The Good Life

Tonight we began our Summer Bible Study at The Parsonage (but don't worry, we haven't read the book yet so there is still time to join us.)

We will be discussing Jamie Smith's Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview and Cultural Formation.  Tonight we watched this video:

Cliff Notes to our Discussion:
1) What do you make of the claim that we are "not primarily thinkers"?  Rather, we are defined by our loves.  Agree/Disagree?
2) Loves are shaped by practices.  These practices can also be called "liturgies."  Where might we find liturgies -- in the church? In the world?

Another point Jamie makes elsewhere and in the book itself (which we haven't started reading yet so you are still welcome to join us!) is that liturgies/practices all have in mind to shape and form us into some particular version of "The Good Life."

The Good Life
What is the "The Good Life"? It is some ideal of human flourishing. Some people craft their liturgies around wealth-acquisition -- because the Good Life = the Affluent Life.  "The American Dream" is a rendering of the Good Life.  We agreed that there are multiple iterations of The Good Life, all of which can be demonstrated by the replacement of the word Good.

The __Adventurous__ Life
The __Comfortable__ Life
The __Do-Gooder__ Life
The ______________ Life

Colossians
And this brings us back to our text for Sunday: Colossians 1:9-14 (from Eugene Peterson's The Message Version.)  See if this doesn't sound like a version -- hopefully a compelling version -- of The Good Life.

9-12 Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you’ll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.

13-14 God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.

More thoughts to come as our Summer Bible Study continues (cause we've barely even started.  You wouldn't be behind at all if you decided to join us next Thursday 7:30pm. Just read the introduction and you'll be good to go.)