Importance: 10%

The Big Idea: We can encourage a community characterized by child-like wonder, awe, value of beauty, love and excitement for the things of God by organizing our life together, and individually, around God pleasing rhythms.

Questions: What are faithful and Scripturally based models to organize and teach Human Rhythms?

“For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

1 Timothy 4:8

The Philosophy of Rhythm

Rhythm as a lens through which to understand the human creature. A wholistic way to understand ourselves

Need a practical application section

What can this actually look like with a proposed model with and without blowing up the program paradigm

Isolation of emotions or reason are dangerous and unproductive

Rhythm is common thread between all of them

Ticking of mind to sort and sift ideas and experiences

Rolling and flow of emotions but with a rhythm. Joy of meeting sadness or parting

All of the beating rhythm of the body

Health is defined as balanced rhythm

Sickness and brokenness are defined as malformed or mistimed rhythms

Justification only way to truly fix broken rhythms

Doctors only slow down the process of decay in our bodies

Marching to Whose Drum?

We increasingly live in a world where pat answers are quickly falling apart, and have been for generations. As technology and Artificial Intelligence continue to grow and morph, the bankruptcy of Descartes and rationalism is becoming more apparent than ever. If a machine can one day “think” and work much faster and more efficiently than me. What am I actually good for? Is the solution to become a machine myself? Or has there always been a different impetus for Human life than productivity and efficiency? And if so, what is that alternative telos? Without any foundation, these questions could easily make one go mad with fear and dread.

However, being firmly rooted in the incarnate nature of our faith, we can see that the cool autocracy of the mind is not the laudable lifestyle it has so long been hailed to be. Rather, the very rhythms of sleeping, eating, learning, loving, etc. are the core experiences of what it means to be alive. Yet we often seek to either perfect, or avoid our human rhythms. The life of mindless ease and entertainment or mechanical efficiency seem to be the main lifestyles promoted around us. We either hope to live like a blob or a spun spring without much middle ground.

And no matter which direction we may lean, life has a way of frustrating both. Even when one’s ideal state of living is achieved for a little while (be it on vacation, or when the project finishes) there is little lasting fulfillment and contentment. Both leave you wanting more. This is equally true within the realm of work and rest as it is within the realm of Spiritual formation.

My first introduction to spiritual disciplines was in high school. Read books on discipline and I tried to keep up with all of them. Call of monasticism was attractive. Fanatical adherence burnt me out. Still have a bit of a messed up hunger que from intense fasting.

So as we think of addressing and organizing human rhythms (especially spiritual ones) we need to avoid falling off the horse either direction into fanatical monasticism or secular apathy on the other.

The Nature of Time

Need to address the nature and use of time. Time is a gift not a commodity.

Warning of Jesus about being anxious

Psalms remind us of God’s faithfulness before our memory or intentionality.

Have everyone check their watches or phones. Do you have time for this?

Have you ever heard or said one of these sayings?

Time is money.

I wish I had more hours in the day.

You need to spend your time wisely.

We have it ingrained in us that time is something we can control. There is a sense that if we can allocate our time correctly then wealth, health, and prosperity will be ours through our effort and organization.

But all of us live with the reality that time often gets away from us. Whether it is because we have a hard time sticking to our schedule and plans or because unexpected things pop into our day. Time is often much less under our control than we like to think.

Time is also one of those things we often forget is treated differently by different cultures. Hebrew measurements of time allowed for the irregularities of how long a lunar month was. It was the Egyptians and later Roman’s that preferred set 30 day months

But Jesus asks the piercing question:

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? - Matthew 6:27

We are not in control of time. In fact, Our lives are much smaller than we often think about them as:

A voice says, “Cry!”And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. - Isaiah 40

None of us have been guaranteed any amount of time here on earth. Which can take us one of two ways. Either we despair over the future and its uncertainty. Or we can turn toward God to learn His attitude toward time.

Thinking about time in God’s terms breaks us out of our hectic results driven culture.

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you - 2 Peter 3

God is eternal and his word has lasted long before us and will be here long after us. When we look at time like this, we can see beyond our lives to God’s big beautiful picture of life and salvation.

