2nd Sunday of Lent: Spiritual Formation is NOT an Elective

Every degree program - from high school to post-graduate studies - has two kinds of studies: a core curriculum and electives. The core curriculum consists of required courses. These studies are the heart of the degree program. They present the essential knowledge and skills every person is to possess when they earn the degree. As such, these core studies are clearly identified. They are required of everyone who pursued the degree. Electives, on the other hand, were "in addition to" the core studies. They were studies each student chooses in order to enrich and personalize the core studies. They are needed to fulfill the required number of hours for the degree. These additional studies are based upon each student's personal interests. Whereas core studies are required of everyone, electives are different for each student.

For those of us who are followers of Jesus, spiritual formation is the core curriculum, not an elective. And not just a part of the core curriculum, but the core curriculum itself! Spiritual formation lies at the heart of being a follower of Jesus. It is the essence of being a disciple. It is not an elective, something "in addition to."

Spiritual formation is about being formed spiritually by the Spirit. It refers to the process of spiritual growth by which we are transformed into the likeness of Christ. My favorite Biblical metaphor for spiritual formation is found in Ephesians 4:22-24 and Colossians 3:9b-10. The author(s) used the image of changing clothes to speak of the spiritual journey: put off the old self, put on the new self. At the heart of this changing of self is the renewing of the mind - learning the ways of God Jesus taught.

To be a follower of Jesus is to be enrolled in a life-long degree program of learning the ways of God and allowing those ways to shape our hearts and minds. The result of this process is on-going spiritual growth leading to ever-increasing Christ-likeness. This transformation of heart and mind, resulting in a radical change of life, is the core curriculum of being a follower of Jesus. It is not an elective to be chosen or ignored!

And yet, it seems to me, spiritual formation is often treated as an elective in today's church life. Rather than permeating every aspect of church life, it is offered as an "additional" study, one of many offerings from which to choose. It targets a select few interested individuals rather than being what every follower of Jesus is engaged in. It is only emphasized at certain times of the year, such as Lent.

Treating spiritual formation as an elective is devastating to one's spiritual life and to the life of the church. Consider what happens:

• Belief and morals, rather than transformation of heart and mind, are viewed as the essence of the spiritual life.
• We study the Bible looking for validation of what we already believe and think rather than allowing the Spirit to use scripture to challenge and shape what we believe and how we think. (Consider how the Bible is being used in the current controversy in The UMC over LGBTQ+ issues.) 
• We avoid the difficult teachings of Jesus, rationalizing why they are not practical or possible, excusing ourselves from having to follow them. Consequently, ...
• Our beliefs and lifestyle reflect our culture, wrapped in a religious veneer, rather than reflecting the ways of God (the Kingdom).
• We recreate God in our likeness rather than allowing the Spirit to recreate us in God's likeness.
• We seldom experience authentic repentance that leads to a radical change in how we live. 
• Our spiritual life becomes devoid of spiritual growth that leads to discernible spiritual progress. We become spiritually stagnant. 
• We become spiritually complacent and self-satisfied.  
• We react to life's challenges and crises out of fear rather than out of faith. Our default human nature, rather than a Christ-like spiritual nature, governs how we react. As a result, we miss how God would redeem the challenge and crisis for our good. We miss the opportunities to grow spiritually found in life's challenges. 
• We rely more on our own wisdom and abilities to deal with life's challenges rather than turning in glad dependency on God for the Spirit's guidance.
• Church involvement is substituted for living in a personal relationship with God. Church activities are substituted for living in authentic relationship with spiritual friends. 
• Our relationships in church life become more social than spiritual, more superficial than authentic and vulnerable. 
• Church life becomes institutionally based rather than relationally centered, program oriented rather than oriented toward spiritual progress. 
• We segregate ourselves from those we view as "other," associating only with those like us. 
• We would rather be "right" than live in relationship with those who think differently. (Consider the upcoming division of The UMC.) BTW: whenever our "right" theology does not lead to loving as Jesus loved, it is wrong. 
• We become issue oriented rather than Kingdom focused and discipleship driven. 
• Our efforts at mission and ministry seldom involve personal, on-going relationship with those we "help" or address the systemic issues that created their need. Our helping fails to empower the powerless, leaving them in a dependent, one-down position in relation to us. 
• Our impact on society as salt and light (Matthew 5:13-14) is impotent, at best, maybe even nonexistent. (Consider how the church has lost its standing and voice in society, i.e., the end of the era of Christendom and the rise of the NONE's.) We become spiritually anemic and impotent. 
• We become more concerned about institutional survival than spiritual impact in society. Being God's partners in bringing the Kingdom into reality on earth is not a part of our thinking. Consequently, we fail to be co-creators with God. 
• We loose self-awareness and become spiritually blind to the condition of our spiritual life.  

These descriptions are symptoms of a deeper issue: the neglect of spiritual formation in our personal spiritual lives and in the life of our churches. Making spiritual formation the core curriculum of our personal lives and in our churches would eliminate all of these symptoms of spiritual anemia.

What would church life be if spiritual formation were the core curriculum? What kind of studies would be included in that core curriculum? How might worship and the liturgical calendar be used for spiritual formation? How might mission involvement be a dimension of spiritual formation? How might pastoral care in times of crisis transform the crisis into a resource for spiritual growth?

What might be the result if spiritual formation were not just an elective?