Just before holidays a propitious (“propitious” — ‘likely to result in or show signs of success’ ) event/book jumped onto my reading table .
A book arrived at the church. The author is an acquaintance of ours. He has pastored a church for two decades or more, was once working for Atomic Energy of Canada, and is a truly intelligent, wise and discerning man.
The book’s subtitle is “learning the language of prayer.” In reality the content is basically taking the Jewish Psalms and using them as triggers, prompters, and any other word you wish to use, to prayer.
In the introduction, Sunder makes a clear statement that the first two chapters are paramount for the understanding of the book. These chapters are not about the Psalms, but about listening to God.
First — Who speaks first?
The Word of God is, and always was, intended to be the Voice of God that pulled hearers into dialogue with Him, permanently affecting them in the process, by either hardening or softening their hearts. (p. 5).
With the invention of the printing press (which meant we read individually instead of hearing corporately) and a shift in teaching methods (from dialogue, dispute and modelling to the current dispensing of datum) we lost something.
Hence the scriptures are no longer a Voice that pulls us into relationship with the Lord but something to be read to obtain data. Given what the Word says about itself, we have to reverse the shift. Reading the scriptures must somehow be seen as a means of listening in order to relate to the speaker. (p. 6)
Quoting Henri Nouwen, Krishnan makes the following summary —
For Jesus, the order was always communion with God, which drew a community around Him and through which he accomplished ministry. We, however, usually follow the opposite order. We desperately try to accomplish something (ministry). When we fail, we try to get people to help us (community), and when that fails, we pray (communion). (page eight)
You might see where this is headed!! I’ll blog on the second chapter in my next post!