Below read Pastor Andrew’s October letter to the congregation. Follow up with more from the October newsletter and previous newsletters. Also visit the calendar page to know more about events at Faith Lutheran Church in Columbus, Wisconsin.
God be with you!
By now I hope you have heard of the book study beginning Oct. 1 on Richard Foster’s seminal work Prayer. This study is the beginning of our current focus on spiritual formation. Before saying anything more, however, it is essential that I say more about spiritual formation itself.
The reality is we are all being formed, both in past and present, by the experience of life and the way in which we journey through this world. Spiritual formation is the process by which we recognize that formation and discern the presence of God within it; especially in relation to the continually greater expression of becoming Christ-like to the world.
An important caveat here in using the journey motif is that we are not attempting to think of our spirituality as only a quest from here to there, and every day we don’t make it “far enough” we have failed to be “good enough.” Rather the point of thinking of spiritual formation as a journey is in relation to learning how to trust the reality that God is with us – a simple statement and yet a difficult task. The renowned spiritual guru, Henri Nouwen puts it like this,
“There is a tendency to think of the spiritual life as a life that will begin when we have certain feelings, think certain thoughts, or gain certain insights. The problem, however, is not how to make the spiritual life happen, but to see where it actually is happening. We work on the premise that God acts in this world…God is doing something right now. Our task is to recognize that, indeed, it is God who is acting, and we are involved already in the spiritual life.”
For well over a thousand years, Christians have found themselves on the very journey that we are on, and they have relied on prayer to help strengthen, enlighten, and center themselves on the reality that Nouwen articulates. We, too, can utilize prayer (both as individuals and as a community) to aid us in this journey. Therefore, it is best to state that we are not seeking after greater spiritual depth, but of spiritual authenticity within ourselves and our church.
Prayer is the beginning for us to consider our spiritual formation and will be our constant aid in discovering our spiritual authenticity. In his book, Foster writes how, “In the beginning we are indeed the subject and the center of our prayers. But in God’s time and in God’s way a Copernican revolution takes place in our heart. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, there is a shift in our center of gravity. We pass from thinking of God as a part of our life to the realization that we are part of God’s life.” Indeed, this is the journey.
Lastly, I must also mention that I recognize that our meeting time will not for everyone, especially if you are working or have kids to care for, so along with the in-person study I will be putting out a video each Wednesday on the Faith Facebook page discussing my thoughts on the chapter and putting forth some questions to consider. So, if you are not able to make the in-person study, but would like to participate in some manner, please let me know and we can get you a book to participate online.
If you have any questions about this study, feel free to let me know. There is no cost to participate, and no obligation to make every session, please come as you are and let us journey together.
Blessings,
Pr. Andrew