I came across a quote the other day, funny but also insightful. Pat Paulsen said, "Assuming either the Left Wing or the Right Wing gained control of the country, it would probably fly around in circles." That about sums up my feelings about partisan politics in America today. We swing from conservative to centrist to liberal in two year or four year election cycles and the goal of whoever gains power is to quickly exercise that power before it gets overturned during the next election. But the end result is that we, as a nation, just go in circles and never tackle the big problems, structural and real problems, that are staring us right in the face.
It's the same way in the life of the church. There are those who historically want us to focus almost exclusively on spiritual formation--personal piety and moral righteousness. That makes pretty good sense. You can't share with others what you don't have for yourself. These folks want to emphasize that it is only by grace, accessed through faith, that we are saved from our individual brokenness and sin. I don't need to worry so much about what I do, who I am is saved by the blood of Jesus...period. Again, who am I to argue with logic like that? (See Paul's letter to the Galatians)
Then there are those who say spiritual formation has to be accompanied by missional living. In other words, those who are spiritually formed by Jesus will inevitably act and live like Jesus. If they don't, then they are not nearly as formed as they may first think. Don't tell me about your faith in grace, show me how grace has done its transformative work in your 2 most important books: your checkbook and your datebook. You can't really have experienced anything like deep forgiveness and hold a petty grudge; you can't have really been completely accepted--warts & all--but hastily judge the people around you as unacceptable. Forget "if you're happy and you know it, clap your hands." Try "if your washed in the blood and you know it, lay down your life for others." (See the book of James).
Getting back to Paulsen's quote, if all you do is talk the talk and bask in the grace you've been given, you're going to simply go in one big circle. If you just take it in and never give it out you'll become spiritually obese. Love is just one of those gifts you have to give away if you ever want to keep it for yourself. At the same time if all you do is walk the walk and give and give and give--without taking anything in--you are going to become spiritual anorexic or starve yourself. Love is one of those gifts that if you give only what you generate yourself, you'll run out before you know it. Inexhaustible love comes from tapping into the roots of God's agape, Jesus-like love. Missional living without spiritual formation just sends us in a big circle in the other direction.
Spiritual formation can and should lead to missional living--accepting, forgiving, believing and loving others as Jesus has believed, loved and accepted us. But at the same time one of the ways to accelerate spiritual formation is to jump into missional living and then take time to reflect on how that living changed your outlook, your personal habits, your worldview. Missional living, if done thoughtfully, can jump start deep spiritual formation. The two go hand in hand--back and forth, forth and back--two sides of the same reality.
My hope for us at St. Andrew is that we can do both at the same time. Walk the walk as we talk the talk. Lean on the love of God so that we can give that love to others generously and extravagantly. I hope that we have folks becoming part of our mission trips or VBS only to experience first hand the transforming power of offering yourself unconditionally to others for Christ's sake. I hope that we have folks that take the time to learn what it is we believe as followers of Jesus in order to live out those beliefs with greater clarity and purpose.
Like two oars on a boat we need to be 'pulling' upon spiritual formation and missional living at the same time. If we don't we are destined to churn around in big, looping circles. That is hardly the witness and purpose for which we have been so graciously called.
