R-E-S-T and Spiritual Growth

As I write this week’s entry, I am reflecting on my week of rest after a busy Holy Week and Easter Sunday. We did not go anywhere. We had a staycation. We did what we wanted to do, when we wanted to do it, and how we wanted to do it. It was a time to be free of decision making, to be able to live in the moment, and truly experience God’s creation in a new way. Notably, we rested! In the Creation Stories, God rested too. Recently, I read the even lions rest only to recoup their energy in preparation for the next hunt.

Rest can be used for spiritual exploration. Katherine Marie Baker writes a blog titled: Bible Study, Prayer and Personal Development. https://katherine-marie-baker.com/rest-bible-study-method/ She suggests in one of her blogs the following acronym: REST (Read-Explore-Study-Thrive). In a spiritual context this acronym can be used when studying the Bible and applying God’s word to your life.

Read: The first step is to read a passage of scripture at least three times, Maybe use different biblical translations. Pay attention to the characters of the story, the scene or environment that the scripture describes. Ask yourself what the central message is. Invite the Holy Spirit to enlighten your heart (that what I call “the lightbulb moment”.)

Explore: As you reflect on the passage, ask yourself these questions: Who is the passage about? What are they doing? Where are they doing it? What is happening around them? Then ask yourself these questions to dig a little deeper: What do you want to know more about? What has piqued your interest? Why did this occur? What about that? What do you understand? What would you like to know more about? And finally, answer these questions: Why is this important to know? How does this relate to me today?

Study: As you begin to dive deeper into the understanding of the passage, allow the Holy Spirit to move you. Give yourself permission to go down rabbit trails. Look up verses, use a commentary, a concordance, or a Study-Bible to cross-reference verses. As you explore the rabbit trail, ask yourself, “What are you learning about God?” and “What is this passage saying about God?”

Thrive: As Katherine Marie Baker suggests, thriving is the “time for action!” This is the time to put what you’ve learned into practice. Can you boil this newfound information as a statement of faith or a new spiritual practice? What would it say about the action(s) you need to do? How would what you learned apply to you?

While participating in the Community Organizing Course in seminary, one of the experts who spoke to the class shared this story. In Boston, advocates for the homeless wanted to decrease the arrests of the unhoused for indecent exposure. The community advocates came up with the bumper sticker “Where Would Jesus Go?” and successfully campaigned for port-a-potties to be placed around Boston Commons.

Now that is REST – and being called to action!

Blessings,                                           

Rev. Anne