Random Spiritualities from a Doctor's Chair: February 2007

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Divine Suffering

We are living in a world of suffering. Our lives are all lives of “quiet desperation.” It is in these trying times that we look for God. Where is God? Where is he in our sufferings? Does he understand our suffering? Can he suffer?

CAN GOD SUFFER?

Before we discuss whether God can suffer, there are three attributes of God that we must understand. First, God is transcendent and immanent. Transcendent means that God, who is the creator of the universe, is outside the universe. He is not part of the universe. But if God is only transcendent, then he will be a creator who once created something, sit back and watches his creation from afar. God is also immanent. This means that God is also in his creation. He is here with us on this earth now, not far away somewhere peeping at us with a telescope.

The second attribute is that God is Triune. This means that God is One. It also means that the essence of the Godhead has three persons; God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This three are distinct persons but one. They are not facets, dimensions, emanations, or roles of God. They cannot be described like three states of water: liquid, solid (ice) and vapour. They exist in the same instant as three separate persons yet they are one. And as three separate persons, they relate to one another. One of the greatest lessons we can learn from them is from the intimate interpersonal relationships within the Trinity.

God is immanent means that God is intimately involved in this world which he has created. He is present in all of history. The whole story of mankind is “his story.” Man’s (also woman’s) rebellion against him has separated mankind from him. In spite of their rebellion, God has never ceased to love them. Therefore God has devised a plan of redemption. This plan will satisfy the punishment for mankind because they have rebelled, and yet express his love for them. What this plan involves is Christmas and Easter. Christmas is when God himself become man as Jesus Christ, God incarnate. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human. Easter is when Jesus took on the sins of all mankind (the rebellion) and died on the cross for them. This atonement satisfies God’s justice and brought mankind back into relationship with God once again. Jesus was resurrected on Easter morning. A new era dawns on Easter morning when the remaking of a new creation begins.

The third attribute is that God experiences emotions. Jesus Christ is a human being. Human beings are emotional beings. Jesus Christ is part of the Trinity. Therefore what Jesus experiences and feels is also felt by the other two persons of the Trinity. God is not limited by time and space as we are. Therefore it is reasonable to conclude that the Trinity had experienced all human emotions even before Jesus incarnate on earth.

The Old Testament is full of emotions-evoking metaphors; God as an eagle (Deuteronomy 32:11), a rock of refuge (Psalm 31:2-3), a parent (Hosea 11:1), and a shepherd (Psalm 23:1). Other metaphors include God has a mouth to speak (Numbers 12:8), and be able to rejoice (Zeph. 3:17). Abraham Hershel, a renowned Old Testament scholar re-examined the prophets and their relationship with God . His conclusion is stunning in that he discovers that God actually have real emotions, not just metaphoric ones. God’s passion for his people, his love for them and his heartbreak at their unfaithfulness is as real as our own emotions. Hence we can conclude that as Jesus can suffer, God can also suffer.

DOES GOD SUFFER?

Many of us think of suffering in physical terms. Our bodies develop diseases, cancers, or are injured in accidents. Suffering means bearing the pain, discomforts, and coming to terms that we cannot do the things we always wanted to. However, suffering also includes emotional trauma, psychological stress, being separated from loved ones, rejection, broken relationships, poverty, and the manifestations of evil. Many of us experienced suffering early in our lives. This is because of the fallen world that we exist in. Why then God has to suffer?

1. The Cross

Jesus suffered the torture, humiliation, and death when crucified on the cross. Jesus actually felt the pain, the thirst, and the separation from his divine essence when he died. Jesus, who is fully God and fully man is sinless and hence can die for our sins as atonement. Only Jesus can do that. The suffering of Jesus is felt by all three persons of the Trinity. This suffering is necessary because Jesus, in doing so, brings us salvation.

2. Personal Love

God is love. Love is a two-way relationship. As lovers know, sometimes love is reciprocated one-way only. Pain and suffering occurs in such an occasion. The parable of the prodigal son as told by Jesus to his disciples is a powerful story about the love of a father (Luke 15:11-31). The heartache of the father can only be imagined when the second son wanted to leave with his share of his inheritance. In Middle Eastern culture, this means that not only is the son telling the father that he is rejecting him but also that he wishes him dead! It also tells of the love of the father when he welcomes his repentant son home. God cannot involve himself in a truly loving relationship without experiencing suffering. Maldwyn Hughes states, “It is the very nature of love to suffer when its object suffers loss, whether inflicted by itself or others. If the suffering of God be denied, then Christianity must discover a new terminology and obliterate the statement ‘God is love” from its Scripture.”

