Part Two: Stories of The Jesus Creed

McKnight considers this the Jesus Creed:
   "'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
    Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
    with all your soul,
    with all your mind, and with all your strength.'
    The second is this:  'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
    There is no commandment greater than these."

He uses this to define spiritual formation:  "Spiritual formation is about relationship--with God and with others" (Prologue)  McKnight also poses a principle of such spiritual growth in each chapter.  See the previous post for Part One (chapters 1-6).  This time I've also included the scripture texts to give context for those not reading the book itself!

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Chapter 7:  Luke 3:1-20; John 1:6-9, 15, 19-34.  "Life begins all over when we tell God the truth about ourselves."  How was the baptism of John the baptizer a "communication event?"  How is John's baptism like crossing over the Jordan River?  Listen to the voice of John who calls us to confess our sins; to the voice of Jesus who invites us to join him in the river; to the voice of the Spirit who searches our hearts; and to the voice of God who longs for us to tell the truth about ourselves.

Chapter 8:  Matthew 1:18-25.  "What God thinks of us (our identity) is far more important than what others think of us (our reputation)."  Identify how Joseph faced a calling from God that would alter his reputation.  Think of a time in your life when reputation and identity were in conflict.  How does a group--say, our congregation--worry about reputation and struggle with genuine identity?  Imagine how the challenge of reputation and identity might work in the realities of your own immediate future ... our immediate future.  Commit your reputation to God so that your identity in following Jesus shapes your life.

Chapter 9:  Luke 1:46-55; Psalm 149.  "Each of us has a vocation from God that lets our life speak."  What is it God made you to be and to do?  Consider this:  "Let the Church remember this:  that every maker and every worker is called to serve God in his[her] profession or trade--not outside it (Dorothy Sayers, Creed or Chaos?).  What is the difference between a job and a vocation?  Listen to God's promptings for how your life can be used by God.  Imagine God using you in concrete ways.

Chapter 10:  Luke 5:1-11.  "Conversion to Jesus, however suddenly it may begin, is a life-long process of gentle nods of the soul's surrender to the Abba, a process in which the person's surrender becomes increasingly public."  Reflect on how "conversion" is a series of gentle (or noisy!) nods of the soul, for yourself and for others.  How has your life been in ongoing transformation? What will it take for your life to be a continual "conversion?"

Chapter 11:  Mark 10:25-45; Luke 9:49-56; John 13.  "The Jesus Creed calls us to love, but love takes time."  How did the apostle John learn to love?  Why is it important to understand Christian growth as a process of growing in love?  How have you grown in love?  Listen to what the Spirit is saying to you about love, about your life of learning to love, and about your need to grow.  Commit to loving others today.

Chapter 12:  Luke 7:11-17; 36-50; 8:1-3.  "Compassion is a cycle of God's love for us and our love for others."  How is Jesus compassionate to those in need?  What are the key features of compassion?  How have you received compassion from others?  When have you been compassionate to others?  Who are "in need" of compassion?  Why is compassion both so hard to show and so satisfying when we actually show it to those in need?  What is the Spirit saying to you about showing compassion to those in need?