Go Deeper with God Table of Contents Leader s Guide... 2 What Is It? WHAT IS CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER? by Adele Calhoun...3 WHAT IS LECTIO DIVINA? by Adele Calhoun...4 ACCEPTING THE EMBRACE OF GOD by Fr. Luke Dysinger...5 6 Why Should I Use It? A PARABLE OF DEVOUT INDIFFERENCE by Eugene Peterson...7 8 AT THE HEART OF PRAYER by Katherine Halberstadt-Anderson...9 10 LECTIO AND CONTEMPLATION IN SMALL GROUPS by Adele Calhoun... 11 12 How Do I Use It? IN THE QUIET by Matt Branaugh... 13 14 NOTES Reading the Scriptures is not an activity discrete from living the gospel, but one integral to it. It means letting Another have a say in everything we are saying and doing. It is as easy as that and as hard. Eugene Peterson LISTENING FOR GOD by Tony Jones...15 16 TWO APPROACHES TO GROUP LECTIO DIVINA by Fr. Luke Dysinger... 17 18 Additional Resources FURTHER EXPLORATION... 19 CHRISTIANITYTODAY I N T E R N A T I O N A L 2007
LEADER S GUIDE How to use Go Deeper with God The following materials can be used for either personal or group training to increase the effectiveness of small groups. Training Others If you use this material to train other leaders, you may want to modify the handouts as necessary. Personalize them by printing on church letterhead or adding your church logo to the design. Each handout can be used in separate, brief training sessions, or you can combine all of the materials into one session. Read through the materials and any listed Scriptures ahead of time. Then prepare the materials as needed: Make enough copies for all of the participants. Provide food, drink, and other materials that will make your training sessions more comfortable. Allow enough time for each person to read through the handouts you will be discussing. Then discuss the questions provided, or consider questions such as: Why are these principles important for a successful small group? How well does your small group currently incorporate these principles? What one or two practical things could we do in the next year to improve in this area? Pray Ask God for help in building community in your leaders lives and within the small groups in your ministry. Ask for improved spiritual discipleship for members of the small group.
WHAT IS IT? What Is Contemplative Prayer? Understanding the practice and purpose of an ancient method of prayer Romans 8:26 Contemplative prayer is a receptive posture of openness toward God. It is a way of waiting with a heart awake to God s presence and Word. This kind of prayer intentionally trusts and rests in the presence of the Holy Spirit deep in our own spirit. So, the purpose of practicing contemplative prayer is to develop an open, restful receptivity to the Trinity that enables me to always be with God just as I am. Go beyond your words. We often associate prayer with the words we say. But contemplative prayer is a way of being with God that does not depend on giving the Holy One information about what we would like done in the world at large. Just as friends can enjoy one another without conversing, contemplative prayer is a way of being with God without wordiness. Transform your prayer experience into rest. In contemplative prayer, we rest and wait. Keeping our hearts alert and awake to the presence of God and his Word, we listen. Psalm 131 contains a wonderful image of a weaned child stilled and quieted in a mother s arms. A weaned child isn t looking to nurse. A weaned child comes to the mother for love and communion. The Psalmist writes: I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. In contemplative prayer, we rest in God, depending on him to initiate communion and communication. We don t ask for things, we simply open ourselves to the Trinity, trusting we will be received into restful arms. It can be helpful to use the imagination to put you in a receptive frame of mind. For example, use a Scriptural image like the one mentioned above. Contemplative prayer requires patience, but it is not the heavy work that intercession can sometimes be. It can even be light, playful, tender, and joyful. In a world given to activity and overwork, contemplative prayer is a way we join God in a place of divine rest and love. Find deeper connection with God. Contemplative prayer is a response to God s initiative to abide in Christ. In Colossians 1:26 27, Paul writes of 1) the saving gospel to those without Christ, and 2) the mystery of the gospel to the saints, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Contemplative prayer puts us in a place to become more receptive to the mystery of the gospel, Christ in you. Contemplative prayer need not be a mystical experience; it is far more likely to be a restful experience of Christ-in-me. Life makes it evident that what we contemplate shapes us. Saints down through the ages have trusted that contemplating the truth, beauty, and goodness of the Trinity could ultimately shape and change their souls. The interior transformation which the saints call divine union is a fruit of this contemplation. ADELE CALHOUN, from the Spiritual Disciplines Handbook (Intervarsity Press, 2005). Used by permission. Discuss 1. Does the phrase giving the Holy One information about what we would like done in the world at large describe your prayer life? 2. In general, are you comfortable or uncomfortable with silence? Why? 3. How could you incorporate contemplation into your current prayer life?