Time is a gift and not a commodity

Liturgical calendar helps us learn this lesson that is often illusive. We structure our worship year around the story of God and his idea of time.

Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, Season After Pentecost.

Advent is all about slowing down and waiting. Ironic that we often find ourselves the most busy during this season.

And so we are challenged to think about the way our ideas and attitude about time affects the way we live our lives.

How would shifting our mindset from thinking of time as a commodity to time as a gracious Gift from God affect the way we live our lives?

A gift is something you want to receive with gratitude.

We can value every moment. Whether it is exciting or ordinary.

We can make space for interruptions and unforeseen events and look for what God may be up to. Because even those moments are a gift.

Everything doesn’t have to rely on me and my ability to have it together.

We often think of our life beginning when we have memories or were able to think clearly for ourselves. But the Psalms teach us one final way of thinking about our life and time.

Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you. - Psalm 71:6

From the earliest times of our lives we see the Psalms reminding us that we can praise God for his faithfulness to us before we ever even remember. And can confidently say that He has been my God since before I was even born. Because the love and grace I receive from Jesus is not based on my own recollection or ability to understand. But it is based on the eternal unchangeable promises of Jesus. Psalm 22 confidently proclaims:

On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.- Psalm 22:10

The Nature of Rhythms

We import a whole lot of stuff into understanding what the image of God is. What if it is being patterned after the rhythms of God himself

Like Learning grammar how can this relate

Habits and practices are valuable but the underlying way of being is the important part

Saint and sinner dynamic we need to think in terms of both sides

The ultimate goal of the rhythms is shalom whole body and world restoration

Forces at Work within a Rhythm

Action and Rhythm are not Mechanical

Rhythm and habit not a mechanical way to be who we are meant to be. Idea of being white washed tombs from Jesus

Intentional and Unintentional Rhythms

Also the difference between rhythms that have shaped us intentionally and unintentionally. Cognitive, pre-cognitive and emotionally. The importance of implicit memory in the early years of life, but also maybe in all of life as well?

Outside pressures

Outside pressures and expectations (wanted and unwanted)

Accountability personally encouraged or enforced

Milgram experiment good example of situational pressure changing the things one is willing to do

Entropy

Entropy of fragile humanity, sin and brokenness.

Pull of rhythm entropy

Interruption and Changing Seasons

interruption of unexpected events

Interruption of others

Interruption of changing seasons of life

Schedule Entrapment

Over Rigidity of perfectionism and pride

The idea of Schedule entrapment where the chronemics of a schedule end up being the driving force rather than the underlying purpose of the rhythms. I.e.

Being obsessed with getting tasks done to the detriment of your health and the health of those working with you.

Emotional Motivation and Demotivation

Idea of what do you do when you don’t want to stay in a rhythm

Also what do you do with the entropy of a rhythm or when interruptions disrupt things. Investigate the idea of renewal of rhythms and orientation

Spending Commodities or Giving and Receiving Gifts?

Reception of Grace and forgiveness

Reminder of time as gift

Rhythm giving time to something or someone

Personal decision and planning

What are the things we plan to do and how organized or unorganized are we?

Things Hidden from ourselves

Johari’s window good reminder of realistic expectations of what we can see about ourselves

Misperception of Rest

Tv as unwinding but not really. It is a ton of stimulation to our brain and senses. Yet we treat it like something to unwind with. Why is that? It seems kind of like a nicotine addiction that is perceived as calming yourself down when you smoke.

Enculturation and Repristination

How the rhythms we see modeled are not always from a singular cultural source.

