The Healing Community

Welcome

asdf

asdf

Message

Today is the end of our Summer Series. We’ve been on a quest for spiritual transformation. To help us get at that, we spent our summer with La Familia Madrigal from Encanto. The nine magical Madrigals correlate with a tool utilized in Spiritual Direction called the Enneagram.

On its surface, the Enneagram looks like a personality profile - like Myers-Briggs or Strengthsfinder. In the Enneagram, you identify yourself as one of the numbers 1-9, which then goes on to describe how you interact with the world. Ian Cron, a Spiritual Director who has written about the Enneagram a lot, says it like this: “Personality tests tell you who you really are. The Enneagram tells you who you’re really not.”

In other words, what the Enneagram helps you identify in yourself is something theologians and mystics call our shadow self. Personas we all create to help us cope with the world.

Throughout this series, explored the Enneagram type embodied by each member of La Familia Madrigal and allowed them to illustrate for us the various personas. Then we dove into Scripture to see how these personas keep us from being fully who God created us to be.

The end goal has been that we know our creator better by better knowing God’s creation. I hope by now, we are closer as a spiritual family, and that God is making us a source of healing and hope for our community - just like La Familia Madrigal!

So before we meditate on the film’s final message, I want to review all nine of the numbers. [Triads] The Enneagram is divided into three triads organized around a core emotion that fuels the shadow persona. Each triad has a number that externalizes, avoids and internalizes that emotion.

The Anger triad begins with the Eight. Eights are the Challengers, and the externalize their anger.

The core lie Eights heard as kids was, “The world is a hostile place where only the strong survive.” As a result, Eights developed a tough exterior to protect their vulnerable self. Eights are always ready for a fight.

The Eight’s deadly sin is Lust - not in a sexual sense but in the sense that Eights crave intensity. They have two settings: off and way, way on.

The healing messages Eights need is: “Trustworthy people do exist, and the risk is worth it.”

In Eights, we see a reflection of God the champion of justice.

Nines are the Peacemakers, the Anger avoiders. As kids, Nines learned the lie that “Your wants, opinions, desires and presence don’t matter.” As a result, Nines ignore themselves, stuffing all that way, way down.

The Nine’s deadly sin is Sloth - not physical laziness but an inability to live fully as themselves, rather than merge with those around them.

The healing message Nines need to hear is, “We see you and your life matters.”

In Nines, we see a reflection of the unity we find in the Trinity.

Ones are the Perfectionists, the Anger internalizers. As kids, Ones learned the lie, “To be loved, you have to be good and do things right.” As a result, Ones live by a strict code and judge harshly anyone who doesn’t live up to it - especially themselves.

The One’s deadly sin is Wrath, which manifests mostly as resentment - a result of all that anger they feel stuffed until it oozes out.

The healing message Ones need to hear is, “I don’t need to be perfect to be good.”

In Ones, we see a reflection of God’s holiness.

The next triad is the Shame triad.

The Shame externalizers are the Twos, the Helpers. As kids, Twos heard the lie that, “Having or expressing your own needs will lead to rejection and humiliation.” As a result, Twos spend their lives hyperfocused on meeting others’ needs, confident that by making themselves indispensible, they make themselves worthy of love.

Two’s deadly sin is Pride, ironically. By insisting on meeting the needs of everyone around them but never voicing their own, Twos put themselves on a pedestal.

The healing message Twos need to hear is, “You’re wanted.”

In Twos, we see a reflection of the God who promises to come to the aid of those in need.

Threes are the shame avoiders, the Performers. As kids, Threes learned the lie, “You are what you do.” As a result, Threes become high-performance results machines. We never saw a checklist we couldn’t finish, a ladder we couldn’t climb. We’re going to be the best, the strongest, the whatever-est you want.

The Three’s deadly sin is Deceit. We’ll become whatever we need to, and even lie to ourselves in pursuit of being the best.

The healing message Threes need to hear is, “You are loved just for who you are.”

In Threes, we see a reflection of the God who does not rest, but is always at work in the world around us.

Fours are the shame internalizers. The Romantics. As kids, Fours heard the like, “There’s something off about you. You don’t fit and you’ll never belong.” As a result, Fours feel a deep sense of inadequacy, never feeling like they live up to those around them. They deeply want to belong, but they feel inadequate for anyone or anything.