WHAT IS IT? What Is Lectio Divina? Understanding the practice, purpose, and art of spiritual reading Psalm 119:97 104 We understand what wind is by feeling it blow in our face. We know what snow is like when we make a snowball or watch snowflakes collect on our mittens. This sort of knowing transcends the intellect; it is direct, sensate, and experiential. Devotional reading, or lectio divina, invites us into this kind of knowing. The first 1,500 years of church history was characterized by the practice of lectio divina. Since many people were illiterate, and many that could read didn t have bibles, lectio divina offered a way of listening to Scripture that could resonate and echo in the heart throughout the day. Devotional reading is not an exercise in mentally critiquing or exegeting the text. It exists to further Divine companionship. Lectio divina invites us into God s presence to listen for his particular loving word to me at this particular moment in time. Devotional reading of Scripture is rooted in the assurance that every part of the biblical story letters, parables, gospels, prophets, etc. is inspired and can give voice to God s particular word to us. Devotional reading was traditionally made up five movements: 1. Silencio (quiet preparation of the heart): Come into God s presence, slow down, relax, and intentionally release the chaos and noise in your mind to him. 2. Lectio (read the word): Read a Scripture passage slowly out loud, lingering over the words so that they resonate in your heart. When a word or phrase catches your attention, don t keep reading. Stop and attend to what God is saying to you. Be open to the Word. Don t analyze it or judge it. Listen and wait. 3. Meditatio (meditate): Read the Scripture a second time out loud. Savor the words. Listen for any invitation that God is extending to you in this Word. Reflect on the importance of the words that light up to you. Like Mary, who pondered the Word in her heart, gently explore the ramifications of God s invitation. 4. Oratio (respond and pray): Read the Scripture a third time. Now is the moment to enter into a personal dialogue with God. There is no right or wrong way to do this. The important thing is to respond truthfully and authentically. What feelings has the text aroused in you? Identify where you are resistant or want to push back. Become aware of where you feel invited into a deeper way of being with God. Talk to God about these feelings. 5. Contemplatio (contemplate): Rest and wait in the presence of God. Allow some time for the Word to sink deeply into your soul. Yield and surrender yourself to God. Before you leave, you might consider a reminder that can help you dwell in or incarnate this Word throughout the day. ADELE CALHOUN, from the Spiritual Disciplines Handbook (Intervarsity Press, 2005). Used by permission. Discuss 1. Do your current Bible studies go deeper than an intellectual understanding of the Word? If not, what prevents them? 2. Are any of the movements listed above missing from your personal or group Bible study? If so, how could they be incorporated? 3. Which of the movements listed above seems most challenging? Why?
WHAT IS IT? Accepting the Embrace of God Experience a deep and transforming connection with God through Lectio Divina Psalm 19:14 Lectio divina is a very ancient art that was practiced at one time by all Christians. It is the slow, contemplative praying of the Scriptures that enables the Bible, the Word of God, to become a means of union with God. This ancient practice has been kept alive in the Christian monastic tradition. It is one of the precious treasures of Benedictine monastics and oblates. Together with the Liturgy and daily manual labor, time set aside in a special way for lectio divina enables us to discover an underlying spiritual rhythm in our daily life. Within this rhythm, we discover an increasing ability to offer more of ourselves and our relationships to the Father, and to accept the embrace that God is continuously extending to us in the person of his Son Jesus Christ. Lectio The art of lectio divina begins with cultivating the ability to listen deeply, to hear with the ear of our hearts, as St. Benedict encourages us in the Prologue to his Rule. When we read the Scriptures, we should try to imitate the prophet Elijah. We should allow ourselves to become women and men who are able to listen for the still, small voice of God (1 Kings 19:12) the faint murmuring sound that is God s word for us, God s voice touching our hearts. This gentle listening is an attunement to the presence of God in that special part of God s creation that is the Scriptures. The cry of the prophets to ancient Israel was the joy-filled command to Listen! Sh ma Israel: Hear, O Israel! In lectio divina, we also heed that command and turn to the Scriptures, knowing that we must hear listen to the voice of God, which often speaks very softly. In order to hear someone speaking softly, we must learn to be silent. We must learn to love silence. If we are constantly speaking or if we are surrounded with noise, we cannot hear gentle sounds. The practice of lectio divina, therefore, requires that we first quiet down in order to hear God s word to us. This is the first step of lectio divina. The reading or listening in the first step of lectio divina is very different from the speed-reading that modern Christians apply to newspapers, books, and even to the Bible. Lectio is reverential listening listening both in a spirit of silence and of awe. We are listening for the still, small voice of God that will speak to us personally not loudly, but intimately. In lectio, we read slowly and attentively, gently listening to hear a word or phrase that is God s word for us this day. Meditatio Once we have found a word or a passage in the Scriptures that speaks to us in a personal way, we must take it in and ruminate on it. The image of the ruminant animal quietly chewing its cud was used in antiquity as a symbol of the Christian pondering the Word of God. Christians have always seen a scriptural invitation to lectio divina in the example of Mary pondering in her heart what she saw and heard of Christ (Luke 2:19). For us today, these images are a reminder that we must take in the Word that is, memorize it and while gently repeating it to ourselves, allow it to interact with our thoughts, our hopes, our memories, and our desires. This is the second step or stage in lectio divina: meditatio. Through meditatio, we allow God s Word to become his word for us, a word that touches us and affects us at our deepest levels. Oratio The third step in lectio divina is oratio. It is prayer understood both as dialogue with God that is, as loving conversation with the One who has invited us into his embrace and as the priestly offering to God of parts of ourselves that we have not previously believed God wants. It is consecration.
