Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity, 2002
Colossians 1:9-11

Making decisions can be puzzling. The Azande tribe of Sudan had some strange methods for making choices. In order to get guidance they consulted termites. How did this work? First they would go to a termite hill, and then ask their questions. For instance, a hunter might inquire, "In which forest will I encounter the best hunting?" or "Will the evil spirits steer the beasts into my nets today or away from my nets?" Then the person would poke two sticks into the termite hill and leave them for a day. How did the termites answer? They would answer in one of four ways. If one stick was eaten that was a yes, if the other stick was eaten that was a no. If the termites ate both sticks it was an emphatic "yes," and when the termites ate neither stick it was an emphatic "no."

The Azande had another technique for more difficult problems. They used chickens. It was called the poison chicken test. A dose of poison was poured down the beak of a fowl. Then the questions were put to the chicken. "If I marry this woman will a witch kill her in the first years? Will my house be happy if I build on this site? Did so-and-so commit adultery with my wife?" If the hen died it was an affirmative answer. If the hen lived the response was negative.

For these and many other matters the Azande people consulted termites and chickens. Christians too must make tough decisions. Since we believe that God governs all things we normally want to know what God's will is on a particular issue. Today we want to grapple with two important and related questions; how to find God's will, and how to do God's will. Let us read Colossians 1:9-11.

Saint Paul prays for others that they be filled with the knowledge of the will of God. How can we know the will of God? There are at least two aspects of God's will we want to consider: First, God's moral will, and second, God's personal, specific will for our lives. God's moral will is clear -- it is already revealed to us. It has to do with morality and is found in His Word. Obviously the Lord desires that we refrain from theft and lying because that is what He commands. We read it in the Decalogue. The other aspect of God's will has to do with personal or group decision-making. How do we discover God's will with regards to marriage and vocation, buying a house, where to attend college and so forth? These are perplexing matters for many Christians.

How can I make up my mind? In some circles it is assumed that God will tell you what His will is. By means of speech or vibrations, the Holy Spirit will guide you to the detailed life-plan that God has designed specifically for you. Beth and I met a midwife who claimed that God had spoken to her. God told her what to name her five children. She heard the Lord's voice. Maybe this happened, but it is hard to believe. The Reformers correctly held that verbal revelation is complete. The apostles of Christ were uniquely inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the books of the New Testament. The original Apostles have passed away. God no longer gives His people further verbal revelation over and above the Bible. That is the argument and it sounds reasonable.

We are probably safe in dismissing the claims of people who insist that God has spoken to them with literal words. Yet, we should not go to the opposite extreme and dismiss all mystical experience. Cannot God guide and confirm our decisions with promptings, tugs, and feelings? Certainly. I had such an experience and perhaps you have too. An angel once indicated to me where I should go. I'm nearly certain of it. I had just departed a town when an angel prompted me to turn around and return. I might have been hallucinating, but the feeling was extraordinarily clear and powerful.

So it seems that we should be open to these experiences. They are not to be despised, as long as we realize that they will probably be rare, and we shouldn't come to depend upon inner impressions to make our way through life. Granted, good feelings accompany good decisions. But can we be confident that inner promptings will always be accurate? Not really. Feelings can be a poor barometer.

Some will assert, "God is in control, is He not? And if I am His child, is it not reasonable to assume that He will show me His will for my individual life?" Without a doubt God governs the details of life down to the number of hairs on your head. Yet His specific will for your life is generally secret to you. He will not always tell you the future. If you want to know His moral will for your life you have it already in Holy Scripture. Study that. But to know what is the "center of God's will," so to speak, for your personal life in the next day or year is asking too much. The Lord does not regularly reveal such things. He wants you to grow in wisdom and maturity and decide for yourself.

Colossians 1:9 brings this out. The Apostle Paul says that the will of God can be known by praying for wisdom and spiritual understanding. If you want to know the will of God, you ask God for wisdom. The starting point for wisdom is the fear of God. Besides prayer and the fear of God, we know that wisdom is also given throughout the pages of Scripture. We dig into the Bible to mine it for wisdom. Especially rich are the Proverbs. Furthermore, Anglicanism encourages us to acquire a knowledge of the Fathers, tradition, and history of the Church. We learn from the good examples of the pious, and from the bad examples of the impious.

Research is another avenue for wise decisions. Moses sent in the twelve spies to scout out the Promised Land, and later Joshua dispatched intelligence agents to check out Jericho. They sized up and studied their options. If you feel that God is calling you to missionary work, you research it. You investigate it to see where you think you could best use your God-given gifts, and then do it.

Let's not forget the counsel of others. The book of Proverbs stresses the value of seeking out wise counselors. (Neither termites nor chickens, but human beings.) Proverbs 15:22 says, "Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed." It is surprising how seldom people seek the spiritual insight of other people. This flies in the face of Scripture. Proverbs 11:14 says, "Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety."

