Reflecting with God

We live in a world in which a number of belief systems jostle with each other to claim our attention and loyalty. It is easy sometimes to swim with the tide and simply conform to what is expected of us in any particular situation. As Christians, we are always conscious of the tension between living by the values of the Kingdom of God and living within the realities of the created world.

We need to explore ways to work through this confusion and find a personal integrity of belief in action. At the heart of our Christian faith is the challenge of relating the Gospel to the contemporary situations in which we live and in the communities of which we are a part. We are called to work out our faith in the everyday contexts in which we find ourselves.

‘Reflecting with God' focuses on the present activity of God in the world even though we are aware of the impossibility of arriving at final answers. Whatever we discover is provisional. Through this process of reflection we come to know God more and work out what we is calling us to be and do in our lives. This is our attempt to see the world through God's eyes and respond to what we learn.

It is our ability to reflect in the light of the Christian faith, with imagination and insight that will ensure that our faith is relevant in the world and contributes to the abundant living that is the promise of God.

This is the task of every Christian and is not to be left to ‘professional theologians'. We all have experience of God which is of value and needs to be shared with others.

As we reflect with God, we need to begin to form our personal and collective experience of life and work out from there. We need to bring differing perspectives and understanding to bear and listen to them. We need to use our reason, scripture and tradition to liberate the life that is so often trapped. We need to find ways to respond and take the risks that God is calling us to take. In this way we will learn to know, trust and follow Jesus Christ as he shows us how to bring the Kingdom of God to life in the present moment.

There are many approaches to doing Reflection with God but most of them follow this basic approach.  We have listed some of the more helpful resources. Let us know if you know of others.

We offer a straightforward approach called SARA - Story, Analysis, Reflection and Action. Jeff Astley, offers a case study of reflection in action to help see how the method works out.

The most important thing is to get a group together and to have a go at picking a live and importnat topic that you have some experince of and can impact in some way and discover what it is that God might be wanting you and others to do for him.  Enjoy it and have fun.