Devotio Moderna - Affective Meditation on the Cross

Wow! Today's class was definitely one of the more emotionally testing ones. Today, we learned about Gerard Groote and his influence on Christianity in the 14th century via Devotio Moderna. This man called clergy from being lukewarm to devotion to God about 200 years before Luther sparked the Reformation. In the practice of Affective Meditation of the Cross, we reflect on Jesus Christ as he is nailed on the cross, suffering for our behalf. As we pray we imagine ourselves at the foot of the cross and experience that life changing moment in this prayer. To check out the recording for this class and the accompanying handout click this link: Prayer Through the Ages and look for Lesson 3 - Devotio Moderna.

Prayer Through the Ages - Jesus Prayer

Today, the series focused on the Jesus Prayer. It has its origins from two gospel accounts and was first documented to be used in the fourth century. Today, it is predominately practiced Eastern Orthodox churches, though some Roman Catholic churches practice it as well. With a prayer in waves of saying variations of the phrase, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner", we engage in an understanding that we are in the need of a God who loves us and desires for us to be better as we strive to be more like our Creator. We discuss practical considerations of the prayer and discuss what it was like to pray the prayer. Click the following link for a recording of today's class and today's handout: Prayer through the Ages.

Thanks! I'd love to hear your comments below.

Prayer Through the Ages - Lectio Divina

Last Wednesday, August 10 was my first class in a series entitled "Prayer through the Ages". In this series, we take a close look some of the ancient prayer practices of Christianity, study its history, learn how to practice the prayer form, pray the practice together, and discuss it. This week covered the Benedictine practice of Lectio Divina (holy reading). This practice incorporates moments of silence in prayer with one passage of scripture read three times in waves of silence, with each wave with a particular focus. Personally, I've found this prayer practice to be enriching in my faith and my relationship with God. I hope this practice can be of use to you as well.

For a recording of the class and the accompanying handout, check out the following link: Prayer through the Ages. This link will take you to my Google Docs page that hosts the files that are available to either view online or to download. The class was recorded at Full Gospel Church in Livingston, NJ. A special thank you goes to Dr. Lyle Paul Jensen of Fuller Theological Seminary for teaching the course that this class was modeled after. His book Subversive Spirituality: Transforming Mission through the Collapse of Space and Time has some excellent material on ancient prayer practices from Judaism to the early Church to the present-day Church and how our perceptions of time and culture have informed prayer practices.

Please let me know your thoughts or if you use any of the materials. I'd be glad to hear from you!

At the King's Table

Hi all!

It's been about a year since I've posted anything on my blog, so I'm sorry about that! I've spent the last year in Pasadena, CA at Fuller Theological Seminary. After completing my first year of six in Fuller's Ph.D. of Clinical Psychology program, I have to say it feels pretty good!

But onto the point: if you were unable to attend Full Gospel Church this Sunday, my sermon is available for your listening on www.livingstonfullgospel.com. Click the "Sermons" tab on the left and look for the mp3, playable from the webpage. It is entitled, "Rev. Kevin R. Kurian - At the King's Table". It was such a pleasure to deliver and I pray that it is a blessing to you.

The sermon is about the crippled grandson of King Saul in the presence of the new king, King David. The text for the sermon comes from 2 Samuel 9. What we see in this narrative is the graciousness of a king taking a person who some called a "dead dog" and instead called him "son". While David is long gone, we still have a chance for those of us who see ourselves as nothing and be restored by the work of another gracious king - Jesus.

This sermon will be posted on the Full Gospel webpage. Once it is removed from the webpage, I will put a link of my own on this blog so that you can listen to it. Also, be on the lookout for my Summer class that will be made available online! I will be teaching a class entitled "Prayer through the Ages". Through this class, I will be going through a historical survey of prayer practices in Christianity, following the saints of the faith. We will discuss the history of one practice, pray the practice together, and discuss it. About halfway through, there will be a musical worship service that will not be recorded and then the class will resume. Likely, this class will conclude with a survey of prayer practices in Judaism and Islam. As a worship researcher at Fuller, a pastor, more importantly a child of God, prayer and worship is extremely important to me. I hope this upcoming summer class can be a time of refreshment and connection with God.

And with that, enjoy this Sunday's message on www.livingstonfullgospel.com! I'd love to hear your comments.