Discernment

I realize I am on a bit of a liturgical roll this week, perhaps because we are in the midst of thinking about worship differently and how to BE church as we emerge from pandemic isolation.  I confess I was a bit of a liturgy nerd in seminary and really had no idea how that happened. I think the creative aspects of shaping worship while remaining faithful to God and God’s desire called me. I found that by the time third year rolled around I was looking at all things theological and liturgical through two lenses: sacramental and discerning. Discernment was fascinating to me because it took preciously learned disciplines like law and psychology and refracted decision making through the prism of prayer. Essentially I learned that life is more than cognitive information data driven decisions and was lived more fully when prayer was the beginning and the end. We speak of discerning a call and discerning momentous shifts in life circumstances. We come to a fork in the road in the Robert Frost diverging sense and choose paths informed by intuition, data, heart and head. Prayer calls all these informants together.

As Henri Nouwen says: 

Prayer and action can never be seen as contradictory or mutually exclusive. Prayer without action grows into powerless pietism, and action without prayer degenerates into questionable manipulation. 

Prayer and action are at the heart of true discernment; neither alone can bring authentic and genuine resolution. Ultimately discernment, prayerful decision-making, assures us of spirit filled reasoning instead of mere expediency. 

As we move into the “new now” of the Church it is through prayer preceding action that we will find our true north. Pietism and manipulation will not be the endpoints or alternatives; devotion and faithful following will be. Prayerful discernment is guided by God. Thy will, not mine, be done.