Just finished reading Dallas Willard’s The Great Omission a week or so back, and he poses an idea that I suspect is true but is worth pondering over:
Actions - as opposed to experiences - are what take us through the process of sanctification. We shouldn’t be surprised if someone sits through 20 years of sermons but does not change if that’s all they do. Sitting through something like that doesn’t change you. It wasn’t designed to. Huh?
Well, Willard sees the disciplines of silence and solitude, for example, as being more valuable to the process of spiritual formation than sitting in church services or the traditional “quite time” presented by the church at large. It’s interesting to note that no one advocates reading 3 or 4 pages of a book daily if they actually like reading the book - but for some reason, that’s presented as the ideal for devotions by mainstream Christianity.
I’m not sure why this is.
But it’s made me rethink some stuff - not the least of which is the effort put into this process of spiritual formation compared to the results that are actually coming out. It seems like there has got to be a better way to do this.
But I’m still trying to figure it out. Any thoughts?
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- garrett (golfsierra.org/blog)
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My cynical self states that
My cynical self states that silence and solitude could be the intended substance of several years of sermons. (How about that alliteration?) In other words, imperfect sermons from the mouths of man may indeed preach silence and solitude.
Yet I agree with you and Willard, if the sermon doesn’t spur you to positive action or re-action, where lies the sanctification?
If I merely accept sermons as data and do nothing with utilizing that data, then how is that glorifying to God? As a Christ follower, I imperfectly strive to do everything to the glory of God. In the business place, I work to the glory of God and do so by conducting business to the glory of my company within Biblical boundaries. There’s a Sojourner out there with a Business Intelligence background who could make a fantastic analogy between properly analyzed and applied business data empowering a company and individuals to appropriate action, as properly applied God data empowers a Christ follower to take appropriate action within God’s creation.
- Rich
__________________________Rich Sturmfels
Diesel Does It
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