Address danger of REPRISTINATION

The idea of a community’s living memory

Notes from Marriott

Difference between alter and pulpit ministry and word and sacrament ministry

All action forms us no matter what. Not a question of what is or isn’t formative but to what extent and how a particular action or rhythm forms us

Environment effects us and we affect our environment

Action is a single event that is carried out by an individual

Internal and external actions

Rhythm is an action or set of actions repeated regularly over time

Bring emotions and the gospel into the conversation

Maybe not totally blow up program paradigm but find how we can develop rhythm in the program

Ways to Organize Liturgical Rhythms

Goal of being intentional with the model of rhythm is to seek to be faithful to Scripture around what is truly a healthy pattern of human rhythms

By Internal and/or External Significance

Personal and Societal Salience

How do we measure the effect of a repeated action? Being addicted to meth seems to be on one extreme while always patting your pocket to make sure you have Keys before leaving is on the other. One completely alters life and it’s purpose and desires while the other is a small functional practice to try to avoid forgetting an important object. Both form the person but one has the power to change a person’s whole outlook while the other is really only going to help one be a little less forgetful or likely to get locked out of the house.

Ritual, Practice, Liturgy

I’m not sure I buy this anymore.

Every action we take forms us in some way. Whether it’s creating a neural path or affecting our body or mind in some other way. Everything forms us in some kind of way. The question is then less about “what are important actions” but how do things form us and how quickly and what forms us unconsciously.

James Smith in Desiring the Kingdom introduces a helpful hierarchy to understand different kinds of practices.

Rituals - Everyone has rituals. Habits that happen regularly like: putting gas in the car, reading the news, etc. Anything we do regularly counts as a ritual.
Practices - Out of our rituals there are a number of regular activities that rise to the level of being a practice. Athletes and musicians practice to become better at their craft. So too, our practices are aimed toward a particular goal. For example we go to work for the goal of making money.
Liturgies - The most specific kind of regular activity is liturgy. Like practices, liturgies are aimed toward an end goal. They are more specific however and are aimed at the end goal of fulfilling our identity and vision of the good life.

Liturgies are the most potent of practices. They define who we are and where we are headed. Therefore we seek to shape the liturgies of our people.

By Constitution of a Human

Heart, Soul, Mind, Strength

Mark 12:28, Deut 6:4-5, Jos 22:5. Luke 10:27 Matt 22:37. Love God with Heart soul mind strength. Heath and soul seem central with mind/strength being an offshoot

Head, Heart and Hands

Wellness Wheel

Spiritual

Vocational

Relational

Cultural

Emotional

Physical

Intellectual

Financial

Type of Memory Engaged

Implicit versus explicit

By Type of Rhythm

Catechism’ Chief Parts

Ten Commandments - Love for neighbor

Creed - Faith in Lordship of Jesus

Lord’s Prayer - Reliance and Relationship with God

Baptism - Dying and Rising, Washing and renewal, Adoption and Transfer

Confession - Humility and Forgiveness

Communion - Connection and nourishment

How does the foundation of the catechism fit in with this idea of being creatures of liturgical rhythms?

Catechism is basic grammar of Christian life and Scripture

We then can approach Scripture with the meta narrative of Creed and learn to expand it

We can approach Christian living with rhythm of prayer and hearing god’s word and expanded it into all vocations

Natural and Redeeming Rhythms


Natural Rhythms	Redeemings Rhythms
Breath	Worship
Sleep and Wake	Confession
Meals	Baptism
Work and Rest	Communion
Familial Vocations (Father, Mother, child, etc.)	Prayer
Create/Craft	Meditation on Scripture
Study/Learn/Challenge	The Biblical rhythm of time and rest. Time is a gift not a commodity
Human Connection
Human care
Care for objects and animals

Two Commissions

To start us off let’s look at the meaning of the main verbs in each of these proclamations of God. What are the main things Jesus has told us to do? We face an ever changing and evolving world, but at its core, humans are still the same as we have always been. We are just as in need of Jesus’ forgiveness and salvation as ever. Jesus’ words are often called the great commission and I would contend that the first could with equal confidence be called the first commission. Across time and space, culture and context God has told us what the foundation of human life should be about. Yet we always seem to be able to drift away or madly search for the things that give us meaning. We build up churches and families that are founded more on the color of banners than the foundational actions God created us to do and be. Therefore, let us look at the main actions God calls us to in these two commissions.

The First Commision

God blesses Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden with some very specific words.

