Jesus XP has spiritual practices. It is a practice-oriented framework because following Jesus is practice oriented, right? JXP has five core practices for each of the Gospels and then two unique practices for each Gospel.
The first is Lectio Divina, a practice that's been around the Church's life for a long time; thus, even the name Lectio Divina is dated. It means “sacred reading.” What’s special about this practice is how it is spiritually formative: when we encounter the Scriptures, Lectio Divina invites us not to try to master them or slice-and-dice them; rather it invites the text, or the living Word, to read us.
Lectio Divina invites us into an experience of listening, of being attentive, of noticing how our whole being is engaged. As we read a text, we can notice what emerges, what stands out, what seems loudest or most important, what grabs my ear and what grabs yours—noticing that they’ll likely be different fragments of the whole.
So how does Lectio Divina work?
1. Read the text very slowly three times.
2. Ask: What emerges from the text?
a. What is Jesus inviting you and me into through that experience?
b. What am I going to do with it? What are we invited to notice both individually and communally?
The second practice is the Prayer of Examen. We inherited this practice, one that contributes very personally to our spiritual formation, from a Jesus Follower: Ignatius of Loyola. Spiritual formation really begins when we come to the end of words with prayer and stop producing anything.
We can use this gift of a prayer that's already given and be invited to notice the light of the One who is complete Light, undimmed in any way.
What does this look like?
1. Welcome Christ, leaning into a place and posture of gratitude.
2. Once settled into that, just let the day unfold. Imagine sitting with Jesus, watching today as a movie together—start to finish—not judging it but noticing where you leaned into the way of love, the way of Christ, along the way.
3. Notice when did you leaned away. Ask: When was I afraid? When was I angry? When was I withdrawing? How did I treat my partner or my kids or my colleagues? How did I encounter someone new or a new situation? Just notice; don’t judge.
4. At the end of the movie, talk to Jesus about what you saw. Just end up with Jesus.
5. There's always tomorrow. You can use the Prayer of Examen right at the end of the day: say goodnight to Jesus and welcome his invitation to do it all again tomorrow. New mercies every morning (Lamentations 3:22–23).
The next practice is Sabbath, and Sabbath is core for us because it is core for God. In fact, God showed us how to do it: We read in the Creation account that God steps back, delights in all he has made, and ceases from his creating and his working. All was complete. He built the world to run, and we don't have to hold it up. So, it's an act of faith, an act of trust, an act of the love of God, and leaning into that when we take a break.
In the Exodus story, God’s people are moving into a new reality: they were invited back into Sabbath and reminded that they—and we—do this because this is what the world is actually built for and how God made it. The text in the Book of Exodus goes back to creation. There's one day with God. One day with God is significant: can you imagine the spiritual formation that can happen when we give him one-seventh of our time? What do you long for that time to do in and through you? What would you do with a day with Jesus?
This invitation is repeated later in Deuteronomy 5. In this text, Moses invites God’s children to remember that they were slaves and now they're free. Sabbath is how free people live. And in the New Testament, Jesus said the Sabbath was made for humans, not the other way around (Mark 2:27). So, we want to follow Jesus into a life of trusting God, of resting, of delighting in the goodness of God; therefore, we take a break for 24 hours a week. It's a gift.
Where do you begin with Sabbath if it’s a new spiritual practice for you?
1. Divide each day into three eight-hour blocks: morning, afternoon, and evening.
2. What would be your three back-to-back blocks?
3. Where do you want to go with Jesus? What do you want to talk about? What does delight in God’s creation look like for you?
Sabbath invites us into this conversation. When we make room for God, he will fill it. No matter your work schedule or season of life, of busyness of other rhythms, Sabbath prioritizes a rhythm in step with the Holy Spirit. Sabbath is for everybody, not just the privilege for some, for church staff, or for more devoted followers. Your devotion to Jesus in one day actually supplies what you need for the other six.
The next core practice is called Daily Rhythm, which will help to establish a yearning for Sabbath. Daily rhythm may actually be more important now than ever because of the era in which we live. What daily rhythms would impact my personal spiritual formation before I pick up my device that stream all the things to me? Before I go there, I want to notice what God has to say.
What elements of our day can we submit to God for the sake of our spiritual growth?
1. Go to Scripture before you go to your phone.
2. While waiting (anywhere, for any reason), put your phone away and notice your surroundings. Notice others. Notice what is happening in those moments and encounter people, the beauty of creation, and the stuff going on within.
3. What is God trying to communicate if I put my phone away when I’m tempted to scroll?
Finally, our last core practice for spiritual formation is called Community at the Table. It's this idea that Jesus is with you at every table, and that's revolutionary. When we take our cues from those Gospels that are forming us, we see the table as central on Jesus’ darkest night. What does he do? He doesn't run away. He doesn't isolate. He literally sets a table for his friends, even his friends who are going to turn on him and forget him.
Jesus sets a table, and the various Gospels talk about it in different ways. But each one, in one way or another, says “Every time you do this, I want you to remember.” We have enough evidence that he's not just saying, “Think about it.” It’s not just a nice idea. It’s an invitation to remember, reenter in this moment, and be shaped by it. May every table remind us and help us to remember.
When we eat and when we're at a table, we are reminded that the Lord has set the table. He welcomes us. And then he says this: My broken body for your brokenness, take and eat your fill; my blood poured out to put everything right between you and God, you and yourself, you and each other, you and the world—take and drink.” And when we approach our tables in this way, it is liberating and life-giving.
If these practices that Jesus modeled show us what God's like, we can trust that they will lead us closer to him. Simple practices become spiritually formative as we practice them, whether day by day or week by week. And this practice of noticing Jesus at the table with us connects us to God’s radical hospitality and free invitation to be with him.