August 24, 2008 - "Vows of Transformation and Service"

Crescent Hill Baptist Church
Louisville, Kentucky
Pentecost 14
August 24, 2008
W. Gregory Pope

Series: The New Monasticism

VOWS OF TRANSFORMATION
AND SERVICE

Exodus 1:8-2:10; Psalm 124; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20


We continue our consideration of the church as abbey and monastery, living as monks and nuns in the world, with yours truly serving as your abbot.

MONASTIC VOWS

One of the most important things monastics do is take vows. The most well-known vows are: poverty, chastity, and obedience. In the Benedictine tradition the vows are obedience, conversion, and stability (included in those three are poverty and celibacy). We are going to be addressing all these elements of monastic vows, but I want to invite us as a congregation to the Three Vows of Transformation, Service, and Community. We find all three of these described in chapter 4 of Benedict’s Rule.

Esther de Waal writes: “The beauty of the Rule is the way in which the three vows . . . all interrelate . . . They constantly illuminate, deepen and depend on each other.” [1]

Today we’re going to consider Transformation and Service. The following three weeks we will look at vows of Community.

Let’s begin with a brief conversation about vows.

What is a vow? A vow is a commitment a statement or declaration, a pledge, a promise to God or to another person or to a community.

The Bible speaks often of vows. But vows are found not only in the Bible but throughout the ancient Mediterranean. The making of a vow was a way of publicly placing your honor on the line. It was a giving of your word.

VOWS OF CONVERSION / TRANSFORMATION (Romans 12:1-2)

“[The vows] present to people outside of a monastic community . . . three promises that together form one whole process.” [2] The one whole process the vows form is the primary vow - what is called “conversion of life.” It’s what the Christian life is all about.

Benedict and his followers formed a religious order of monks dedicated first and foremost to conversion, a turning to God’s ways. It’s the commitment we make when we enter into the baptismal waters and confess, “Jesus Christ is Lord.”

The word conversion, primarily in evangelical circles, has come to mean a one time moment when you ask Jesus into your heart. The problem with most of us who understand conversion in this way is that we appear no more like Christ in actual practice than anyone else in America. Christians are pretty much like the rest of the culture when it comes to divorce, sexual immorality, and domestic abuse. We don’t stand out as a people set apart, except that we’re more likely to be racist. And the more money we have, the less likely we are to share it with the poor. What we most need are schools for conversion. [3]

Because conversion has negative connotations and makes people think of one-time conversion experiences, I have chosen to call this the Vow of Transformation, and will use the word conversion and transformation interchangeably. And it is a reference to a lifelong journey of change.

Repentance and Transformation: The Call of Jesus and Paul

When Jesus shows up in the Gospels he issues forth a call to “repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.”

Paul said, “Do not be conformed to the world. Do not let the world squeeze you into its mold. But be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Repentance: The First Step Toward Conversion

Repentance is our first step toward conversion in response to God’s grace. It is the good news that another reality is breaking into the world and it demands a fundamental transformation of all who hear it. To be a part of this new world order, this new humanity as Paul calls it, we have to die to ourselves and get “born again” as members of Christ’s body. [4]

Conversion: Metanoia - Change of Heart and Mind

There are two dynamics to repentance: one from the Greek, one from the Hebrew.

The Greek word for repentance - “metanoia” - is about a change of heart and mind. It’s about the renewal of ourselves from the inside out. The mind of Christ is Paul’s word picture for the shape of inner conversion, of what God’s image looks like. Only as we inhabit the mind of Christ do we learn to see what conversion looks like.

Inner conversion means that my false self is dying so that my true self can be given life. Conversion is always about becoming who I really am - a creature created in God’s image. [5]

Conversion: Shuv - Change of Direction

The second dynamic of conversion comes from the Hebrew word for repentance - shuv - which means to turn or return. It’s a physical word, involving bodily movement, especially movement of the feet. To turn toward God is to set one’s feet on a new path, forsaking the road that leads to destruction to walk in the way that leads to life. Conversion is a way of life that must be practiced. [6]

John Stott joins these two dynamics together when he says the Bible demonstrates our need for a double conversion, first out of the world and into Christ, then back into the world with Christ. [7]

So there are internal and external dynamics to conversion.

