Who is this Jesus we Follow?

1
Who is this Jesus we Follow?

• An Introduction to Gospel Contemplation
• Part
• of an
• Introduction to the Spiritual Journey

2
What is a spiritual practice?

• A spiritual practice is
• any regular and intentional activity
• that establishes, develops, and nourishes a
  personal relationship with God
• allowing God to transform us!

3
What is Gospel Contemplation?

• A way of meditating on scenes from Jesus life
• Using our imagination
• In order to deepen our appreciation of the life
  and teaching of Jesus

4

• If our task is to become a disciple of Jesus,
  then we must watch carefully what Jesus does

5

• He teaches, prays, heals, challenges
• Can we enter those scenes to learn how we too can
  do these?

6
Gospel Contemplation is about entering Scripture
with our imagination
7
God uses whatever we allow God to use in order to
relate to us
including our imagination!
8
The heart of Gospel Contemplation is letting God
use our imagination to help us deepen our
relationship with Jesus
9
Gospel Contemplation and Bible Study
complementary approaches!

• Bible Study
• Understands Gods Living Word then and there
• Uses critical reasoning to get it right
• Keeps us in our head

• Gospel Contemplation
• Experiences Gods Living Word here and now.
• Uses imagination to make it personal
• Puts us in our hearts

10
Gospel Contemplation a work of the imagination

• How many ways could you imagine the Nativity?

Three scenes from A Northern Nativity by Wm.
Kurelek
11
Gospel Contemplation a work of the imagination

• How might seeing the Nativity in different ways
  help you better understand Jesus?

Three scenes from A Northern Nativity by Wm.
Kurelek
12
Gospel Contemplation getting into the story of
Jesus

• A loving, tender, careful, attentive, and
  intentional experience of the story of Jesus
• As you let the story unfold you discover details
  you had never noticed before
• You are led to see and understand aspects of
  Jesus life that escaped you before.

13
Entering the scene

• Sit still, close your eyes, imagine the scene
• Composition of place
• is it warm? Sunny? Windy? Desert? Fields? City?
• Senses
• what do you hear, feel, smell, taste, see
• The people
• who is there? How many? What are they doing? Is
  Jesus there? How does he look? What is he saying?
• Who are you in the scene?
• DONT CONTROL THE SCENE! LET IT UNFOLD!