Reborn in Spiritual Practice 3.26.17 Matthew 13: 1-17 Question of the Week: What resources do you use to help you get connected with God? **** As we continue our sermon series today we re going to explore the ancient tradition of connecting and re-connecting with God through Spiritual Practice, sometimes referred to as Spiritual Discipline or Spiritual Exercise. They are tools that help us hear God s still small voice in the midst of our daily hectic schedules and we are REBORN. There are a wide variety of spiritual practices that will enable us to listen for God s guidance. We might think of them as methods or actions. Many of these practices are not unique to Christianity and have been used for centuries to expand people s understanding of ourselves as individuals and as communities. Most importantly these practices open our connection to our Creator. right? Practice. Discipline. Exercise. Something good for us but not necessarily something we love, I ve done the Three-Day Susan Komen Walk for Breast Cancer twice. That means I walked 60 miles in three days! Walking about 20 miles a day, three days in a row after sleeping in a tent? Now I m a pastor. I spend a lot of time sitting. What was I thinking? Before I attempted that 3 day walk, I had to be prepared. I practiced for three or four months, gradually building my endurance and ability to walk 20-25 miles a day. It wasn t a stroll in the park, but it was something I could only do with practice. Connecting with God takes practice, too. Just like preparing for that three-day walk, we want to be ready when we re in a situation when we really, REALLY need to hear God s voice. I knew when that walk was going to happen. But we don't always know when we will desperately be in need of God. 1
When we re hit with an unexpected crisis, we want to have our lines of communication open, and that takes practice. The Father of Methodism, John Wesley, knew the struggles of connecting with God. Wesley thought that God is limited by our prayer life. He believed that God can t do anything for humanity unless we ask. In one of his letters, (1/31/1764) John Wesley wrote Pray whether you can or not. When you are cheerful, and when you are heavy, still pray. Pray with many or few words, or with none at all; you will surely find an answer of peace. Prayer is our best line of communication with God, and the only way we get better at it is to PRACTICE. I ve observed that many if not most of our prayers focus on US, on ourselves or maybe on others, but seldom do our prayers really open us to hear the voice of God. Most of the time we re too busy doing all the talking. Being in solitude with God, sitting in silence with our Lord, can feel very uncomfortable, right? Not only do we do most of the talking when we pray, but even as adults some of us hang on to that image of God as some faraway being, that often seems unapproachable. We forget or don t understand that God s Spirit dwells within us, within each and every one of us. God s heart and our heart are intimately connected. God is in here. We just need to open ourselves to God's presence in the moment, every moment. Jesus was, and is, constantly trying to help his followers be more open to God. That s why he used Parables. Jesus talked about familiar things that people knew to explain things they could not understand. He talked about family, about sheep, about lost coins, about sowing seeds, and he painted pictures with his words with multifaceted implications for life. Parables are stories that help us ponder and awaken the Word of God in us. 2
In today s lesson from Matthew, Jesus said, The reason I speak to them in parables is that seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand. We can observe theologians talking about God, we can study scripture and discuss it till the cows come home, but Spiritual Practices help us really catch a glimpse of God and connect with our hearts. Jesus knew that it s through our EXPERIENCE with God that we really connect with God. The twentieth century Trappist Monk, Thomas Merton, has so much to teach us about Spiritual Discipline. One of his important lessons is that spiritual practice is not seeking to know ABOUT God but to KNOW God.. He said, Spiritual practice is not about an idea or concept of God. It is about seeking the experience of presence. (John Philip Newell The Rebirthing of God) Seeking God. Seeking presence. A key component of Spiritual Practice is INTENTIONALITY. When we are intentionally using something like fasting, meditating, or journaling to pursue a connection with God - THAT is a Spiritual Practice. Whether we are worshiping corporately, as we are doing now, or quietly journaling our thoughts in concert with reading scripture, spiritual practice instructs us to be actively engaged in communing with God. Actively, intentionally engaged. We open ourselves to God s grace. Like a channel of water flowing into the ocean, Spiritual practices act as channels through which God s amazing free gift of grace flows into our lives. In the same way that water needs to move to keep it from becoming stagnant, adding MOVEMENT to a Spiritual Practice enhances our connection with God. 3
