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exegesis, theology, worship and sacramental practice, and rules of church governance. These written tests are graded by officers and pastors across the country who agree to serve as readers. It is an intensive and sometimes stressful process, but I have welcomed and even enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of the process by which new pastors, who have worked so hard to prepare themselves for ministry, walk the final few steps before their ordinations.
I share this with you because, after grading a particularly fine exam this morning, I had a bit of an epiphany. It is nothing miraculous, but it did strike me as a pretty good rule of thumb for the kinds of lives we are all leading right now.
Simply stated, that rule is this: "Answer the question!"
You see, the kinds of questions I am grading this week are all based on real-world scenarios -- issues or questions that are likely to arise in day-to-day pastoral ministry. They often relate to decisions that need to be made, conflicts to be confronted, or new possibilities that need to be considered. On these exams, the best answers by far are the ones that begin with a close reading of the question being asked. What is really at stake? What are the people in this situation really worried about? The candidates who can sift through the words of the question and see into the very heart of the matter are always the ones who write the best answers.
The epiphany is that this kind of focus can also help us navigate the tests of everyday life. We are bombarded with so many stressful issues in this world, and they come at us so quickly -- a constant firehose of information, details, and demands. Before we start writing our own responses to these challenges, perhaps we should consciously take a breath, take a moment, to try to see what is really going on in the debate. What values are really at stake here? At the end of the day, what is this really all about?
Once we get a handle on that, then the next steps to take become so much clearer. At that stage, our job is simple:
Answer The Question!
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