1. Invitation to a Journey
Peter Fitch, St. Croix Vineyard
Sunday August 6, 2017

2. Last week
The journey is from the Image of God to the Likeness of Christ
Every person born with incredible potential
Every person needs to be transformed toward outwardness

3. The week before that . . .
“Born from above” more likely than “born again”
Of the 13 uses of “anothen” in the NT, only one besides this makes sense as something like “again”
I suggested that just as Jesus is described as Word that becomes flesh in John 1:14, everyone is being encouraged to follow Him
He says that we must be born of water and spirit if we are to see the Kingdom of God (I do not think this refers to heaven but to the Life of God right now)

4. John 3:1-10 (NRSV)
1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?”

5. John 3:1-10 (NRSV)
 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.7 

6. Simone Weil
One who, after being reduced by affliction to the state of an inert and passive thing, returns at least for a time to a human state through the generosity of others—who accepts and feels the true essence of this generosity—in that instant receives a soul issuing exclusively from charity. That person is born from on high of water and the Spirit. The word in the Gospel, “anothen”, signifies “on high” more often than “anew.” Treating the afflicted neighbour with love is something like baptizing them.

7. Simone Weil
Those from whom an act of generosity comes only act as they do if they are transported by their thoughts into the other. In that moment, they are also composed solely of water and the Spirit. Generosity and compassion are inseparables both modeled in God, namely in creation and the Passion.

8. Born from above?
Not a static change that makes you somehow fit for heaven
Rather, a process, an on-going dance that allows you to interact with God’s Spirit day by day
This brings continual discovery of the following things:
My own need for growth
New thoughts about how life works
Creativity in whatever I am working on
Generosity in care for others
Surprise and delight in life in the enjoyment of God, nature, others and myself

9. So, it’s a journey Christians in the Middle Ages spoke of 3 stages
These are the purgative, illuminative, and unitive ways
Bernard of Clairvaux called them the 3 Kisses (feet, hands, mouth)
James Fowler identified 7 stages (from self-interest to universal heart)
M. Scott Peck spoke of 4 (chaos, fundamentalism, skepticism, mysticism)

10. Hagberg and Guelich’s Stages of Faith
Taken mostly from: Janet O. Hagberg and Robert A. Guelich in The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith (Salem, Wisconsin: Sheffield, 2005

11. 1) The Recognition of God: Powerlessness
Beginning with either a sense of awe or a sense of need, gradually there develops an awareness of God with an inherent invitation to a meaning-filled life
Cage (staying too long in a particular stage): enduring sense of inadequacy

12. 2) The Life of Discipleship: Power by Association
Connecting with either a spiritual leader or a group with a strong sense of identity, the accompanying values and rules give meaning and determine the focus of one’s energy as one seeks to take one’s place
Cage: becoming legalistic, moralistic, exclusive, strong sense of “we/they”

13. 3) The Productive Life: Power by Achievement
This is the period of usefulness, finding and using one’s own strengths in a way that will enhance the group’s purposes. Gifts are recognized, developed, appreciated—this is a fulfilling season
Cage: feeling too important or indispensable, playing God in people’s lives or in our own lives, burning out, knowing what everyone else should do

14. 4) The Journey Inward: Power by Reflection
Either through crisis or reflection, earlier levels of certainty give way to a different pursuit: seeking direction and personal integrity rather than answers. God is released from the small boxes we’ve tried to keep Him in. This stage can look like a loss of faith as people become more reflective and beliefs no longer seem as clear
Cage: always questioning, unable to reach out or reach in for help, reverting to earlier stages or dropping out altogether

15. The WALL: the Place of Inner Choices between Stages 4 and 5
Between Stage 4 and Stage 5 many people come face to face with a reality that they can’t pass through without a deep submission of their will to God. There is a need to face the truth at a very deep level. This often connects with uncovering or facing deep fears. Some would describe this as the “dark night of the soul.” Those who go on will probably get involved with their own interior work, sometimes through participation in a contemplative journey of self-discovery
Cage: denial of the Wall, reverting to earlier stages or dropping out altogether

16. 5) The Journey Outward: Power by Purpose
Those who go on often have a renewed sense of acceptance of life and their part in it. Operating from a deep inner peace, they tend to focus more on others and their needs. Intimacy with God seems real at this point and prayer is a way of life rather than a sporadic activity. God seems in the midst of everything, and life seems rich in all circumstances
Cage (as seen by others): appearing impractical, focus on things which seem unimportant to those who have not reached this stage; in reality people at this stage have ceased striving and are growing deeper in God and wisdom and self- acceptance

17. 6) The Life of Love: Power by Wisdom
This stage is an extension of the last. People who reach it have become instruments in God’s hands, easily led by Him and easily reflecting His heart and His values without judgment or legalism. Everything tends to be done in union with God as the purposes of God and the human soul have become married together
Cage (as seen by others): appearing to waste one’s life or be neglectful of self in caring for others

18. John the Baptist (from John 3)
29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.