The Invitation
I have been reading and thinking a lot about mission in our post-Christendom context for, well, years of course, but particularly as I develop my PhD proposal. One thing I am really struck by is the idea that in order to respond to what God is doing in the inner north is that we first need to be able to hear what God is doing in our own lives and practice the sort of humility that enables action which responds to what is really going on, rather than what we think should be happening. How can we be humble, open to God, but also able to act in this world of post-Christendom Melbourne? Alan Roxburgh talks about the importance of a rule of life – a way of praying together, even when we are not physically together. We are also very influenced by Ignatian practices at Northcote, and the missional possibilities it unlocks.
My thought is that, this time, we might do it as a slight early Advent practice, running from Monday 23/11 until Sunday 20/12. I think it might take 15-30 minutes a day.
I invite you to join me for a four-week experiment in this, a Minimum Viable Rule of Life (MVoL) to deepen our spiritual lives, and breathe more life into our shared visioning for Northcote Uniting Church, and the life of the Inner North in general.
Alister
Email me if you want to know more!
The Practice
Daily Office
· Engagement with a common passage of Scripture (probably taken from the Narrative Lectionary)
· Pray for our community, and for wisdom in our joint discernment
· Prayer the Lord’s prayer, the basis of all our prayer life together.
· Micro-journal a word or so reflecting on your prayer experience
Monthly Gathering
· At the end of the one month practice, we will gather together to reflect on the experience and think about the possibility of next steps
FAQ
What is a Minimal Viable Rule of Life? The idea of a “Minimum Viable Product” comes from the world of innovation, and it is the smallest thing that will do the job. A Rule of Life comes from the Western Monastic tradition, where it formed the shared prayer life of the brothers or sisters in the community
What is a Daily Office? Think of it as a daily prayer practice. It is terminology from the monastic tradition.
What is the Examen? A prayer practice that opens us up to see what God is doing in our lives, and what God is calling us to. Read more here.
What is the Narrative Lectionary? The story of Scripture should be as familiar to us as our own story. The NL is a way to read the full story of Scripture in nine months (a US school year.) Read more about it here.