Be fruitful - the Hebew word פָרָה means to be fruitful or to bear fruit. It is used throughout scripture to mean both off-spring as well as the fruit of labor/work. The commission to be fruitful is a very broad command but it points to the importance of family and the building of the family unit, as well as work and even creativity. Anything that we do that brings good fruit into the world is in line with this action of the commision.

Multiply - the Hebrew word רָבָה means to be or become much, many or great. This is in respect to number, as well as power or importance. Here again, God is setting down the importance of family and it’s growth, but also the desire that humanity become something great. Humanity’s influence was not created as a bad thing. It has definitely turned into a sometimes deadly force, but we were created in a sense to “take over” the world and make it a good place. When we exercise influence in a healthy way or grow our family, or grow our community we are following this action of the commision.

Fill the earth - the Hebrew word מָלֵא means to fill, to make full, or to fill a place with anything. In this case it is clear that earth should be filled with humans. This is the third reference to the importance of the family and it’s growth. Beyond that, this goes against the idea the humans “ruin” nature when they live in it. In fact it should be the opposite. Nature and the world should be at it’s best when humans live nearby. I wonder how this truth should be sought in our world of modern convenience. It is a very stark attitude change to what many take for granted.

Subdue it - the Hebrew word כָּבַשׁ has a rather forceful meaning. It means to tread with feet, to subject, bring into bondage. This word has an overwhelming sense of pressure and force behind it (as a side note, it also means to massage in the case of limbs and bathing). When we take the context of this word we realize that it has to be in a positive sense. How can bringing the earth into subjection to humanity be a good thing? I think the easiest example that not many people have a problem with is Dogs. We train them and in a real sense “subdue” then so that they can live in our house according to our rules. Humans were made to not only live in the world and multiply in it, but to take the reins and shape it. We therefore, have a responsibility for the way that we shape the world by our lifestyle and the society we create. When nature is better for the things that we do, we are following this action of the commission.

Have dominion - the Hebrew word רָדָה means to have dominion, rule, or dominate. Again God reiterates the fact that He has created humans to exert influence over the world. Not only in the sense of shaping it, but also now in the sense that humans have a rightful place as rulers over creation. But not rulers according to our own idea of good. We are called to be rulers according to the pattern of rule God lays out for us. In this way, we are entrusted with the safety and well being of creation. The argument that God would not let us totally ruin the world seems to be directly in opposition to this action of the command. We are expressly given the role of making sure the world is ordered and well taken care of. When we look out for creation and we make the world a better place to live in for humans as well as animals we are following this action of the commision.

The Great Commision

Matthew 28

Go - The greek word πορεύω means to move over an area with a point of departure or destination specified. This is interesting because this is not just some general idea of going away from here or something vague like that. It is a definite sense of get-up and go-to the whole world. In Matthew it is closely connected with the main verb which is to make disciples.

Make disciples - In the greek make disciples is one word μαθητεύω which means to be or become a pupil or disciple. It carries with it a full picture of following and learning from the teacher. You cannot be a disciple by yourself, you have to be following someone that you are learning to emulate.

Baptizing - In greek this is written as βαπτίζω. It means to wash or purify. For us as Christians it carries with it the full range of meaning and depth Jesus has given us through His teachings about baptism and what it means.

Teaching - The greek word is διδάσκω which means to tell someone what to do, or instruct them. It is to teach someone what they need to know about a subject. In our context to teach them what it means to observe everything that Jesus commanded us.

Observe - The greek word is τηρέω which means to cause a state, condition or activity to continue, to keep, hold, reserve, or preserve. In other words, to keep doing what Jesus commanded us to do.

Remember - The greek word ἰδού which marks with strong emphasis the necessity to hold in our sites the promise that comes after it: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Mark 16

Go into all the world - This is the same word as above. In Mark it is clear that this extends to every corner of the world. This going is connected in the greek with the main verb of the sentence which is proclaiming or preaching.

Proclaim the gospel - The greek word κηρύσσω means to make an official announcement, to make known, or proclaim aloud. This has a very outward focused push. The action of proclaiming is not something on the side but a very public and visible way of sharing the gospel.

