TC18 | Retreat 9 - A note from Ruth

Dear Friend,

It's hard to believe we are heading into our last retreat, A Rule of Life: Arranging our Lives for Spiritual Transformation on February 11-13. This will be a special retreat with some added elements to help us bring closure to this experience and celebrate all that God has done.

As always, we are praying for each of you as you prepare and travel. The culmination of the Transforming Community experience is signficant and we look forward to being with you in meaningful ways.

Grace and peace,

REFLECTING ON THE LAST RETREAT

Our time learning about spiritual transformation for the sake of others—particularly as that is expressed in cruciform love—was deeply meaningful. I do trust you have had time to go back over your notes, to pray through the Scriptures to which we referred to and let God speak to you about how God is calling you to practice cruciform love.

As this quarter draws to a close, please remember to carve out time to prepare for our time together. You are invited to reflect on the questions found below or in your During the Quarter document and prepare your 2–3-page paper related to the themes from the last retreat. This written reflection will form the basis of your sharing with community members over dinner on Sunday night.

Even if you are not handing in a paper for the certificate program, we would encourage you to write down a few of your reflections as a way of pulling your thoughts together in preparation for sharing with community members over dinner.

How have you experienced your journey of transformation to be "for the sake of others"? How does this experience contribute to your understanding of the relationship between formation and mission?
How do you respond to the idea that "Christ formed in us" means that cruciform love is being formed in us? On this retreat we identified some of the practices that form Jesus’ love in us: generosity, forbearance, forgiveness, doing justice, using power for good. Which of these practices is God drawing to and challenging you with right now?
Which definition of justice resonated with you the most? How is God calling you to grow, not just in your understanding of justice, but also in doing/practicing justice?
Reflect on your understanding of and relationship to power. Are you aware of how you may have abused or under-used power? What concrete steps could you take in using power for good in your ministry/profession, your church, your community?
How do you respond to the subtle, but very important, distinction between being "in the world for God" and being "in God for the world." What difference does this distinction make for you? How does the rhythm of prayer and action support this way of being in the world?

Please email your paper to TC18papers@transformingcenter.org by the Friday before the retreat. If you missed the last retreat, please check the requirements for making up a retreat on the TC18 webpage.

PREPARING FOR THE UPCOMING RETREAT

We will be covering significant content on this retreat in addition to the special activities that will help us bring closure to this experience. Our main teaching focus will be on arranging our lives for spiritual transformation by establishing sacred rhythms both personally and in community. Topics will include finding God in the ordinary, Sabbath-keeping, and reflections on the monastic tradition of cultivating a rule of life and how that applies to us today.

Monday

Monday evening will be devoted entirely to celebrating community—both the small group communities and the larger community. Small groups will eat dinner together and participate in an intentional conversation about the journey they have shared. Guidance will be provided for this conversation. Then we will go directly to the other side of the dining room where you will find dessert and after-dinner drinks provided as we move into a time of sharing in the large group. This will be our opportunity to offer testimony regarding what the community has meant to each of us... the ups and downs, the laughter and tears, and everything in between. If words seem inadequate, feel free to plan a skit or offer special music if you would like! Following the sharing time, we will conclude with a simple but meaningful Night Prayer with Communion.

Tuesday

Tuesday morning will include a teaching session plus one final group spiritual direction session in which you will share your progress on developing a rule of life and pray for one another in that regard. The Leaving Service will be the culmination of the entire two-year experience and will contain several elements to help us mark this important ending—including a special gift and blessing.

While we will be finished by 1:00, you may want to give yourself a little more time than usual to say goodbye to friends in a way that is satisfying for you. Please plan to stay until the end. Departure takes a little longer on this retreat!