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Being with God (I): Being with God Alone

Being with God (I): Being with God Alone

Samuel WELLS

This essay sets out the framework for the other following two essays and details the eight dimensions of “being with”, the core notion of the lecture series to be further deepened subsequently. Being with God alone constitutes the life of discipleship. The essay begins with contemplating the practice of personal prayer, which is fundamentally about showing up, or “Presence”, and is a recognition that God has already set the world to rights. “Attention” is the moment when showing up turns into being with, not just present in body, but also mind, spirit and heart. What “Attention” requires is to see God as giver of superabundance of grace. These two dimensions are the preliminaries for the other four. “Mystery” is different from “problem” because it cannot be solved but only be entered, just as we enter into the mystery of being with God in private prayer. A prayer of “Delight” is “letting go”, rather than “taking on”, best illustrated by theatrical improvisation. The difference between “Participation” and “Partnership” is that the former celebrates the “with” for its own sake, whereas the latter emphasizes the different roles of the two partners. “Partnership” therefore looks like “working with”, more than “being with” . If “Mystery” and “Delight” describe the encounter with the otherness of God, “Participation” names the “closeness” of God. Yet, prayer of “Partnership” should stir us to wonder if we ourselves might be part of God's way to answer our prayers, and leads back to “Participation” and opens into “Enjoyment”. Because the chief end of Christian life is to worship and enjoy God forever, but our common mistake is to “use” what should only be enjoyed for its own sake. Therefore we have to learn how to be with others from the way God is with us. Finally, God is praise, and “Glory” is the word to describe “being with” as a constant state of praise. The time of personal prayer of the disciples teaches them an “ethic of being with” – which will be subject of the other two essays.

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Message from the Editor of Issue 48

Editor's Note: Wu Guojie Since the outbreak of the new coronavirus, the number of people infected worldwide has exceeded 250 million, and the number of deaths has exceeded 5 million. This number does not include poor third-world countries with weak testing capabilities and inability to determine the cause of death. Due to the epidemic, the lives, economy, and travel of people around the world have been affected to varying degrees; for example, people have to wear masks when going out, maintain social distance, the number of gatherings is limited, quarantine is required when entering the country, travel has been greatly reduced, related industries have laid off employees, and unemployment has Rates thus increase and so on. In this environment, church gatherings have also been affected to a considerable extent. During the period when the epidemic was severe and gatherings were restricted, physical church gatherings were suspended, and online live broadcasts and video conversations became necessary alternative modes; even if the epidemic eased and physical gatherings reopened, online Synchronization has also become the new normal. In the face of this disaster, which is called the "pandemic of the century," what resources does the Christian faith have that can help the church respond and turn the crisis into an opportunity? This issue of "Sandow Journal" takes "Epidemics and Disasters" as the theme, and brings together different scholars to discuss it from the perspectives of the two Testaments, doctrinal theology, and practical theology, hoping to enlighten modern Christians on how to deal with the challenges of this era. ...