VOWS OF SERVICE (Romans 12:3-8)

This external dynamic of conversion leads us out into the world with Christ and calls us to make Vows of Service.

Conversion is witnessed in the service that we offer - service in the church as we share our gifts with one another in the Body of Christ - gifts of ministry, teaching, leadership - as well as service as the Body of Christ in the world. The Rule of Benedict (4:14-18) calls us to works of mercy and goodness, to “relieve the poor and clothe the naked and visit the sick and console the sorrowing.”

The church-as-abbey is a church with worship at its heart, but realizes prayer is not enough. We are called to offer hospitality to all and minister to the marginalized, work for peace and justice, and engage the world in mission. Most ministry happens outside the abbey with the abbey serving as a resource of help and hope.

This new monasticism of which we are speaking is not the shaping of what you normally think of as a monastery. It is learning the rhythm of monastic life so that we can better and more faithfully live as God’s people in the world.

At times that service may issue itself in civil disobedience. The lectionary Hebrew lesson for this week (Exodus 1:8-2:10) tells the courageous story of Shiphrah and Puah, the two Hebrew midwives who disobeyed the king of Egypt and refused to kill the baby boys when they were born. It is the first act of civil disobedience found in the Bible. And it reminds us that sometimes our conversion calls us to disobey government and law. There is a political side to our conversion. We are to be a people who stand for peace and justice in the world, especially for the poor.

SPIRITUAL PRACTICES

Compassionate, self-giving service is the proof of an authentic spirituality, the evidence of a mature Christian life. It naturally springs from the heart of monks and nuns in the world. Naturally because the monastic heart has been nurtured and shaped through spiritual practices.

Contemplation

There is the spiritual practice of contemplation. Contemplation is the movement of the self toward union with God. Nurtured deep in the heart, expressed in love for others. Mother Teresa is often cited as an example of one who lived a Christ-like life. Rarely does anyone explain the years of contemplation that Mother Teresa practiced in order to become the kind of person who could serve as Christ served. Contemplation is the way God has opened for us to receive the mind of Christ. [8]

Solitude

Contemplation happens in solitude. Solitude is the place of our own conversion. Ruth Haley Barton says, “In solitude we stop believing our own press.” [9] The practice of solitude.

Study

And there is the spiritual practice of study. Our scripture lesson this morning calls to renew our minds. One way we do this is through study.

Benedictine monks and nuns are traditionally identified with scholarship as well as prayer. One monk titled his book about monastic culture The Love of Learning and the Desire for God [9b]. This congregation shares the same heritage of scholarship. But we must make sure our love of learning is rooted in our desire for God. One way of joining the two is through lectio divina, a prayerful reading of scripture practiced here each Sunday evening.

Celibacy/Chastity

And we really can’t talk about monks and nuns without addressing the spiritual practice of celibacy or chastity. Paul talks about presenting our bodies to God as part of our worship. That means what we do with our bodies matters.

Monks and nuns who enter monasteries take a vow to refrain from sexual relationships. Celibacy is about sexual fidelity as well as abstinence. Celibacy is a curbing of natural desires that allows one to stay focused and faithful. Celibates aren’t alone in learning to say no to sexual impulses. Married people have to do the same if they are going to remain faithful to their vows. Celibacy allows the sexual impulse to be channeled into self-giving love. So does marriage. Just as monks learn lessons in love by practicing celibacy, married people learn about loving by committing to faithfulness in their families. Chastity isn’t just for celibates. [10] And it’s not just about sex.

A couple of years ago I told the story about a birthday party for whores. A grandmother told me later that week she had to explain to her granddaughter what a whore was. And in her great wisdom, that grandmother told her granddaughter, “A whore is someone who does something for money that they should do for love.” It’s the best definition I’ve ever heard because it makes the word more expansive than sexuality.

So we’ve talked about the spiritual practices of contemplation, solitude, study, and chastity. There are others we will address throughout this Fall.