The Actions of God’s People

Go proclaim the gospel - make a public declaration of the good news

Matthew 5:13-16: we are salt and light. Good works are not a matter of have to or need to. They are ingrained parts of us as God’s people. Their purpose is to point people to god. They are not so that we are good christians. they are so people will turn to God and give Him the glory He is always due.

Go Make disciples - get out and make people who follow Jesus

Baptizing - wash people with the gift of God

Teaching - let people know about all the things Jesus wants us to do

Observe - hold on to Jesus commands

Matthew 5:17-20: we are not excused from living moral lives by the Gospel. Jesus’ whole purpose is to fulfill the law and prophets that came before him and through which He as God spoke. Our salvation is not dependent on what we do, but when we are focused on the minimum needed to get into heaven we are missing the whole point of why Jesus is dying for us in the first place. He died to get us off the hook yes, but he calls us up, he does not just cut us loose.

Matthew 5:21-48: Is all about this call up. Jesus is not relaxing the old testament commandments in fact he is making many of them harder! The ending verse says it all: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect.” That is a tall order and one we will always be working to live closer too. Jesus is our example but he is also our savior. Our salvation does not stand or fall on how we live. But our witness, our work in God’s kingdom does. Leaders that have fallen to adultery or greed no longer can work the way they did before. The way we live makes a difference to the kind of work and impact we can have for God’s kingdom.

Matthew 6:1-4 the immediate warning we have after this is that we should not live to try and impress other people. We live for God’s sake. If people see what we do they should be giving glory to God not us. The focus of a Holy life is God not us. We are trying to live as emulators of God. He is perfect so we are called to seek after that. We know we never will be, and that’s why we have Jesus forgiveness. But as far as what we do we are called to focus on God and seek after Him not the praise and adoration of people.

Matthew 6:5-15: this warning is reiterated with how we should pray. To God and focused on God not trying to look “pious.” then we get the lord’s prayer

Matthew 6:16-18: again Jesus reiterates that life and our actions are to focus on what we do before God. if we fast it’s because we are fasting for God not so that people see what we are doing. So we have this interesting interplay. We are called to be perfect and be like God. Our witness is based on this action for God. People see the way we live and they should praise God, but we do not witness and live moral lives primarily for this purpose. We live them for God. God is the one we want to see us, He is the one we want to serve, He is the one we hope to please and be rewarded by. Not because we deserve it not because we are “good enough” but because He is our God and we are his children.

Remember - as first importance that: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The family business is to bless the world Genesis 15:5

Actions towards others

John 13:35 “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Personal observations and incites from reading

Need to get out of the church building more

One on one or very small groups is maybe more valuable than we have thought

Leadership is action

Management is about taking care of and stewarding what is

Leadership focuses on what can or should be. live into the future and be responsible for that, have a group that is brought together to work on a tough problem, persist in the face of resistance

When things are not working the answer is not to try harder but to start a new adventure. No quick fixes. Let go of what worked in the past and learn as we go now

Stewardship precedes leadership. You must be wise with what is before you can be trusted with what is to come or what could be. “We can fail, but we can’t suck”

Tiers approach

Psalm one description of a tree by water main image

Abiding Level (image of abiding in the vine) (Gospel) (Corom Deo) (first great commandment)

Prayer and meditation on Scripture are core. Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Creed and Lord’s Prayer.

Marks of the church level (Gospel) (Corom Deo) (first great commandment)

Then experience of means of Grace (confession and sacraments) and proclamation of Gospel. Which is basically word applied corporately.

Embodied community level (Law) (Corom Mundo) (Second great commandment)

Patterns taught by divine service and life together. Fruits of the spirit. Great commission

Redemption of Natural Rhythms level (Law) (Corom Mundo) (Second great commandment)

Vocation (table of duties) as redeeming rhythms of relationships. First commission.

