I am NOT Alone!

As an arrogant human, I often thought – and said aloud: “I am a man of faith, not religion!” After all, I was listening to and heeding our Lord’s instruction: “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6, ESV), wasn’t I? Yes and no. If all one reads is that verse – even that repeated theme in Scripture, they do a disservice to the Word. I can’t nail down the exact moment that I realized the error of my thinking, but it was like being hit by the most loving blow I’ve ever received.

My faith is not from me. It comes from the Holy Trinity, as does every good thing in this life. Turns out, I am also a man of religion. 

Christ is My Focus

I believe that at the root was my own cognitive biases with the human elements of the church. After having little inspiration from non-denominational Christian churches, confusion between mom’s Catholicism and dad’s Southern Baptism, rock & roll “Life” churches, I finally found the home I had searched for in the Lutheran Church. I adored my Pastor and church family. I was elected to the board quickly, which is where Satan started whispering in my ear. Unfortunately, I listened to that father of lies and my own hubris. I was away too long, and I had a spiritual emptiness. I began to read again, first some of my old catechism, then the Bible when I came across a verse I have read many times, but this time hit differently: “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9). My faith in Christ is a gift from God, not something I can boast about to my peers! It humbled me. I realized that I need the ‘ecologies’ of religion (fellowship). Lowe and Lowe state: “If all involved remain disconnected and not unified in mind (phroneō, “one mindset”) and heart, it is impossible to reach a common goal.”[1] (p. 164). My relationship with the church had to be restored. I cannot be part of the body without becoming part of the body. “In 1539, Martin Luther provided a preface to the Wittenberg Edition of his writings. Luther explained that the correct way of studying theology was taught to him by Psalm 119… I need the Spirit, God’s kindness and favor are revealed in the Scriptures, in my life I experience the suffering and shame of my sins, and God opens my heart to hear the Gospel and trust I am no longer alone.”[2] I must allow the Holy Spirit to reshape me in the image of my Lord and Savior. I cannot do this on my own, and I must share it with all who would hear it.

[1] Lowe, S.D. & M.E. Lowe, Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age (Downers Grove, IL: IV Press, 2018), 164.

[2] Gaertner, E., Spiritual Formation. Online. https://ourshepherd.net/our-blog/spiritual-formation

Sharing the Good News Across Generations

We have never been so connected and disconnected at the same time. We have social media that allows us forms of communication of which we never dreamed. I can see my children and grandchildren through video chat, live streams of sports activities, even check in from the middle of the Caribbean with no cell service! There is also a disconnection in that we have as many as five generations trying to speak to one another – often in languages as different from each other as the ESV and Hebrew in which Scripture versions are written. We are saying the same things, but are not hearing, seeing, or listening the same.

How Will I do These Things?

1.      Contextualization and collaboration

a.       While I will be attending some in-person seminary work, fellowship and community within my congregation through regular worship and my work as a worship assistant during Holy Communion will provide key context in my spiritual growth.

a.       Time with my Pastor and with other professors through Liberty and Concordia will provide context I need to keep my focus Christ centered.

b.      Time Elders have volunteered to assist me, whether through proofing my papers or simply praying with me will be a collaborative process that furthers my formation and if I am learning and growing as I should – theirs.

Again, we have as many as five generations in the workplace. Reason concludes we have this in the church. Communication and collaboration must increasingly become digital and in language that spans all generations for my formation, and that of my peers and those in my charge. The wordiness of tradition no longer works exclusively. The “blog” age is here for collaborative spiritual formation and education.

This doesn't mean we abandon the liturgy, and we certainly don't alter Scripture to suit our purposes. Sola Scriptura is still the rule.

Yours in Christ, Mike