WHAT IS IT? In this consecration-prayer, we allow the Word that we have taken in and on which we are pondering to touch and change our deepest selves. Just as a priest consecrates the elements of bread and wine at the Eucharist, God invites us in lectio divina to hold up our most difficult and pain-filled experiences to him, and to gently recite over them the healing word or phrase he has given us in our lectio and meditatio. In this oratio, this consecration-prayer, we allow our real selves to be touched and changed by the Word of God. Contemplatio Finally, we simply rest in the presence of the One who has used his Word as a means of inviting us to accept his transforming embrace. No one who has ever been in love needs to be reminded that there are moments in loving relationships when words are unnecessary. It is the same in our relationship with God. Wordless, quiet rest in the presence of the One who loves us has a name in the Christian tradition: contemplatio, or contemplation. Once again, we practice silence, letting go of our own words. This time we focus simply on enjoying the experience of being in the presence of God. Lectio divina as a group exercise In recent years, many different forms of so-called group lectio have become popular and are now widelypracticed. This form of lectio divina works best in a group of between four and eight people. A group leader coordinates the process and facilitates sharing. The same text from the Scriptures is read out three times, followed each time by a period of silence and an opportunity for each member of the group to share the fruit of her or his lectio. The first reading (the text is actually read twice on this occasion) is for the purpose of hearing a word or passage that touches the heart. When the word or phrase is found, it is silently taken in, and gently recited and pondered during the silence that follows. After the silence, each person shares which word or phrase has touched his or her heart. The second reading (by a member of the opposite sex from the first reader) is for the purpose of hearing or seeing Christ in the text. Each person ponders the word that has touched the heart and asks where the word or phrase touches his or her life that day. In other words, how is Christ the Word touching their experience, their life? How are the various members of the group seeing or hearing Christ reach out to them through the text? Then, after the silence, each member of the group shares what he or she has heard or seen. The third and final reading is for the purpose of experiencing Christ calling us forth into doing or being. Members ask themselves what Christ in the text is calling them to do or to become today or this week. After the silence, each shares for the last time. The exercise concludes with each person praying for the person on the right. Those who regularly practice this method of praying and sharing the Scriptures regularly find it to be an excellent way of developing trust within a group; it is also an excellent way of consecrating projects and hopes to Christ before more formal group meetings. FR. LUKE DYSINGER, O.S.B., ST. ANDREW S ABBEY. The author has placed this document into the public domain. It has been reprinted in An Invitation to Centering Prayer (Liguori/Triumph, 2001), by Basil Pennington and Luke Dysinger. Discuss 1. Can Christians benefit from a spiritual discipline that is over 1,500 years old? 2. What prevents you from hearing the still, small voice of God? 3. Has your personal or group Bible study produced real, transformational change in your spiritual life? If not, what might be blocking that transformation?
WHY SHOULD I USE IT? A Parable of Devout Indifference Here s why your current approach to studying the Bible doesn t seem to be working. Hebrews 5:12 13 My wife picked up our seven-year-old grandson at noon on an October Saturday at Holy Nativity Church. Hans had been attending a class in preparation for his First Communion. They drove off, heading to a local museum that was featuring a special children s exhibit on gemstones. On the way, they stopped at a city park to eat their lunches. The two of them ate while sitting on a park bench, Hans chattering all the while he had been chattering nonstop ever since leaving the church. Lunch completed his was a lettuce and mayonnaise sandwich that he had made himself ( I m trying to eat more healthy, Grandma ) Hans shifted away from his grandmother, faced out into the park, took from his bookbag a New Testament that he had just been given by his pastor, opened it, held it up before his eyes, and proceeded to read, moving his eyes back and forth across the page in a devout but uncharacteristic silence. After a long minute, he closed the Testament and returned it to his bookbag. Okay, Grandma, I m ready let s go to the museum. His grandmother was impressed. She was also amused because Hans cannot yet read. He wants to read. His sister can read. Some of his friends can read. But Hans can t read. And he knows he can t read, sometimes announcing to us, I can t read, as if to reinforce our awareness of what he is missing. So what was he doing reading his New Testament on the park bench that autumn Saturday? When my wife later told me the story, I also was impressed and amused. But after a few days, the story developed in my imagination into a parable. At the time I was immersed in writing [Eat This Book], an extended conversation in the practice of spiritual reading; I was finding it hard to keep my hoped-for readers in focus. They kept blurring into a faceless crowd of Bible-readers, Bible-nonreaders, Bible teachers, and Bible preachers. Is there an impediment, a difficulty, that we all share in common when we pick up our Bibles and open them? I think there is. Hans gave me my focus. I have been at this business of reading the Bible ever since I was not much older than Hans. Twenty years after I first started reading it, I became a pastor and a professor. For over 50 years now, I have been vocationally involved in getting the Christian Scriptures into the minds and hearts, arms and legs, ears and mouths of men and women. And I haven t found it easy. Why isn t it easy? Simply this. The challenge, never negligible, regarding the Christian Scriptures is getting them read, but read on their own terms, as God s revelation. It seems as if it would be the easiest thing in the world. After five or six years of schooling, most of us can read most of what is written in the Bible. If you don t own one and can t afford to buy one, you can steal a Bible from nearly any hotel or motel in the country. But as it turns out, in this business of living the Christian life, ranking high among the most neglected aspects is one having to do with the reading of the Christian Scriptures. Not that Christians don t own and read their Bibles. And not that Christians don t believe that their Bibles are the Word of God. What is neglected is reading the Scriptures formatively reading in order to live. Hans on that park bench, his eyes moving back and forth across the pages of his Bible, reading but not reading, reverent and devout but uncomprehending, honoring in a most precious way this book but without awareness that it has anything to do with either the lettuce and mayonnaise sandwich he has just eaten or the museum he is about to visit, oblivious to his grandmother next to him: Hans reading his Bible. A parable. A parable of the Scriptures depersonalized into an object to be honored; the Scriptures detached from precedence and consequence, from lunch and museum; the Scriptures in a park elevated over life on the street, a book-on-a-pedestal text, buffered by an expansive and manicured lawn from the noise and stink of diesel-fueled 18-wheelers. It is the devil s own work to take what is presently endearing and innocent in Hans and perpetuate it into a lifetime of reading marked by devout indifference.
