We can provide opportunities for people to learn new ways
to encounter God through Jesus in the Spirit.
By Linda Rex, Elder Emeritus, Hope Avenue Champion
Big Sandy, Texas, U.S.
Historically, as the Christian church prepared to observe Christ’s passion and His resurrection, believers practiced penitence and fasting, prepared converts for baptism, and reconciled those estranged from the body of Christ. The gift of grace given in Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection enables us to see this season as an opportunity to draw closer to God and open ourselves up more fully to the Holy Spirit. On our journey as believers, we continually come to a deeper repentance and faith. We grow in our relationship with God, which moves us to turn from ourselves, sin, this world, and turn back to our Father through Jesus in the Spirit. This is a journey which will continue throughout our lives.
Ways in which we, and the persons in our churches, open ourselves up to the Spirit and allow Jesus to turn us back to the Father include such practices as silence, solitude, listening, various forms of prayer, meditation, reflection and contemplation, journaling, and fasting. An ancient practice, called Lectio Divina, has been practiced for centuries by Christians of many faiths. We practice this as we read a passage from Scripture, meditate on it, pray about it, and contemplate it. We seek to hear what the Lord has to say to us through it.
Pastors have an opportunity during the season of preparation for Easter to help those who are seeking to grow in their relationship with God. We can help them learn new spiritual practices. We can enable them to participate in spiritual practices individually and in community.
As pastors, we encourage spiritual growth in our members and those who have not yet come to faith. We do this as we create sacred spaces in which those who attend our fellowship can encounter our Father and Jesus in the Spirit. We pray that God will draw people to Himself. The Spirit creates in someone an inner desire to draw closer to God. We facilitate that person’s ability to do this by offering various kinds of congregational spiritual practices that our brothers and sisters can participate in. These spiritual practices are designed to help them grow in their relationship with God.
Congregational spiritual practices may include adding silence, meditation, prayer, and/or contemplation to the worship service liturgy.
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- We may pause during our sermon for a moment of silence and encourage those listening to the sermon to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to them.
- We may ask a challenging question regarding what those present are hearing from God’s Word. And we may provide a space of time in which they can reflect and consider what God may want to say to them about it.
- We may create a space of time during our intercessory prayer when listeners may silently reflect on a passage from the Bible or contemplate the words to a spiritual song about our triune God.
We can also create sacred spaces by inviting people to participate in a prayer event or a time of fasting and prayer. It is important that we explain the purpose of these spiritual practices is not to change God’s mind about us. Rather, the purpose is to make ourselves available to God and open to the Spirit, so God can do what He desires in us and in our lives.
Other sacred spaces we can create are small gatherings in which people can learn spiritual practices with others which enable them to grow in their relationship with God. Ash Wednesday begins the season of preparation for Easter. It provides a day on the Christian calendar when we can be reminded both of our need for Christ’s mercy and the fragility of human life. We see our need in the light of the gift of Jesus’ salvation that we celebrate on Resurrection Sunday.
Many people, when they hear the word “discipline” have a negative framework that comes to mind. To “discipline” ourselves is merely to train ourselves, or to practice something until we learn it well and we create a habit. As we provide opportunities for people to learn these spiritual practices, we enable them to learn new ways to encounter God through Jesus in the Spirit. As they begin to practice these new ways of building relationship with God, and genuinely open themselves up to God’s Spirit, we trust that the Holy Spirit will work to mature them in their faith. As they respond in faithful obedience to God, we trust they will experience spiritual growth and begin to grow up in Christ.
