Listening

I have transitions and new beginnings on my mind today. Our youngest son is newly arrived in New York City seeking a job and a place to live. He is an actor in the making and he’s following his dream. Our oldest son will become a father in about eight weeks – for the first time. Our daughter is beginning her second year of medical school. And I’m following the Facebook journey of a friend and her daughter as she is about to begin the pilgrimage of seminary. I suppose it goes with the times – the month of August and the era of life when your twentysomething children and friends’ children embark on life’s new adventures.

            We all face those times. They are the consequences of significant decisions. What is the passion and dream of my life? What has God gifted me to do? What am I meant to be as a citizen of the world and a disciple of Jesus Christ? Everyone makes those decisions in a variety of ways. Were they intentional or impulsive? Confident, anxious, or hopeful? Were they made privately or shared with trusted friends and family?

            Decisions this significant need time. We consider carefully, weigh options, ponder consequences, and count our resources. As Christians, we seek God’s guidance all along the way. Christians call that discernment. It is the intentional process of making choices that are in accord with God’s will, God’s leading, and God’s intention for our world and our lives. It also acknowledges that the overarching will of God for our world and for our lives is LIFE - abundant life for God's creation and ALL who dwell within it. 

            Discernment is the spiritual practice that will be the focus of our attention as we gather for worship this Sunday at Seneca Presbyterian Church. We will consider the story of the apostolic council in Acts 15 as an example. We’ll ponder what is needed for good discerning – the kind that can come to us even without burning bushes and direct communication from God. Time, patience, listening, relinquishment, prayer, and trust are all vital ingredients. We’ll also consider the signs that show we are on the good path – not simply the right one. And we’ll reflect on the difference between asking God to be with us in the decisions we make and asking God to guide us into the decisions God makes. It has something to do with the difference between telling and listening; between certainty and trust; between leading and being led. 

The process of discernment invites us into the heart and life of the Triune God. Decision-making can no longer be defined as doing what we think is best; it is now a search for the mind and will of God within a community of people with whom God has chosen to dwell. 

Danny Morris and Chuck Olsen