3. The Evil, Sinful World

God cannot help but be filled with wrath at this evil, sinful world we live in. Everyday, men and women do terrible things to each other. Terrible things are been done to children too. God is filled with wrath at this evil. He is also full of love. This tension between wrath and love causes continual suffering in God. It is this conflict of wrath and love that leads to the cross. The cross is where the love of God overtakes his wrath.

4. Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is given to all believers. We are told not to grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). However, God allows us the freedom to choose. God does not compel us to do what he wants. There will be no real freedom if he manipulates us to make the right choices. It is this freedom that sometimes causes the Holy Spirit pain. The Holy Spirit serves as our guide and we ignore his advice at our peril. Imagine being the front passenger in a car with the map, and a driver who ignores every direction that is given to him. Not only will they be hopeless lost, they may also end up not at the best of terms. This is a fraction of what is causing the Holy Spirit to suffer.

5. The Persecuted Church

The Church is the body of Christ on earth. When Christ ascended to heaven, he still walks the earth. The Church, which is made up of believers is the body of Christ on earth. When the Church is being persecuted, Christ is being persecuted (John 15:18). Christ suffers when the Church suffers. Until the time when Jesus Christ comes again, his body continues to suffer in these uncertain end times.

God suffers. He suffers because he loves us and this love is often not reciprocated. He suffers because of our sufferings in an evil and sinful world. It is his love and his desire to end our suffering that leads him to send Jesus Christ, his Son to the cross.

WHAT DOES GOD’S SUFFERING MEANS TO US?

The suffering of God leads to the cross. In his dying for our sins, Jesus bought atonement for our sins. The suffering of God brings us salvation and eternal life. This life will be lived together with God in all eternity.

The suffering God gives us hopes in this world of suffering. One of the unbearable pains of suffering is the sense of hopelessness, the sense of being forsaken. In the movie musical Paint Your Wagon, there is a song sung about the wind named Maria. The lyric paints a powerful picture of being forsaken and lost, “… I’m lost, so very lost that not even God can find me.” At the cross, Jesus felt this “godforsakenness.” What is more is that Jesus the godforsaken man and the Father of the godforsaken man enter into our suffering. It is this act of God’s suffering that gives our suffering meaning and hope. The crucified God does not remain crucified but is resurrected. In this, it gives us hope in our suffering that one day; all suffering will come to an end. There will come a day where there will be no tears on earth and in heaven.

CONCLUSION

The Trinitarian God suffers with us as we struggle and live daily with our human frailties. God is not someone remote, up there somewhere, waving a walking stick if we do anything wrong. God is a God who walks and suffers with us everyday. As in C.S.Lewis’ Narnia, we were in the state “where it is always winter, never Christmas.” However for us, Christmas has arrived. Jesus the God incarnate had come. We are now waiting for the Second Coming and the culmination of this era. We await the time to an end to suffering; both for us and for the Trinitarian God.

Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus, come.

photo credit

Divine Suffering

Books on Spiritual Formation

Here are some of the books I recommend on spiritual formation.

Happy reading!

Books on Spiritual Formation

Here are some of the books I recommend on spiritual formation.

Happy reading!

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

"I can't do this, Sam"

Frodo Baggins: “I can’t do this, Sam”.

Sam: “I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr Frodo, the ones that really matter. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was with so much bad happened?

But in the end it is only a passing thing. This shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stay with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going because they were holding on to something”.

Frodo: “What are we holding on to, Sam?”

Sam: “That there’s some good in this world, Mr Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for!”

Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers

Reflection moments

1. What burdens are you carrying today?

2. Why are you carrying them?

3. What gives you hope.

Lord, we look at the burdens that we have placed upon ourselves and we are weary. Help us to put down these burdens. Help us to recognise and carry only these burdens you ask us to carry. Give us the courage and the strength to discard the rest. Give us hope so that we can walk for another day.

Amen

"I can't do this, Sam"

Can God Suffers?

In this Lenten period as we meditate on the sufferings of Christ, let me ask you a simple question, "Can God Suffers?"

In answering the question,Can God Suffers ?, Gerald Bray, Director of Research for the Latimer Trust, Research Professor at Beeson Divinity School, Samford University, explains the change in understanding of the theology of the “impassibility” (apathea-the divine nature cannot suffer) and the redefining of that theology. He highlights that we have changed in our understanding of God in the last one hundred years. Yes, God does suffer, he replies.

