Kingdom Shaped Desires
As we have been looking at Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians this Spring, it occurs to me that one problem of the Corinthian church is a problem of desire. Yes they knew and loved the Lord, but their hearts still desired the divisive debates of their culture; still desired the status of Roman cultic worship; still desired the pride in “superior” manifestations of the Spirit. Much of Paul’s letter could be seen, then, as an effort to reorient their (our?) desires, from that of the wisdom of the world to the wisdom of God which, as we’ve seen, is foolishness to the world. For the next three blog posts, we’ll take a look at our desires: 1) What do we desire? 2) Culturally Shaped Desires 3) Kingdom Shaped Desires.
Why do we do what we do on Sunday mornings? It is a question I often pondered but never vocalized as a child growing up in a liturgical church. Why the singing? The standing, then sitting, then standing again – up, down, up, down, up again!? Why the same prayers week after week? The answer to the aforementioned question is that our Sunday morning worship is designed to create practices and routines that orient and guide our hearts toward God. Over the past two weeks we’ve noted that 1) our practices shape and guide our desires and 2) there are significant cultural practices that intend to guide our desires in specific directions. Why, then, does the church have the practices described above (and more)? In short, the church seeks to provide a liturgy oriented heavenward that focuses the desires of our hearts on a vision of the Kingdom! Let’s consider two examples:
Corporate Prayer. In our weekly worship, we dedicate a substantial amount of time to conversation with God. Why is this? Often, prayer simply serves to express to God what we long for. While, on one level this is true, prayer is, in fact, far more profound. James Smith writes, “(prayer) is a practice that makes us a people who refuse to settle for appearances.” The simple fact that we are praying – for healing, for justice, for peace – highlights our recognition that this world is not as it is. The failure to engage in regular prayer can resign us to tolerate an imperfect world. However, the constant reminder that things are not as God intends and our persistent boldness to ask for their transformation creates in us a desire for the Kingdom in which “death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain.” (Revelation 21:4)
Daily Bible Reading. I can hear your objections already – “Why? I can’t even understand what I’m reading!” My response: “Not reading your Bible will not help you understand it any better!” Further, there are abundant resources to help you along. Nevertheless, beyond intellectual understanding is the desire that such reading creates. The simple act of making Bible reading a priority (perhaps at the expense of something else) reminds us of the priority of Jesus in our lives. Furthermore, immersing ourselves in the story of Scripture allows us to recognize our place there as well, that we are participants in the Kingdom of God and our actions, priorities, and motives are shaped by the values of that story and that Kingdom.
*The background for much of the thought of these articles, especially this one, comes from a book by James K. A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom.
Thoughts to ponder:
How do other practices of our weekly worship serve to orient our hearts to God?
How does this happen in other weekly practices (whether individual or with your family)?
What values are highlighted in the practices of the church that are contrary to that of the culture?