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Practical Theology from the Heart: Becoming Children of God The University of Notre Dame Australia ResearchOnline@ND Theology Papers and Journal Articles School of Theology 2016 Practical theology from the heart: Becoming children of God G Morrison University of Notre Dame Australia, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theo_article Part of the Practical Theology Commons This article was originally published as: Morrison, G. (2016). Practical theology from the heart: Becoming children of God. Compass: A Review of Topical Theology, 50 (3), 30-34. Original article available here: http://compassreview.org/spring16/8.pdf This article is posted on ResearchOnline@ND at https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theo_article/157. For more information, please contact [email protected]. COMPASS PRACTICAL THEOLOGY FROM THE HEART Becoming Children of God GLENN MORRISON ractical theology, like worn shoes, the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:36-44). carries the memories of our daily lives, The children of God possess the courage Pgiving opportunities for the movement and confidence to traverse the path to God, of God's word to resonate from the heart (Matt to become holy people of God, because they 18:35). In this article, I want to suggest that know the Father (1 Jn 2:14) who is the place the markings we make on the road to 'the of joy and gladness. Abiding in God, the paradise of God' (Rev 2:7) reflect children of God discover forgiveness opportunities and capacities for growth to through 'Jesus Christ the righteous' (1 Jn become children of God. This entails a 2:2), and await in hope to enter the Father's difficult or even a vexing adventure of faith. Kingdom through being born of the Spirit For 'the children of your Father in heaven' (Jn 3:5). Essentially, the children of God are challenged to find meaning and truth reveal that this hope for the glory of the through encounters and memories like loving Kingdom of God (1 Thess 2:12) is deeply 'your enemies' or praying 'for those who personal. For such intimacy of hope can be persecute you' (Matt 5:44). born out of transformative and dramatic So where the heart matures into events like the collision between loving and becoming curious about God who makes the knowing. 'sun rise on the evil and on the good' (Matt 5:45), practical theology nurtures a place for Loving and knowing 'joy and gladness' (Ps 45:15) even amongst life's disappointments and catastrophes. In The American-Jewish author, Chaim Potok, effect, practical theology moves forward to writes in his book, The Book of Lights: 'How invite a reflection upon discerning God's do you live almost a lifetime with two people, movement into our personal stories so that and love them, and really not know about our loving and knowing from the heart may them? What sort of energy or accident brings reveal the joy and gladness of becoming together loving and knowing?' (1981, 240) children of God 'today'. Existence with another may appear somewhat A compelling trait of the children of God disjointed where opportunities or capacities is knowing what it means to abide in God. for growth are lost in the mundane of They are drawn 'to walk just as he walked' (1 everyday living. However, where bursts of Jn 2:6), as in the Garden of the Lord (Gen energies or accidents (risks and crises) of the 3:8). Such walking with God may even take heart suddenly emerge to give voice to the path of mourning and weeping like David emotions and yearnings of the soul, on the way to the Mount of Olives (2 Sam transformation may yield itself into the scene 15:30) or grieving and praying like Jesus in of human relations. Potok's questions help 30 BECOMING CHILDREN OF GOD us to envision that a transformative, dramatic Glenn Morrison is event—an 'energy or accident' uniting 'loving associate professor at and knowing'—has taken place in the lives The University of Notre of the children of God. Such transforming Dame Australia, events are inherently personal and relational. Fremantle, Western And importantly, these events lead to much Australia, lecturing in good like the peacemaking (Matt 5:9) of systematic and pastoral healing and forgiving. The collision between theology. loving and knowing expresses then the good truth of the risen Jesus: that God's grace and presence (Gal 1:16) is a personal and intimate encounter of the nearness (Matt 4:17, 10:7) One provocative saying of Jesus stands and newness (Matt 9:17; Jn 3:3) of the out especially as it seems to guide the sense Kingdom of God. of loving and knowing from the heart - Luke Moments of peacemaking, such as the 12:56: 'You know how to interpret the loving-kindness of