In a teaching for CAC’s Living School, contemplative theologian Belden Lane shares the countercultural stance of the desert abbas and ammas:
Three important things set the desert monks apart from the world they had left behind: simplicity of language, radical forgiveness, and the hiddenness of the self.
The first was a simplicity of language. When you put a priority on silence and scarcity as taught by the land itself, the language you use will be very sparse. People out in the desert don’t tend to talk much. Having left behind the noise and clutter of city life, the monks placed a premium on brevity of speech. They knew that words too easily got in the way of what matters most….
The monks’ leanness of speech even affected the way they spoke of God. The vast expanse of the desert had done a job on the mindset of these early Christians. It broke up their dependence on glib answers and theological explanations. They found themselves running out of language very easily. They knew that in God’s own being was a vast expanse beyond their ability to comprehend, not unlike the desert itself. God is ultimately beyond anything that can be put into words….
A second major theme in the theological grounding of these desert Christians was their emphasis on radical forgiveness. They were very demanding in the discipline they embraced, but the hardness was always anchored in love. They were deeply sensitive to the wounds that the brothers and sisters invariably brought with them into the desert. Amma Syncletica emphasized that assuming a desert life as a monk didn’t automatically make anybody holy. She knew that everyone came into the monastery with a whole lot of interior baggage. So wound work, healing within the broken places they carried inside, was incredibly important….
The abbas and ammas knew that this inner work was crucial in one’s spiritual growth. It’s essential to the discipline of the heart. But as resolute as they were in demanding this soul work, they were just as resolute in practicing a radical forgiveness. They were always slow to judge others, seeing the best in the younger and weaker brothers and sisters, putting the finest possible interpretation on their behavior….
A third and last theme in the theological grounding of the desert Christians is their emphasis on the hiddenness of the self. They were keenly aware of the operation of the true and false self as Thomas Merton has pointed out. While they were tempted to always make themselves look good, practicing impression management, they kept reminding themselves that God was most pleased when their goodness was hidden altogether from others….
Amma Theodora said that in the monastic life, the hardest world you have to leave behind is the one you carry right inside your heart. The monks knew that the false self projects a polished public face in order to cultivate the admiration of others, but the true self is content to remain hidden in Christ.
| APR 9, 2025 Missing God’s Message in Ministry |
 Click Here for Audio1 Kings 6 is one of those chapters we usually skip when reading through the Bible. It explains how Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem with details that are mind-numbing to modern readers. There are a lot of measurements in cubits, descriptions of inlaid this and carved that, and specifics about what kind of wood was used for which doors—olive, cedar, or juniper. Honestly, it can get tedious and often seems irrelevant to those seeking to follow the way of Jesus today. But if we look closely, we will find gold in this chapter, and not just the kind used inside the Temple. The entire chapter is written to make it sound like Solomon built the Temple by himself, which is ridiculous because the construction took seven years and required thousands of workers (see 1 Kings 6:38). Here are just a few examples:“ The temple that King Solomon built for YHWH was sixty cubits long…” (6:2) “He made narrow windows high up in the temple walls.” (6:4) “He lined its interior walls with cedar boards…” (6:15) “On the walls all around the temple…he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers.” (6:29)There are dozens of verses like these. No one other than Solomon is mentioned because the writer wants the king to receive full credit for every detail of the project. Unlike the Tabernacle, even God is not mentioned in the design or construction of the Temple. The message of 1 Kings 6 is loud and clear: Solomon built the Temple for God.The complete absence of God from the process of building the Temple makes the one time he does speak in the chapter jump out. Sandwiched between all of the design and construction details, the Lord says to Solomon. “As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel” (1 Kings 6:12-13).Notice that God doesn’t say anything about the Temple itself. Nothing about its magnificent scale. Not a word about all of the gold, or the grandeur of the bronze pillars, or the enormous altar and basin. And the Lord never says a word about all that Solomon is doing for him. Remember, that is the overwhelming drumbeat of the chapter, but God doesn’t seem to care one bit. Instead, God ignores the Temple and Solomon’s work to remind the king what matters more—following his commandments.Unfortunately, the message didn’t appear to get through. Solomon didn’t respond to God with a reflection on his laws or promises. Instead, the very next verse says, “So Solomon built the temple and completed it,” and it’s followed by 23 more verses of construction details. If this chapter were visualized, it would show Solomon hard at work building the Temple. I imagine him wearing a hardhat, pencil behind his ear, studying the blueprints, as he’s directing crews of workmen. Then God taps Solomon on the shoulder and says, “Hey, Solomon, don’t forget that what I really care about isn’t this massive project you’re doing for me. I want you to obey my laws. I want you to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with me.” But rather than receiving God’s message, Solomon just brushes him aside because he’s consumed by his important work for God. After all, if he doesn’t build a house for God, who will?Therefore, when we read 1 Kings 6 in this light, we discover that the chapter isn’t really celebrating Solomon’s work for God. Instead, the chapter is a warning that Solomon had given his attention to the wrong priority—and that warning is just as relevant today. We can become so focused on our work for God that we completely miss our true calling from God. We can easily assume that the ministry we are building, the organization we are constructing, or the mission we are accomplishing is what matters most. Like Solomon, we can make our goals for God more important than our life with God and advancing a mission more critical than obeying his commands. When this happens, we will even excuse evil or cover up abuse because doing otherwise might get in the way of accomplishing our work for God. Character and obedience are often the first things sacrificed on the altar of ministry. DAILY SCRIPTURE 1 KINGS 6:10-15 MATTHEW 7:21-23 WEEKLY PRAYER From an unknown source (16th Century) O Lord, the Scripture says, “There is a time for silence and a time for speech.” Savior, teach me the silence of humility, the silence of wisdom, the silence of love, the silence of perfection, the silence that speaks without words, the silence of faith. Lord teach me to silence my own heart that I may listen to the gentle movement of the Holy Spirit within me and sense the depths which are of God. Amen. |
