A Spirituality that is Authentic and Communal

It is probably easiest for us to resonate with personal psalms of complaint. Partly that is because they predominate in the Psalter and we are more familiar with them, even if we do not use them easily. But the other reason is that the category of the personal, even psychological, has become our mode of experiencing reality. We have, at the same time, experienced a loss of public awareness and public imagination. Given our privatistic inclination, we do not often think about public disasters as concerns for prayer life. If we do, we treat them as somehow a lesser item. We have lost our capacity to think theologically about public issues and public problems. Even more, we have lost our capacity to practice prayer in relationship to public events. ~ Walter Brueggemann, Spirituality of the Psalms

Authentic spirituality (that is, genuine communion with God) is never removed from the seasons, turns and crises of life. So the modes of God’s presence (and absence) and the quality of communion are very different in times of orientation and disorientation. What one says in conversation with God is not immune to the surprises and costs of our daily life. ~ Walter Brueggemann, Spirituality of the Psalms

From the book ‘Spirituality of the Psalms’, I can draw two very important facets of spirituality that we Christians need to learn. The first is a spirituality that is authentic. We hear a lot of worship leaders talking about ‘putting our problems aside to worship God’ and ‘forgetting everything and focusing just on God alone’ as they lead the congregation in worship. However, such nuances are not evident in the Psalter. The psalmists do not attempt to hide their anguish or doubts when they approach God. Instead, they bare it all before Him, even occasionally arriving at a point where accusations are made against God Himself. We bring our doubts, our fears and our sadness before Him. It is not that He doesn’t already know our thoughts. Nothing is considered taboo in our conversations with God. We must speak what we genuinely feel. This is what the Bible itself does. We see it not only in the Psalms, but also in Job, Jonah and many other books of the Bible. We do not need a spirituality of pretensions, because they do not reflect reality. We need a spirituality of authenticity that dares to be honest about what we really feel and is not afraid to speak to God about it.

The second point is that we need a spirituality that is communal. We Christians in this modern age need to regain a form a spirituality that our forefathers, as well as the Israelites, had. Nowadays, we have the idea that everything is just about me and God. Whatever I do, however I choose to do it, is none of your business. Whatever happens to another person is his or her problem. Whatever happens to our nation, or the world at large, has nothing to do with me and my relationship with God. The Church can fall and be corrupt and it does not affect my own spirituality. We speak of accepting Jesus as our ‘personal’ Savior and Lord. This was not the case for the psalmists and the Israelites in general. There are psalms that reflect a deep sense of anguish at the destruction of Jerusalem and the humiliation of Israel. Public and national disasters often affected the spirituality of individuals, causing them to question God’s justice.

I think I find it difficult sometimes to place more emphasis on the communal side of spirituality. I tend to be very selfish sometimes in my thinking, and often lack enough concern for the community that I find myself in. Lord, teach me to see the world through the eyes of Jesus. Teach me to practice a spirituality that is both authentic and communal.