WHY SHOULD I USE IT? What I want to say, countering the devil, is that in order to read the Scriptures adequately and accurately, it is necessary at the same time to live them. Not to live them as a prerequisite to reading them, and not to live them in consequence of reading them, but to live them as we read them, the living and reading reciprocal, body language and spoken words, the back-and-forthness assimilating the reading to the living, the living to the reading. Reading the Scriptures is not an activity discrete from living the gospel, but one integral to it. It means letting Another have a say in everything we are saying and doing. It is as easy as that. And as hard. EUGENE PETERSON, adapted from Eat This Book: A conversation in the art of spiritual reading (Eerdmans, 2006). Used with permission. Discuss 1. How does your current method of studying the Bible compare to Hans reading his New Testament on the park bench? 2. Have you ever encountered the Scriptures on their own terms, as God s revelation? What was the experience like? 3. How can the practice of spiritual reading, or lectio divina, prevent you from experiencing a lifetime of reading marked by devout indifference?
WHY SHOULD I USE IT? At the Heart of Prayer How contemplation provides an off-ramp from the busy highway of our current culture Psalm 46:10 A culture escaping from silence At no time in history have we had more to fill our time more gadgets, more television shows, more Internet blogs, chat rooms, and search engines than we will ever need all competing for our time with God and with our families. The news is filled with stories of how we are all multitasking, how our children are becoming wired in short, how the entire world is busy from first light of dawn until the last dying flicker of every day. In an article in Time magazine, Stanford professor Donald Roberts said of his students, There s almost a discomfort with not being stimulated a kind of I can t stand the silence. Are we, as Christians, any different? Many environmental and cultural factors seem to be leading people, and even whole churches, away from an inviting, personal union with God. Too often, the endless barrage of information and noise leaves little, if any, space for contemplation. Prayer either has been neglected or has become an item to check off the to-do list. When time is short, prayer can easily become ritualistic and empty. These factors are just a few of the reasons why contemplative prayer strikes a chord with many evangelicals today. What does this ancient form of prayer have to do with modern Christians? And how does it change how we regard the silence? The value of contemplation The practice of contemplative prayer of drawing near to God, of listening for his voice, of practicing his presence has filled books and inspired sermons for centuries. It often involves spiritual retreats, silence, and praying over passages of Scripture. Prayers of the heart, or the recitation of a biblical word or phrase, are often used in this form of prayer to help create an inner stillness and thus to listen to the voice of God, explains the contemplative writer, Henri Nouwen. Wheaton Professor James Wilhoit, who teaches a class on the Dynamics of Spiritual Growth, explains: Contemplative prayer is built around an expectation of hearing from God. There is a quiet waiting to enjoy friendship with God. And while contemplative practices differ for each individual, at the heart of it all, Dr. Wilhoit says, There is a sense of the need for divine perspective. There is a realization that despite all of your thinking and imagining, you don t have a way to solve all of your problems that you need the discernment and wisdom that comes from on high. Modern examples of contemplation For Dr. Lon Allison, Director of the Billy Graham Center, the practice of contemplative prayer came at a critical life s juncture. I was the pastor of a brand new church and I was working my head off. I was trying to win the world for Jesus but I desperately needed to remember that Jesus was in charge. He says that God brought him to the realization that apart from Christ, I can do nothing. And even more, apart from Christ, I am nothing. Dr. Allison began setting aside time for spiritual retreats. My goal is still to set aside one day a month to get into creation with my Bible and a journal and hang out with God for six to ten hours. He says about these times, We are never apart from God, but sometimes we get so busy that we don t hear him knocking. The second practice he continues today is that of lectio divina, or divine reading. For instance, this week, every day I m reading slowly and praying through Psalm 19, he explains. The purpose of divine reading is not to get through the Bible quickly, but to slow down and let each passage speak on a personal level. The practice consists of not just reading, but reflecting, responding, praying, and resting in God s Word.
