Are there discernible seasons in the life of a spiritual community? We all experience differing stages of growth in our own lives and witness the changing seasons of nature. Can we in similar ways trace stages or eras over the life span of a community of faith?
The history of God’s Church clearly shows that there are seasons in the life of both the global and local church. History testifies of times of renewal and revival where the Spirit of God drew groups of people to the Gospel. These renewals have served to counter the sin-filled entropy of the current age and secured an increase in experiential holiness and devotion to Christ.
One example was recorded by the Medieval Franciscan biographer Thomas of Celano (1200-1265 A.D.), in describing the thirteenth century movement of the Spirit surrounding the life and ministry of Francis and Clare of Assisi. Thomas writes:
“The aging world was almost oppressed by the weight of years: the vision of faith faltering in the darkness, the footing of morals slipping away, the strength of virile deeds waning: Yes indeed, the dregs of the times were following those of vice. When God, the Lover of Humanity, raising from the treasures of His kindness a newness of consecrated ones, provided through them both a support of the faith and a discipline for renewing morals.
These modern leaders, and their sincere followers were lights of the world, leaders of the way, teachers of life. In them: the brightness of noonday dawned on a world at evening, so that one who walks in the darkness might see the light.”
Can we discern these Godly acts of “raising a newness of consecrated ones” in our own church community? Are there ways that we can also learn how to flow with the actions of God’s Holy Spirit in these stages?
The Scriptures use various metaphors to describe the nature and growth of the Church (translated from the Greek word “ekklesia” meaning to “call out”):
- a building of a heavenly city (1 Peter 2:4, Revelation 21:2),
- a betrothal and marriage of a bride (John3:29, Ephesians 5:22-23),
- the complex inner workings of a body (Romans 7:24-25, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23)
Each of these metaphors used to describe God’s “called out” ones suggest stages that include particular challenges and opportunities for growth: the building of a heavenly city (foundation, building, maintenance, and renovation), marriage of a bride (courting, betrothal, marriage, and renewal), and as the body of Christ (childhood, teenager, adult and senior). With each new era or stage comes new adjustments and a realignment to God’s purposes for His Church, His fullness that fills all in all (Ephesians 1:23).
Another way to consider the unique stages of the Church is to reconsider the primary function of the community of faith. Psalms 95 declares that worship is the primary call of God’s Bride: “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand” (Psalm 95:6-7 ESV). The Westminster Confession of Faith (1646 A.D.) echoes this Biblical truth when it answers the question of what the “chief end” of man is: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”
If the Church’s ultimate vocation is to praise her Lord and Savior, then the Book of Psalms is her hymnal. The Book of Psalms contains a wide variety of songs, ranging from gut-wrenching despair to seraphic high praise.
The church father Basil the Great (329-379 A.D.), in his commentary on the first Psalm, summarizes the fullness of experience of the life of faith contained in this Biblical book: “But the Book of Psalms contains everything useful that the others have. It predicts the future, it recalls the past, it gives directions for living, it suggests the right behavior to adopt. It is, in short, a jewel case in which have been collected all the valid teachings in such a way that individuals find remedies just right for their cases.”
We are able to discern seasons of faith in the life of the faithful from a closer reading of the expressions in this book.
The Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann, an expert on the Book of Psalms, identifies three kinds of psalms: songs of praise (hymns), songs of lament, and songs of thanksgiving. I believe these categories of psalms testify of four possible stages in the life of the community of faith and point towards our required response in that stage:
- Times of Stability: Songs of Praise (compare Psalms 8, 19, 23, 33, etc.). The community experiences times of peace and growth and are settled in what might be termed an “old orientation.”
- Times of Crisis: Songs of Lament (compare Psalms 3, 5, 7, 13, etc.). The community is faced with a new crisis that leads to “disorientation.” The community cries out to God.
- Times of Change: Songs of Thanksgiving (compare Psalms 18, 20, 32, 34, etc.). The community receives new direction and experiences a “reorientation” towards God’s call and purpose.
- Times of New Stability: Songs of Praise (compare Psalms 135, 136, 139, 145-150, etc.). The community settles into a time of renewed stability and peace and experiences a “new orientation.”
As with the other metaphors and stages used to describe the life of faith in the Bible, our primary response to these changes should be to direct all our concerns, fears, desires, dreams and hopes to God.
We are comforted with the words of Christ that the future of His Church and us belong with Him: “…and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18 ESV).
No matter what season we find ourselves or faith community in, we can trust Christ to protect, lead and guide us all into His everlasting arms of love.