Hospitality, community, and graced dependence
Song and music
Patter of law, living in the groove, freedom for good
Confession and grace
Baptism
Creed
Prayer
Communion
Offering
Witness, confessing
Scripture, sermon, storytelling
Doing good, service
Lament, grieving
Creativity, imagination, and future making
Vocation in daily life, to creation, neighbor and family
Blessing
Reading and study

“First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior,“https://ref.ly/1Ti2.1-3;csb

By Time Frequency

Reflection of Rhythms in Creation

Warning about making too much of being in sync with a particular way or marking seasons rather than relying on Christ. “You are observing special days, months, seasons, and years. I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted.”https://ref.ly/Ga4.10-11;csb

Rm 14:5 Col 2:16

Basic natural units of time: Solar day, Lunar Month, Solar year. Seven day week.

Wake sleep

Weather Seasons

Seasons

Daily

Continually

Weekly

Monthly

Yearly

Festivals and Marking Seasons

Bible has notes about festivals and when they should start but there is no full calendar or description of how long months are

“In the Hebrew Bible one meets various terms for different parts of the day: šaḥar (dawn); bōqer (morning); ṣohŏrayim (noon); neep (twilight); ʿereb (evening); layl̯ (night); and ḥăṣı̂ laylâ (midnight). There are also references to the various watches of the night (e.g., Exod 14:24; Judg 7:19; 1 Sam 11:11; Lam 2:19; Matt 14:25; Mark 13:35), and Matt 20:1–16 and John 11:9 indicate that the daytime was divided into 12 hours.”https://ref.ly/o/anch/5129637?length=435

Hebrew measurements of time allowed for the irregularities of how long a lunar month was. It was the Egyptians and later Roman’s that prefered set 30 day months “https://ref.ly/o/anch/5106389?length=221

Definition of seasons

Genesis 8:22

As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.”

By Worship

Liturgical Calendar

Divine Service

Invocation - baptismal word

Confession and Absolution - receiving forgiveness

Kyrie - cry lord have mercy

Hymn of Praise - acknowledgment and praise of who God is

Word of God and Sermon

Creed

Offertory

Sanctus - glimpse into the throne room

Words of Our Lord

Agnus Dei - lamb of God proclaim who Jesus is

Distribution

Nunc Dimittis - song of Simeon being sent in peace

Benediction

Marriott connections with divine service

Invocation Hospitality

Confession and Absolution Reconciliation

Kyrie Advocacy

Reading of Scripture Submission25

Sermon Proclamation

Prayers of the Church Intercession

Offering/Offertory Generosity

Preface, Sanctus, Prayer of Thanksgiving Sacrifice (praise and thanksgiving)

Distribution Communion/community

Benediction Blessing/sending

Tish Warren connections with Divine service

Waking - Baptism and learning to be beloved

Brushing Teeth - bodily forms of worship

Losing keys - confession

Eating leftovers - word, sacrament and overlook nourishment

Fighting with Husband - passing the peace and the everyday work of shalom

Checking email - blessing and sending

Sitting in traffic - liturgical time and unhurried God

Calling friend - congregation and community

Drinking tea - sanctuary and savoring

Sleep - sabbath, rest and the work of God

Old Testament Festival Calendar and Laws

All these festivals find fulfillment in Jesus and His passion. Looking back at them helps fill the story of Christmas and Easter with deeper meaning. Not a stand alone model for current Liturgical rhythms

Festival cycles

Old Testament sacramental rhythms

Jubilee

Pure impure

All point to Jesus and his institution of the Means of Grace

Usefulness of old testament law not in there direct following but in the example of what it means to love neighbor and God. What does it actually mean to love neighbor? the law gives many detailed examples in the context of ancient Israel.

By Lifecycle

Age

Birth

Childhood

Adolescence

Adulthood

Aging

Dying

Work

Apprentice/Trainee

Master/Professional

Retiree

Primary Family Role

Child

Single Adult

Married

Parenthood

Grand Parent

Liminal Moments

Dying and rising

Birth and renewal

Child to adult

Passing on information, or valuable things from one generation to the next

Erik Erikson’s stages

By Relationships

Two kinds of righteousness

Rhythms only make sense within the context of relationships

Me to God

Me to other (human and nature)

Vocation

“They asked only that we would remember the poor, which I had made every effort to do.”https://ref.ly/Ga2.10;csb

Notes

Embodiment of the rhythms and seasons of Faith

Thinking in rhythms is the answer to the imagination problem. We need to think in rhythms not isolated programs or insulated relationships.

