Being and Becoming: A Few Notes for the Journey

Erika Castiglione

This past Sunday we kicked off our church-wide initiative and sermon series on the Spiritual Disciplines. Over the next eight weeks we will be looking together at the following practices:

·      Reading and Meditating on Scripture

·      Gathering for Corporate Worship

·      Prayer

·      Sabbath

·      Serving and Witnessing

·      Generosity and Hospitality

·      Solitude and Gathering

·      Fasting and Feasting

This is not an exhaustive list, but we hope that God will use this series of reflection on these disciplines to draw our church closer to Himself and increase our love-both for God and our neighbor. Our blog posts, podcasts, and our discussion time with our community groups will be focused on the practices we are presenting each week as we respond together to these invitations.

If you missed it, here is a link for the self-assessment that was presented this past Sunday. We want to emphasize again that this is not a checklist, a competition, a tool for self-congratulations or self-flagellation, but simply questions for honest reflection that will hopefully lead to prayer and partnership with the Spirit in the ongoing work of growing in Christlikeness as we keep the gospel always in mind.

Psalm 1 introduces the Book of Psalms with the image of flourishing, “a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither.” Later, Jesus uses the metaphor of a vine and branches, promising that if we abide in him, we will bear much fruit (John 15:1-8). This is our prayer: that we would abide in his love.

As we start this journey together, here are some verses for reflection as well as some of the quotes from Sunday’s sermon. As always, feel free to reach out to any of the pastors or leaders at Waypoint with any questions you might have as we go forward in the series.

“Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” -Philippians 2:12b-13

“For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God.” -Titus 2:11-12

“I will teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”-Psalm 32:8

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is your proper act of worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve of what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”-Romans 12:1-5

“Spiritual Formation is the study of the Holy Spirit’s initiation and enactment of lifelong transformation of believers: the Spirit both conforms us into the likeness of Jesus Christ and enables us to grow in our relationship with God, knowing his love at increasing depths and experiencing rich fellowship with him.”-Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary

“If we fail to understand the gospel, then the disciplines become a means to an end-a way of trying to earn God’s attention and favor. But if our starting place with God is radical grace extended through Jesus, then the spiritual disciplines are invitations, not obligations-ways of being with God, not appeasing him.”-Mike Cosper, Recapturing the Wonder: Transcendent Faith in a Disenchanted World 

“The spiritual disciplines are God’s means of grace God uses for producing in us the needed transformation of heart and mind and soul…the opposite of grace is works—but not effort….this is why the apostle Peter could urge us to ‘grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’ (2 Peter 3:18)”-Richard Foster, The Celebration of Discipline

As we embark on this journey together, may we all grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!