Pillar Community Church has been interacting with Ruth Barton’s latest book, Life in Christ Together, for a few months. The book is gently nudging us toward a fresh experience of doing life together within the context of ministry and modern life.
Ruth’s text traces the Emmaus road story (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+24%3A13+-+33&version=CEB .).
In chapter eight, she frames the journey of discernment – an ongoing discovery of the presence of Christ – by proposing six intervals or intersections through which we all travel.
I sense that each intersection may serve as markers for our own journey.
As you read the terms† describing these intersections, I encourage you to identify your own place on this journey, or the intersection you face today!
Six Key Intersections of Spiritual Formation: The Journey of the Burning Heart!
Intersection #1: We encounter Christ as STRANGER. This is where we all begin. Christ as a ‘stranger’ to us.
Friends talk about him. Our grandmother’s pray that we would know Him. Neighbors seem to follow him and politicians tend to endorse him.
Yet to us he remains a stranger. Someone we see yet don’t fully understand.
We find we are resistant toward Him.
As the disciples on the Emmaus road did, we too have a hard time believing in Him and wonder how He can be so out of tune with what’s going on in this world, yet – at the same time – inviting and welcoming to so many.
Intersection #2: We engage Christ as COMPANION. As a companion Jesus is someone we enjoy being around, but one in whom we are not fully confident. We do not find him unattractive (few do), but we find ourselves to be largely uninterested in his continual presence and the wisdom his life offers.
We invite him to holidays and special occasions.
We are tolerant of his intrusion at athletic events, civic gatherings and national moments of remembrance. We may even visit a house or two He is rumored to inhabit.
But it’s rare that we ask Him to join us.
Intersection # 3: We are Intrigued by Him as TEACHER. As a teacher the wisdom of Jesus intrigues us. He may even be someone we look to and rely upon during
the confusing and often painful moments of life.
We begin to find comfort in words like “Come to me all who are weak and heavy laden.”
We experience the joy of words such as “I have come to serve, not to be served.”
We delight in His righteous indignation (though it’s always against others – not ourselves) and we begin, ever so subtly to think, “hmm, this Jesus has some pretty good insight. His words even helped me makes sense of things – for a while.”
Intersection # 4: We welcome Christ as our GUEST. This moment is a watershed moment in life. At this stage of the journey we are willing to invite him in. We open our home to him and ask him to take a peek at what’s going on inside.
We listen as he recommends some tweaks around the edges. Believing some minor adjustments might make our life more profitable.
We invite him to dine with us; to break bread with us. We offer him our hospitality – to the best of our ability.
Yet, we continue to control the dialogue, discussion, and dinner menu.
While we enjoy his company, we are not moved to surrender.
We remain under the illusion that we are hosting Him – that we are in control.
This leg of the journey is critical and one in which we often find ourselves stuck. But, the real journey is still ahead and will require things of us we are not sure we can give.
Intersection #5: We embrace Christ as HOST. When we discover Jesus as host we recognize that our best life is the life that is fully given over and surrendered to Him.
We no longer set the dinner menu, control the dialogue or guide the discussion.
We no longer lead him around our house; showing only the rooms we believe need attention.
On this leg of the journey we welcome and trust His leadership. Now, at last, we begin to understand the truth the Jesus exclaims, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Intersection #6: We surrender to Christ as MESSIAH. We discover and relate to Jesus as He actually presents himself, the Messiah.
We embrace Him as the one who saves, rescues, and delivers.
In this moment of life-changing joy and discovery our eyes are open and the scales fall away. We, with disciples on the Emmaus road, proclaim, “our hearts now burn within us.‘
This is the moment for which we all long.
The moment our hearts burn within. The moment we receive and surrender to the Messiah and the life-giving rhythms of His rule!
Spiritual formation is a burning heart journey. A journey in which we encounter – again and again – six cardinal intersections,
- We encounter Christ as Stranger.
- We engage Christ as Companion.
- We are intrigued by Christ as Teacher.
- We welcome Christ as Guest.
- We embrace Christ as Host.
- We Surrender to Christ as Messiah.
Where are you on this journey?
How might you move from one intersection to the next and discover God, yourself and others today?
Why not pick up Ruth’s book (http://www.transformingcenter.org/in/lifetogether/).
Bring a few people along with you as you do.
Disrupting to Renew!
Biz
