04-21-26

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 21, 2026
I am always intrigued when I meet people who attend churches where their ministers are understood as being a direct and faultless mouthpiece of God, and they often assume I am such a pastor. Trust me when I say that I have no more of a direct line to God than anyone else, and my understanding of scripture or God is far from error-free. Next Sunday, I am preaching on a passage from the Book of Numbers, but unrelated to that passage, there is a verse at the end of the first chapter that has always concerned me. It says, “The Israelites did everything exactly as the Lord commanded Moses.” The Israelites did not hear the Lord directly. Instead, it was Moses who served as the intermediary, and though all the interactions between God and Moses are recorded as if God spoke with the kind of clarity that left absolutely no questions. Perhaps that was the case, but I certainly don’t experience God’s voice with such clarity that compels me to declare to the congregation, “We must do this (let’s pretend God instructed me to construct a pure gold dome over the chapel) because God commanded me to do so!” While I have encountered some profoundly compelling convictions throughout my life, discerning God’s will, particularly for the church, necessitates a collective effort beyond my own understanding. Yes, I engage in prayer, but I also extend an invitation for others to join me in prayer. Additionally, I seek the counsel of the Executive Committee, draw upon the wisdom of the Church Board and Elders, and request the insights of individuals I hold in high regard. Even with all of those tools of discernment, I am cautious and deliberate in my approach. At the end of the day, I am always concerned when a church follows the leading of a single person who says, “God spoke to me and only me, and so let me tell you what we are to do.” Those with a good smile, and an ego the size of Texas might be able to get some followers. But the best I might say is, “A lot of very faithful and committed people, after a period of discernment, believe God is calling us to do…” It’s not about deflecting responsibility or sharing the blame when it fails. Rather, it’s a belief that God speaks mostly to and through communities, recognizing that the best way of listening to God is with a plethora of ears.

Continue to bring together wise, faithful, and discerning people who believe that collectively we have a much better chance of perceiving what you, Lord God, might be saying to us in this moment of time. Amen.