introduction to christian spiritual formation – Page 4

Loving God 401, Part 1: “Proficiency” and “Rule”

September 6, 2016September 6, 2016Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

Peter's Tomb Marker — “The burial place of St. Peter the Apostle”

In this final set of sermons on the classical tradition of spiritual formation, we turn to our attention to creating an individualized set of practices that can guide us to maturity in Christ (known as “Rule” or a “rule of life”). This is what we will develop over the next 10 sermons.

We begin with another look at the maturity itself. What constitutes maturity in Christ? What does a “mature” follower of Jesus look like in practice? What mental picture should we hold as our goal? And, in classical terms, our goal is “proficiency.”

Peter's Tomb (edite) — Hallway leading to Peter’s tomb

Traditionally there are three “stages” of spiritual progress: novice, proficient and perfect. Novice is where we all start, and “perfect” (used in the Aristotelian sense of having arrived at one’s fullest development, not intended to express sinlessness!) is reserved for those to whom God gives a special gift of progress. In either case, one strives for proficiency (and if God grants more, that is God’s decision).

In this episode we look at the words of St. Peter, ever a wonderful example of the grace of God and the struggles of the human condition. Peter, clearly, did arrive at “perfection.” And in so doing sets a vision of what saints look like along the journey. The more we can internalize a realistic picture of what a truly mature human looks like, the more we can shape our efforts in the life of spiritual discipline to be truly beneficial.

Loving God 101, Part 12: Contemplation “Lab” (Palm Sunday 2015)

August 26, 2015August 26, 2015Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

Having – hopefully – made the theological case for contemplation (as St. Ignatius of Loyola describes it), in this episode our pal, Jon Saur, gives a short example of the practice.

This sermon was preached on Palm Sunday 2015 and thus uses the traditional story of Jesus’s “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem as the gospel text to be contemplated.

If a short refresher is helpful, the goal of Ignatian contemplation is encounter, not “exegesis.” That is to say, in contemplation we read the scriptures so as to find ourselves within them (vs. writing an academic/interpretive commentary that explains the author’s intended meaning). As we read the story (particularly stories from the gospels), we try to identify the perspectives and experiences of the original participants. In this case, what was it like to be in the crowd as Jesus entered? How would a 1st century Jew have interpreted the events? How would a Roman soldier? How would one of the 12? (Clearly this requires a good bit of exegetical/interpretive background to be able to answer and thus we spend a lot of time in other sermons on this!)

As we move around the scene – viewing it from various perspectives (like scene in a movie being shot from the vantage point of different characters) – we ask: Where am I (in this moment in time) in this story? (And we know the answer might be different tomorrow.) And having identified ourselves we then ask: What does God have to say – through this story – to someone in my position? And what might God, then, be saying to me?

Because such reflections are deeply personal, they obviously are not the stuff from which doctrinal theology made (or, at least, ought not be!). And – as Ignatius regularly reminds us – if the direction we receive in such moments of prayer feel dramatic or at odds with our current course, we need very much to discuss them with wise counselors before acting. But as a habit of prayer, contemplation has done me – and many, many before me – a tremendous amount of good!

This is a sermon that was originally presented at Canvas (a Presbyterian church in Irvine, CA), March 29, 2015. To learn more about Canvas, click here!

Loving God 101, Part 11: “Contemplation” Explained

August 7, 2015August 4, 2015Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

“Contemplation” is one of the most transformational practices I was ever taught. While the word carries connotations of abstract pondering, for St. Ignatius it describes a very active method of reading the Bible (more on why we care about St. Ignatius is found here.)

What Ignatius reminds us is that Jesus is truly risen. That is to say, Jesus is – here and now – carrying on the work that we read about in the gospels. Jesus’s ministry of healing the sick, calming storms, forgiving sinners, declaring “good news” of God’s victory…did not end on Good Friday. No, Jesus is risen! And in his resurrection he continues his ministry of bringing all creation to shalom.

This awareness, then, brings us to a very different way of approaching the Bible – particularly the gospels. Surely we ought to continue to read them as historical records of historical events, and apply our best scholarship to their interpretation in this manner (Ignatius was devoted to academic study). But the Bible – “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword” is more than a narration of history. It is also a narration of the present. Jesus is still doing what Jesus does. He may not be – at this very moment – calming a literal storm on the Sea of Galilee (though he might be!). But he is forever exercising his power to bring storms to cease – physical storms, emotional storms, relational storms, political storms…

In this episode we examine Ignatius’s understanding of scripture as a window into God’s immediate presence and how the practice of contemplation can bring us into direct contact with Jesus right now.

This is a sermon that was originally presented at Canvas (a Presbyterian church in Irvine, CA), March 22, 2015. To learn more about Canvas, click here!