Address starting from rhythm rather than role and program

A collection of healthy rhythms is what makes up fulfilling a vocation

the call of a neighbor’s need speaks to the underlying communal imagination that is the target of this inquiry.

This way of thinking makes identifying liturgy within our surroundings much more concrete. Let’s try it out on an element from the divine service as well as a seemingly innocuous daily practice.

Apply this to church community embodiment

Sharing of the peace

Example I Eat whatever is around for lunch

Habits shape what I love and value whether we realize it or not

If the main mission of the Gospel is freedom of the captives and recovery of sight. The in breaking of the kingdom and the first fruits of restoration. Ministry seems to be more about identifying the stronghold and chains a community finds themselves in and breaking them with the power of the Gospel and the ethical life that flows out of it
Another way to put it is what separates people from each other and God in this community. How can we go after that sin and oppression to speak freedom and life?
If we can identify an idol of apathy in a community. What would ministry look like to go after that?
What would be the main concern in teaching children for example if the main idol is apathy toward God and his word? I think that looks a lot less like doubling down on information and a lot more like leaning into experiencing the love of Christ tangibly
Saint and sinner ministry. We need to attend to the sinner in us all that is so eager to go astray and worship idols. But we also need to enable to Saint to grow and share the gifts given by the spirit as a member of the body
Sinner ministry. Targeting the things that separate us from one another and our neighbors as well as separates our neighbors from us. Not characterized by the law primarily but by the freedom of the captive. Captives not enemies
Saint ministry. Training and encouragement of the saints to share their gifts with the world and their fellow believers

Digging into Rhythms

Gen 1 and 2 cover the basics of created rhythms

Time

Day night

Light dark

Seasons

Week

Human rhythms

The absolute base human rhythm is the breath and by extension heartbeat

Breath

Dominion

Fruitfulness

Multiply

Ecclesiastes season for all things verse

Hebrew word for week is a form of the number seven

Heart is used to describe one’s inner life in the Psalms

Heartbeat

Sleep wake

Work rest

Loud quiet

Psalm 1 and 119

image of walking used a lot.
Eyes fixed on God and his commands. Also open eyes. Also turn eyes from worthless things
Biblical meditation also big
Seeking with whole heart and storing up within heart
Longing for God’s rules at all times
Run in the way when God enlarges heart 119:32
Keep law continually
Lift up hands to commandments
Speak before kings of testimonies
Turn feet toward testimonies
Remembering and worshiping at night

Redeemed rhythms or natural created rhythms brought under the influence of their creator once again in a life of faith (redeemed rhythms)

Through Jesus we are redeemed and begin the process of learning to live by the redeemed and redeeming rhythms of Christ’s body

Liturgy (or doing the redeemed world right) would be a synonym for living within the redeeming and redeemed rhythms

The idea that we are meant to learn and respect the rhythms of God in our lives

Rhythms are the basis of our lives not thoughts or emotions. Rather they emerge from the pattern of being we inhabit

Bonhoffer’s living in the groove

Spiritual warfare is a rhythm of this broken world. Preparation, defense and offense. The problem comes if we disconnect it from the other rhythms of our lives

Rhythms where created good but can be twisted and broken in this fallen world. We cannot create rhythms God has built them into ourselves, the world and our community.

Like breathing we have some control over rhythms but are not entirely sovereign over them

Some rhythms are completely outside of our direct control. Like our heartbeat

Addiction is a twisted rhythm that habituates an entire person in the wrong direction

In terms of rhythms righteousness is the state of creature living according to properly functioning rhythms in line with their creator’s designs

Places that categorize rhythms:

Psalm 104

Moon made to mark the festivals

Gen 2 especially First commission covers human created rhythms

Story of the fall covers broken rhythms

Great commission is the core rhythm of God’s people

Shemah

Ten Commandments

Psalm 1

Psalm 119

Explorer

Models of Human Rhythms