Ronald Goetz, holder of the Niebuhr distinguished chair of theology and ethics at Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois, in his article The Suffering God: The Rise of a New Orthodoxy, ask an interesting question:
“The mere fact of God’s suffering doesn’t solve the question; it exacerbates it. For there can no longer be a retreat into the hidden decrees of the eternal, all-wise, changeless and unaffected God. The suffering God is with us in the here and now. God must answer in the here and now before one can make any sense of the by and by. God, the fellow sufferer, is inexcusable if all that he can do is suffer. But if God is ultimately redeemer, how dare he hold out on redemption here and now in the face of real evil?”

Goetz's answer is even more interesting.

Richard Bauckham, Professor of New Testament Studies at the University of St. Andrews, offers a deep theological reflection on why God suffers. His discussion centres on the context of suffering in the twentieth century, our expanded understanding of God of the prophets, a God of personal love, and the crucified God in 'Only the Suffering God Can help': divine passibility in modern theology.

Father Thomas G. Weinandy, Oxford don, Capuchin priest offers a contrary view in Does God Suffer? He writes convincingly that God in transcendence and immanence cannot suffer, and it is bad theology and philosophy to imply that he does. He questions the wisdom that the theology of the impassibility of God that has been understood for two thousand years has been overturned in a hundred years.

What do you think?

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Can God Suffers?

Monday, February 26, 2007

The Early Church and Spiritual Formation

A Historical Review of Spiritual Formation in the Early Church to the Reformation and After

Early Church Period
Studies in early Christian faith communities have shown that formation practices were based on the Christian narratives which were used to form or shape the faith of these communities. These formation practices were often sensitive to the culture of their place and time (Engen 2004, 21-25).

From the first to the second centuries, new Christian converts were instructed using writings from the Didache, Justin Martyr and Irenaeus. At the end of the second century, teachings of new Christians were formalised by the founding of the Catechetical School at Alexandria. Here new converts were taught the basics of the Christian faith together with non-Christian learning. Two prominent teachers were Origen and Clement (Habermas 2001, 112)

It was in the early part of the third century that a fully organised plan of catechism was developed. A rigorous three year period were mandated before the adult convert were baptised. These 3 years period were to allow time for the new adult convert to change their lifestyle to one more fitting as a Christian. This period is called the catechumenate. This was necessary as most new converts were adults, converting from paganism.

From the fourth to the sixth century, infant baptisms became more common and the number of adults seeking catechumenate began to decrease. The emphasis and content of the catechism were slowly changed as more non-Christian disciplines were taught. The content of the catechism were the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed. The Ten Commandments were added by the thirteenth century (Habermas 2001, 112). However with the decrease in the number of adult seeking catechumenate, the catechism instructions deteriorated and the instructions were often given after baptism.

The catechism was the ancient church’s way of corporate spiritual formation. The Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles’ Creed and the Ten Commandments were recited in daily mass and in weekly Sunday services. It is part of the church liturgical worship. Members of the congregations were expected to memorise and be able to recite them.

Chan writes,
“When we recite the creed, we are doing more than telling ourselves what we believe; we are engaged in what in speech-act theory is called a performative act. We are making a pledge of self-giving to the God we believe in. In the practice of recitation, the creed functions like a nation’s national anthem or pledge.” (2005, 4).

The creed served the purpose of reminding the members of their basic beliefs, the Ten Commandments remind them to check themselves for their sins, and the prayer is the church’s prayer to God. Hence the incorporate of the catechism into the church worship liturgy serves a very important spiritual formation function. It reminds them they are a “separated” people, and reinforce their identity as a “separated” people.[1] Therefore the liturgy itself was an important in the corporate spiritual formation process.

The early church fathers taught that conversion was a process. One was slowly released from the bondage of the world. In that time period, Christian religious beliefs were incorporated into daily life. The catechumen was slowly helped by the church and her members to study and memorise the catechism, to live a life of holiness, to confess their sins and to serve others. This was a community effort. They would be horrified to learn of our conversion techniques and a quick prayer “accepting Christ into our heart.”

Chan comments,
“The ancient catechumenal process corresponds more closely to the idea of continuing conversion. It is a process of becoming in which the initial response is tested out, clarified, and strengthened. Just as true love between a man and a woman culminates in marriage, the catechumenal process culminates in baptism, when one renounces he world, vows lifelong commitment to follow Christ and enters into full communion with the church.”(2006, 124-125).

