The
Contemplative Spirituals based their lives on Jesus' principle that
"Where two or three are gathered, there I am in their midst" (Matthew
18:20). For them, "church" - or what a Buddhist would call "sangha" -
was less space-oriented (conceived as a group of worshipers meeting in a
single place) and more time-oriented (spread out on various occasions
throughout the day). This view was of course based on a deep spiritual
conviction, but it was also influenced by the fact that in Europe, the
Spirituals were persecuted relentlessly, and had to remain on the move.
Because of this persecution, many Contemplative Spirituals migrated to
America in the 1700s. The Schwenkfelders are one of these groups, and
they settled in the area where I grew up, in southeastern Pennsylvania.
To give an updated Contemplative Spiritual view of church, we might, for example, experience spiritual community at a coffee date with a friend, and then find it on a hike in the mountains. Then we might experience such "church" in a meaningful conversation with a family member at home, and then at a local workshop, say, on the topic of Buddhist or Christian or Sufi spirituality. Then we might get on Facebook, and experience yet another instance of church in a meaningful interaction with a friend. Finally, on Sunday, we might also experience spiritual community - "church" - at a common worship meeting.
The Spirituals believed, in fact, that "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is within and among you." (Luke 17:21) For this reason, they held to what they called "The Invisible Church," composed of all true spiritual seekers spread throughout the world. If someone were to ask a Spiritual "What is your religious affiliation, and where do you worship?" and if they were to answer "Oh, I belong to ____, and we meet at ____ on Sundays," they believed that they would thereby have been denying the deep fellowship that was occurring AT THAT VERY MOMENT with the person who was asking the question. Thus, for the Spirituals, "church" always occurs in the present moment, not in some other time or place.
For many Americans - both now and throughout history - this "church" happens first and foremost in the "temple" of the natural world. It occurs during meetings with other human seekers as well, of course, but the natural world has always served as a major place where spiritual communion and community can occur. Thus, for example, John Muir could write from the summit of Yosemite's Cathedral Peak: "This I may say is the first time I have been at church in California, led here at last, every door graciously opened for the poor lonely worshiper. In our best times, everything turns into religion, all the world seems a church, and the mountains altars."
May all of us seek increasingly to find our "church" or "sangha" within every chance human encounter and in deep experiences of the Great Outdoors, as well as in our chosen community of worshipers gathered in a single place on Sundays (or on Saturday). For ALL of these are equally valid instances of "church," and thus of spiritual community!
Photos: (Top) Snowshoe Hare tracks; (Middle) An abandoned cabin, with Nokhu Crags looming in the background; (Bottom) Alpenglow on Nokhu Crags. All three photos were taken on November 6, 2014 in the Never Summer Mountains (Colorado State Forest State Park), CO
To give an updated Contemplative Spiritual view of church, we might, for example, experience spiritual community at a coffee date with a friend, and then find it on a hike in the mountains. Then we might experience such "church" in a meaningful conversation with a family member at home, and then at a local workshop, say, on the topic of Buddhist or Christian or Sufi spirituality. Then we might get on Facebook, and experience yet another instance of church in a meaningful interaction with a friend. Finally, on Sunday, we might also experience spiritual community - "church" - at a common worship meeting.
The Spirituals believed, in fact, that "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is within and among you." (Luke 17:21) For this reason, they held to what they called "The Invisible Church," composed of all true spiritual seekers spread throughout the world. If someone were to ask a Spiritual "What is your religious affiliation, and where do you worship?" and if they were to answer "Oh, I belong to ____, and we meet at ____ on Sundays," they believed that they would thereby have been denying the deep fellowship that was occurring AT THAT VERY MOMENT with the person who was asking the question. Thus, for the Spirituals, "church" always occurs in the present moment, not in some other time or place.
For many Americans - both now and throughout history - this "church" happens first and foremost in the "temple" of the natural world. It occurs during meetings with other human seekers as well, of course, but the natural world has always served as a major place where spiritual communion and community can occur. Thus, for example, John Muir could write from the summit of Yosemite's Cathedral Peak: "This I may say is the first time I have been at church in California, led here at last, every door graciously opened for the poor lonely worshiper. In our best times, everything turns into religion, all the world seems a church, and the mountains altars."
May all of us seek increasingly to find our "church" or "sangha" within every chance human encounter and in deep experiences of the Great Outdoors, as well as in our chosen community of worshipers gathered in a single place on Sundays (or on Saturday). For ALL of these are equally valid instances of "church," and thus of spiritual community!
Photos: (Top) Snowshoe Hare tracks; (Middle) An abandoned cabin, with Nokhu Crags looming in the background; (Bottom) Alpenglow on Nokhu Crags. All three photos were taken on November 6, 2014 in the Never Summer Mountains (Colorado State Forest State Park), CO
No comments:
Post a Comment