Day 60

At the moment I am listening to a series of lectures given at Regent College by Eugene Peterson on the subject of ‘Spiritual Formation’. He bases the lectures on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

He is clear that our Christianity is about LIVING the Christian life and he suggests that sometimes we show more zeal and enthusiasm about becoming Christian or about doing Christian things than about living the Christian life day after day in the setting of our everyday, ordinary lives. As I have already noted from his books about Spiritual Theology, Peterson gives continual emphasis to the fact that Spiritual formation is about God and not simply about ourselves. It is our opening ourselves to what God is doing and has done. .Spiritual formation is about the whole of life and cannot be pinned down to a programme or a particular set of actions. To use words from Ephesians 4 - it is to walk worthily of the life to which we are called.

Peterson sees the first half of Ephesians as having to do with ‘calling’ while the second half has to do with ‘walking’. The context of our lives as Christians is Word, Work, World, Worship - and in this context we live as God’s people.

Peterson notes that Paul begins his letter to the Ephesians by giving thanks for them. This doesn’t mean they had no problems or were a ‘perfect’ group of people. The Church at Ephesus was the same as every other church - made up of sinful people. Peterson makes the point that so often we only look at what is wrong and try and fix it. He suggests that it is easier to live in relationship with problems than with health - I will need to ponder that one.

But I am sure we all know people who seem more interested in what is wrong with others and themselves than with what is right. There must be a balance to be had in this. We know too that it is often easier (and, if we are honest, sometimes more congenial) to point out faults and failings rather than begin by giving thanks for what is good.

Something good is surely the recent fact that a group of 138 Muslim leaders from around the world and across the various denominations of Islam have come together to reach out to Christians through a statement entitled - "A common word between us and you." A recent email from the Sojourners organisation included this link to a short article about this by Brian Maclaren -

http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/2007/10/a-word-of-hope-between-us-and.html

I think that is enough for today’s musings. Any comments will be gratefully and thankfully received.

After the last blog, I will refrain from mentioning football results from north of the border - suffice to say I am smiling today about more than one result.