Where do I even begin?
Read Luke 1 & 2 and meet in your Good Soil Group by Sun, Jan 15.
“Formation, not information.” This is a core principle of mine. It answers the question, “What is bible study for? What’s the purpose?” As we read together, the most important thing is how God is planting seeds in us and giving us new life. Also important but less so is historical background and the like. Formation, not information.
Why? Because focusing only on facts and information will distract us from God and overlook the deeper matters of faith. Or course, at the same time, ignoring facts and information will stunt the growth of our faith and even close our ears to God. So there’s a balance to be struck. Still, I stick to, “Formation, not information,” because usually we fall off the horse on the information side.
How do we strike the right balance? There are many ways, but in my experience, here are the top three.
1. Trust God and listen. Believe that God is with you and speaking to you in the words of Luke. God will speak in small ways, so pay attention. Read carefully. More important, read prayerfully. Pray before you read, “God, open my ears and my heart and my mind to You.” Then, read and listen. What words or phrases or themes do you notice in Luke? What moods or feelings do you notice in yourself? What comforts you or surprises you or makes you think or invites you to do something new? After you read, pray again, “God, is this what you want me to hear?” This may seem hard or boring or ineffective when you start. Be patient. In time, trust will grow.
2. Trust your group and listen. Believe that God is with you and speaking to your group when you meet. Believe that yours is the right group with the right people in it. God will speak in small ways, so pay attention. Listen carefully to them. More important, listen prayerfully. Pray before you start, “God, open our ears and hearts and minds to each other.” Then, talk and listen. What words or themes did your group members notice? What did they feel while the read? What surprised and invited them? Was it the same for you as for them, or different? One or the other is not better. Just notice. As part of your ending prayers, pray, “God, is this what you want us to hear?” This may seem awkward or useless when you start. Be patient. In time, trust will grow.
3. Patiently seek to go deeper. You can tell the difference between a formation question and an information question. Example formation questions are, “Why did the angel silence Zachariah? Has it ever seemed like I was silenced? What did I learn during that time?” Example information questions are, “Who wrote Luke? Did people really believe in angels then? How did Zachariah get to be a priest in the first place?”
A good test is this: Can we answer this question by listening more closely to God, ourselves, and each other and by reading Luke more closely? Or, can we answer this question only by Googling it, looking it up in a book, or asking an expert? Give more time and energy to the questions you can answer, because those are the formation questions. Even if the answer doesn’t come immediately, save it. Write it in the margin of your bible. Say, “I wonder if God gave us this question. Let’s pray about that, and keep asking it each week, and see what happens.”
At the same time, be patient and respectful of all questions, because you never know where God may be hiding.
One way to go deeper when you’ve asked an information question is to wonder, “What difference will (or does) the answer make for my faith?” Don’t let yourself get away with, “Oh, I don’t know. Just curious.” Is there something beneath that dismissive response that wants to be spoken? Try sharing it with God and your group.
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Trust God and listen. Trust your group and listen. Patiently seek to go deeper. And of course, have fun! Laughter is a gift of the Spirit.