Conversion was a process that started with intention. That is why it takes at least 3 years before baptism was offered and performed. The spiritual formation process through the catechism did not end with baptism but continued through it to the rest of their lives. Again the early church understood baptism as early Judaism regarded Bar Mitzvah.

Monastic and Mendicant Period

The monastic movement helped to keep in continuity, some of the educational and instructional structure of the catechism. The Monastic consist of three different groups; those who were hermits and lived alone; those who live in communes under a monastic rule, and those who lived in communities under a spiritual director. It is those who lived in communes and communities that practice a form of community spiritual formation. Their purpose was to detach from worldly affairs and devote themselves to prayers and study. Spiritual disciplines like lectio divina, the Jesus prayer and contemplative prayers were developed during this time.

The decline of the monastic period saw the blooming of the mendicants. These were monks who vowed to live a life of poverty and to serve God. They were organised under various orders named after their founders, for example, the Franciscan (Francis of Assisi) and Dominicans (Dominic). The Dominicans were especially noteworthy because their call was to study, to preach and teach the gospel. Thomas Aquinas and Meister Eckhart were Dominicans. They continued the instructing of the catechism. However, the socio-political situation had changed. Though the Church is still rich and powerful, it has lost its influence over the general populace which succumbed to superstitions and a fearful Christian religiosity. In time, it led to the Reformation.

Reformation Period

One of the reforms done during the Reformation was to review the catechism. Martin Luther wrote his Large Catechism (April, 1529) and his Smaller Catechism, a month later. In these, Luther restructured the traditional instruction contents into three components. First was the “Code” of Christian beliefs, second was the “Creed” of the central message of Christ and lastly, the “Cult” which were instructions on how to appropriate Christ’s redemption through prayers and sacraments.

Reformed Tradition

John Calvin wrote the Catechism of the Church at Geneva (English) in 1542. This work was in the form of a 129 questions and answers format. This made it easier for the students to understand and remember. In 1563, the Heidelberg Catechism was written and it incorporated the 129 questions and answers. It contains segments on human misery, human redemption and divine redemption[2]. Therefore there is the cognitive aspect of the catechism which involved learning the answers and also behavioural modification necessary to live in a “Christian community”.

Weaver placed the reformed/Presbyterian worship service between the “prayer-book liturgical tradition” groups of churches, where liturgy was strictly followed, and the “free-church tradition”, where there were no prescribed liturgical rules[3] (Weaver 2002, 30). The reformed worship incorporates the spiritual formation processes found in the early catechism in liturgy worship services. These processes includes the focus on the praise and adoration of God, the participation of worshippers in worship rather than as spectators, a Word-centered liturgy, emphasis on preaching as a means of grace and the presence of order, dignity and grace (Weaver 2002, 33-34). The Lord’s Table, baptism and confirmations are also important aspect of the reformed worship. Therefore corporate spiritual formation takes place as people are reminded weekly of the creed, prayer and rules governing the Christian faith.

The catechumenate is an important spiritual formation tool that the Asian church should be encouraged to reconsider. First, conversion is the moving from one world to another. In the Asian context, it may mean detaching and breaking away from cultural and social roots. The relationship of a new convert with their non-Christian parents, siblings, relatives and friends may never be the same again. There is also the need to relearn cultural norms that is acceptable to Christianity. In some new converts, exorcism may need to be done. In others, the new converts may need to break the bonds with the temples. For example, some of them may be given as godchildren to the goddess Kwan Yin. These bonds need to be broken.

Second, the whole church is involved in forming the new convert’s lifestyle and religious instructions. Relationships need to be build and maintained. Prayers need to be offered for each other. New converts need to show how to use the means of grace to grow in their faith.

Finally, an adequate contextualised course of instruction must to be given. A good course is the Heidelberg Catechism. It is comprehensive in that it deals with the Christian creed and sacraments. Simon Chan asked some interesting questions
“How do we teach the Trinity vis-avis the world religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam?…How does the Christian doctrine of the Spirit relate to the traditional Asian animistic instinct?... What do we make of the hierarchical structure of the Asian family?...How does Christian prayer differ from the idea prevailing in popular religions that it is an “exchange” between a person and the deity?” (2006, 116-117)

Endnotes

[1] The whole idea is to reinforce the idea that baptized Christians are separated from the world, the flesh and the devil. The Augustinian image of moving from the City of Man to the City of God is helpful here. Augustine, S. (1993). The City of God. New York, The Modern Library.p.345-379. Being baptism is more significant then than is nowadays.