But speaking of spiritual disciplines, Annie Dillard says, God does not require nor demand them. You do not have to do these things - unless you want to know God. They work on you, not on God. You do not have to sit outside in the dark. If, however, you want to look at the stars, you will find that darkness is necessary. But the stars neither require nor demand it. [11]

TRANSFORMATION AND SERVICE:
PERSONAL MATURITY AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH

We engage in spiritual practices to grow and mature as human beings made in the image of God. Conversion is a personal commitment to facing up to the demands of growth and change in our lives. Maturity comes only by confronting what has to be confronted within ourselves. [12]

As the church we must be intentional about why we meet together. We are here for the purpose of personal transformation in the image of Christ for the sake of the world. And to do so in community. If we’re not intentional we forget why we are here. “We become consumers of religion rather than cultivators of a spiritual life.” [13]

At times the church has been known to make the way of Jesus seem less demanding - no sacrifice, no giving of self, no change required - in order to help spur church growth. We want to do things to attract people and make them feel comfortable, and the teachings of Jesus don’t always do that.

Monasteries also have to be about the business of recruiting new monks, which gets tougher and tougher in today’s society, as vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience are not rising in the polls as preferred lifestyle choices.

One day a perspective recruit shows up at a monastery and is warmly welcomed with the generosity of Benedictine hospitality. He is chauffeured around the monastery grounds in a shiny new car; he’s presented with a lovely keepsake at the monastery gift shop; at dinner he is lavishly served a fine feast at the head table with the abbot and prior; and all this is followed by a nice after-dinner drink in the monastery recreation room. Finally, as it is time to go, the young recruit is asked if there is anything more he’d like to do or see to help him with his decision. “Yes,” replies the young man, “If this is poverty, show me chastity!” [14]

CONCLUSION

While there is an attraction to the way of Jesus - living for something greater than yourself - it is a costly and demanding way. It is the way of transformation and service.

The call to transformation is a call to grace. The daily confession of monks and nuns is this: “Everyday I say to myself - Today I will begin again.” Transformation is the work of God’s grace within us.

Some of us will wear ourselves out trying to change ourselves before we realize that it is not about fixing what is wrong, but about letting go of old patterns that no longer serve us well. [15]

Monks vow themselves to conversion of life. They promise that whatever happens, they will keep themselves on the hard course of becoming more authentically human and Christlike. That’s conversion. Shutting the door to yesterday and starting over, every single day of your life.[16]

Transformation is a very slow business if it is to be authentic. It’s purpose, says John Calvin, is to restore in us the image of God that has been disfigured. This restoration does not take place in one moment or one day or one year. It is the work of God is us throughout our lives, ending only at death.

The good news of the gospel isn’t that you’re OK and I’m OK, but that we are accepted by God as we are and that God can transform us all into the people we were made to be. It’s not that you can be whatever you want to be, but that you are free to grow up with God’s people into the full stature of Christ.

Personal transformation, living in community, serving Christ in the world. That is our calling.

_________________________

1. Esther de Waal, Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict, Liturgical Press, 2001, 55
2. Esther de Waal, A Life-Giving Way: A Commentary on the Rule of St. Benedict, The Liturgical Press, 1995, , ix
3. Jon Stock, Tim Otto, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Inhabiting the Church: Biblical Wisdom for a New Monasticism, Cascade, 2007, 27-28
4. Ibid., 27
5. Ibid., 33
6. Ibid., 29-30
7. Quoted in Andy Freeman and Pete Greig, Punk Monk: New Monasticism and the Ancient Art of Breathing, Regal, 2007, 111

8. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, “Commitment to a Disciplined Contemplative Life,” in Schools For Conversion: 12 Marks of a New Monasticism, Rutba House, 2007, 164-167
9. Ruth Haley Barton, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, Zondervan, 2008, 51
9b. Jean Leclercq, The Love of Learning and the Desire for God: A Study of Monastic Culture, Fordham University Press, 1982
10. Lonni Collins Pratt and Father Daniel Holman, Benedict’s Way: An Ancient Monk’s Insights For a Balanced Life, Loyola Press, 2000, 60-61
11. Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk, Harper and Row, 1982
12. De Waal, Seeking God, 75, 78
13. Dennis Okholm, Monk Habits For Everyday People: Benedictine Spirituality for Protestants, Brazos, 2008, 35
14. Linus Mundy, A Retreat with Benedict and Bernard: Seeking God Alone - Together, St. Anthony Messenger Press, 1998, 89
15. Barton, 53
16. Pratt and Holman, 121