Bryan Sherwood

Romans 12 - A Lot To Think About

I've been meditating on a passage from Romans 12.  It was one of the lectionary readings for this week.  If you follow the BCP lectionary, you may remember reading these verses.

Let love be genuine.  Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.  Love one another with brotherly affection.  Outdo one another in showing honor.  Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.  Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.  (Romans 12:9-13 ESV).

One of the things I try to do each day is print out and take the lectionary readings to work with me.  I put them with my calendar and when I have a few minutes, I read over them and try to keep them on my mind throughout the day.  This passage from Romans 12 really has been on the forefront of my thoughts lately.  Perhaps it's because I need to pay close attention to what these verses say.

Let love be genuine.  That phrase really caught my attention.  I'm still thinking about and meditating on that one.  I looked it up in another translation (yes, I own a bunch).  Here's how the New Living Translation puts it:  Don't just pretend that you love others.  Really love them.  It seems that Paul is driving at something deeper than just a fake, surface kind of "love." You've experienced this and probably have done it:  pretending to be interested or show compassion to someone when you really aren't interested.  God is calling us to a deeper love than that.  The love of the Kingdom is real.  It's not two-faced.  It's not fake. It's the real deal.  Of course, that means for me, having to do a lot of heart work to extend myself like that. Real love cost.  It demands time.  It demands attention.  It moves the focus from me to someone else.

As I've thought about this more, I think if I "let love be genuine" that means I am going to have to have difficult conversations at times and see those as good, proper things in the context of Christian community. The truth is most people tend to avoid the hard conversations.  I don't think many of us like or enjoy conflict.  We'd rather steer clear of it.  Yet, can we truly love people and not be open and honest with those around us?

A couple of other phrases that I've been wrestling with include "be patient in tribulation" and "seek to show hospitality." Maybe I'll write more about those subjects in future posts.  That seems to be enough for today.

Pax.

Lectio Divina: Taking It Slow

I'm learning to take things slow. You see, I have this "conquer it now" bent to my personality. If I start some spiritual practice, I have to guard against that conquering mentality. For instance, one of the best lessons Lectio Divina is teaching me is this lesson of taking things slow. Not being in a hurry and not trying "to get through" a certain amount of Scripture in one setting. I can't hurry the Holy Spirit. As a matter of fact, making myself feel rushed during Lectio misses the entire point! I think we have to be careful not to turn good, sound spiritual practices into a spiritual marathon in which we aim to "win" the race. Spiritual practices are a means by which we open up our lives to God but they can become self-centered, if we're not careful. What I've come to love about Lectio is that it constantly reminds me to "be still" and spend time sitting in silence and allow His Word to sink deep inside myself. I just can't rush that.

I've tried a couple of different approaches to Lectio. I know several people who use the daily Lectionary readings for their Lectio. That's never worked well for me because I do in fact feel rushed since the text changes every day with a new text and a fairly large amount of text too. Currently, I've opted to pick a book from the Bible and slowly make my way through it. Somehow, working my way through a book takes the pressure off to "get it done." It doesn't matter if it takes me all year to make my way through Hebrews. Once I'm done with that, I'll just go to the next one. With any luck, I'll be able to keep this practice up the rest of my life.

My name is Bryan Sherwood and I'm a conqueror by nature but I'm learning to take things slow. I hope you will too.

Friday Lectio

All of you must cloth yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all anxiety on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:5-7)

That was the Scripture reading for Morning Prayer today. Seems pretty appropriate to Advent as we await the coming of King Jesus. I thought the phrases "humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God" and "Cast all anxiety on him . . . " make an interesting connection. Sometimes pride and fear are connected. We're often afraid for people to see us as we are. Kind of silly, I know, but it's true.

Tomorrow, we're having an Advent Quiet Day at St. Patrick's. I'm looking forward to making some space in the busiest season of the year for prayer.

Peace.

Lectio and My Moleskine Calendar

Listen carefully, my son, to the master's instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart.  This is advice from a father who loves you; welcome it, and faithfully put it into practice.  (Rule of St. Benedict; emphasis mine)

I've been trying to make more space in my life for Lectio.  A few months ago, it occured to me that I could write down a verse or two each day in my Moleskine Calendar and since it lies open on my desk at work, it would keep Scripture in front of me throughout the day.  When I have a moment  or need a break, I slowly read over what I've written down (I usually take these verses from the daily lectionary reading).  Of course, there's certainly a place for extended times of Lectio, times for sitting quietly with the Word of God.  However, I'm learning to find ways to open my life to God's Word.  This particular way has been helpful to me.  Try it, you might find it a helpful practice too.