SELECTIONS: A Journey Toward Spiritual Formation The opening words
of the Prologue are as good a beginning toward a description of the
book as any: What began as a contemplative practice soon became a
time of self-examination, and then an ongoing reading of the New
Testament, followed by an aroused intellectual curiosity that led
to research into scriptural exegesis, and finally, after years of
repetition and reflection, to a satisfying experience of
internalization. Somewhere along the way I realized I was working
on my own personal spiritual formation. This is how my alternative
New Testament Lectionary came into being. My "uncommon lectionary"
is an invitation to a spiritual pilgrimage through salient
selections of New Testament passages. For those involved in or
interested in the Christian Movement there is no better place to
dig deeper. The New Testament text is provided so one does not have
to fumble around to find one's own copy. After describing the
evolution of the process, the book is divided into the seasons of
the Christian Year. Each week correlates a Gospel Reading and an
Epistle Reading. There is background material for each section,
setting the stage for the specific season. The reader is guided
through the reading in a lectio divina style, with variations to
keep it from becoming too repetitious. Unique to the book are some
"gentle challenges" in each week's reading to help the reader press
beneath the surface. These vary with each season, ranging from an
invitation to record several "I Believe" statements about a
particular passage to creating three handwritten, free-flowing
"Lenten Pages." During Holy Week one may be asked to practice one
hour of "Sacred Silence." Pentecost challenges the reader to
compose a Haiku based on the passages for the week. Missiontide
presses for an essay of no less than three, no more than five
sentences on each passage relative to the question, "What now is
expected of me." These "gentle challenges" are designed to lead one
to deeper reflection and clearer focus on the lectionary passages
for a given week. They help us to activate our soul's contemplative
nature. They also encourage us to allow the key words in a passage
to be formed into a personal prayer. I believe that serious
reflection, focus, contemplation, and prayer can draw us along a
path toward spiritual formation. The Seasons of the Christian Year
have a mystical correlation to the seasons of our own lives. To my
mind, this book has an appeal to that general audience that wants
to discover the deeper, more progressive aspects of the Christian
Faith. For many in the general audience, SELECTIONS: A Journey
Toward Spiritual Formation will be simply a book of daily
devotions. I believe, too, that churches will find it helpful and
effective in retreats, small groups, and class sessions. Many of my
colleagues in ministry have expressed an interest in an alternative
lectionary. They, too, would find this book very useful. I have
tested it in all these ways with very positive responses.
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