Oct. 8, 2014

Caught, not taught

Last Friday I spent the day in Eugene with, as Bishop Michael said, “the largest gathering of clergy and lay people outside of Diocesan Convention.”  This used to be known as Clergy Day, but the bishop has moved to include the laity, and it is now known as the Fall Leadership Day.

Our keynote speaker was Lisa Kimball, Ph.D., who is the Director of the Center for the Ministry of Teaching, as well as Professor of Christian Formation and Congregational Leadership at Virginia Theological Seminary.  During her presentation (which I found very informative), she made a comment that included the above phrase.  I can't remember the exact wording she used, but, in essence, she said something along the lines of, “Faith isn't an intellectual pursuit.  We can't put the Nicene Creed in front of people and expect them to become Christians.  Faith is caught, not taught.”

This idea of “caught, not taught,” is not new.  In The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, from which I find ideas for The Wednesday Word, it is also mentioned as the essence of desert spirituality.  The Desert Fathers were not members of a spiritual movement defined by rules or a systematic approach that could be learned over time at the feet of a master.

What they had instead was a devotion to God and a a devotion to the hard work of a life lived in prayer.  The practice of prayer was not something done for three hours on a Sunday, or for a few hours each  morning and evening.  The practice of prayer was a way of life that directed a person and turned a person continually toward God.  The practice of prayer was a lifetime commitment that was pursued every day through hourly dedication with every minute focusing on drawing near to God.

This practice of prayer, this life of prayer, could not be taught.  Instead, it was such an example and inspiration to others that they became open to catching the Spirit of God.  Caught, not taught.

Abba Agathon said, “Prayer is hard work and a great struggle to one's last breath.”

May your own prayer discipline transform you in such a way that your life becomes a net, gathering people of all kinds together in the kingdom.

Caught, not taught.

Amen.