Practices for
Jesus-Centered Life
Brothers and
Sisters in Christ:
This past summer
at the General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Austin, our
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry invited us all to engage in a new
initiative called The Way of Love: Practices for Jesus-Centered Life.
This is not a new program, it is an articulated framework, called a “Rule
of Life,” to help us live more deeply into our vocation as followers of
Jesus. As our Presiding Bishop shares:
But how can we
together grow more deeply with Jesus Christ at the center of our lives,
so we can bear witness to his way of love in and for the world?
The deep roots of
our Christian tradition may offer just such a path. For centuries,
monastic communities have shaped their lives around rhythms and
disciplines for following Jesus together. Such a pattern is known as a
“Rule of Life.” The framework you now hold – The Way of Love: Practices for Jesus-Centered Life – outlines a Rule for the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement.
The Way of Love
focuses on seven principal elements:
Turn
Pause, listen, and choose to follow Jesus
Learn
Reflect on Scripture each day, especially on Jesus’ life and
teachings
Pray
Dwell intentionally with God each day
Worship
Gather in community weekly to thank, praise, and dwell with
God
Bless
Share faith and unselfishly give and serve
Go
Cross boundaries, listen deeply and live like Jesus
Rest
Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration
These elements
help integrate our faith deeply into our daily lives in a new, or
restored, way.
The Way of Love
tools and resources provide a variety of ways to integrate this
discipline into our daily lives. It can be used alone as an individual
spiritual practice, or as a group for a regular Christian formation
discipline.
The Presiding
Bishop’s office is offering special resources for integrating the Way of
Love into your individual and community Lenten disciplines. I encourage
each of you to look over the available resources and prayerfully consider
how to integrate the Way of Love into your Lenten spiritual practices. The Way of Love Lenten Resources can be found here , and additional resources can be found here. In addition, at the Diocesan
Office we have some printed wallet cards with the Way of Love Rule of
Life in of both English and Spanish. If you or your congregation would
like some, please let us know.
I hope you will
join me in delving deeply into the Way of Love during this Lenten season
and will consider integrating it into your daily spiritual
practice.
Faithfully,
+Bishop Ed