Walking while praying or meditating incorporates your body, mind and spirit in creating a channel for God s grace to move. God s people walk. We journey on our spiritual path seeking deeper meaning and understanding and connection with God and the world. Walking through the wilderness was the journey of discovery for Moses and the Israelites. Walking from one city to another was the journey of building churches for Paul. Gospel. Walking among the Jews and Gentiles was the journey of ministry for Jesus as he shared the Walking and carrying his cross was the journey Jesus made to his crucifixion. Walking. Placing one foot in front of the other, stepping closer to God, can be done in endless ways, but countless numbers of people through the ages have connected deeply with God by walking a Labyrinth. What is a LABYRINTH? you ask? In Greek mythology, an elaborate labyrinth was built to imprison the Minotaur. A labyrinth is often confused with a maze, but there is a major difference. A maze is a path with dead-ends and hidden passageways. A labyrinth, on the other hand, is an intricate path with only one way in and one way out. According to the Labyrinth Society, the history of labyrinths date back some 4000 years to prehistoric rock carvings found in Europe and India. From there they have discovered mosaics and other types of labyrinths used by Greeks and Romans. In the desert southwest there are also Native American rock carvings. The very early Christian church adopted the use of labyrinths and in the medieval period labyrinths spread through Europe, North Africa, and beyond. 4
(reference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7u80zleh3m) For centuries and still today, the labyrinth is a significant tool for spiritual practice. We have a brief video that will help you understand what I m talking about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwvpzswzk7i During the season of Lent a small group of people here at Medford UMC have been learning about the ancient spiritual practice of walking and praying the Labyrinth. In addition to learning about labyrinths, this group has been creating a portable labyrinth for us to use here during Holy Week, between Palm Sunday and Easter. It s constructed of four canvas drop cloths, sewn together, and then painted by the group. The result will be a 24 x 29 multi-color labyrinth that will fill the center of Bowker Hall. We also plan to make the labyrinth available to groups within our church, other churches and community groups. Can we see the slide showing the work of creating the Labyrinth? When we read scripture or listen to a sermon or sing a hymn, we hear beautiful and profound words inspired by God but written by someone else, not by us. In order for those words to become the Word of God for US, we need to meditate on those words. We have to open ourselves up to the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit for the words God has for US to hear. There are three parts to the walk: Release. Rest. Return. As we begin, we release the distractions around us and open our minds to God s presence with us on the walk. 5
When we rest in the center with God, a transformation can take place, that we may not understand but we cannot deny. And when we return to the world beyond the labyrinth, we are reborn through the gift of grace we ve experienced. One step at a time, one person at a time, connecting our heart with the heart of God. that is God. Like practicing for a marathon, it takes time to cultivate the ability to open ourselves fully to all There are many, many Spiritual Practices to be found on the Internet and elsewhere. I VE POSTED A LIST of some SPIRITUAL PRACTICES WITH THE PRINTED SERMON ON LINE But remember, our focus in Spiritual Practice is on God, not on ourselves. Journaling, fasting, meditating are just a few of the more common practices and they can change you and how you see the world. I challenge you to try some spiritual practices to help you re-connect to God, to deepen your relationship with Jesus, and to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you in new ways. And I hope you ll find time to walk the Labyrinth in Bowker Hall on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday before Easter. 6
Some SPIRITUAL PRACTICES to use in connecting with GOD The first category is inward disciplines these are the things that you do yourself to focus on your relationship with God. silence prayer fasting secrecy scriptural studies No noise or conversation. Just you and God. Take deliberate steps to pray regularly and with purpose. Praying through the Psalms is a good way to increase your prayer vocabulary. Abstain from food, media, entertainment, or anything else that occupies your time. Do not allow anyone to know of the deeds you do or the money you give in order to avoid doing them for the wrong motivations. Only God needs to know. Memorize Scripture and expand your universe of biblical study helps. The next category will probably come as no surprise outward disciplines. These are things that you do inwardly that result in an outward life style that others can witness. service submission sacrifice frugality Give your time to the church and/or to others. Ponder tithing your time. Submit to the proper people in the proper ways fight against the sin of pride. Stretch your sense of what you can do without for the sake of those who have less. Use your money for purposes outside your own needs for a time solitude The practice of spending time without any others or any distractions The final category is corporate disciplines. worship celebration confession fellowship Engage in corporate worship and include worship in your own prayer time. Practice being grateful and thankful both in your own relationship with Christ and with other believers. Express encouragement and thankfulness to others. Practice confessing your sins to trusted people who will pray with you and be spiritual allies. Hebrews 10:25, Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 7