To Speak Now of God: Being Formed in the Faith

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Being Formed in the Faith

In my ministry of consultation with congregations in transition, I have observed in recent years that there is a growing and serious intent regarding being forming in the faith, or spiritual formation. People and pastors are realizing that many denominational “programs for church growth” simply do not work because these programs provide little or no understanding of the basic need for Christians to be formed in the faith. What is being recognized is that engaging in spiritual formation is a crucial foundation of that which enlivens and empowers the mission and witness of the Church.

As Christians we are called to be a visible sign of God’s kingdom, and we are meant to be spiritually formed to be this sign. Formation takes place first and foremost through our worship and praise of God in word and sacrament, and continues through catechesis and in the disciplines of daily prayer.

Spiritual formation begins with our baptism, which must be understood and lived out in the context our faith in the gospel proclamation of God’s kingdom; and we proclaim that mystery of faith in the Eucharistic liturgy: “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.”

Spiritual formation requires a humility that is provided by faith. St. Paul wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7 NRSV) Therefore the Holy Spirit works through us and in us to form us to be sent into the world to proclaim the gospel.

The purpose of being formed in the faith is broadening and deepening of our love of God and of neighbor. As we continue our spiritual formation we become a means for extending the presence of the Kingdom of God. “What matters is faith that works through love.” (Galatians 5:6) We seek to be formed spiritually so that the power given to us by God in Christ through the Holy Spirit is used faithfully in our lives in the midst of the world.

Richard Hammond Price, OCC, © February 2011

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Welcome and Memorial

This blog was founded in November, 2010 by two ordained ministers in the United Church of Christ, colleagues and friends for over 40 years, beginning when we served neighboring parishes in Maine. When we first met we both recognized understandings held in common regarding the life of faith and the doing of pastoral ministry. We also discovered that we often looked at the world through a humorous eye, which helped keep us focused on those matters of faith that are of critical importance to living out our baptism in service to Christ and his Church.
The offerings in the blog at times reflected our different perspectives on particular topics. Such perspectives were informed by the varied paths that each of us took in our years of ministry. They were not disagreements, but simply different parts of a larger whole. We enlightened and informed one another over many years of friendship, and found this mutual endeavor to be a joyful, profound, and often amusing adventure. At the beginning we invited you to join us on the pilgrimage.
On the afternoon of February 7, 2012 Richard lost a gallant three-year battle with a debilitating medical condition. He died peacefully in the company of his beloved bride Barbara and listening to an orchestral piece by Mozart.
Richard left a few as-yet unpublished blog postings, and these will appear in the appropriate seasons. The shape of the blog was always a work in progress, but there was a trajectory becoming clear to us both, and I shall carry that on as long as it seems to have a purpose. I invite your thoughts and suggestions, either as comments in response to specific postings, or in email to hmacmullen@gmail.com.