Spirituality
As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God My soul thirsts for God, for the living God When shall I come and behold the face of God? — Psalm 42: 1-2
Spirituality is the hunger for God imbedded within each person. Individuals need to transcend their earthbound selves and lives and lift their hearts to their Creator. People yearn to know more about God, to be closer to God, and to express gratitude for God’s gifts. Consider what Henri Nouwen says about spirituality:
Spirituality is attention to the life of the spirit in us; it is going out to the desert or up to the mountain to pray; it is standing before the Lord with open heart and open mind; it is crying out, “Abba, Father”” it is contemplating the unspeakable beauty of our loving God [Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Living Reminder: Service and Prayer in Memory of Jesus Christ (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1977), p. 12].
The church is where people’s spiritual hunger is satisfied with the Bread of Life—there is no substitute for Jesus Christ. The church prepares a table set with the love, forgiveness, peace, and other rich and savory foods that God freely serves. The church is blessed with the privilege and responsibility of helping people meet this, the deepest of their needs.
“The church should do churchy things,” said noted author Lyle Schaller. Spirituality is at the top of the list of what the church does. Individuals want to learn how to talk to God, and to listen to Scripture. They want to discover their gifts and use them. Their congregation, that heaven-sent organism for the nurture of faith, is often the primary means by which people achieve these spiritual goals.
Here are ways that congregations meet people’s need for spirituality:
