1998 CBC Family Camp 2
Sunday Morning Chapel, 9:00-10:00
Discernment
Cliches of Indifference.
As a second-generation ABC person, my parents never knew enough of the American cliches that are short-cuts in the English language. Sometimes even now, I would be miss matching sayings with each other that always cause a smile or a perplex stare. Some that reflect indifferences are:
Come si, come sa.
Que sara, sara.
Six of one, half a dozen of another.
My hands are clean on this one!
What are others that you can think of?
Knowing what to do is not always an easy thing in our lives. There are simple decisions like choosing a place to eat or deciding what to wear. Others, however, are more complex and agonizing. For which vocation should I prepare? Whom should we choose as our leader? Should I switch jobs? Where do we cut to balance the budget? Even, should this marriage be ended?
These are the decisions that make us cry out for guidance. Like the ancients who consulted the oracles at Delphi, we yearn for the clues that will direct us: a burning bush, a heavenly voice, a bright star, some sign, any sign, that will make clear to us which way we should go. So much is at stake, and we don’t want to make a wrong step.
As Christians, we believe that we are not alone during such times. God is present, hoping and urging, in the midst of all situations of life. God is involved with us giving our lives purpose and meaning. Through this relationship. God brings healing and wholeness and reconciliation, transforming our doubts and indifferences into clarity and illumination.
To live today requires us to practice discernment. Discernment is the intentional practice by which a community or an individual seeks, recognizes, and intentionally takes part in the activity of God in concrete situations. Discernment is figuring things out for our lives.
Coming to CBC.
Twelve months ago, I was heavily into the practice of discernment. The deadline to apply for the Senior Pastor’s position at CBC was in October. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to apply or not. Living in one place, working basically in one office, shopping at King of Prussia mall, and commuting down some very familiar streets have become comfortable and easy.
I was in a routine! I knew almost every aspect of my job. The rhythm of the year was pretty much the same: board meetings twice a year, traveling for business in the spring and fall, conferences in the summer, and since no churches wanted us during December, I was able to spend Christmas at home. Although I continued to feel that my ministry with the denomination was effective and making some difference in the world, I could not believe that God was finished with me yet. Is there something else that he wants me to do? Are the comforts of living in Pennsylvania masking out God’s calling for me to serve him now? I have always believed that just when we feel that we “have arrived,” is when God is beginning a new thing.
As you know, I applied for this position and now we are beginning a new thing, a new journey together. Only time and God’s continuous grace will reveal whether our decision to serve at CBC at this time is God’s will. Before all of this happened, Joy and I struggled about leaving our home, friends, lifestyle, and our children to come to SF. Perhaps Malvern and Pennsylvania will always be one of our many homes on earth like Daly City was before and Newton Centre before that.
We yearn to know the direction toward which God is inviting us. Unfortunately, there is no method that guarantees that the ways of the Spirit will be discerned in any given situation. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), the Spanish founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), offered three qualities to discern God’s plan for our lives.
- A passionate commitment to follow God.
- An attitude of indifference toward all other drives and desires.
- A deep sensitivity to the ways and being of God.
I have sensed my responding to your call to me, to both of us, as fulfilling these qualities that Ignatius described. I feel strongly that I am where God wants me to be and I hope earnestly and graciously that I will be able to fulfill your expectations for me to serve you as your pastor.
I think about Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” As long as I follow Christ, I will be able to see the directions God has for my life.
In the end, spiritual discernment depends on faith. We do our best within the forms that we have, but we ever depend on the mysterious emergence of the Holy Spirit who resonates and persuades and, always, comes as a gift.
Close with prayer.