August 17, 2003
By Jack Price

"The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, 'Ask what I should give you."  And Solomon said, .'Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil..'  God said to him, .'Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind.."

            Solomon asked for the gift of wisdom to "discern good from evil."  Just making that request indicates that he already had the gift of wisdom, of discernment.  Of course, that was a dream and the reality of Solomon's reign proved that he may not have remained as wise as seems to have started out.  Solomon was a wealthy, powerful, and influential king, but not always wise in the discernment of good and evil.  It was likely out of love for his father David, that the people tolerated his lavish excesses, his many foreign wives and concubines, and his oppression of large segments of his own populace.  History notes that immediately upon his death, the nation split into its pre-Davidic regions, the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, and was never again united.

Discernment of good and evil is an important gift.  In the world of the early Christian Church, such discernment was also valued.  The New Testament book of Ephesians challenges believers to be discerning:  "Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise."  Wisdom as the process of discerning good from evil is more than a particular thought process or a formula by which to solve challenging problems.  Wisdom is a matter of "how you live."  It is a "life thing."  Wisdom is also a "heart thing," not of sentiment or feelings, but of our own emotional process and will.  Wisdom is the ability to navigate our own emotional systems; the ability to discern good from evil in terms of life choices and relationships, and with regard to the ultimate values that shape our lives and the lives ours touch. 

"Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil."  A powerful exercise on retreats and in workshops is to picture yourself at the very end of your life, reflecting on the way you lived your life.  What would you have done more?  What would you have done less?  What choices would you change and how might you have invested yourself differently?  This is an exercise for wisdom, for discernment.  Columnist Erma Bombeck, upon discovering that she was dying of cancer, wrote of such choices.   If she had her life to live over again, she would never say, "No, you can't put the car windows down on a summer day (probably before air conditioning) because I just had my hair done.  She would never fail to invite people over because there was a stain on the carpet and the sofa was worn.  She would shed fewer tears and enjoy less laughter over television, and more tears and laughter over life itself. 

The writer of Ephesians continues:  "So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  Do not get drunk with wine for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit."  Scripture reveals God's will in terms of our reconciliation to God, the rebirth of the creation itself into intimate relationship with the Creator, and the discovery by people of abundant life.  I think that's an amazing "will" to perceive.  I am very much in favor of reconciliation with God, intimate relationship with God, and abundance in my living. 

The scripture passage takes a strange turn with the subject of getting drunk.  "Do not get drunk with wine for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves."  It could be that the writer is trying to draw a comparison of how different gatherings of Christians should be when compared with their pagan counterparts.  Like some fraternity parties, many non-Christian gatherings often degenerated to a pretty low level as a result of excessive imbibing.  In contrast, Christians were to gather for worship and to build each other up. 

Another way of interpreting this passage is as a reference to the type of behavior about which Paul criticized the Corinthian Christians.  In Corinth, those who arrived early for the agapé meal fellowship dinners would begin to eat a drink liberally to the point that, when others arrived, the atmosphere was somewhat less than worshipful!  Although the English word association between alcoholic spirits and being filled with the Holy Spirit is only coincidental in this passage, the contrast is sharp.  Being drunk with wine, or anything else, is debauchery.  It is a bad thing to do!  In contrast to being filled with the spirit, however, the image of drunkenness is more one of "escape." 

To be drunk with wine is to be following a wrong or inadequate spirit, failing to discern between what is beneficial and what is detrimental.  It shows unwise behavior.  In contrast, being filled with the spirit means being engaged and involved.  It means filling our lives with the very best.  When we gather and worship together, as we sing spiritual songs among ourselves, wisdom teaches us to discern between worship that focuses on how we feel and worship that is God-focused, singing and making melody to the Lord in our hearts.   Admittedly, this is not always an easy distinction, but the attitude and preparation with which we approach worship does make a huge difference.  Let our worship then be truly a time of giving thanks to God at all times and for everything in the name of the living Christ Spirit.

