January 04, 2026
• Rev. Dr. Rob Fuquay
St. Luke’s UMC
January 4, 2026
New Year Series(1)
Pursuing God’s Will Together
Learning to Perceive
Ephesians 1:15-18; Mark 8: 22-26
Today we start the year with a series based on Ruth Haley Barton’s book Pursuing God’s Will Together. I read this during my sabbatical in 2024. I was familiar with the author after reading her book, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, one of the best books on spiritual leadership I’ve read. Pursuing God’s Will is about spiritual discernment, particularly for leadership teams. So on a couple of afternoons, I put a folding chair in the middle of a Colorado stream and absorbed it. I came away not only with insight and inspiration for myself but what felt like a new directive for my ministry, to help all of us grow in an area that tends to be very mystified and unapproachable, spiritual discernment.
I think about conversations I’ve had over the years in ministry where people seek my help in understanding God’s will on a specific question—Do I do this, do I not do this? And then there’s the questions in church committees wrestling with some big decision and when there is uncertainty, many times, heads will turn to me as if to say, “Okay, Rob, you decide.
I remember hearing Brack Obama say after he left office that questions that get to the president are usually very, very hard. If other super bright minds haven’t been sure what to do, then the questions aren’t easy. But we don’t have to be president to understand that position; to face questions without clear answers; ones in which we might feel inadequate to face and cause us to ask, “What would God have me do?”
And while I wish I had the spiritual crystal ball that would make me a reliable oracle, I don’t. But I also don’t believe that is how discernment works. I know it looks that way early in the Bible. Moses would go into the “Tent of Meeting” and then reveal God’s will to the people. That power transferred to the High Priest who wore special objects called Urim and Thummim that revealed God’s will when they had a question.
But as the Bible moves on, the pattern of discernment changes. In the Book of Acts, the disciples consulted together to discern God’s will. Leaders of the church met to listen and share in order to discern God’s will. So discernment begins to look like something everyone in the church can experience, BUT…
It takes effort. It takes engaging ourselves in spiritual practices. It takes being in community with others who are doing the same. It takes developing the wisdom to sense how God speaks to us. So I have several hopes for the series.
Series Hopes:
First, that we will deepen our connection to God and experience new vitality in our faith. That alone would be a great way to start 2026, wouldn’t it?
Second, I hope this series will deepen our trust in and dependence on God’s guidance as a church so that we experience greater levels of unity in carrying out God’s will and the power of the Holy Spirit in our communion.
Third, I hope this series will have personal value and connection, so that we see our families as places where we can experience spiritual discernment and living out God’s will.
And finally, I hope this series brings a fresh understanding of the mission and purpose of the church so that we can discern well what God wants for the future of St. Luke’s. In other words, what are the implications for our neighborhoods, our city, our world if we unite around the simple phrase, “God’s will: nothing more, nothing less, nothing else!”
If you would agree with this, let us say, “Amen!”
prayer… (maybe p.208 RHB)
In her book, Ruth Haley Barton describes a difficult church meeting in which they have finally come to a point of decision.working through the processes of discernment on a particular question. They had agreed up covenant practices they followed that included things like not trying to overpower others and be respectful. As they seemed to be coalescing around a decision, a man known for being quiet and steady had a sudden emotional outburst that frustrated and annoyed the other members. Rather than react out of the annoyance, one member observed that this behavior was very out of character for this person. The person even agreed that it was. The others paused to consider that maybe the Holy Spirit was working through this person to pause the group and consider something they may be overlooking. It did in fact change their direction and give them a new peace about their decision.
Barton defines discernment this way: “an ever-increasing capacity to see or discern the works of God in the midst of the human situation so that we can align ourselves with whatever it is that God is doing.” (p.20) Spiritual discernment therefore begins in our ability to see, to see spiritual realities. And this makes discernment a humbling acknowledgement, because we need help to do that. To even acknowledge a desire for discernment is to admit we can’t find the answers we need on our own. Again, as Barton writes, “Discernment begins when we acknowledge the fact that we lack the wisdom we need and that without divine intervention, the best we can do is stumble around in the dark.” (p30)
This is what makes discernment contrary to our natural tendencies. We are made to be self-reliant, to depend on our own instincts. We also rely on our training and experience. We do this in the church. We often rely on the expertise people have in their secular fields, the training they’ve received, their wisdom for tackling problems, and this is good. That is needed, BUT, it is never enough. We can make decisions that make perfect sense, that reflect the wisdom we’ve been taught, and still miss God’s leading.
Spiritual discernment isn’t opposed to secular training, it just recognizes the need for more. And that something more begins in the cultivation of seeing God’s presence.
Paul said in Ephesians that God would, “give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may perceive what is the hope to which he has called you…and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe…” (Ephesians 1:17-19)
Paul didn’t just praise the Ephesians for their good service projects or how well they loved each other. He prays that they would receive wisdom and revelation from God that would enable them to perceive God’s hope in the world. In other words, to put it in St. Luke’s vernacular, if we are to give hope through Jesus Christ, then we must be able to see with eyes of hope.
