208 – Coming to Scripture – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

The other day while going through some older material I can across a great piece by Alister McGrath, “Encountering Biblical Spirituality”

http://metamorpha.com/blog/2011/10/01/alister-mcgrath-encountering-biblical-spirituality/

The entire article deserves to be read and I want to put before you this morning just a small piece,

“As I wrestled with deepening my appreciation of the rich spirituality of the Bible, I found three principles to be helpful:

“1. When dealing with a biblical image, it is essential to pause and allow the passage to generate a mental picture. We have to enter into the world of that image. We need to project ourselves into the image, and become part of it, experiencing its richness and implications. Our faith stimulates our imaginations as well as our minds! One of the reasons why writers such as C S Lewis and George MacDonald enjoy such popularity is that they nourish both reason and imagination.

“2. When dealing with a gospel story, we must enter into it, standing alongside those who witnessed the saviour of the world. We need to meditate on these gospel narratives as though they were happening in the present moment.

“3. When dealing with a biblical idea or theme, it is not enough to understand it. It needs to be applied to our lives, so that it becomes a lived reality, rather than an abstract and lifeless notion. Christianity is not simply about ideas; it is about the transformation of spiritual reality. It needs to become real to us, instead of just rattling round inside our minds.”

Do you want to find time over the next days to “try out” McGrath’s suggestions?

What might we hear and see if did?

 


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