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...
Tag: why pray
Loving God 301, Part 14: The Lord’s Prayer
Given the centrality of the psalms in Hebrew worship, it is strange that Jesus’s disciples would ask for instruction in prayer; and yet they do. What follows is famously known as “The Lord’s Prayer,” and while it’s familiarity makes it seem quite formal and placid, the contents would have been highly provocative to Jesus’s audience....
Loving God 301, Part 13: God’s Response – Psalm 91
Does God respond to our prayers? For most of us the answer feels to be “no.” Or at least we feel no sense direct communication. We may see a change in circumstances that we attribute to God. Or we may have a sense of subtle direction. But a clear, direct response? That seems like it never comes. In...