Discernment

One of the last prayers in our baptismal liturgy is a prayer for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that God would "Sustain ( name ) with the gift of your Holy Spirit: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence, both now and forever."

We pray this over our students as they affirm their baptisms, and call upon it throughout the church year as a reminder of what it means to have the Spirit of God living within us. 

I often interpret this spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of the Lord to be a full definition of what discernment looks like in action. 

At it's most basic definition, "discernment" is the ability to judge well. This is yet another lesson from a 4-year-old: make smart choices! Strengthening our discernment skills in turn strengthens our ability to make smart, kind, compassionate choices for us and for others.

God's gift of the Spirit's constant presence with us is just that: a gift. Not only is it a gift, but it's a good gift. It's not something random someone picked up just so they'd have something to give us. It's not the passive aggressive gift from a family member who thinks they're being subtle but they don't have a subtle bone in their body. It's not even a gift that was genuinely well-intentioned but totally misses the mark. We've all had those kinds of gifts.

The gift of the Spirit is a gift that gives us everything we could ever need to live a life full of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of the Lord. To have at our fingertips the very One who can and will help us make smart choices, kind choices, compassionate choices. 

Strengthening our ability to hear the Spirit and to heed her boundless wisdom and guidance means that we also have to take the time.

Clarity doesn't happen over night, or with a wish made at 11:11. True discernment of God's will for our lives does require some work from us--reading and studying scripture, spending time in prayer, worshiping with a faith community, being in relationship and conversation with other faithful people.

Truth be told, the "work" is a gift too, even if it isn't always easy or mess-free. Community that we can trust and rely upon is in high demand these days, and I am deeply grateful that I have our family of faith at St. Andrew to support me in my work. 

As we bring our offerings and 2026 commitments forward in worship this Sunday, I pray that your discernment of where God is calling you to share your time, talents, and treasures gives you peace, joy, and excitement.

The gift of discernment, the gift of the work, the gift of sharing--our cups run over with the abundance of God's goodness.