            Discernment of good and evil still challenges people in the twenty-first century of the Common Era.  Yet, evil does reveal itself by the fruit it bears.  Giving some time and perspective, the true colors of evil show themselves to the even moderately discerning eye.  Gross evil in the form of abuse, bigotry, hatred, and system injustice are revealed through the media each day.  We see it, even in ourselves, and acknowledge the compromises we make with evil in the living of our lives and in the pursuit of comfort of security.  We even occasionally confess the sin in which we participate and commit to change our ways, at least somewhat.  But the point is that we discern the evil that is around us and even that which is within us.

Discernment that can be even more challenging is the wisdom to sort out the best from all the good that fills our lives and our calendars.  The New Testament (Ephesians 5: 14-20) proclaims that God wants the best for each of us, but how often do we get bogged down with all sorts of good and worthy uses for our time and energy.  In spending ourselves in these pursuits, how often do we wind up with a vague sense of feeling disquieted, as though we have missed something important.  It's like in the holiday movie Home Alone, the family races around in a frantic attempt to get to the airport on time for their European vacation.  Finally, having accomplished their goals and with the aircraft in flight, the mother finds herself with a vague sense of dis-ease.  The disquieted feeling grows until she realizes the horrible truth:  they have left their youngest child home alone.

In truth, you and I often make choices that divert us from the very best, the healthiest, the most edifying and spiritually-centered path.   Life is filled with beautiful things, and not-so-beautiful things - a rich texture within which our individual lives play out.  Sorting through the good, bad, and ugly of life can be a challenge.  Sorting out the good from the greatest good can be an even bigger challenge, possibly the biggest challenge of our spiritual lives.  

Wisdom is discerning the best from all the good options we have.  How often we are unwise in this pursuit.  How often we get bogged down in all the good and fail to discern what is most important.  Why does this happen?  Is this indeed a failure of discernment or is it really a failure of vision and of nerve:  a failure to choose the wise path even when we see it because it's a hard way, a difficult path to walk?  The story is told of a woman had a dream, that a new shop had opened.  Out of curiosity she went and, to her surprise, God was behind the counter.  "Oh," she said, "What do you sell here?"  "Everything your heart desires," said God.  Hardly daring to believe her ears, she decided to ask for everything a person could wish for.  "I want health, and happiness, and wisdom, and peace of mind," she said.  And as an afterthought she added:  "Not just for me and my family, but for everyone in the whole world."  God smiled:  "I think you've got me wrong, my dear," he said.  "We don't sell fruits here, only seeds."

            Discerning the best is an individual challenge for each of us.  It is also a challenge to us as a body.  As a faith community, we face many important issues and concerns.  There are worship issues, mission issues, and building issues.  There are concerns about location, about growth, about finances, about governance, and even about pastor and preaching issues.  The most important question, however, lies beneath all these issues and concerns: "What do we want this congregation to be?"  The most important question for our congregation today is, "What is our desire, our dream, for Crossroads Church?  What is the best that we want this church to be? 

We are approaching our five-year anniversary as a congregation this winter.   Our community decisions about building and other issues, if they are wise ones, will reflect what we discern as our unified dream for Crossroads.  The only hope we have of making wise choices and discerning decisions is to be filled with Spirit of God rather than directed by other spirits.   The Buddhist priest Thich Nhat Hanh offers us guidance in a process of being mindful, a foundational practice from which we can live not as unwise people but as wise and to be filled with the Spirit of God.   He writes of practicing mindfulness by staying in the present moment, not worrying about what is not nor wallowing in feelings of guilt that are past.  Through intentional breathing and contemplating the interconnectedness of all things in God, we practice mindfulness.  He writes:

If you practice [mindfulness] when you are not experiencing difficulty, it will be easier . when the need is great.  Practice every day by living mindfully each moment of your life, and the practice will become a habit.  This is not a matter of belief.  It is grounded in experience.  .Mindful breathing unites body and mind.  When you practice mindfulness, you touch the Holy Spirit and become peaceful and solid.

            Let us become mindful in our living, as individuals and as a body.  Let us then "be filled with the presence of the Spirit of Life itself as we sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among ourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in our hearts, giving thanks to God at all times and for everything in the name of Jesus."  Amen.

Ephesians 5: 14a-20

"Sleeper, awake!  Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.  So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  Do not get drunk with wine for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."