WHY SHOULD I USE IT? Historic examples of contemplation Many find the examples of contemplative Christians who have gone before helpful. Brother Lawrence, for instance, was a 17th-century lay member of a monastery who sought to practice the presence of God while scrubbing pots and going about his kitchen duties. From his example, as well as the example of Job, who kept a conversation with God flowing no matter what the circumstances, Dr. Jerry Root, assistant professor at the Billy Graham Center s Institute for Strategic Evangelism, draws application for living a prayer-filled life. He says, As I speak to God in my joys with thanksgiving, and when I come to him with questions in the midst of adverse times, I am mindful of him and turning my thoughts to him. I am practicing his presence. But most instructive is the model of Jesus own life. I think if we look at Jesus patterns, we see a person who practiced solitude and who practiced retreats. We see a model of intentional disengagement for spiritual purposes a man in continual communion with God, says Dr. Wilhoit. He says that for many students in our performance-oriented society, the notion of resting in their identity as children of God is not only refreshing but life changing. As the pace of our culture becomes increasingly frenetic and harried, the contemplative movement reminds us that perhaps what we as Christians need is not to join the mad rush but to embrace the silence. Or, in the words of the Psalmist, Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). KATHERIN HALBERSTADT-ANDERSON, adapted from At the Heart of Prayer, from the spring 2006 issue of Wheaton magazine. Used with permission from Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL. Discuss 1. Are Christians as a whole noticeably different from the surrounding culture when it comes to business and activities? Are you? 2. Does your life reflect a belief that you don t have a way to solve all of your problems that you need the discernment and wisdom that comes from on high? 3. What steps can you take to avoid the mad rush of our culture and embrace the silence needed to Be still and know that I am God?
WHY SHOULD I USE IT? Lectio Divina and Contemplative Prayer in Small Groups A practical discussion on two countercultural methods of spiritual growth John 10:3 4 Adele Calhoun is pastor of spiritual formation at Christ Church of Oak Brook in Oak Brook, Illinois. She is also author of The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook (IVP, 2005). BUILDING SMALL GROUPS talked with her about the need, benefits, and challenges of using lectio divina and contemplative prayer in small groups. BUILDING SMALL GROUPS: What are the differences between contemplative prayer and lectio divina? Adele Calhoun: Lectio divina is a method of reading Scripture in a transformational way rather than an informational way. It s a sense of the immediacy of the Word, the experiential awareness of the Word that I m listening for a word for me. And as I get that word, it often holds an invitation. And that invitation invites me into contemplative prayer. And so I think that s the place where they connect. There s a response in lectio divina, the oratio, where I m led into prayer. So, contemplative prayer moves out of this deeper meditation on the Word of God. People are often uncomfortable with phrases like contemplation or meditation because of a perceived connection to Eastern religious practices. Is that a valid fear? As I understand Eastern meditation, the practice is to empty yourself. But in a biblical worldview, meditation is used to fill yourself with the fullness of Christ. So, I see them as two quite different goals, but they may use some of the same techniques breathing techniques, centering techniques, and so on. But I see the goal as being very different. Contemplative prayer and lectio divina are often described as ancient practices. Can they still aid in the process of spiritual formation today? Yes, they can. I have a real burden for the contemplative life, including contemplative prayer, to be something that the evangelical church embraces. If it doesn t, we won t have anything to say to this world that can never stop. Part of what the church has to offer is the ability to approach this completely out-of-control, over-packed, inundated, overwhelmed world and say, There is a way to stop. There is a way to breathe. There is a way to live in a different rhythm of life. And the only way we can give that to the world is if we have it ourselves. So, I feel like the contemplative journey is a really necessary journey, and if we don t make it, we ll be just like the world. We ll be shaped like the world shaped by doing and productivity and outcomes and measures that are not godly. What are the benefits of using contemplation and lectio divina in small groups, specifically? One benefit is that I get to hear how God is uniquely speaking to all of the people in my group. His word to me may be different than his word to you, but he s spoken to all of us. And out of that, there may be a point where a leader can say, As we ve listened together, is there anything you want to share with this group? Is there anything that s come to you for anyone in this group? And then I can share, if I have something. I think lectio and contemplative prayer take people to a more real, true place of community. And it can sometimes do that more quickly than a conventional Bible study. It s a very wonderful way to be in community together. You ve mentioned that lectio allows us to find a word just for me. Is there a danger of misinterpreting the Scriptures that way? Of making them subjective? Part of the question has to be, Is my hearing of this word so subjective that it loses touch with the objective Word of God and what it meant in a particular context. I don t know how God can be anything but subjective in some ways it comes from a subject to a subject. But if I really trust the Holy Spirit, and I really believe that the `Holy Spirit lives in me, there ought to be a willingness on my part to be very open to receiving something directly for me from the Holy Spirit.
WHY SHOULD I USE IT? But then that something would be subject to the greater understanding or witness of the body of Christ around me in a small group. That s also part of the process. For example, if I come up with something that says, Based on this Scripture, I think I should go divorce my husband, that would be a red flag for the group as a whole. So, using lectio divina in a small group can be a way of setting up appropriate boundaries around your interpretation? Right. It definitely can be. Based on your experiences, what are some of the challenges of using contemplative prayer and lectio divina in a small group? One of the main challenges is fear fear that I won t hear anything or fear that I m only hearing my own thoughts. How do I know that I m hearing from God and not just my overactive imagination? We re also used to being given a nugget of truth from a preacher or a teacher, so there is a fear that lectio and contemplation are lesser ways of hearing that maybe I won t hear something quite as stunning. And if I don t hear anything, have I just wasted my time? We may feel like: I gave an hour, and we sat here and we did lectio and we were quiet, and I didn t get anything. And that s a perfect waste of my time. I should have gone to a lecture. And so, as a leader practicing lectio and contemplation, you re working against the model that the way people learn is through information rather than being in silence and having to face the times that God is silent. I have to believe that there may actually be a learning for me in this that goes beyond what a teacher could give me if I will receive it. Is there a way to know that you re hearing from God instead of an overactive imagination? Jesus says the sheep know my voice, they recognize my voice. And I do think that recognizing God s voice is part of the spiritual journey in my life. We haven t helped people learn how to discern the Spirit s voice. People are used to hearing the pastor s voice or a teacher s voice or an author s voice. And because it s got new information, they assume they ve heard God s voice when they may or may not have actually done so. So, I think there s a big learning curve here. Lectio asks, What is the invitation that you re being drawn into? What do you hear God saying to you? Attend to that this week and come back and tell us what it meant in your life. But when a pastor comes and gives an application, he gives it to everybody in the congregation. Obviously, I m not saying that s bad, but it s different than hearing in my heart a word that is just for me. I want to be part of the movement that helps people attend to that still, small voice that makes you, like Elijah, cover your face. Or like Moses, who covered his face. There s this sense that, having heard from God, I don t run out and blab, Oh, I ve heard from God! It s more a sense of awe and quietness and taking it all in. Are there any last tips you like to offer to small group leaders who are considering using contemplative prayer and lectio divina in their groups? I m wary that this would become a technique to make God show up. Contemplative prayer is about being present making myself present for God to come. But it s not believing that just because I ve showed up, I ve man-handled God and he has to do certain things. It s an offering of myself. And unless small group leaders are very comfortable with that comfortable with waiting, comfortable with being in God s presence in their own life I think it would be very hard to lead people where you want them to go. The members of your group need to be able to trust your journey as the leader. Discuss 1. Are specific fears or areas of apprehension keeping you from using lectio divina or contemplative prayer in your small group? 2. Have you experienced an intimate connection with God during your individual study or prayer? Could that be transferred to your small group? 3. Are you able to discern the still, small voice of God when he speaks to you? How could you improve that discernment?
HOW DO I USE IT? In the Quiet Some insights on how to set aside excuses and establish meaningful time with the Lord Psalm 119:9 16 A relocation out of state has a funny way of presenting make-or-break decisions of all sorts, but when a new job temporarily separated me from my wife and kids by 1,000 miles, I didn t expect one that held eternal ramifications. For more than 20 years, I have considered myself a Christ-follower committed to keeping commands and to maintaining steadfast devotion in my worship and service to the kingdom. During those years, I often heard about our call to submit to God and humbly come before him daily in the reading of Scripture, quiet prayer, and meditation. But I just as often produced myriad excuses to avoid it. Life is busy. Time is short. I don t know how. Once I moved, I possessed few personal connections or a home church to speak of. My make-or-break decision arrived: I either could proceed on my current life trajectory following Christ and serving, keeping my eyes on obeying him with respect, love, and humility while outright refusing to spend time with him. Or I could use my newfound spare time to lay down my entire life before him and simply ask him to allow me to know him. I chose the latter. Even though the art and practice of contemplative prayer is but one of many disciplines in a walk with Christ, my experience has shown it to be among the most critical for establishing intimacy with our Creator. My first attempt, and the subsequent ones that followed, speak to this. I am not an expert in this area, and I still struggle. But I have made 10 observations that I pray provide illumination and inspiration to begin your journey: 1. Daily time with the Lord requires commitment and discipline. But rather than initial grandiose plans such as one full hour every morning before the sun rises keep it simple and accessible. For instance, I do not have supernatural abilities to wake up early, so I focus on afternoons and evenings. Someday I will get to the early mornings the way Jesus modeled for us. For now, though, I sense he is just pleased that I am finally showing up. 2. Scripture-based curriculum or devotions are helpful, but not required. At the very least, know beforehand a particular passage you want to explore, or a passage pertaining to a topic you are grappling with. Read slowly so you can absorb what s there. 3. God longs for you and wants you in his presence. If there is sin in your life that is blocking your willingness to seek him, begin your prayer time by confessing your sins and asking him for forgiveness. 4. Have written prayer requests with you. Such a list helps you focus. It also helps you remain authentic when you tell others you are praying for them. This isn t a suggestion to script your prayer, though. Use the list as a guide, but allow the Holy Spirit to move. Approach your words with a reverent, conversational tone, whether it s a request on the list or one that comes to mind as you pray. 5. While you pray, observe periods of silence, keeping the palms of your hands facing up when your focus resides specifically on the Lord s presence. When your mind turns to issues or requests, turn your palms facing down and direct those thoughts to the Lord. 6. Worship God. Recite lines from hymns, Scriptures, or prayers you know, or even softly sing out. Don t be afraid to raise your arms in exultation. 7. Your location, posture, and position matter. Go some place quiet, where no one can see you. Don t be lazy about how you sit. Be deliberate in how you raise your hands or position them. Try sitting on your knees and laying your head to the floor that posture gives a very strong sense of submission and instantly helps melt pride. 8. Write down thoughts, feelings, experiences, and prayers before and after. Don t worry about elegance, grammar, or length. Just write. If necessary, just list bullet points.
HOW DO I USE IT? 9. Don t compare yourself to others, for better or for worse. We discourage ourselves when we think others have it together better than us. We overinflate ourselves when we re convinced no one has it together better than us. 10. Celebrate what you are doing. Don t brag about it when you do it; don t say you do it when you don t. Recognize the life changes you experience in your heart and mind, and share them with those closest to you. When you struggle, seek encouragement from those people, too. Above all, celebrate the connection that comes only when we seek to commune with our loving Creator. MATT BRANAUGH, Editor, Ministry Resources Copyright 2007 BUILDING SMALL GROUPS/Christianity Today International Discuss 1. What are some excuses preventing you from spending quiet time with the Lord? 2. Which items from the list above will be easiest and hardest for you? Why? 3. Do you have someone you can share your triumphs and struggles with? If not, can someone in this group become that person?
HOW DO I USE IT? Listening for God How an ancient method of prayer can deepen your teenager s faith. Psalm 131:2 Today s teenagers live at hyperspeed. The frantic pace of teen life has led youth leaders such as Tony Jones to search for ways to help teenagers be still and know God. Several years ago, Jones (then the pastor for youth and young adults at Colonial Church in Edina, Minnesota) began using a centuries-old form of prayer called lectio divina as a way of helping his junior and senior high students step out of their mile-a-minute days and into the presence of God. CHRISTIAN PARENTING TODAY talked with Jones about this unique way of praying and why it can change the way your teenager experiences God. CPT: So how does a teenager pray using lectio divina? TJ: You need to start with an atmosphere that lends itself to quiet and reflection. Then pick a passage of Scripture. The Psalms lend themselves to devotional reading, so they are a good place to start. You can also look in the Old Testament books of the prophets, which contain a lot of poetry and songs. In the New Testament, the letters of John are good. The Sermon on the Mount works well, too. I also encourage my students to stay away from their favorite verses at least for a while because they already have an idea of what theses passages have to say. That can get in the way of them hearing something new. Once you choose a passage, read the passage slowly and repeatedly. This is the Lectio phase. You might read it out loud a couple of times, then once or twice silently. You don t need to think about what the passage means just yet. The idea is to experience the passage. After you ve read the passage a few times, move on to Meditatio meditating on the words. Often, a particular word or phrase will jump out at a student, and that can be the focus of her meditation. I tell my students to think of this part as chewing on the Word. This is when we experience the flavor of God s Word. It s when we shine a spotlight on the word or phrase that s grabbed our attention and really look at it from all sides. This is usually the longest stage. It s the time when we need to let other thoughts and worries fall away. That can be hard for teenagers, but I tell my kids not to obsess on their inability to focus. After they do this a few times, it will become easier for them to settle in to the quiet. The next stage is Oratio. I think of this as my conversation with God. This is where your teenager might ask, God, why did you put this phrase in my heart today? The ultimate question at this stage is, God, what do you want me to do with what you ve given me today? The answer won t necessarily be something life-altering, but in the quiet, it really is possible to hear God speak into our heart. The final stage is Contemplatio, where you just rest in God. It s a time to be quiet and simply be. CPT: You re going back to an ancient practice that involves solitude and silence, which seems so antithetical to the life of teenagers. What got you thinking this was a good method to use with teens? TJ: Churches today talk about prayer warriors and wearing out your knees in prayer. It s a very hyperactive approach to prayer. But the kids I work with are inundated with noise. They wake up to music and they wear headphones on the bus and between classes. There s noise at school and at their jobs. They go home and have the TV on while they instant message their friends and do their homework. They fall asleep with music on. They need something that removes them from all the activity and noise. Lectio divina is a way teenagers can read the Bible and pray. There s no pressure to read a chapter or fill in the blanks in their devotional books or jump around the Bible to find the answers for some worksheet. There s no schedule of reading three or four chapters a day so they can read the Bible in a year. Instead, this lets them take two verses and spend half an hour with them and just read meditatively.
HOW DO I USE IT? CPT: Do you find that kids really get something from this practice? TJ: Absolutely. With lectio divina, these kids really know the passages they ve read, and they ve found meaning in them. The first time I did this with the youth group was in our ninth-grade confirmation class. Every single kid heard something from God. Not one of them said, Nothing stood out to me. Not one kid thought it was lame. They didn t all have some life-changing payoff, but every kid felt as though they had an encounter with the holiness of God. CPT: It also seems to lead to a different understanding of how we think about the Bible. TJ: A lot of us were taught that the Bible can be mastered, that it s been mastered for a long time. We get the impression that if we go to enough classes and memorize a few key verses, then we can really get our arms around this thing. But God s Word is like a wild garden you can t fence in. We need to let it grow like crazy and enjoy its fruit. We don t have to prune it back or hedge it in. Instead of having to solve all the intricacies of the Bible, we can say, I m just going to take the first half of this psalm, and I m going to spend the next half hour with it. I m going to dive into it and get under it. Then I m going to sit back and listen to what God has to say to me. TONY JONES, adapted from Listening for God, CHRISTIAN PARENTING TODAY (Fall 2004) Discuss 1. What passages of Scripture, or what sections of the Bible, would you like to explore on a deeper level? 2. Can you remember a time when you encountered the holiness of God? 3. Have your Bible studies operated under the assumption that the Bible can be mastered? If so, how does a proper view of the Word change your approach?
