— Spiritual Disciplines —

                                                                            By Donald Williams

     As a Christian leader, I believe it is essential for all Christians to cultivate spiritual disciplines of daily prayer, meditation in the Word, worship and commitment to holiness. These are quintessential to growing in our faith, becoming the spotless Bride of our Lord before his return.

     Prior to coming to Divinity School, I established important disciplines of daily prayer, worship and meditation in the word of God. For many years, like the mystics like St. Bernard of Clairvou, I have regarded my relationship with Christ as a spiritual marriage requiring the deepest intimacy and devotion. I have endeavored to nurture that relationship through the discipline of daily quiet times of prayer, meditation in the word of God and the pursuit of holiness in my life. I learned many years ago that our relationship with the Lord is not found superficial trappings of religion, but in intentional relationship with the Divine. As the Franciscan John Michael asserts "We must treat our relationship with God like a marriage, daily nurturing it with prayer, meditation in God's word and worship."Thus, the Bridegroom (Christ in the Song of Songs asserts:

                                         My beloved spoke and said to me,
                                         "Arise, my darling,
                                         my beautiful one, come with me.

                                         See! The winter is past;
                                         the rains are over and gone.
                                         Flowers appear on the earth;
                                         the season of singing has come,
                                         the cooing of doves
                                         is heard in our land.
                                         The fig tree forms its early fruit;
                                         the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
                                         Arise, come, my darling;
                                         my beautiful one, come with me."

Indeed, the quintessence of Christianity is found in relationship with Christ. Martin Luther touched on this when he asserted that in worship we speak to God. In the reading of God's word, we allow Him to speak to us! What a glorious relationship we are able to have with the One who measured the waters of the seas in the hollow of his hand, who stretched the measuring rod across creation to calculate its dimensions. This same mighty God, lovingly embraces us and meets us in secret places of our souls. He is the still small voice that calls to us, whispers in the wind. We know by His promises that he is there. This comports well with the words of our Lord Jesus "My sheep hear my voice and they follow after me."

     My study of Eastern Orthodoxy has greatly deepened my understanding of the importance of holiness in the Christian journey. I have been significantly influenced by Orthodox theologian John Chrysostom. In his writings about the passions (8 deadly sins), he promoted dispassionate lives free from the passions of fornication, greed, gluttony, avarice, pride, self-esteem, sorrow, anger, vainglory and pride. Chrysostom understood that indeed the passions war against the soul, the soul's desire to be rightly oriented towards the Divine.