“Joy Together: Discernment” Gal 5: 16-26

There are some words that we use a lot in the Church, but from time to time I have to wonder if we have actually considered what they mean. One such word for me is discernment. Discernment is actually linked to the verb, the action, of discerning, to distinguish or perceive. Whenever I think of discerning, I think of making God’s choice. Seeking God’s will. Following the path that God would want me to go.

Because the truth is that god gave us individually and collectively, free will. God gave us the ability to make choices. And lets be honest, there are a lot of things that we have to choose every day. What time am I going to get up? Am I going to hit the snooze button? Where will I go throughout the day? What am I going to eat? What am I going to wear? The list goes on and on. And most of those are rather simple choices. But we also know that there are a lot bigger choices that we have to make as well. What am I being called to as a job? Where am I going to live? And for us as a Church, who is God calling us to be and how is God calling us to reach out?

Individually, there are some people that are just super good at discerning. Folks who seem to have their heart directly connected to God’s heart, and who seem to be right in line with God’s will. Other people, and I would venture most of us, need people in our life who can help us discern God’s will at certain points in our lives. But what this looks like in every day living may be different for each of us. 

Some examples from my own life: Once a month for the past 4 years I have met with Renee, my spiritual director. Renee and I sit in silence, praying that God speaks to us. I share with her about the past month, knowing that without fail she is going to ask me where I experienced the movement of God. Renee holds me accountable while challenging me to listen to the Holy Spirit. Because of her powerful example, I also serve as a spiritual director for folks, asking them that same powerful question about where they saw the movement of God.

Once a month I also used to receive a phone call from Jenn, my ministry coach. Jenn and I talked about ups and downs in the life of ministry and prayerfully work through a difficult situation for a positive and God-honoring resolution. While she did not ask me the same question as Renee, she did ask me if the Holy Spirit to guide us in the Truth that God holds. Some of Jenn’s favorite questions to help me discern include “What is God’s Truth in that?” and “where is God leading you next?”

  Another place of accountability that leads me to discernment in my life are deep friendships. Some of these friends I am blessed to see once or twice a month, sitting in each others presence and asking how it is with our souls. Others live too far away to sit across from each other so we connect via video-chatting on the internet and emails asking for prayer requests. There are three such friends who I know are praying for me daily, and I pray for them, asking that God helps them continue to grow in their faith and ministries.

  Those are just examples from my own life, but I think what we are being prompted to ask with this particular spiritual discipline is do we seek out people who can help us listen for the power of the Spirit to guide us at all times or do we only surround ourselves with people who will tell us what we want to hear?

We need people in our life who can guide us, help us discern. But what exactly is discernment? Discernment is about being open to the leading of God, both in ordinary moments and during times of big decisions. Discernment is critical both for us as individuals in our walk with Christ and for the leadership of this Church. Discernment helps us see God more clearly. We are on a journey from seeing God no where, to seeing God only where we expect to see God, to seeing God at work everywhere. Discernment involves peeling back that which clouds our perception of God so we can experience God more clearly. 

  Guidance and discernment are one in the same. They involve asking questions such as: What am I called to do? How is God working in this situation and how can I get on board with it?

Discernment starts when we acknowledge that we lack wisdom and need divine intervention. But its hard for this type of guidance to take place if we aren’t taking care of ourselves spiritually - we cannot just “turn” discernment on when we are in need and forget God the rest of the time. And we need other people to hold us accountable in our discernment.

But here’s the thing - like the other spiritual disciplines we’ve looked at in this series, discernment is hard work, because we really have to trust God. We have to really want to be guided by the Spirit. And that isn’t what a lot of folks, even people who deeply love Christ, automatically choose. Instead, we are tuned into what Paul is warning the Galatians against - we want what we want and we want it now. Our selfish desires flare up and it can distract us from discerning God’s will. 

Instead, we are to seek being led by the Spirit. What does that look like for us as a congregation? Well it may mean that we do the work of praying and reflecting on scripture and asking God what God is exactly calling us to do? To ask God what our unique contribution to our community is?

At almost every church I’ve served I’ve asked a really hard question at least once - now is your turn. If we ceased to be a church tomorrow, why would it matter? What would be lost in our community if we were not this church in this place? Sometimes people have really quick elegant answers to that question. Other times they have to think about it. Either way, when we ask hard questions like this, that make us examine our life together and our ministry in this community, that’s an act of discernment. 

Discernment is also realizing the difference between a good idea and the right idea. We may have lots of ministry ideas. But if we don’t expect God to show up and act like God is present in everything we do, then its just that, a nifty idea. Discernment takes that idea and presents it to God in prayer and says - God is this where you want us to go? We acknowledge that our lives and our ministry belongs to you God - so we want to follow your will and your way - is this it? 

One of the ways folks hold me accountable in my discernment is to join me in praying a prayer I learned from our former Bishop, Jane Allan Middleton: God if this is of you, increase my desire, and if it is not of you, decrease my desire. To be surrounded by folks who are praying this prayer on my behalf, and who will ask me what I have discerned, keeps me from being spiritually lazy or substituting what I want for what God is calling me to do.

Paul writes that if we live by the Spirit, we follow the Spirit. Discernment is seeking to follow the Spirit, and being receptive to wherever the Spirit may lead. Friends, are we a discerning congregation? Are we a place that seeks to honor God or just to survive? Are we a place that hands our lives and our ministries over to God or do we get in the way of what the Spirit of God wants to do? May we be a place and a people that lives by the Spirit and follows the Spirit. Amen.