"Scripture Inspires"

            This week, September 17th, we continue our four-week focus, entitled”  “Spirituality for Busy People.”  Whereas last Sunday we began at a very basic level by reflecting on the role of prayer, this Sunday we explore how Scripture can shape and inform our spirituality.

            In his book, The Way of Scripture, M. Robert Mulholland, Jr. proposes that the Divine becomes incarnate in the scriptural text, just as God becomes physically incarnate in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.  As a metaphor to better understand how God becomes incarnate in scripture, Mulholland suggests that we could think of a composer, such as Beethoven, becoming incarnate in a symphony which he composed.  Mulholland writes:  “Beethoven heard the symphony in his being and wrote the score from his intimate relationship with the music that resonated within him.  In other words, the symphony became ‘text.’”[i]

            With this understanding of scripture, Mulholland proposes a different, spiritual way of reading and studying scripture.  In this alternative approach to scripture, the goal is not education—understood as the taking in of more knowledge—but, instead, the goal is transformation.  Rather, than studying the Bible in order to get more information about God and God’s Will for us as disciples of Christ, Mulholland suggests a “formational reading” of scripture.  In this “formational reading,” we open ourselves to being challenged and encourage so that we are transformed by God incarnate in the text. 

(In proposing this alternative form of Bible study, Mulholland does not intend to replace traditional Bible studies and the quest for a more informed understanding of scripture.  Instead, for Mulholland, the two approaches are complement one another.)

To facilitate a transformation study of scripture, Mulholland proposes an emended form of the traditional Benedictine practice of Lectio divinia (Latin for “Divine Reading”).  In Mulholland’s proposal, the Divine Reading process has six steps:

1.      Silent centering

2.      Reading the scriptural text

3.      Meditating on the text

4.      Prayer

5.      Contemplation of the text

6.      Incarnation, understood as the Word becoming incarnated within us

In what follows, I basically follow Mulholland’s work for my own proposal.  As an illustration of this form of biblical spirituality, consider this parable told by Jesus, as well as the context of the parable:

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”  (Luke 10: 25-37)

Spiritual Bible Study for Transformation

            1.  Silent Centering.  Divine Reading begins with a time of silence for centering one’s mind for scriptural study.  We begin by clearing our minds of all distractions so that we can become really present to the Divine incarnated in the scripture.  This centering process is fundamental to all Divine Reading, as well as prayer and meditation.  Our brains do not like to be quiet and still.  So, whenever we begin reflection and meditation, our brains try to fill us up with distractions, such as making a shopping list or worrying about a problem or thinking about what’s for dinner.  The first step, then, is clearing our minds of the craziness of distractions so that we can be fully present to the Divine.

            2.  Reading.  The second step is to read the text; in this case, the Parable of the Good Samaritan.  As I read the story, I ask myself what God might be saying to me personally through the text.  That is, we respond to what is read with our heart, rather than our rational intellect.  I must ask myself, how does this text challenge or disorient me?  How does the text give me joy or encouragement?  Is there a way in which the text provides me with comfort and healing?  How do I feel about this scripture?  Another way of reading the scripture in a formational approach is to try and put yourself into the text; to try and imagine how you would have felt and reacted if you were a character in the story. 

For instance, I could imagine myself as the lawyer who stood up to question Jesus.  In the context of a public debate between Jesus and the lawyer, it is important to see that Jesus’ reply is a put down of the lawyer, causing him to lose face in public.  We need to keep in mind that the lawyer is publicly recognized as an expert in Jewish law.  But, Jesus response, “You are right,” actually assumes that Jesus understands the law more deeply and, therefore, is above the lawyer when it comes to the lawyer’s own area of expertise.  So, I can imagine how embarrassed and humiliated I would feel.  I identify with the lawyer in some ways.

Alternatively, I could imagine myself as a character in the parable.  If I were the victim, I would imagine myself lying, face down in the ditch; my body aching from the beating; blood oozing from my wounds; bruises forming on my body.  I would feel so helpless and alone.  Or, I might imagine myself as the priest.  Now, the priest was an important leader in his community.  And, he would be expected to stop and offer assistance, but he does not stop.  Why would I do that?  Could it be that I have such pressing responsibilities that I am feeling overwhelmed and so I pretend like I don’t see the victim in order to avoid having to stop and getting even further behind in fulfilling all of my responsibilities?  In some ways, as a pastor, I identify with the priest.

