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.

The Life of King Hezekiah, Lesson 4

For the past month, we've explored the life of King Hezekiah as he called on God during an impending invasion of the Assyrian Empire. God defended his city, for the sake of his name, which was challenged by the Assyrian King Sennacherib. If you've been a part of the class or know the story, you'll remember how miraculously God saved Jerusalem.

In this last lesson, we study the last recorded events of Hezekiah's life. Sadly, his end isn't as wonderful as earlier stories of his life. Pride got a hold of Hezekiah, and his descendents paid for it. When envoys from Babylon came to see what God had done, Hezekiah showed off his own wealth instead. Isaiah prophesied that Babylon would take Jerusalem, generations after Hezekiah. The last words of this man recorded in the Bible give me chills, "The word of the Lord you have spoken is good. Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?" (2 Kings 20:19, NIV)

This last lesson also BRIEFLY covers what occurs after Hezekiah's lifetime and how peace and security were not present for most of his descendents. But luckily for us, Jesus Christ redeems this story as a descendent of King Hezekiah. While Hezekiah's faithfulness in his life truly is a marvel of the Bible, his wavering moments might appear as a mirror for us in our lives. Let's look at Hezekiah's life for its awe-inspiring moments and its warnings. God blessed Hezekiah's life, but also gave him challenges. But just as God was with him, God is with us.


*Note: There are no maps or images for this lesson. The recap comes from the Lesson 3 Maps PowerPoint.

The Life of King Hezekiah, Lesson 3

For the past two weeks, we've looked at the life of King Hezekiah as he has called his nation back to God and was threatened by a strong enemy empire. This week, we explore what happened in the encounter between King Hezekiah and Sennacherib. The hand of God was undeniable in this event in history, as evidenced by the Bible and even records accounted by the Assyrians themselves. The Bible we believe in is real--its truth is all around us. Hezekiah prayed and God defended his city, for His own namesake. If you look at that map of the Assyrian empire in the PowerPoint slides, you'll know God was present in this fight.

Next week, this study on the life of King Hezekiah will conclude with a study of Hezekiah's illness close to his death and how God was with him through it all. Sennacherib is out of the picture here, so this class may have a different feel to it. If you have any questions or comments over this week's lesson or next week's to come, feel free to leave a comment.

The Life of King Hezekiah, Lesson 2

We had our second class yesterday on Wednesday, August 18th on the Life of King Hezekiah. In this class, we discussed the preparations King Hezekiah made to protect his land from what seemed to be a imminent painful destruction. But King Hezekiah was no fool. The man prayed and prepared. In this lesson, we discuss the preparations King Hezekiah took, some of which can still be seen today.

In the life of this man, we see a king who fought against impossible odds, but still had faith. I think this verse says it all in 2 Chronicles 32:8, "With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles." (NIV)

Again, if you have any comments or questions feel free to leave them in the comments space below. I'll do my best to answer them here or in the next teaching. If you'd like to see the powerpoints, view the handout, and/or listen to the teaching, click the folder below for this week's lesson and last week's lesson.

The Life of King Hezekiah

This entry isn't necessarily a blog, but really just to give you a chance to listen to a bible study I'm conducting at Full Gospel Church in Livingston, NJ. It's on Wednesday Nights from 7:15-8:15pm, with my lesson being roughly a half hour. Since most of you who read this blog are not in the immediate area, I'd like to give you a chance to participate in this class if you're interested in hearing my teaching.

This class is on the Life of King Hezekiah. His life is accounted in 2 Chronicles 29-32, 2 Kings 18-20, and Isaiah 36-38. King Hezekiah doesn't traditionally get much attention in Christian circles because, well, he's not usually considered on of the heavy hitters like Paul, David, Joseph, Moses, Abraham, etc. But I will tell you this--this man made an impact on my life and I hope to share his life with you. He inherited a land that had fallen away from God while an enemy empire threatens his nation from the outside while he's trying to save it from the inside. This man is a man of prayer, wisdom, and military prowess. And he's a man I look up to. I hope after hearing the lessons you can see why.

If you're interested in following this series on "The Life of King Hezekiah", it will be updated weekly on the link at the end of this entry. Just click the folder and download the audio recording with supplemental PowerPoint slides and worksheets. If you have any questions while listening, feel free to write them as comments to this blog and I'll do my best to answer them in the next recording or I'll comment right on to the page.

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy "The Life of King Hezekiah".

Love Like There's No Tomorrow

If I knew what it was I actually wanted, I'd tell you. Heck, I'd tell me! I have a few ideas, but each is layered in its complexities on how they would actually be carried out. I suppose the uncertainty of the future is part of what actually makes the process of living a challenge. Whether that challenge is embraced or resisted is another matter. I know living is what I want to do. It's just a matter of how I actually do it.

During this odd transitional stage of life, going from an undergraduate school to a graduate school, moving from my hometown to an apartment far from home, turning 21 in under a month, I can't help but wonder, "Am I going in the right direction?" Am I neglecting aspects of my life for other desirable aspects? Are these choices sound? There comes a point where you or I could torture ourselves on the legitimacy or efficacy of our choices. I wouldn't question the usefulness of self-examination. If life continues, it's worth examining the past for insight. However, there does come a point where one must choose a course and see it through.

I have heard it frequently said that time is not guaranteed and that we need to live as though tomorrow will never come. I like the sound of it, but it simultaneously disturbs me. I can't possibly do everything I want to do in a day. Such a task would cause me great anxiety. While I suppose the spirit of the idea of "live like there is no tomorrow" is that we do what it is we really want to do and identify what it is we really want in life.

Well, in response I have to say that hardly seems fair! Am I supposed to pick one thing? What if I love more than one thing? Take for example my move to graduate school. I happen to love my family very much. Life in New Jersey is pretty good. Yet, I also love the idea of pursuing higher education in psychology and theology. However, to do this effectively, I need to move across the United States. If I live like there's no tomorrow, I would surely stay at home. What purpose would study of psychology and theology serve if I could never use it the next day (assuming tomorrow never came)? Instead, I would be able to enjoy my last moments with the family I love. If I lived like there was no tomorrow, I would have shown by my action that I chose graduate school over my family. However, the very fact that I will choose to leave the family I love to go across the country for six years is contingent on the fact that I also live for tomorrow. Again, why would I bother in the toil of educating myself if tomorrow will never come?

If I lived as though tomorrow never came, my action to go to graduate school would show rejection to my family of origin. Luckily, love is not restricted to temporal 24 hour segments. It reaches over time and regions. Our actions are limited by time and space, meaning choices will have to be made on how we express love. Therefore, while I must live with a hope for tomorrow, I choose to love like there's no tomorrow. While I can't hug my mom in the morning when I see her while I'm studying in California, I can call her and tell her I love her. If by some unfortunate circumstance, I lost my mother, sadness would overwhelm me, but I would know that I loved her like there was no tomorrow.

I can't stay at home because I have to live like there's not tomorrow. I have to keep moving. And so do you. I'm not sure what choices to make and I wouldn't dare to presume they are easy. But nonetheless, they are choices you do have to make. Because of the limitations of time and space, no choice can actually be perfect. We choose the best we can, and live from there. But we must continue to love. When I wrote in my journal earlier today, I was struck by the words of King Solomon from c.935BC in Ecclesiastes 3:1-15. It's amazes me how his wisdom and Godly insight still speaks to me. I hope they speak to you too. This translation comes from the NIV.

1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.

15 Whatever is has already been,
and what will be has been before;
and God will call the past to account.

May you be blessed in the time God has given you. Live like there is a tomorrow, but love like there is no tomorrow.