Seventh Sunday of Easter June 4, 2000
Acts 1:15-26
Sermon by Rev. Dr. John K. Luoma
I have had total certainty about
every major decision I've made in my life. I was totally convinced
that I should be a pastor. I had no doubt in my mind that I should
go to graduate school. In every instance when a congregation has
extended a call for me to be their pastor I have been totally
convinced that I was the right person for that call.
Now that I have your attention, let me assure you that nothing I have said so far is true. Whether it is a small decision or a great one, understanding the will of God has never been a simple matter for me. We would all like to find 10 easy foolproof steps to know the mind of God, but such a process does not exist. God is not a machine into which we pour our questions and wait for an answer to print itself out on our word processor. It is not easy to know the mind of God. God is a person and God is complex. That is part of the wonder of knowing God. There is so much to be learned and it is so exciting to learn it.
And not only is God complex, Martin Luther suggests that God sometimes hides himself from us. He won't give us immediate insight because he wants us to draw closer to him through the study of scripture and prayer. God knows that often it is only in the midst of difficult decisions that we search for him. Otherwise, we too often ignore him.
Now, we don't want to push this point of God's hiddenness too far because God also promises to reveal himself to those who seek him. In fact, in the Gospel of John, which we read frequently at this time of year, God is described as Counselor. And so, we have this personal and complex God who sometimes hides himself and yet promises to help those who seek him.
Keeping this in mind, what are some practical things we can do to discern the mind of God when we are making crucial decisions? I think we learn at least three such things as we read the book of Acts. In our story today the young church is struggling with its first big decision, a decision about leadership. They need to find someone to take Judas' place amongst the disciples. They were electing a church officer just as we did last Sunday. And they treated the decision with the utmost regard because they knew that God's work demands committed leadership.
What was the first thing they did in order to make this decision? The first thing they did was think. Peter took the lead here. They talked about what scripture had to say, and they talked about the necessity of electing someone who had seen the ministry of Jesus first hand.
In an article on discernment the former bishop of the ELCA, Herbert Chilstrom, suggests three crucial things a Christian needs to do when making important decisions. The first is to reflect on scripture as the church community did. If we want to know the mind of God, we need to turn to that book where the mind of God is most clearly revealed. We need to turn to scripture. If we study how God has acted, we gain insight into how God wants us to act now.
Second, he suggests that we need to talk to friends . Just as the disciples consulted each other before they were able to recommend two candidates, so we need to consult with those closest to us. We need to find people who will listen and ask questions.
Third, he suggests that it helps to visit a place which enhances our perspective. He says that it may sound bizarre, but he often goes to a cemetery. In such a place he finds it easy to be more objective. It helps to put your decision in the framework of your entire life. As you walk about the tombstones, you are reminded of many people who didn't live as long as you've lived, that some were severely limited and never had the privilege of making important decisions.
Think! Now as simple as that sounds, we find all sorts of ways to avoid the effort. We even use God as an excuse to avoid the effort. One pastor, who served for many years as the executive director of his church's youth organization, illustrates this excuse making in a personal experience. He says that he visited a youth camp where the operation was in shambles. The leader of the camp kept saying, "Oh, well, we'll just trust in the Lord, and everything will be fine." To this he replied, "What do you mean, trust the Lord? There are many things we can do. God is not going to do for us what he expects us to do for ourselves. We've got responsibilities to take." He is right isn't he? And one of those responsibilities is to think.
So, in selecting a new leader the early church first used their heads. And what did they do next? They prayed. They said, "Lord, you read the hearts of men. Make known to us which of the two you choose." Our minds are a valuable asset in discerning God's will, but they are not enough. It is essential that we know the mind of God-that is what prayer is all about.
Just as good friendships demand ongoing conversation, a relationship with God demands an ongoing conversation. It doesn't make any difference exactly how this conversation occurs. It doesn't make any difference if it is on the run or at a regular time every day. But it must occur. One of the things I'm happiest about in our church is that we are growing in our prayer life. Every church council meeting, every committee meeting, every worship service is bathed in prayer. There is more encouragement for prayer and more opportunities for prayer than in any church I've ever been associated with. And that's wonderful, because prayer is absolutely essential in making sound decisions.
How do we discern God's will? We think. We pray. Then, we take the risk of acting. One of the most interesting parts of this first decision of the early church is that they didn't sit around hamstrung by anxiety. And they could have. After thinking and praying it appeared to them that they had two equally good candidates. So, what did they do? They rolled the dice. Now, I would not encourage this as a normal way for making decisions. But they had done all they felt they could do, and they had important work to get on with. And so they took a risk.
In this regard , Herb Chilstrom talks about some advice given to him by his pastor when he was growing up. When making a decision, his pastor encouraged him to examine every facet of the situation and then "do what seemed right." He says that he gives the same advice to others. Waiting beyond a certain point or waiting until you receive some supernatural sign from heaven usually proves futile. Most of the time we must think and pray and then take a risk. If we have done that, things will usually turn out okay. If not, God will put some roadblock in our way in order to make us rethink our decision. Chilstrom calls this whole process "sanctified common sense."
Life is a journey and there are important decisions to be made along the way. And God promises to be with us as we are willing to think and pray and have the courage to risk.
Copyright 2000 by Rev. Dr. John K. Luoma