[2] “The Heidelberg Catechism of the Reformed Churches of the Palatinate (1563) began with the doctrine of sin and human misery (Qs1-11) followed by the doctrines of redemption and salvation by faith (Qs 12-21). The content of faith is specified in question 22:”What is it, then, for a Christian to believe?” Answer “All that is promised us in the Gospel, which the articles of our catholic, undoubted Christian faith teach us to sum.” The articles of faith are summed up in the Apostles’ Creed (Qs 23-85). Questions 59-64 discuss the appropriation of Christ by faith, with question 64 making the transition from creed to sacrament” Chan, S. (2006). Liturgical Theology: The Church as Worshiping Community. Downers Grove, Illinois, InterVarsity Press.p.108

[3] Weaver mentions three major liturgical streams. The prayer-book stream includes the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Lutheran has a liturgy format for all their churches. All their churches are required to follow the given format. At the other end is the free-church stream, which does not have a fixed liturgy or rules for governing the context and conduct of worship. Weaver mentioned the Presbyterians as being in between without mentioning the name of the stream. Weaver, J. D. (2002). Presbyterian Worship: A Guide for Clergy. Lousiville, KN, Geneva Press.p.30

The Early Church and Spiritual Formation

A Historical Review of Spiritual Formation in the Early Church to the Reformation and After

Endnotes

John Denver- Annie's Song

You fill up my senses

Like a night in a forest

Like a mountain in springtime

Like a walk in the rain

Like a storm in the desert

Like a sleepy blue ocean

You fill up my senses

Come fill me again

Come let me love you

Let me give my life to you

Let me drown in your laughter

Let me die in your arms

Let me lay down beside you

Let me always be with you

Come let me love you

Come love me again

Let me always be with you

Come let me love you

Come love me again

John Denver- Annie's Song

You fill up my senses

Like a night in a forest

Like a mountain in springtime

Like a walk in the rain

Like a storm in the desert

Like a sleepy blue ocean

You fill up my senses

Come fill me again

Come let me love you

Let me give my life to you

Let me drown in your laughter

Let me die in your arms

Let me lay down beside you

Let me always be with you

Come let me love you

Come love me again

Let me always be with you

Come let me love you

Come love me again

Reel Light: Film and Spirituality

I love watching movies. It is one of my favourite pastimes, the other being reading, writing, making spaceship models, golf, eating, computer games, and collecting Batman figurines. Does watching movies influence my spirituality? Yes, I believe it does because whatever we expose ourselves to informs, forms and conforms us. I like the story from the First Nation tribes in Canada. An elder said that there are two wolves inside us. These wolves are always at war. One is good, kind and gentl

e. The other is aggressive, wild and cruel. How do we determine which wolf will be victorious? The one we feed the most. If we feed or watch a lot of movies with violence, cruelty, the Occult, or horror themes, it will definitely affect our spirituality.

Spiritual Gro wth Ministries' Journal of Contemplative Spirituality (Refresh) has its theme for the Winter 2006 issue: Reel Light: Film and Spirituality.

Andrew Dunn, the editor asks, "What if the act of movie going and watching has become a religious activity for many with its own rituals and temples as John Lyden suggests? I notice how religiously large quantities of popcorn, lollies, soft drink or coffee and icecream are consumed at the cinema, almost sacramentally one suspects! What if the communal aspect of film viewing has become a modus operandi for creating community that has its own life and vigour?" He then gives us some guidelines on how to watch movies in Cinema and Contemplation

Paul Fromont writes on Spiritual Direction: Waking Up and Recovering Ourselves through Movies. Using the movie The Matrix as the context, he uses waking up and recovering our true selves. Val Roberts uses the movie Forrest Gump to show us The Power of Love. Digby Wilkerson offers us his list of 100 Art and Faith Films. Man, I have not seen many of them. And Martin Stewart offers us his thoughts on Films as Parables.

The Journal also supplied some useful links:

Journal of Religion and Film.
www.unomaha.edu/jrf/

Christianity Today at the Movies offering “Biblical perspectives on contemporary cinema”.
www.christianitytoday.com/movies/

Describes itself as “pop culture from a spiritual point of view”.
www.hollywoodjesus.com

Jesus: Real to Reel Bibliography and Web Resources For Religion/Theology and Film.
http://post.queensu.ca/~rsa/Real2Reel/realreel.htm

Film making as spiritual practice and ministry.
http://www.crosscurrents.org/Alston0204.htm

Jesus: The Christ Film Web Pages
http://www.ntgateway.com/film/Celluloid

Reel Light: Film and Spirituality

Jewish Traditions on Spiritual Formation

Jewish Traditions on spiritual formation during the New Testament Period and after.

The spiritual formation process in the Jewish tradition starts with the bonding process between the father and child, the home, the synagogue practices and the synagogue.

First, the parent (translated “teacher” in Hebrew) is the one who starts the spiritual formation process in the child. It is often the father who becomes the one solely responsible for the faith formation of the child from the time of birth – the “gidual banim u-vanot” which translates as “a value related to the birth and development of children.” (Spiro 1987; Edersheim 1994, 99-114).

The family has an important role to play in the initial spiritual formation of the child. The family has “taharat hamishpachah” which is the value of integrity, honesty and loving relationships in a family. Another value is “kibud av va-em” which means honouring one’s father and mother. The family is also to provide a nurturing environment of “shalom bayit” which is “the sense of harmony and wholeness.” The family is the nursery from which the faith formation of the child grows. It is that the family that forms an integrated complete unit in a larger unit which is the “K’lal Yisrael,” the Jewish community (Spiro 1987).

Second, one of the key emphases in synagogue practice is the Bar Mitzah (Bat Mitzah for females) at the age of thirteen . Children realise that all their education and faith formation is to prepare them for the Bar or Bat Mitzah. After the initiation ceremony, the rest of their lives are meant to live out the principles and practices of Bar or Bat Mitzah. “Mitzah” can be translated as “commandment.” Bar means “son of” (Bat “daughter of”). What this means is that the ceremony marks the time when a Jew becomes responsible for living out the commandments of God for the rest of his or her life.

The preparation of the child for the Bar Mitzah begins when he or she is 4 years old. The education process that is started by the father is now taken on by the synagogue; the “cultural, intellectual, and emotional conditioning” that involves learning about Jewish history, culture, identity and reading of the Torah leads to its culmination in the Bar Mitzah (Spiro 1987). “At five years old (one is fit) for the Scripture, at ten for the Mishnah, at thirteen for (fulfilling of ) the commandments, at fifteen for the Talmud, at eighteen for the bride-chamber, at twenty for pursuing (a calling), at thirty for authority, at forty for discernment, at fifty for counsel, at sixty for to be an elder, at seventy for grey hairs, at eighty for special strength, at ninety for bowed back, and at a hundred a man is a one that (already) died and passed away and ceased from the world (Mishnah,’Abot v.21)” as quoted in Edersheim, A. (1994). Sketches of Jewish Social Life. Peabody, Henderickson Publishers. p.113

Third, is the formative role of synagogue worship. The Torah is divided into 54 sections. A separately section is read every Saturday morning in the synagogue throughout the year (Edersheim 1994, 245-255). Learning from the Torah and Haftarah (prophetic section of the Bible) are encouraged and practiced. Knowledge is not despised but embrace by the synagogue. Everyone is a student; young and old. “The wise student is one who applies his knowledge to serve and improve his life and lives of other.”(Spiro 1987, 552). There is a corporate culture of learning that continually challenges yet integrating learned principles in all stages of Jewish life.

Finally, the religious festivals play an important role in national formative practices. These religious festivals were related to Temple worship. And temple worship reminded the people of Yahweh, their God. Hence their whole year revolved round their religious festivals. There were daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly festivals, and great stress was laid on the regular observance of them in every particular one. During three major festivals or feasts, every male in the family have to go to Jerusalem. This meant planning for the journey. So the ancient Israelites mark times by the religious festivals.

1. The regular festivals were:
(a) The weekly Sabbath (Lev. 23:1–3; Ex. 16:23–29; 20:8–11; 31:12).
(b) The seventh new moon, or the feast of Trumpets (Num. 28:11–15; 29:1–6).
(c) The Sabbatical year (Ex. 23:10, 11; Lev. 25:2–7).
(d) The year of jubilee (Lev. 25:8–16; 27:16–25).

2. The great feasts were:
(a) The Passover.
(b) The feast of Pentecost.
(c) The feast of Tabernacles.
On each of these occasions every male Israelite was commanded “to appear before the Lord” (Deut. 27:7; Neh. 8:9–12).

3. The Day of Atonement
The tenth day of the seventh month (Lev. 16:1, 34; 23:26–32; Num. 29:7–11). The great annual day of humiliation and expiation for the sins of the nation, “the fast” (Acts 27:9).

