ENCORE ISSUE

Feature Article

Reformed Spirituality 101

"There is evidence of a significant hunger among us, a hunger of the heart and mind. To be sure, not everyone senses it. There are those in our congregations whose experience of faith in Jesus Christ is deeply satisfying. There are also communities of faith whose common life is rich and vital. Such persons and communities are hungry only for more of that which they already enjoy.

"But for many other individuals and communities, restlessness prevails. That restlessness is not easily described. Some will express it one way, some will express it another, while still others, finding no words at all, content themselves with sighs." [Hungry Hearts, Hungry Minds: The Quest for a Reformed Discipleship and Spirituality. Reportapproved by the 203rd General assembly (1991)]

The reality of spiritual hunger or restlessness has existed since the first person looked at fire, water, stars or moon, and attributed divine power to them, only to have these presumed deities invariably fall short. But while our Judeo-Christian understanding of God has evolved a great deal since those days, for many it is unconsciously assumed that if we give our god something, our god will love us more and do more things for us. Except that in even the most faithful lives tragedy, pain and suffering take place-or at the very least, things don't always work out the way we hoped.

As members and leaders of the church it is not uncommon to encounter people who know that there is something missing from their lives. Because they rightly sense that what is lacking concerns their relationship with God, the easy connection to make is that this congregation, this pastor or this denomination is the problem; therefore if they try something else-or someplace else-they may begin to feel differently.

Recommended Resource

The resource "Lord, Teach Us to Pray," being developed by the Office of Spiritual Formation, is intended as a practical guide to prayer, offering practices and methods that can be used by individuals, families and groups at specific times or throughout the day. To learn more about this resource, visit www.pcusa.org/spiritualformation or contact Cathy Duncan, 888/728-7228, ext. 5306, cduncan@ctr.pcusa.org.