DeanRobin :: The gift of reason

This is Robin Walker's blog. I am the Dean of the Diocese of Brandon & Rector of St. Matthew's Anglican Cathedral, in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. I have been in this ministry since January of 2003. My big interest is "preaching among exiles," to borrow a term from Walter Brueggemann. This blog is mainly devoted to my sermons, and the sometimes circuitous process by which I get to them, as well as current issues in church life as I experience them. I welcome constructive comment on the content of my personal posts. Comments on linked articles should be directed to the appropriate authors. Note that this is a moderated blog. I will not accept comments dealing with local and/or personal issues. The main page normally contains only material from the current week. Past articles are found in other categories.

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The gift of reason

by Robin Walker on Tue 05 Dec 2006 09:49 AM CST | Permanent Link | Cosmos

Today's Gospel reading is Luke 10:21-24.

I have spent a significant portion of my life studying -- about a quarter of my life has been devoted to formal education. And then there are all the other educational events and courses I have attended. Acquiring wisdom and using my intelligence are high on my personal priorities. So when Jesus rejoices that God has hidden "these things from the wise and intelligent," I find myself feeling, well, just a bit put out.

I am reminded of an occasion some years ago, in my pre-ordination days, when a member of a Bible study group said to our priest that going to seminary and studying theology had harmed his faith. I don't know if he intended to be hurtful, but that was certainly the effect.

The Anglican tradition has long valued the gift of reason, and has produced many fine scholars and teachers. When I returned to this church in my 30's, it was precisely because it did not hand me pat answers, but challenged me to think, using God's gift of reason. I can not believe that Jesus wants us to dis-use this gift, but I do believe that he calls us not to mis-use it.

Something new came to be in Jesus of Nazareth. It was revealed to people whose minds were not clouded with years of preconceptions.

Lord, help me to see.
Keep my eyes clear,
and my mind sharp,
and my spirit ready to respond to your call.

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Advent 2006