The festivals were designed to constantly remind the Jews of God and of the Temple in Jerusalem and also to create a national identity. Concerning the three festivals which all males of the family must travel to Jerusalem, Brueggemann has this to say, “The main point would seem to be, “You must show up!” in order to give visible attestation that one is publicly aligned with YHWH and with YHWH’s people” (Brueggemann 2005, 13).

Hence, the Jewish way of faith formation involves the family and the synagogue. It is a corporate enterprise with family and synagogue practices which enhance and direct the learning effort. There are clearly defined pedagogy and desired outcomes. This can be considered corporate spiritual formation.

soli deo gloria

Jewish Traditions on Spiritual Formation

soli deo gloria

Sunday, February 25, 2007

The Guardian

The Guardian is an interesting movie about the work of the Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers. These are members of the Coast Guard who jump into the sea to rescue shipwreck sailors. As can be imagined from the nature of their work, it is dangerous and the risk of injury is high. This is especially dangerous in the cold waters of the north. In this movie, the setting is the Bering Sea. The filming is wonderful and the shots of high waves and rough seas reminds me of The Perfect Storm. It make me feel cold just watching the movie. It also makes me want to eat ice-cream. I wonder why.

The movie is about Ben Randall (Kevin Costner), a rescue swimmer who is something of a legend in the Coast Guard because he holds almost all of their records including a record of the number of people rescued. Ben is a determined type of person who is like a bulldog; once they have a grip on you, they never give up.

The story starts with his wife leaving him and he lost his whole team in a freak accident during a rescue. Ben is forced to take up a job training new recruits. Here he meets Jake Fischer (Ashton Kutcher), a hot shot young swimming champion who wants to join the Rescue Swimmers so that he can beat all of Ben's record. After an unorthodox training stint, Ben went back to his old unit at Kodiak, Alaska. Jake graduated and is transferred to be Ben's partner! Hey, it is a movie. In Jake's first training mission, they are forced to turn it into a real rescue mission. Ben sacrificed himself to save Jake. Duh.

The storyline is predictable. It would have been a powerful movie if we are made to empathise with Ben Randall. With his wife leaving him and his partner killed, Kostner did not pull off in his acting to draw the audience to even sympathise with him. Instead, he is acting as if he has nothing worse than a bad hang-over. Then his treatment of his trainee Jake makes it looks like he had a chip on his shoulder.

Jake is always trying to find out the number of persons Ben has saved so that he can beat the record. The only memorable part of the movie is when Ben replied that he only keep score of the numbers that he did not rescue; those who had died. It is meant to show the character of Ben. Personally I think it is a lousy way to keep score. It's like seeing the glass half full or half empty. Keeping score of those he could not save will make a neurotic out of him.

On the DVD, there is an alternate ending. That's one of the beauty of DVD. The other is that I do not have to go to the cinema to watch the show. I like the alternate ending better.

The Guardian is watchable. It is like The Perfect Storm with helicopters.

The Guardian

On the DVD, there is an alternate ending. That's one of the beauty of DVD. The other is that I do not have to go to the cinema to watch the show. I like the alternate ending better.

The Guardian is watchable. It is like The Perfect Storm with helicopters.

God Will Not Abandon You

We have all felt let down and abandoned by others. But God said, “Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you.” God will never leave you. God will never forsake you. He’s always there with you. Experience comfort and confidence knowing than God can’t leave you stranded in the turmoil of life.

Hebrews 13:5, 6
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE WILL LEAVE YOU IN THE END, BUT GOD WILL NOT LEAVE YOU

Matthew 6:25-27
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

GOD WILL ALWAYS BE HERE TO LOOK AFTER YOU

Psalm 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation--
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life--
of whom shall I be afraid?

When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.

My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.

Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.
Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.

Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.

Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.

I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

GOD WILL NEVER ABANDON YOU

Soli Deo Gloria

God Will Not Abandon You

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Hands

A short stubby hand reaches out to touch the coarse linen swaddling his body in a stable. The other hand reaches out and touches a soft gentle face, that of his mother, Mary. And there is another face with bristly hairs, his father Joseph. Moments before, these hands enfolds the whole of all known universes, able to create something out of nothing, and brings order out of chaos. Now these are the hands of a small, helpless baby boy, unable even to feed himself. These are the hands of God incarnate.