Could this be why the most common healings Jesus performed was healing people’s sight? Certainly there was a physical dimension to such healings, but when you read the stories closely there was also spiritual dimension. Such as the time Jesus was in Bethsaida.
Bethsaida was a small fishing village in the Jewish region of Galilee. It might be like what we call today “an old mill town.” A small place centered around one industry. Did any of you grow up in a place like that? There are many good things about small towns centered around a common business. Everyone depends on each other. You stick together. You are clear about who is “us” and who is “them.” Us is those who support your way of life, and them is anybody who could be a threat to that. And that starts to identify some of the shadow sides of growing up in places like Bethsaida.
While in Bethsaida the people bring a blind man to Jesus to be healed. As the story goes, the first thing Jesus did was take the man out of the village. It’s the only time we read about Jesus doing that. Why would He take him away from his community of support, from the people who cared about him? The story doesn’t say.
But once outside the village Jesus used his saliva to heal the man, something he did on two other occasions. After laying his hands on him he asked what the man saw. He said, “I see people, but they look like trees walking.” So the healing didn’t fully take. The man saw people but they looked like trees, like objects moving about. He could see, but only to the point of people being objects.
Could that describe a pervasive ailment in our society today? People see, but only to the point that things are still blurry, not completely clear, where people are just objects? The problem with such vision is not that it’s incomplete, the problem is thinking that blurry is 20/20; that our vision is just fine, that the way we see the world and the people in it is accurate. But remember, discernment begins in recognizing that we all need help to see. We don’t really see people as they are. We see them as we are. And perhaps this blind man in Bethsaida represents all of us. Someone who has been touched by Jesus, but who also needs another touch.
For a second time Jesus lays his hands on him, and it says “his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.” (v.25) This simply means that without Jesus he never would have seen everything clearly. This is our truth as well. Without God’s help we never see things completely. We must have God’s help to see and understand God’s will for our world. We need God’s touch to see what God is already doing so that we spend our time joining that effort than trying to get God to join ours.
But how does God help us to see? One of the best ways is through scripture, meditation and prayer. Taking time to reflect on God’s ancient words and what they mean for us now, helps us see and understand what God is up and where God would have us go. So each day of this series leading up to Feb. 8, we will have a daily scripture verse and reflection to help us. I recommend setting aside at least 15 minutes each day at a time that is suitable for you. Having a consistent time is helpful. It builds routine and establishes time with God as an important ritual in our day. If you can spend up to 30 minutes even better! Also, get a notebook or note pad you will use exclusively for this series to write down your reflections. Each Sunday will be a “bringing it together day.” No scripture verse. It will be a time to read over your week’s reflections and write down what you see as common themes, messages, ideas. You may be surprised how this simple daily activity develops new clarity for you.
And then, mark the dates of Feb. 7-8 on your calendar. The author of the book, Pursuing God’s Will Together, Ruth Haley Barton will be here to lead a retreat that Saturday and speak in worship that Sunday.
Consider one last observation from our scripture story. After he heals the man “Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.” (v.26) That is a most interesting, if not peculiar, ending. Don’t even go into the village? But that is where his people are? Why would Jesus say that? Because that may also be where his blinding came from.
Are there places Jesus would say to us, “don’t go there?” Don’t go to that web site that is influencing your view of the world more than you realize. Don’t go to that news station. Break free from some people who may be negatively influencing how things really are.
Sometimes our ability to see God’s presence and activity in the world requires us to unsee some things, to stop seeing through a lens that may shield us from what God is doing. Would there be any places Jesus says, “Don’t go there?”
Because the key concern for Jesus is that we see with his eyes so that he can love through us.
I close with this story. Norm Stuart (pic) is a St. Luke’s member who lives in Florida. Many years ago, when his late wife, Sue, volunteered at a ministry providing lunches at the Fletcher Place community center, Norm would occasionally go to help her. Now Norm’s faith is important to him and he worked at growing in his faith. But going to Fletcher Place Norm started observing the people there, but not just seeing them, but seeking to understand them. He knew the lunches helped but he asked what they do for breakfast. They just said, “What’s that?” And as Norm kept perceiving these people, getting to know them, understanding them, God started to put a call on Norm to begin a daily breakfast service. Norm was overwhelmed by this idea. He felt, “I can’t do this.” But he felt God persistently say, “You start it, I’ll take care of the rest.” So Norm started sharing this call with others and in no time a daily breakfast ministry was underway. What did they call it? “God’s Will Breakfast.”
During Covid the ministry had to stop. In the aftermath, needs were reevaluated and today the ministry carries on through others who provide 600 lunches each week for Fletcher Place. What started with a new perception of others continues now decades later providing hope.
“give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may perceive what is the hope to which he has called you