Reflection: Thinking Theologically
Reflection: Thinking Theologically
November 13, 2022
Signposts of Vitality - review time! Let’s see how many of these signposts of church vitality that Diana Butler Bass has included in her book, Christianity for the Rest of Us, we can remember. Pastor John began this sermon series focusing on which signposts?
Hospitality. Discernment, Healing, Contemplation
Then I took over and began looking at: Testimony, Diversity
Pastor Sally brought you: Justice
Last week we dove into? Worship
And today I bring you… Reflection: Thinking Theologically
As always think it’s good for us to begin with definitions. This helps us all be on the same page and understand what we are talking about. So, help me out here. What does the word “reflection” mean to you?
RESPONSES
1. the throwing back by a body or surface of light, heat, or sound without absorbing it. As in "the reflection of light"
2. serious thought or consideration. As in "he doesn't get much time for reflection"
Thinking obviously involves the use of our minds. As our author puts it, “God didn’t ask us to check our intellect in the parking lot when we drive in and the service started.” (p. 192)
What about Theologically, what does theology mean to you?
RESPONSES
Theo=God and ology= study of (as in biology, ecology, zoology, geology, anthropology, archeology, psychology, sociology, paleontology) You’ve probably taken a few classes like these.
Thinking about God. How do we do that? and How often do we do this? My guess is not that much, especially since the world we live in today is always coming at us. We no longer need to seek information. We are always being bombarded with it. There are screens everywhere. If there isn’t a screen, there is music or news or an advertisement of some sort. Even our stadiums now incorporate the name of the sponsor – Lincoln Field, Citizen’s Bank Park, and Wells Fargo Center.
Our author says we should be looking for theological themes during out times of reflection – ideas like sin, redemption, mercy, and reconciliation. Then we must connect these themes with their own lives. If you don’t exactly know what these themes mean, maybe you need to have some further conversation with me. I love to walk & talk. So, lace up your sneakers and lets hit the asphalt on the Tower Loop.
More importantly, Diana Butler Bass points out that “At its core, theological reflection is a way of seeing the world, of being able to imagine life in relationship to God’s story”. (p. 187) We want thinking about God to become our way of life. This does not happen by magic. It takes practice. Then once you get the hang of it, it takes commitment and discipline to keep at it for the rest of your life.
God is Holy Mystery. We will never know all of God. That’s why we can keep thinking about God our entire lives and never run out of new insight and discovery. Remembering how big God is and how small we are is important to maintaining that correct posture before God.
Now, I don’t want to give anyone the impression that thinking about God is enough. That thinking and reflection is an initial step, and it is a shaping step. God gets in, last week through our heart, worship and experiences that move us and today through our minds. The more time we spend reflecting about God and the themes of God’s story with God’s people, the more God can consume our thought. Then our thoughts hopefully seep out into actions.
What is key is how we think. We cannot be narrow minded and approach reflection like we already know. Remember we will never know all of God. I believe one of the most significant quotes from this chapter is “As soon as certainty replaces humility, it leaves little room for the intellect to transport the faithful to awe.” (p. 190) As soon as we know something for certain, there is no longer room to learn, grow and discover new things. We want to be biblically literate rather than biblically literal. Relating to scripture as metaphor can help us. It helps us ask “How is this relevant to my life and the world around me?”
I can talk about thinking about God all I want, but I want to give us all an opportunity to practice thinking about God. We’re going to engage in something called Lectio Divina. We will read the scripture (Isaiah 65:17-25) three times. The first time I want you to listen for a word or phrase that stands out to you. The second time you will listen for God’s invitation, and the 3rd time you will be listening for the action God is calling you to take. There is paper on each table for you to write notes as we pause between each reading.
Let’s begin.
Take sharing from the room about their experience.
Amen.