Church Publishing - The Way of Love: Bless: A Little Book of Guidance

Little Books of Guidance

Finding answers to lifes big questions!

Also in the series:

How Do I Pray? by John Pritchard

What Does It Mean to Be Holy Whole? by Timothy F. Sedgwick

Why Suffering? by Ian S. Markham

How to Be a Disciple and Digital by Karekin M. Yarian

What Is Christianity? by Rowan Williams

Who Was Jesus? by James D. G. Dunn

Why Go to Church? by C. K. Robertson

How Can Anyone Read the Bible? by L. William Countryman

What Happens When We Die? by Thomas G. Long

What About Sex? by Tobias Stanislas Haller, BSG

What Do We Mean by God? by Keith Ward

The Way of Love: Turn

The Way of Love: Learn

The Way of Love: Pray

The Way of Love: Worship

The Way of Love: Go

The Way of Love: Rest

THE WAY
OF LOVE

Bless

Copyright 2018 by Church Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

This book compiles text from the following sources:
Paul Fromberg, The Art of Transformation: Things Churches Do That Change Everything (New York: Church Publishing, 2017); Milton Brasher-Cunningham, Keeping the Feast: Metaphors for the Meal (Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 2012); Rene Miller, Strength for the Journey: A Guide to Spiritual Practice (Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 2011); Margaret Guenther, At Home in the World: A Rule of Life for the Rest of Us (New York: Seabury Books, 2002); Verna Dozier, Confronted by God: The Essential Verna Dozier (New York: Seabury Books, 2006); Winnie Varghese, Church Meets World, vol. 4, Churchs Teachings for a Changing World (Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 2016).

Church Publishing
19 East 34th Street
New York, NY 10016
www.churchpublishing.org

Cover design by Jennifer Kopec, 2Pug Design
Typeset by Denise Hoff

A record of this book is available from the Library of Congress.

ISBN-13: 978-1-64065-176-0 (pbk.)
ISBN-13: 978-1-64065-177-7 (ebook)

Printed in the United States of America

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lords holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledgethat you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:1719, NIV

At the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church in July 2018, Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry called the Church to practice The Way of Love. This is an invitation to all of us, young and old alike, to grow more deeply with Jesus Christ at the center of our lives, so we can bear witness to his way of love in and for the world.

With this call, Bishop Curry named seven practices that can help us grow deeper in our relationship with God, Jesus, and our neighbors as we also learn how to live into our baptismal promises more fully. In todays world of busy schedules, hurried meals, and twenty-four-hour news cycles, it is now more imperative that we make and take the time to center ourselves and follow the way of Jesus. This might mean revisioning and reshaping the pattern and rhythm of our daily lifefinding a slice of time to center our thoughts on Jesus. Within these pages you will find ideas to engage in the practice of bless as you walk on The Way of Love: Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life.

To be a Christian is to be a seeker. We seek love: to know Gods love, to love, and to be loved by others. It also means learning to love ourselves as a child of God. We seek freedom from the many forces that pull us from living as God created us to be: sin, fear, oppression, and division. God desires us to be dignified, whole, and free. We also seek abundant life. This is a life that is overflowing with joy, peace, generosity, and delight. It is a life where there is enough for all because we share with abandon. We seek a life of meaning, giving back to God and living for others and not just for ourselves. Ultimately we seek Jesus. Jesus is the way of love and that has the power to change lives and change the world.

How are we called to practice the Way of Love? Bishop Curry has named seven practices to follow. Like a Rule of Life practiced by Christians for almost two thousand years, these are ways that help us live intentionally in our daily life, following our deepest values. These are not add-ons to our day, but ways to recognize God working in us and through us.

Jesus teaches us to come before God with humble hearts, boldly offering our thanksgivings and concerns to God or simply listening for Gods voice in our lives and in the world. Whether in thought, word, or deed, individually or corporately, when we pray we invite and dwell in Gods loving presence. Jesus often removed himself from the crowds to quiet himself and commune with God. He gave us examples of how to pray, including the Lords Prayer. Will you continue in the prayers? I will with Gods help.

Practices are challenging and can be difficult to sustain. Even though we might practice solo (e.g., prayer), each practice belongs to the community as a whole in which you inhabit as a wholeyour family, church, or group of friends. Join with some trustworthy companions with whom to grow into this way of life; sharing and accountability help keep us grounded and steady in our practices.

This series of seven Little Books of Guidance is designed for you to discover how following certain practices can help you follow Jesus more fully in your daily life. You may already keep a spiritual discipline of praying at meals or before bed, regularly reading from the Bible, or engaging in acts of kindness toward others. If so, build upon what we offer here; if not, we offer a way to begin. Select one of the practices that interests you or that is especially important for you at this time. Watch for signs in your daily life pointing you toward a particular practice. Listen for a call from God telling you how to move closer. Anywhere is a good place to start. This is your invitation to commit to the practices of TurnLearnPrayWorshipBlessGoRest. There is no rush, each day is a new beginning. Follow Bishop Currys call to grow in faith following the loving, liberating, life-giving way of Jesus. His way has the power to change each of our lives and to change this world.

We know that, right from the beginning, we are stuck with one another. We are meant to be together in families, households, or communities of some sort. As Genesis 2 has it, Adam was living a carefree bachelors existence in the Garden of Eden. He wasnt complaining, but the LORD God decided that he needed companionship or maybe a challenge: It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper to be his partner. So God created all the animals and invited Adam to name them.