Let's get physical - with spiritual formation

I finally found my way into chapter 4 of Mark Scandrette's book 'Practicing the Way of Jesus.' This is an amazingly interesting chapter to me. I have always been a big fan of the practice of spiritual formation, but had never considered it quite like this: from a physical standpoint.

Yet, as he says, "We've been invited into an amazing life through the sacrifice of Jesus and the miracle of his resurrection." So...

Do you want to taste the intimacy of being God's beloved child? Do you want to collaborate with God's creative and redemptive work in the world? Would you like to live without worry, jealousy or lust? Could you forgive and love as you have been forgiven and loved? Do you want to experience victory over the temptations you struggle with and feel God's peace even when you suffer???

In this chapter, Scandrette speaks of their forty-day experiment in using the Lord's Prayer as a guide to exactly this kind of life.

Apparently he and a small group of guys did this experiment to see what kind of difference it might make for them. They made a fort-day vow of: no meat, no media, no solo sex, and a limited wardrobe of two outfits and one workout outfit - and a promise to memorize the Sermon on the Mount.

I will spare you the reasoning behind these four things specifically (or not spoil it if you want to read the book). I will, however, share his definition of discipline and how it differs from mere legalistic behavior modification.

1 Timothy 4:7-8 says: "Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."

In other words, there is a physical element to spiritual formation. As he explains on p.58:

"A discipline is an activity within our power that enables us to accomplish that which we cannot do by direct effort. Like training for a sport or learning to play the piano, we can train to do things we could never do otherwise. Training requires a purposeful change in normal activities and patterns of habit - either an action you abstain from or a new action you engage in. Disciplines are useful for connecting and directing the mind, body and spirit toward the same goal - the undivided, love-oriented life we were created for."

So, where does the Lord's Prayer fit into all this? Scandrette says, as he sees it, the teachings of Jesus seem related to five basic themes of human experience: (1) identity (Who am I?); (2) purpose (Why am I here?); (3) security (How will I survive and thrive?); (4) community (How can I belong?); and (5) freedom and peace (What can I do about my temptations and sufferings?). His contention is these themes are mirrored in the New Testament and reflected in the prayer Jesus taught his disciples - "which makes them easy to remember, and suggests the possibility that Jesus may have taught his disciples to pray according to this pattern precisely because it gives a vision for the life we were made for." Here is the breakdown:

1. Identity: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name"
2. Purpose: "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven"
3. Security: "Give us today our daily bread"
4. Community: "Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors"
5. Freedom and peace: "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one"

In the end, he suggests this exercise of praying the Lord's prayer for ourselves and another. As he says, "If the Lord's Prayer provides a summary of the life we have been created for, praying this prayer for ourselves and for one another can be a powerful way to train and express our desires for life in the kingdom of love."

Sounds like it's worth a try to me...