Spiritual Formation at Last!

Finally, and ironically, what I feel to be the first and highest priority of both the church universal and the Mennonite church, was addressed this morning in the delegate sesssion.  Isn't it rather strange, really, that while the denomination and I agree that Spiritual Formation is THE highest priority off the church, that it is relegated to the last full day of the convention?

Overall, what I heard in our table discussion was extremely positive on the subject.  I know I had been lambasting a lot of the way things are handled this week.  That's something that I need to think about a bit more.  But this topic was a very good one.  Our table talked a lot about how to interpret the Bible as the focus was on a Biblically based emphasis of Spiritual formation.  We discussed a lot about the post-modernistic view that gives doubt to a lot of the black-and-white line drawing we like to do and how we can address the existance of Truth without "beating people over the head with the Bible".

I think what was proposed by the executive board falls a little short though.  It's a lot of new programs, new resources, new things to do.  And you know, it's good to have such things, but do we need yet one more program?  Instead of trying to create a new lectionary, or a new program, or some sort of new effort, one thing our table came up with that I think would do an AMAZING thing: teach people how to study the Bible.  This is, I think, a lost gift of the Anabaptist church.  We are a church that has, at it's roots, a love of Scripture and a desire to have everyone engage scripture to instruct, enhance, speak life into our lives.  And yet we don't really understand what we read any more.  Or, if we think we understand it, we don't know how to apply it to our lives.

Perhaps this is where someone like me comes in.  I know Jim Longacre has already taught one class taking some of our folks in the congregation through basic scripture.  Perhaps we need more of that?  There seems to be a hunger for it, even in our church of long-time Christians.  So, it's time for me to actually do my job as Christian Education Chairperson and see what I can do about resourcing a class like that at church.

Pray for me, I know I'll need it.