Practice Resurrection

I recently finished Eugene H. Peterson's latest book, "Practice Resurrection."  It is the fifth and final book in his latest series.  This book is basically a distillation of his understanding of the book of Ephesians (which is one of my favorites).  It was my privilege to take a class on Ephesians from Peterson at Regent College in Vancouver, B.C. some years ago.  It was amazing.  Anyway, here are some select quotes to challenge your thinking:


Americans in general have little tolerance for a centering way of life that is submissive to the conditions in which growth takes place: quiet, obscure, patient, not subject to human control and management...Typically, in the name of "relevance," it adapts itself to the prevailing American culture and is soon indistinguishable from that culture: talkative, noisy, busy, controlling, image-conscious.


[A recent convert to Christ began attending church.]  These churches seemed to her to be full of ideas and projects that they used as she had once used alcohol, drugs, and sex--to avoid God, to avoid being present to life, being present to a neighbor.  They were doing everything religious except following Jesus.  They were feeding their most childish and adolescent impulses and refusing to take up the cross of Jesus.  They were not growing up in Christ.  Lots of doctrine, lots of Bible study, lots of moral and ethical concern, lots of projects.  But it struck her as pretty thin soup...It took her a while, but eventually she found a few friends, a teacher, a pastor.  She now had companions to a life of growing up to the full stature of Christ, becoming mature.


Church is the textured context in which we grow up in Christ to maturity.  But church is difficult.  Sooner or later, though, if we are serious about growing up in Christ, we have to deal with the church.  I say sooner.


Church is an appointed gathering of named people in particular places who practice a life of resurrection in a world in which death gets the big headlines...The practice of resurrection is an intentional, deliberate decision to believe and participate in resurrection life...This practice is not a vague wish upwards but comprises a number of discreet but interlocking acts that maintain a credible and faithful way of life...These practices include the worship of God in all the operations of the Trinity; the acceptance of a resurrection, born-from-above identity (in baptism); the embrace of resurrection formation by eating and drinking Christ's resurrection body and blood (at the Lord's Table); attentive reading of and obedience to the revelation of God in the Scriptures; prayer that cultivates an intimacy with realities that are inaccessible to our senses; confession and forgiveness of sins; welcoming the stranger and outcast; working and speaking for peace and justice, healing and truth, sanctity and beauty; care for all the stuff of creation.

Out of Abundance

It was my privilege recently to interact my brothers-in-Christ among the Balangao (Mt. Provinces of the Philippines) using the book of Deuteronomy as our text.  I was invited to work with these church leaders, using the Old Testament as the basis for my encouragement of their lives and ministries.  It didn't take long to discover that they were, in the main, subsistence rice farmers who also serve as leaders in their local church.  There is no real concept of being on "paid staff."  Many of them walked hours to attend the seminars.  In the United States it's difficult to get full-time pastors to drive across town for teaching and encouragement.  Sharon reminded me that these pastors were responding out of their need, while so many of the U.S. pastors respond out of their abundance.  Myself included.  What those of us in the States often fail to recognize is our need.  Even in the midst of abudance.