HOW DO I USE IT? Two Approaches to Group Lectio Divina Practical methods of incorporating lectio divina into your small group experience Hebrews 10:25 1. Lectio Divina Shared in Community Listening for the gentle touch of Christ the Word The Literal Sense 1. One person reads the passage of Scripture out loud twice. The other group members are attentive to some segment that is especially meaningful to them. 2. Silence for 1 2 minutes. Each person hears and silently repeats a word or phrase that attracts their focus and attention. 3. Sharing aloud: Each person explains the word or phrase that has attracted his or her attention. This should be done through a simple statement of one or a few words without elaboration. How Christ the Word speaks to me The Allegorical Sense 4. Second reading of same passage by another person, preferably of the opposite sex. 5. Silence for 2 3 minutes. Each person should reflect on the question, Where does the content of this reading touch my life today? 6. Sharing aloud: Each person shares, briefly, their answer to the question above. What Christ the Word invites me to do The Moral Sense 7. Third reading by still another person. 8. Silence for 2 3 minutes. Each person should reflect on the statement, I believe that God wants me to today or this week. 9. Sharing aloud: At this point members should be encouraged to share, at somewhat greater length than the previous steps, the results of their reflection. Note: be especially aware of what is shared by the person to your right. 10. After each group member has had an opportunity for full sharing, proceed to group prayer. Each person prays for the person to his or her right. 11. Note: Anyone may pass at any time. If, instead of sharing with the group, someone prefers to pray silently, he or she should simply state this aloud and conclude the silent prayer with Amen.
HOW DO I USE IT? 2. Lectio on Life: Applying Lectio Divina to my personal salvation history Note: The purpose of this exercise is to apply a method of prayerful reflection to an incident from your life or work (instead of to a Scripture passage). Listening for the gentle touch of Christ the Word The Literal Sense 1. Each person takes a few minutes to quiet the body and mind: relax, sit comfortably but alert, close your eyes, tune in to your breathing, and so on. 2. Each person gently reviews events, situations, sights, and encounters that have taken place during the last few weeks, or the last month, at work or home. Gently ruminating and reflecting Meditatio Meditation 3. Each person focuses on one specific event, situation, sight, or encounter. a) Recollect the setting, sensory details, sequence of events, and so on. b) Notice where the greatest energy seemed to be evoked. Was there a turning point or shift in your experience? c) In what ways did God seem to be present? To what extent were you aware of his presence then? To what extent are you aware of his presence in that situation now? Prayerful consecration and blessing Oratio Prayer 4. Use a word or phrase from the Scriptures to inwardly consecrate the incident and your interior reflections about it. Offer them up to God in prayer. Allow God to accept and bless them as your gift. Accepting Christ s embrace the silent presence of the Lord Contemplatio Contemplation 5. Remain in silence for a set period of time. Rest in the presence of God and his Spirit. Sharing our lectio experiences with one another Operatio Action/Works 6. The leader calls the group back into community. 7. Each person shares briefly about the experience he or she selected and the interior reflections it generated. 8. Or the group can remain together in continuing silence. FR. LUKE DYSINGER, O.S.B. This article is excerpted from the website of St. Andrew s Abbey in Valyermo, California. http://www.valyermo.com/index.html
Further Exploration Books and resources to aid your exploration of lectio divina and contemplative prayer Building Church Leaders: Small group training resources from Christianity Today International. www.buildingsmall Groups.com Lead Your Small Group to Experience God Through Prayer Planning and Leading a Life-Changing Meeting Leading a Great Small Group Bible Study LeadershipJournal.net. This website offers practical advice and articles for church leaders. Renovaré.org. This website offers great insights and resources for contemplation from noted scholars such as Richard Foster and Dallas Willard. Be Still DVD by Judge and Amy Reinhold. A well-researched documentary that examines the importance of silent, reflective prayer as a way to truly be open to receiving God s guidance (Fox Faith, 2006; UPC 0024543234616) Divine Intervention: Encountering God Through the Ancient Practice of Lectio Divina by Tony Jones (Navpress, 2006; ISBN 978-1600060595). Eat This Book: A Conversation on the Art of Spiritual Reading by Eugene Peterson. A provocative challenge to read the Scriptures on their own terms as God s revelation and to live them as we read (Eerdmans, 2006; ISBN 978-0802829481) An Invitation to Centering Prayer by M. Basil Pennington and Luke Dysinger. This book is a spiritual discipline rooted in the affirmative awareness of God s dwelling within us (Liguori/ Triumph, 2001; ISBN 978-0764807824). Making Room for God: A Guide to Contemplative Prayer by Melvyn Matthews. This book provides simple exercises that encourage us to contemplate our connection to God (Augsburg/Fortress, 2004; ISBN 978-0806651590). Shaped by the Word: The Power of Scripture in Spiritual Formation by Robert Mulholland. Here is a new way to read Scripture that allows it to shape your spiritual life (Upper Room, 2001; ISBN 978-0835809368). Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform Us by Adele Calhoun. Insight into disciplines like fasting, solitude, contemplative prayer, and lectio divina (IVP, 2005; ISBN 978-0830833306)