3.  Meditating on the Text.  The third step of Divine Reading is meditation on the scripture.  In this stage, my focus shifts from the scripture to how I am reacting to the scripture.  What are my reactions to the scripture?  How is God encountering me in the text?  How does the scripture challenge me to grow spiritually?  In this step, we open ourselves to the mystery of God in the text.

In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, I find that I have two reactions to the lawyer’s humiliation.  My first reaction is to take delight in the lawyer’s humiliation.  For me, the lawyer comes across as arrogant and full of himself.  He thinks that he is important in his community because he is the expert in Jewish law.  He thinks of himself as a leader in his community.  He takes pride in his accomplishments.  The lawyer’s self-worth is inter-connected with his expertise in the law and his high statue in his community.  When Jesus offends him, the lawyer has a strong impulse to “justify himself.”

However, as I continue to meditate on the text, God confronts and challenges me with this thought:  In the story, I am the lawyer.  Until this reading of the Good Samaritan, I had always identified with the Samaritan, who heroically helps the wounded man.  But, now a new perspective creeps into my mind.  I am more like the lawyer.  Just as the lawyer, I ground my self-worth in what I know and what I have accomplished in life.  I take pride in my accomplishments; in my high educational level; in all that I am done.  My value; my self-worth is all based upon what I know and what I have accomplished.

4.  Prayer.  If we think of meditation as our encounter with the Divine through the scriptural text, then prayer is our inner response to this encounter with God.  Prayer may take the form of wrestling with God.  At times, prayer is a struggle with the conflict between our perception of ourselves and God’s perception of who we are.  Prayer is a dynamic dialogue with God, in which we open ourselves to God’s purposes for us.

In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, I struggle with this new challenge posed to me by the Divine within the scriptural text:  Is it true that I am most like the lawyer in the story?  If so, what does that mean about me and my relationship with the Divine?

5.  Contemplation of the Text.  The struggle and dialogue with the Divine through prayer leads to a transformative reflection on the scriptural text.  We lose ourselves in the Divine in order to find our true selves.  That is, we abandon our false, self-serving identity in order to discover our trues identity as beloved brothers and sisters in Christ.

In my struggle with the Parable of the Good Samaritan, I realize my true self is not dependent upon all that I know or all that I have accomplished or all the possessions that I own.  I realize that my true self is not contingent upon being a “success.”  Instead, I come to realize that I am important to God without having to know or accomplish or own.  I am important to God and loved by God without having to be a success.  That realization is radically liberating.

6.  Incarnation, understood as the scriptural Word becoming incarnated within us.  In this spiritual practice, the scriptural Word becomes incarnated within our very being.  It is the profound unity of the Divine Word within us through the community of faith.  Viewed in this way, incarnation is the outcome of a deepening relationship with the Divine in which the Divine presence is ever more fully touching the lives of others in a healing, transforming, freeing love.  Incarnation is becoming the body of Christ in the world through the community of faith.

In my reflection on the Parable of the Good Samaritan, my realization that I am important to God without having to be a success at everything transforms who I am.  Through achieving a greater unity with the Divine, my outlook, my perceptions, my attitude is changed.  I realize that God loves me even when I fail and that realization is transformative.  I grow closer in my relationship with the Divine because I realize that I don’t have to earn God’s love and acceptance.  Further, I see the world differently.  Since God loves me unconditionally, I am able to love the world more fully—and I experience greater joy.

If you live in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and do not have a place of worship, then I invite you to come and join us this Sunday, September 17th, as we reflect on the role of scripture as a resource for spirituality; part of our ongoing examination of a “Spirituality for Busy People.”  Christ United Methodist Church is located at 4530 A Street in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Our two traditional Worship Services are at 8:30 and 11:00 on Sunday morning. 

Come and join us.  Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

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[i] M. Robert Mulholland, Jr., with Marjorie J. Thompson, The Way of Scripture, in the series “Companions in Christ (Nashville, TN:  Upper Room, 2010), 25.