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.

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.