forgiveness and mercy, appearance of earth and sky, but why do you invite a personal 'yes' of faith in the risen not know how to interpret the present time?' Jesus. This is all the more compelling due to (Veling 2005, 20) Jesus' words are compelling our vulnerable human condition. Even the as much as they provoke the heart to be open glance of another's needs and desires may to the gifts of the Holy Spirit such as wisdom, touch upon our strivings and put into knowledge, faith, healing, miracles and question our conscience and self-image. Or prophecy (1 Cor 12:4-11). Moreover, the more the look of a stranger in our midst may we listen attentively from the heart to Jesus' suddenly dislocate our everyday perception words, they become through time an invitation and harmony. Practical theology from the to become children of God, that is to say, to heart takes seriously these wounding and give time to walk with God humbly in the stirring connections between loving and garden of our daily, ordered and disordered, knowing. This is because it cultivates a lives. spiritual and inter-personal lens for the imagination to grow spontaneously towards To love in truth and action an outpouring of faith in God's Son. Such imagination exemplifies a radical choice of the In the act of discernment, of loving and children of God: to discern and integrate the knowing from the heart, we are invited to take enigmatic movements of God's word in our up the vocation of what the children of God relations with others so that all may be one in know well from the heart: to 'love … in truth Jesus Christ (Gal 3:25-28). and action' (1 Jn 3:18). Back in 2005, Australian theologian, Terry Something of this message, of learning Veling, wrote a book on practical theology, how to love in 'truth' as much as in 'action', entitled, Practical Theology: On Earth as It was pressed home to me several years ago Is in Heaven. The title is a clue to its creative when I taught practical theology to a group of and personal sensibility to Jesus' witness to teachers including many pre-primary school his Father's kingdom. In the book, he draws teachers. I never forget the vibrant energy and together a number of definitions of practical hospitality of the class; they were eager to theology not only from various scholars learn with 'joy and gladness' (Ps 45:15; Isa 51:3) around the world, but also from sayings of and 'the voice of song' (Isa 51:3). When Jesus from the Gospels of Mathew, Luke and speaking with the students, joyous and John. inviting laughter would naturally flow into the 31 COMPASS conversation. I sensed that something of the of 1 John 2:28 resounding: 'And now, little charism or playfulness of little children had children, abide in him'. instilled itself in the consciousness of my We can begin to imagine the joy and hope students. The students were at play in of the children of God to love in truth and learning, testifying to the value of listening action. In theological terms, the joy and hope and sharing together. that brings loving and knowing ever closer Where learning takes on the state of together point to an evocative conversion to internal enjoyment, a heartfelt commitment the Kingdom of God: adoring the Father 'with emerges. Yet, I noticed something more, like the voice of song' (Isa 51:3), walking in the the dynamic energy of loving and knowing light of the risen Jesus 'with the oil of gladness' coming together. The love of learning was (Ps 45:7) and rejoicing in the joy of the Holy expressed in the action of participation, Spirit (Lk 10:21). reflection, humility and mutuality. Knowing the depths of our being made in The truth of the face of learning even the image of the Triune God unveils the began to unveil itself especially in moments energy of loving: the 'joy and gladness' (Isa of the students' seminars. Listening to one 51:3) of being a gift of oneself for another. seminar, the whole class heard 'the voice of What lies at our depths is so precious, so song'. It seemed that the joy in the student's sensitive and so wounding which Triune love presentation needed an action of song at the exalts in the Edenic, paradisal existence of end to bless the class with 'the oil of the children of God, of knowing the Father's gladness' (Ps 45:7). The 'earth and sky' of the love and forgiveness (1 Jn 2:12-14) from the students emotional being suddenly became heart. alive. It struck me that the student had We can begin to discern that practical extended the mode of reflection to an theology takes hold of opportunities and outpouring of heartfelt discernment: to offer nurtures them into capacities for growth to and reveal an intimacy of life in regards to live from the heart.
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