A small hand reaches out to touch the gold lining of the walls of the Temple. The boy’s hands are small, soft, and gentle. These hands play with mud; making mud cakes, and animals. Fingernails are stained as the hands patiently mould and form mud figurines. These hands point and gesture chasing the thoughts of their owner as he argues a point with the teachers in the Temple. These are the hands of a young Immanuel.

A hand reaches out for a piece of wood. This hand is now hard; callused at the tips and the palms, scarred on the fingers. These hands have worked at his father’s carpenter workshop for many years. They have learned to appreciate the feeling of good wood, to feel for the grain and to perceive the plane of the cut. They know how to handle tools, and knows where to cut and where not to cut. They have made straight what was once bent and bend what was once straight. These are the hands of a carpenter’s son.

A hand reaches out and begins to write on the sand, as an angry mob mills around, picking up stones and rocks. These men were ready to punish a woman caught in the act of adultery. The punishment was death by stoning. They hesitated as they read what a finger of the carpenter’s son has written on the hot burning sand. Then their hearts burn with shame. One by one, they tossed aside their stones and rocks and walked away. A hand reaches out to the hapless woman and a voice said, “Go and sin no more” These are the hands of love.

A hand reaches out and touches a blind man’s eyes. Eyes that were unable to appreciate the bright colours of flowers, the beauty of the setting sun or the smile on the face of a beloved one. “Do you see anything?” a gentle voice asked. The man looked and saw tree shapes walking around. Doubts began to fill his heart and hope fades. The hands touch his eyes again. Suddenly the world come into focus. It is such a beautiful world. These are the hands of healing.

A hand reaches up and a voice asks for water. The Samaritan woman hesitates and wonders about this Jewish man’s motive. It was late morning and they are alone. She pours water from her jar and watches as the man drinks from his cupped hands. These are not the soft, pale hands of a priest, scribe or rabbi, she notes. Her mouth opens in awe as these hands point to the sky to emphasis that true worship is neither here in Samaria or in Jerusalem but in spirit and in truth. These are the hands of spiritual glocalization.

A hand reaches out and clasps its partner tightly in prayer. The body tenses as the mind struggles with the commitment required of the carpenter’s son. Beads of blood form on his brows, flow down his face and fall on the garden’s grass. The night is dark, the air heavy, and the world is hushed at this significant moment in kairos time. The hand searches in vain for another human hand but his friends are all asleep. Finally, the moment of decision, “Yet not what I will, but what you will.” The tense hands relax. These are the hands of a saviour.

A hand is laid out on a piece of wood and a heavy nail was driven violently through it. Tissues are torn, tendons cut, bones crushed and nerves scream out in pain as the brutal blow is struck. Then as the cross is hoisted into the air, the hands tear as the weight of the body bears on them. These hands hold the body on the cross as the man struggles with his breathing. A voice says, “It is finished.” A dividing curtain somewhere tears and light shines through. These are the hands of Christ.

A hand reaches out to Thomas for him to examine. A day ago, these hands lay ashen and dead in a tomb. Thomas looked at the nail-pierced hands and his worship burst out, “My Lord and my God.” These pierced hands held a sobbing Mary Magdalene and clasp the trembling hands of his beloved disciple. They make breakfast for head-strong Peter. These hands were dead but now are alive. They bless the disciples as the man ascends to heaven. As the resurrected Christ sits on the right hand of God, his hands continues to intercede for his followers on earth. These are the hands of God.

Many hands now reach out to each other and their neighbours. These hands help the p

oor, defend the helpless, encourage the depressed, liberate the oppressed, comfort the distressed, gather the lost, build up the community, restore broken relationships, calm the angry, clean a cut, feed the hungry, lift the fallen, support the broken, pray for the hopeless, reach the unreachable, touch the untouchables, forgive the unforgivable, teach the clueless, feed the hungry, heal the wounded, empower the powerless, and demonstrate Christ-like character on earth. These are the hands of the Body of Christ.

Now, give me a hand.

Reflection Moments

(1) Read the article slowly with constant stopping for reflection and meditation. Practice lectio divina or meditative reading. What words, thoughts or ideas appeal to you strongly? Pray about that. Ask God to help you understand what he is saying to you.

(2) Read each paragraph. Imagine the hand in your mind; how do you think the hands looks like; what colour, shape, skin texture, features. Imagine holding that hand in your own hands. What do you feel? Praise and thank God for your feelings and impressions.

(3) How will you give a hand to the world today? Think of doing something concrete for someone. Is there something you have been meaning to do but have not done so? Do it today.

soli deo gloria