![]() Today Bruderhof communities can be found in several countries around the world. Ultimately the Bruderhof community was forced to flee Nazi oppression, first to Liechtenstein and then to England. In 1933 the Bruderhof, the intentional Christian community that Arnold had founded, was stormed by the Gestapo, SS, and police and its school was closed. Innerland spoke forcefully against the demonic spirits that animated German society in that day: the murderous strains of racism and bigotry, the heady nationalistic fervor, the mindless mass hysteria, and the vulgar materialism. The manuscript had to be packed in metal boxes and buried at night for safekeeping from the Nazis, who raided his study on two occasions. His major work, Innerland, absorbed his energies for most of his life. His astonishing ministry occurred in Germany between the enormous upheavals of World War I and World War II. These three movements in prayer are well expressed and detailed in the life and writings of Eberhard Arnold. We are in “union” with the Divine Center, to use the phrase of Thomas Kelly. In the earlier movements we were learning the multiplied nuances of praying, “Thy will be done.” Now, in this third movement, God gladly says to us, “Your will be done!” And to our utter amazement we discover that what we will conforms to the will of God. Here our mind and heart and spirit increasingly take on the loving character of Christ. ![]() Over time we develop a deep rhythm of living that can rest at ease with the cosmic patience of God. Through experience we come to understand that God’s ways are both altogether right and altogether good – we learn the goodness of rightness. Here we learn not only to love God, but also to love God’s ways. And we are learning simple love for Jesus.įinally, we find ourselves entering into the third movement, what the great ones in the way of Christ have called “union with God” and the bringing of the will of the Father upon the face of the earth. We are learning the contours of God’s character. Here we are learning to walk with God day by day. In time, we come into a second movement in prayer: the release of our will and a flowing into the will of the Father. During this process we are learning the many intimate details of human interaction with our God, who is ever-loving and ever-patient. So, this first movement in prayer is not to be despised. ![]() Or think of Paul struggling with a “thorn in the flesh” and learning that God’s grace is sufficient for him and that God’s power is made perfect in weakness. Or think of Job struggling to relinquish all human attachments. ![]() Think of Abraham struggling to offer up Isaac. Most certainly, a substantial part of our inner struggle in this movement involves our own human rebellion and self-centeredness. ![]() Often what we want exceeds what we need, and our wants can be easily influenced by ego and greed. We ask for what we need – or what we want. The first movement in prayer involves our will in interaction and struggle with God’s will. Each is distinct from the others but overlaps and interacts with the others. Now, three great movements characterize Christian prayer. I say “learning” because there is nothing automatic or instantaneous about this way of praying. Three Movementsīy means of prayer we are learning to burn the perpetual flame of devotion on the altar of God’s love. Foster, founder of Renovaré and author of Celebration of Discipline, relates Eberhard Arnold’s thoughts on prayer to our contemporary reality in this reflective response included as an afterword in Arnold’s The Prayer God Answers. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |