Virtue: Wisdom
Resolution: I choose to seek the mind of Christ and discern the appropriate response.

Human Story: Barbara Brown Taylor (1951 - )

Like every believer I know, my search for real life has led me through at least three distinct seasons of faith, not once or twice but over and over again. Jesus called them finding life, losing life, and finding life again, with the paradoxical promise that finders will be losers while those who lose their lives for his sake will wind up finding them again...You do not have to die in order to discover the truth of this teaching...You only need to lose track of who you are, or who you thought you were supposed to be, so that you end up lying flat on the dirt floor basement of your heart. Do this, Jesus says, and you will live.

-       Barbara Brown Taylor, Leaving Church (p.xi)

Barbara Brown Taylor, Episcopal priest and decorated professor, lived in Atlanta with her husband for many years. She served for a decade as one of four priests within a large downtown Atlanta parish, consistently putting in sixty- hour work weeks. One evening when she and her husband were out for a walk, a fire engine passed by with lights shining and sirens blaring. After the engine passed and all was audible again, Barbara’s husband, Ed, said, “If we don’t leave the city, I’m going to die sooner than I have to” (Leaving Church, 3). Barbara’s hectic schedule paired with the noise of urban living moved both of them to decide to leave Atlanta and make their home in the quiet country of North Georgia. It was here that Barbara eventually became the leader of a small Episcopal church, where she served for the next few years. During this time, she received a phone call from Piedmont College, a small liberal arts school in Georgia, and they offered her a job to chair the newly founded major in religion and philosophy. After two decades in ministry, Taylor decided to take this job and leave parish ministry. She is a professor at Piedmont today, and she and Ed are still pursuing and unlocking the deep mysteries of faith among the trees, fields, animals, and evening breeze in the countryside.

Sometimes when we consider the nature of wisdom, we equate it with some sort of radical stance of heroic action, but wisdom is not fashioned on recklessness nor abandonment of our lives’ circumstances but on faithfully following the path set before us and gently seeking to bring Christ’s life to a hungry and thirsty world. While a lot of what comprises wisdom stems from the choices and responses we make towards others, it also stems from the choices and responses we make regarding ourselves. Barbara’s move from a large diocese to a smaller one may have seemed like a failure to many as she reduced her audience and her impact by choosing to take care of herself and her husband over her mission in Atlanta. Yet, had she chosen to stay, she may never have reached a place in her life where she had the time and mental energy to write, which in turn allowed her impact and legacy extend way beyond her diocese in Atlanta. Barbara exemplifies how there is wisdom in making healthy choices towards ourselves as it enables us to love others more fully.

Reference: Taylor, Barbara B. Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith. New York: HarperCollins, 2006.

Lesson: Matthew 11:28-30 (Message)

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.

Just like Barbara and Ed, we live in a world of over-stimulation, over-scheduling, and over-doing. In our scripture text you can see Jesus’ acknowledgement of our tendency to be weary and burdened. He knows our human propensity to load ourselves up with more than what God desires. How do we seek the mind of Christ and discern the appropriate response? Phileena Heurtz (whom we met in Week 5 of January) gets us started on the right path. She says,

            Solitude teaches us to be present.
            Silence teaches us to listen.
            Stillness teaches us to engage. 

When was the last time you spent any amount of time in solitude with God? Just you being present with Him? Choosing to be silent before Him to listen to His voice?

God mostly guides us with His still small voice (1 Kings 19:11-13). But, if we are constantly on the go, regularly with other people, and always surrounded by the noise of this culture, we won’t be able to discern His voice above the rabble.

To seek the mind of Christ, start by doing what Jesus did and spend time alone with God. (Luke 6:12, Mark 6:45, Mark 14, Matthew 14:23, 26:36 ff) Then rather than talking to Him about your life, your frustrations and your stresses, listen to what He has to say to you. It takes practice to hear God’s voice and even those who are in this habit sometimes have a hard time discerning His voice from all the others, e.g., yours’s, culture’s, the devil’s.

Here are some things to consider as you seek direction from God:

• Am I willing to give over to God my own plans and desires?

• Am I willing to lay down my pride that says, “I know what’s best?”

• In the silence with God, write down what comes to your mind:

  ○      An action - write it on a to-do list
  ○      A name - is this someone you need to pray for, to help, to reconcile with, to write a letter to, to have a meal with?
  ○      An organization - does God want you to partner with them in prayer, through finances, by committing your time…
  ○      A place, an idea, a dream, etc.

• Ask God:

○      Why does this ______(action, person, idea, etc.) matter to you?
○      What is your perspective of this situation?
○      How can I best serve You?
○      What should be my response to _______ (person, situation, etc.)?
○      How do I start?

So many of us are really busy doing “good” things. I am reminded of Tim Duncan’s quote:

Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.

God doesn’t want us doing a lot of things just because they are “good.” He probably would prefer you do less things that are “best.” Let God focus your efforts in His direction because His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. (Matthew 11:30)

Remembrance

Book of Common Prayer, Proper 6.

O Lord, from whom all good proceeds: Grant us the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may always think those things that are good, and by your merciful guidance may accomplish the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Challenge

Choose one of the following to do this week:

1. Spend 30 minutes in silence, actively listen to God and writing down what He says.

2. Write down your priorities in life and say no to something you are involved in that’s way down (or not even) on your priority list.

3. Pray before committing to do something new.

4. Write down your current activities and prayerfully determine if you need to divest yourself from any of them.

5. Prayerfully consider any new activities that God desires you to invest yourself in.

6. Give yourself permission to say “No.”

Reflection

Who sits in solitude and is quiet hath escaped from three wars: hearing, speaking, seeing: Yet against one thing shall he continually battle: that is, his own heart.

-       St. Anthony the Great (251 - 356)

Wherever you find yourself, do not go forth from that place too quickly. Try to be patient and learn to stay in one place.

-       St. Anthony the Great (251 - 356)

Further Growth:

2021: Book of Common Prayer Proper 16

Old Testament: Joshua 24:1-25
Psalm: Psalm 16
New Testament: Ephesians 5:15—6:9
Gospel: John 6:60-69

2020: Book of Common Prayer Proper 16

Old Testament: Isaiah 51:1-6
Psalm: Psalm 138
New Testament: Romans 11:25-36
Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20