finger of God is present, gratitude for personal blessings or the words of poets who tell of wonder and beauty. (Arthur Michael Ramsey) 4 Worship John 4:23-24 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. The Meaning of Worship The English word "worship" comes from two Old English words weorth, which means "worth," and scipe or ship, which means something like shape or "quality." We can see the Old English suffix -ship in modern words like friendship and sportsmanship that s the quality of being a friend, or the quality of being a good sport. Worth-ship, therefore, is the quality of something or some-one s worth. By worshiping we are declaring the worth of God because after all, surely God is the most worthy of our worship. Therefore, worship in a Christian context is anything that declares the worth of God. So, you can see how this includes singing but if we limit it to just singing then we miss the fullness of the worship experience. 1 Peter 2:9 4 As cited in A. E. McGrath, Christian Spirituality: An Introduction (Oxford: Blackwell, 1999), pp. 107-108. Riverview Church Term 2, 2017 Page 5 of 7
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. The Object of Our Worship Throughout the Old Testament the major sin committed by Israel as a nation was worshiping other gods. By placing worship in another direction other than God we declare that something other than the creator God is the most worthy thing or person in the universe. Our first priority is to worship God, and then to enact service towards others. The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him. 5 (A.W. Tozer) The Act of Worship Hebrews 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips giving thanks to his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. We worship God in: (a) WORD the fruit of our lips (b) ATTITUDE giving thanks to his name (c) ACTION do good and share with others Conclusion We cannot attain the presence of God because we re already totally in the presence of God. What s absent is awareness. 6 God has promised to never leave us. He is with us every moment of every day and He sets before us the joy of crafting spaces that cultivate an awareness of knowing Him as God Immanuel the with us God. It is the practice of the Spiritual Disciplines that draws us into these spaces and teaches us want it means to embrace our Godgiven vocation as a Royal Priesthood. 5 Foster, Celebration of Discipline, p. 199 6 Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer, (New York: Crossroad, 1999). Riverview Church Term 2, 2017 Page 6 of 7
Memory Work: Romans 12:1-3 (NIV) Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will." Group Questions: 1.) What does the discipline of Service look like for you in your current context? 2.) Share with the group any times of solitude that have been particularly meaningful for you. 3.) What do you think Jesus means when he refers to true worshipers in this passage? What does he mean by in spirit and in truth? Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24) 4.) What has been the most helpful thing you have learnt over the past 6 weeks? What truth, principle or insight has had the most meaningful impact on your relationship with God? Share your thoughts with the Group. Take Home Exercise: The recommended reading for this unit is Richard Foster s Celebration of Discipline. Riverview Church Term 2, 2017 Page 7 of 7