Fours’ deadly sin is Envy. They don’t covet any specific possession, but rather the ineffable quality of wholeness others seem to possess.

The healing message Fours need to hear is, “There’s nothing missing from or wrong with you.”

Fours are a reflection of God’s deep passion for all of us.

The last triad is the Fear triad.

Fives are the Investigators, the fear externalizers. As kids, Fives learned some variation of the lie, “You’re not capable of handling the demands of life and relationships.” In response, Fives learned to hide and detach. Fives have a limited amount of energy each day, and as a result, they tend to be introverted and show little emotion. Fives collect information as a way to protect themselves from being overwhelmed by the world around them.

The Five’s deadly sin is Avarice. More than greed, Avarice is hoarding. Like a dragon protecting its treasure, Fives tend to be overly cautious with their resources - emotional and physical.

The healing message Fives need to hear is, “You have enough to thrive.”

Fives are a reflection of God’s trustworthiness and consistency.

Sixes are Loyaists, the fear avoiders. As kids, Sixes learn the lie that the world is unsafe. As a result, Sixes are constantly running scenarios, imagining all the ways things might go wrong, and coming up with plans. Sixes keep their eye on authority figures and either become fiercely loyal to them or become rebellious.

A Six’s deadly sin is Fear, which manifests as worry. Sixes spend much more time on what might (and usually never does) happen rather than what’s actually going on.

The healing message Sixes need to hear is, “You are safe.”

Sixes are a reflection of God’s steadfast loyalty toward us.

And finally, last but definitely not least are the Sevens. The Enthusiasts. The fear internalizers. As kids, Sevens learned the lie, “You’re on your own. No one will support or care for you.” As a result, Sevens create a Never Neverland in their minds, becoming the consummate tourist. Sevens bounce from one thing to the next, never staying long enough to access those emotions they’ve learned to fear.

A Seven’s deadly sin is gluttony - not for food necessarily but for experiences. Sevens have a compulsive need to consume. To go, go, go.

The healing message Sevens need to hear is, “God will take care of you.”

Sevens are a reflection of God’s joyful, playful spirit.

Now, before we move on today, I want to pause there. Each of us has seen our shadow self. We’ve all faced the core lies we believe and heard the healing good news.

SONG

I want to end today by going back to where we began this series.

Turn with us to 1 John 1.

Probably the biggest pitfall I see when folks begin to use Enneagram is that we fall back to treating it like a personality test. Even though we know it’s not one.

Remember: the numbers are not who you really are. They’re who you’re really not. Your number is the persona you created as a kid. Its job is to protect you from a world that makes you afraid, angry or ashamed.

But it’s not the real you. The real you hides behind the persona. The shadow self.

And what we call Discipleship or Spiritual Transformation is the process of saying no to the shadow self and learning to walk in the light of God’s truth.

1 John is a letter written by a pastor to a group of churches. In the letter, you can hear how much he loves his people. And his plea for them is to refuse to live in darkness. He knows it’s scary, but he wants them to choose to live courageously in the light.

1 John 1:5–7 NLT

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

When we live in the light, when we’re not ashamed or afraid to set aside our personas and be vulnerable, we find a deeper, truer connection than we’ve previously experienced.

That’s been one of the deep gifts of the Enneagram. It gives us a common language to understand each other. When I tell you I’m a Three, I’m inviting you to know the parts of myself I’m most ashamed of. I’m giving you access to my true self, the self my shadow wants to hide from the world.

And when you tell me your number, you’re giving me access to you in a real, tangible way. I’m learning how to communicate with you, how to care for you, how to receive your authentic self. I know you more fully.

But we can only experience that deep community, that authentic community, when we choose to be authentic. When we choose to live in the light together.

So Catalyst, here at the end of our Summer, I trust you know yourself more completely. I hope you know the other members of our little community here more fully. And I hope you have more compassion, empathy and courage as we face our community around us.

God isn’t finished with us. Are you ready for what’s next?

Communion + Examen

God invites us to come into the light of God’s truth together.

How have I embraced God’s truth over this summer?

When have I still been tempted to hide from God, others or myself during this summer?

How might I be tempted to hide from God, others or myself in these next weeks?

How can I choose to walk in the light of God’s truth in this next month?

Assignment + Blessing

What is my healing path?

How do I need to love others well?