In the history of the Church there have been many authors, thinkers and leaders who have suggested a framework to make sense of the basic practices of Christian discipleship. The seven Core Practices that I will be developing in the week to come are my efforts to add to the conversation. I am under no delusions that the seven practices I have assembled supersede anything already developed. I am certainly not suggesting that this is the only way to frame Christian discipleship. I have developed and shaped these practices out of my study and understanding of Scripture and who Jesus calls us to be as people who have embraced God’s redeeming grace. Scripture is the foundation of these practices, but they are also influenced by the rich spiritual traditions that were pioneered by our mothers and fathers in the faith. Further, the formation of these practices is also shaped by my experiences in 20 plus years of pastoral ministry in the United Methodist Church. They are designed to fit together in a way that makes sense.
The guiding image for how I will develop these Core Practices for Christian discipleship is rooted in Matthew 13:1-9, the Parable of the Sower. Jesus calls us to be the fertile soil upon which God’s good seed is sewn and from which God’s abundant and inevitable harvest will be realized. To use the image of the Parable, God sews God’s good seed on all of us. Participation in the realization of the Kingdom of God, God’s reign of mercy, justice and reconciliation, in the world requires that we become fertile soil. The Core Practices are ways to live that continue to prepare the soil of our life to be as fertile as we can be (by God’s grace). This is a lifetime endeavor. It is an image of life and faith that we are always growing into. On this side of death we are always being shaped and formed by God’s grace. That’s why the sentence root for the Core Practices is “Fully forming disciples of Jesus are committed to...”
So here we go...
Fully forming disciples of Jesus are committed to...
...an active an growing relationship with Christ. This is the very center of our life of discipleship. Though it seems to restate the obvious, this practice is meant to draw a distinction between relating to Christ as an idea or set of idea and having a relationship with a person in our life. As it relates to the guiding image of the Parable of the Sower, an active relationship with Christ is all about showing up in the field in the first place.
...openness to God’s healing, transforming and life-giving grace. This practice of spiritual openness recognizes that an obstacle to our relationship with Christ and with one another can be our own brokenness, weariness and need. Too often we act out of that need in ways that separate us from our most important relationships. This practice is a gateway to the healing that moves us toward healthy relationships. As we work in our field, this is the practice of picking out the rocks, debris and weeds that foul the soil.
...living incarnationally according to the example of Christ. Jesus example of relationship with God demonstrated a deeply internal intimacy. Out of the witness of John 1 we know that in Christ God was present. This physical/theological reality is one that Jesus embraced in relationship. It wasn’t merely an idea to be taken for granted. Using our guiding image, this is the equivalent of getting in and getting our hands dirty in the soil.
...the disciplined practice of spiritual formation. Engaging in the practices of spiritual formation is a way to open ourself to the ways that God’s Spirit can move routinely through our life. These practices order our life and orient our spirit to the intimacy of God’s presence. Spiritual practices are the equivalent of the routine practice of aeration, watering, fertilizing and weeding that help develop and maintain fertile soil.
...living a shared commitment to a life of discipleship within the Body of Christ. Though personal relationship are just that, there is a risk of turning discipleship into a singular and isolated pursuit. We are not to take this journey alone. We are designed to take this journey with others on the path. What this looks like in our guiding image is this: we make work our individual plot alone (for the most part), we work with others in a larger field. From time to time, we are called upon to share the life and work of another in their field or ours.
...to share the story of God’s grace as we experience it in our relationship with Christ. What God is doing in our life is part of God’s greater story of Good News begun in the witness of Scripture. As the old hymn reminds us...we’ve a story to tell to the nations. This is the Gospel story as we find it in Scripture and the ongoing Gospel story that we experience even today.
...to living Christ’s incarnational love in the world. The produce of God’s abundant harvest is not just a benefit for us. It is also a gift that God gives to the world through us. It is the realization that the grace we experience has a broader audience than us. In combination with the previous practice this practice suggests that sharing the produce is about telling the world of the harvest that God has brought, but it is more than simply setting up a produce stand expecting the world to come to us. The fullest expression of these last two practices is about taking the produce to the hungry people in the world, where ever we find them.
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