Practicing in Community

Near the end of 2019, I felt led by the Spirit to invite my congregation into a year of soul-training exercises practiced in community. Though I'd been teaching on the value of spiritual practices for some time, I'd never done anything like that before. My desire was to facilitate a congregation-wide season of sustained learning at the feet of Jesus, where we could draft off one another, sharing what God was teaching us, as a catalyst for deeper discovery. It was a wonderful idea. It was His idea, and I began the New Year with great anticipation, anxious to see what God might do. Well, who could predict what would happen next? Certainly not I.

We had barely gotten started when the pandemic short-circuited our plans. And not just our plans. As I'm sure you remember, the pandemic threw a master-mechanic-sized monkey wrench into everything. Families weren't allowed to visit relatives in nursing homes or hospitals. Schools stopped meeting. Countless events were cancelled. Then came the mask mandates, social distancing, and lockdowns. Folks were forced into isolation. Those were anxious times.

Through it all, I wondered if I somehow missed it. Why would God prompt me to introduce a year of soul-training exercises, knowing where we were headed? But that's the thing. He led me down this path because He knew exactly where we were headed. He also knew that spiritual practices, the tools we use to attend to the presence of God in daily life, work like an anchor, providing a fixed point of contact, helping us hold fast to God in turbulent times.

We began, in January of 2020, encouraging our congregation to ask God for a single word for the year, along with an accompanying Scripture passage. We, then, instructed them to pray into that word throughout the year, using the Scripture God gave them as a launch pad. My word that year was "hidden" and the passage God gave me was Colossians 3:1-4. It reads,

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:1-4 NIV)."

How does one pray into four short verses for three hundred and sixty-five days? You should see my journal. I spent weeks asking the Lord to help me set my heart and mind on things above, not on earthly things. I had deep conversations with God, asking Him to reveal those areas of my life that were earthbound, where I was obsessed with what was happening right in front of me, where I was living as if this life was the only one there is. I explored the phrase "for you died," wrestling with my desire for autonomy while seeking a deeper dependence upon God. And, after years of public life, I found myself longing to be hidden with Christ in God, like one of those Russian nesting dolls -- me hidden in Christ, Christ and I hidden in God, secure in the Father's loving arms. In spite of what was happening around me, as the relational carnage of the pandemic reached a fever pitch, this one spiritual practice, meditating on the Word of God, expressing the desires of my heart, helped me stay connected, to see things more often from God's perspective, and I found peace.

When the lockdown was over, we returned to church as usual, but it simply wasn't the same. So much had changed. Some folks were gone, never to return. Others had disengaged, choosing to watch from home. A few were mad that we hadn't done enough or went too far. It was a painful time for everyone. What did I do? I led those who would follow to just keep practicing the faith, putting one foot in front of the other, and God was faithful. The church might have been smaller, post-pandemic, but many had grown deeper, the fruit of which is becoming more evident with each passing day.

Have you ever thought about practicing your faith in community? What would it be like to actually walk with God with others? Let me encourage you to give it a try. Gather a few, like-minded friends and choose a practice you might engage in together. You don't have to do one a month for a whole year. Just choose one practice, do it as you're able over the course of a month, then get together and talk about your experience -- what God highlighted for you, and what you learned.

As a catalyst, here's the path we walked at my church in 2020. I pray it fuels your desire for more of God.

January: Word for the Year

Pray and ask God for one word for the year and an accompanying Scripture Passage.

Shiflett (see appendix)

February: Prayer of Examen (Lent)

Pray the Daily Examen on a regular rhythm.

Shifflett (see appendix)

March: Fasting (Lent)

Respond to God's invitation to fast for a set period of time.

Baab - Ch. 3; Foster - Ch. 4; Calhoun - Part 7

April: Celebration (Lent into Easter)

Celebrate God's faithfulness in your life. We threw a party on Easter Sunday with a meal for the whole church.

Foster - Ch. 13; Calhoun - Part 1

May: Bible Study

Join a small group Bible study or engage in a spiritual practice like Lectio Divina.

Foster - Ch. 5; Calhoun - Part 5

June: Service

Look for a place to serve and give yourself to the service of others.

Foster - Ch. 9; Calhoun - Part 4

July: Abiding Prayer

Practice silence and solitude with an emphasis on abiding prayer.

Foster - Ch. 3; Shiflett (see appendix); Calhoun - Ch. 7

August: Hospitality

Open your home to friends and family. We started neighborhood dinner groups where teams of four could invite their friends to a shared meal to practice hospitality.

Calhoun - Part 4

September: Worship

Engage the presence of God in worship.

Foster - Ch. 11; Calhoun - Part 1

October: Sabbath

Practice Sabbath rest, carving out some time to simply be with God.

Baab - Ch. 7; Shiflett (see appendix); Calhoun - Part 1

November: Gratitude (Thanksgiving)

Practice gratitude by maintaining a thankfulness journal.

Baab - Ch. 2; Calhoun- Part 1

December: Simplicity (Advent)

Eliminate distractions, as much as possible, and focus on your longing for God.

Foster - Ch. 6; Calhoun - Part 2

References:

Joy Together: Spiritual Practices for Your Congregation by Lynne M. Barb

Spiritual Practices in Community: Drawing Groups into the Heart of God by Diana Shiflett

The Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform Us by Adele Calhoun