Amy Wiles is a friend and the pastor of First Presbyterian Church located in the Walnut Neighborhood. I loved her latest cover article in their church's most recent newsletter:
"Learning to Cook"
In the 2012 Beecher Lecture Series at Yale Divinity School, Rev. Dr. Anna Carter Florence compared some Christians to teenagers standing in front of a well-stocked refrigerator. Teenagers feel a twinge of hunger, open the door, survey the food, and then turn to their parents to announce that there is nothing to eat.
Of course, that's not true. What they really mean is 1) that the food is in whole form and has to be prepared in order to eat, 2) they don't know how to cook it, and 3) they would really like someone to do it for them. Some parents take on that role and never give it up. But if you want your kids to be independent, eventually you have to show them how to fix what is in the fridge so that they can feed themselves.
Each of us has a spiritual hunger for God, and we have been given a beautifully stocked fridge- The Bible. Yet, so many Christians open up the Scripture and declare that there's nothing to eat. Of course, that's not true. What they really mean is that they don't know how to read the Bible. So, they turn to the preacher or teacher and expect them to cook something and then feed it to them.
At the end of the day, each of us is responsible for our own spiritual growth. Our relationship with God is deeply personal. So, it is important for each of us to read Scripture and listen for how the Spirit is calling us to meaningful ways of discipleship. It's essential for us to learn how to feed ourselves.
So akin to consumer Christianity is this demand to be fed from the front rather than feeding ourselves! This article helps me to recommit to helping others create and engage Spiritual Growth plans for themselves. It also made me ask the question, "How many meals have I taught my two teens to make with that food in the fridge?" Uh, oh. I'd better get busy. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment