Kelly - Acts 1

At the end of this chapter, the 11 disciples cast lots to figure out who should replace Judas and Matthias is chosen as the new 12th disciple. I must admit I'm rather amazed at how smoothly that seems to have gone. It may just be that the story is reported smoothly, but even that seems a bit remarkable.

I'm used to much talk in church circles about "discernment" - discerning what is the will of God and acting on it. A previous bishop I knew well spoke about it all the time. To the point where I really began to get cynical about the process. It's not that I don't believe that God has a preference for some things - I just don't believe that God has a preference for EVERYTHING. And I certainly don't believe that we sinful humans are very good at figuring out what that preference is.

I don't begin each day by discerning which way God would have me drive to run my errands or what shirt I should wear. I believe that even in the small things, some decisions are more pleasing to God than others (God would prefer I eat a healthy breakfast that respects my body and is good to the earth - but I don't believe that I have fully disappointed God by eating a donut). And even in big decisions, God can bring miracles out of many different choices. What will we do with the Faith Center? There is room for great grace in many different ways. And though we may pray and labor and study and listen for God's will - I don't believe we will ever find "the answer" and know it to be "the answer" with absolute certainty. We will find "an answer" that leaves room for God's power and grace to become manifest.

The disciples "discerned" that Matthias was the right choice to join the 12 -but I believe God could have brought miracles through Joseph, as well. And I have never sat in a committee meeting of more than 3 people who simply decided anything as easily as this decision is presented in Acts - I find it very hard to believe that the 11 and a crowd of 120 persons came to big decision about how they would be organized and who would hold leadership so easily.