By: Marek Zabriskie
It’s Not Too Late to Make a Spiritual New Year’s Resolution
Each year, Americans make New Year’s resolutions. Have you made yours? The most frequent resolutions are to lose weight and exercise more.
Sadly, most of us give up their resolutions within less than a week. By February, we cannot even recall what resolutions we made.
This is a great time, however, for each of us to make a spiritual resolution and put in place simple measures to help us carry out our resolutions. What could this look like?
The key is to develop a daily spiritual practice. The best resolution that I know is to read a portion of the Bible daily or at least four or more times a week. Even a short, prayerful reading from Scripture in a slow, meditative manner will greatly strengthen your spiritual growth.
So, how do we go about this? First, find a simple Bible reading plan to guide you. Most people who begin at the opening chapter of the Bible (Genesis 1:1) and attempt to read through to the end of the Bible, fail.
There are, after all, long books of the Bible that if read on their own can become extremely tedious and spiritually dry, if not read along with some spiritually richer portions of the Bible.
The reading plan that I recommend is one that I created in 2011. It is simple, easy to follow and can be found at: www.thecenterforbiblicalstudies.org under “Reading Plans.”
The first reading plan helps readers to read three chapters of the Old Testament, a chapter of the New Testament and a psalm each day, each Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, there are no assigned readings, so that they participants can hear the Bible being read aloud in church or while watching virtual worship during this pandemic.
The second reading plan allows you to read through the New Testament, Proverbs and Psalms in a year. Both options are is great, spiritually-rewarding tasks. Many have told me that it’s the most important spiritual experience that they have ever undertaken.
A faithful reading provokes questions and stimulates readers to learn more about God and their faith. “Next Steps in The Bible Challenge,” found on the same website, provides a variety of options for how to build upon a basic year-long reading of the Bible or New Testament.
These include:
• Read the Bible or New Testament in a different translation or a different language such as French or Spanish (if we have a basic reading ability) and seeing old texts come alive through different words.
• Join a Bible study. You can do this online during the pandemic. Listen, learn and discuss Bible texts with others.
• Join us at Christ Church Greenwich as our congregation reads “The Social Justice Bible Challenge: a 50-Day Bible
• Study the Synoptic Gospels. Read Matthew, Mark and Luke side by side and note the similarities and differences.
• Use “lectio divina,” an ancient monastic reading practice, that allows you to read a few verses at a time, meditating slowly on them. Then offer a prayer to God in response and finally listen contemplatively for God to put a word on your heart.
• Read a Bible with a particular focus such as: “The Jewish Annotated New Testament,” “The Poverty and Social Justice Bible,” “The Green Bible,” “The Life Recovery Bible,” “The Archeological Study Bible,” “The C.S. Lewis Bible,” “The Financial Stewardship Bible,” “The Freedom Bible,” “The Inclusive Bible” or “The People’s Bible.” Each is enriching in its own way.
• Use Bible memorization to glean from Scripture. Read a short portion of the Bible (I recommend the New Testament and specifically one of the gospels) each day. When you find a passage that touches your heart, write it down on an index card. Carry it with you for a day or a week while you memorize it. Pastor Rick Warren, author of the best-selling The Purpose Driven Life, calls Bible memorization his greatest spiritual tool.
• Commit to attending church each Sunday in person or virtually. (Christ Church Greenwich offers Livestream worship every Sunday).
• Join Education for Ministry (EfM) an outstanding, in-depth, four-year program that you commit to one year at a time that takes you on a deep journey into the heart of the Bible and Christianity.
• If you struggle with reading the Bible, read “The Message” – a paraphrase by noted spiritual writer and pastor Eugene Petersen, which makes Bible stories and verses come alive in fresh new ways.
• Make the Sabbath sacred. Ensure that Sunday or another day is devoted to spiritual, mental and physical renewal each week. God designed us for Sabbath rest, and we harm ourselves and those around us by disregarding Sabbath living.
• Become a pilgrim. Plan a pilgrimage to the Holy Land when the pandemic ends. Walk in the footsteps of Jesus and other Bible figures. Visit Iona, where Christianity first came to Scotland, Rome, the center of the Roman Catholicism, Canterbury, the heart of the Anglican Communion, or Wittenburg, Germany, home to Martin Luther.
• Read one devotional book. I recommend C.S. Lewis’ “Screwtape Letters” or a book by Joan Chittister, Frederick Buechner, Esther de Waal, Michael Mayne or Thomas Merton.
• Meet once a month with a spiritual director to discuss your relationship with God, your prayer life, and important decisions that you are making that impact your soul.
There are many ways to nurture your spiritual life. The clergy at Christ Church Greenwich and each Greenwich faith community stand ready to assist you as you nurture your spiritual life.
Psychologists say that the reason why we break our New Year’s resolutions is that we have no one to hold us accountable for achieving them. This year, choose one way to grow spiritually.
Write down your commitment. Tell a few people you love about it. Ask them to help hold you accountable to achieve it. Report back to them once monthly on your progress.
Your soul is God’s precious a gift to you. You owe it to yourself to nurture your soul, so that you can thrive and live the largest life possible.