Another source of wisdom is creation itself. One should become a student of life. God has built His wisdom into nature and we would do well to reflect on the practical habits that creatures perform by instinct: the hard work of ants, the harmlessness of doves, the flight of sparrows, and the laziness of the sloth.

Saint Augustine had advice for making difficult decisions. He said, "Do what you want." As long as the other things are in place, do what you want. You have pursued wisdom in prayer, Bible reading, research, and the counsel of others. You are humbly obedient to Scripture. God often gives you the desires of your heart. So do what you think is best. Hopefully it will be a good decision. It may come out wrong. Evaluate the results of your decision. Saint Paul prays in Colossians 1:10 "that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work." What are the consequences of the decision you have made? Is your course of action bearing good fruit and pleasing to God? If not, change course and try again.

Colossians 1:10 has a relevant phrase for our discussion. The apostle Paul prays that his Christian brothers and sisters may be "strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power." To be pleasing to God we need fruitful lives and to attain fruitfulness we need power. We can't achieve holiness on our own. Therefore, Paul prays that his friends may be strengthened with the might of God. The Bible is always intent on linking orthopraxy to orthodoxy -- correct conduct must accompany correct belief. An expert in theology who is a moral failure is a sorry sight. The great problem in life is not to know what to do, but to do it. For the most part, we are well aware what we ought to do; our problem is to put that knowledge into action. What we need is power, and we receive power in prayer. If God only told us what His moral will for us is, that might well be a frustrating situation. In our own strength the world, the flesh, and the devil easily defeat us. But God not only tells us His will in Scripture, He also enables us to perform it.

How are you strengthened with all might, according to the glorious power of the Lord? Prayer, Bible reflection, partaking of the Lord's Supper, the fellowship of God's people. Trials and suffering also sharpen you. These are the means of grace, the things God provides you to help you become fruitful in every good work.

C. S. Lewis has an idea. He calls it "Let's Pretend," found in chapter seven of Mere Christianity . Not everybody is going to like Lewis' idea, but learning about this formula for building godly character could be helpful for some of you.

Lewis starts with two stories. The first is called Beauty and the Beast . He says, "The girl, you remember, had to marry a monster for some reason. And she did. She kissed it as if it were a man. And then, much to her relief, it really turned into a man and all went well. The other story is about someone who had to wear a mask; a mask that made him look much nicer than he really was. He had to wear it for years. And when he took it off he found his own face had grown to fit it. He was now really beautiful. What had begun as disguise had become a reality."

Lewis asks you and me to pretend like this: Pretend that you are a son or daughter of God. Are you a bundle of impatience and sloth? Put on a patient mask. Put on your diligent mask. Pretend to exercise patience and maturity. Whatever your shortcoming, make a mask to overcome it, put it on and pretend the solution. Do you feel self-centered? Put on a compassionate mask and act it out. Why? What is the good of pretending to be what you are not? Well, even on the human level, you know, there are two kinds of pretending. There is a bad kind, where the false front is there instead of the real thing; as when a man pretends he is going to help you, and doesn't. But there is also a good kind, where the faking leads to the real thing. When you are not feeling particularly friendly but know you ought to be, the best thing you can do, very often, is to put on a friendly manner and behave as if you were a nicer person than you actually are. And in a few minutes, as we have all noticed, you will be really friendlier than you were.

So very often the only way to gain holy qualities that you lack is to start behaving as if you had them already. That is why children's games are so important. Children are always pretending to be grown-ups ­ boys playing soldiers, girls playing house, both playing school, and so on. All the time, they are hardening their muscles and sharpening their wits, so that the fantasy of being grown-ups helps them to grow up in reality.

In a way, by pretending, we become Christ-like, we grow in the fruit of the Holy Spirit. So pretend to be responsible, joyful, mature, and it may actually take place.

Lewis concludes by saying, (paraphrasing) "I have been talking as if it were we who did everything. In reality, of course, it is God who does everything. We, at most, allow it to be done to us. In a sense you might even say it is God who does the pretending. The [Triune God] sees before Him in fact self-centered, greedy, grumbling, rebellious human animals. But He says "Let us pretend that these are not mere creatures, but our Sons and Daughters. Since the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross has taken away their guilt of sin, and since the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ has been transferred to their account, let us treat them as if they were what in fact they are not. They truly are our sons and daughters! And so the pretence becomes a reality."

Knowing the will of God and doing it. That is the challenge the Church puts before you on this twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity. If you have faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, if by the grace of baptism you have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, then, that is your calling. You are called to do the will of God. Are there areas in your life where you need to do some serious pretending? Do you have some bad fruit in your conduct? Get rid of it! Turn it good! It is possible! God will strengthen you. In fact, Christ invites you to His life-transforming Body and Blood as you come forward in faith to receive it. Stop already the depression and self-pity, the self-centeredness and immaturity. Stop today whatever displeases your Heavenly Father. Start pretending joy and gratitude, sacrifice and obedience. You are a member of the household of faith. Do the will of your Father. Come now to the family feast.

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