1. Contemplative Christianity
Question of the Day:
Why “contemplate”?

2. Definitions
Contemplation
1a:  concentration on spiritual things as a form of private devotion
b :  a state of mystical awareness of God's being
2:  to view or consider with continued attention study. made the decision after much contemplation
3:  the act of regarding steadily
was lost in quiet contemplation of the scene

3. Culture Some of our assumptions about meditation (contemplation)?
… what about “secular” culture?
…what about Church culture?

4. Scripture
2 Cor. 3:7-18 In this passage, what do you notice about the ministry of the Spirit?
Quick aside: 1 Jn. 3:2
(present & future transformation)

5. Contemplate: (verb) to practice loving attentiveness to God
2 components:
affection for God
the way you experience everything
“The pure loving gaze that finds God everywhere” -Brother Lawrence

6. 5 Reasons to Learn about Contemplation
Prevent… spiritually hungry Christians from mixing other religions into their beliefs and practices.
Reach Out… to the religious and non-religious, with a powerful bridge to other faiths and a balm to modern secularism.
Worldview: seeing Life, the Universe, and Everything as centered on Christ, “charged with the grandeur of God”.
Neuroscience: These practices change our moral choices. (Curt Thompson, Anatomy of the Soul).
Christian Maturity: growth in intimacy with God and deepening moment-by-moment reliance upon Him.

7. Prayer Practice: Week 1
Remember to grab a Prayer Practice handout before you go!
See you next week.
If you have questions, we’ll be around after.