Presenter: The Reverend Marilyn Newport
Precis
The Reverend Marilyn Newport, in her gentle and relaxed way, leads the viewer through the following areas regarding discernment:
•As a process
•When there is no life changing decision to make
•Christian Ideals
•Listening, Seeing, Speaking through the ears and lips of our Heart
•Prayer
The Rev’d Marilyn opens with this prayer:
Almighty God you have created the heavens and the earth and ourselves in your image.
Teach us to discern your hand in all your works and to serve you with reverence and thanksgiving, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.
She then focussed on part of a line from that prayer which reads: “Teach us to discern your hand in all your works” as a way of leading those viewing this video into thinking about discerning whether or not they are called to be a lay reader. She said it is through finding God in those moments and seeing, hearing and knowing God’s presence. She said one needs to live with the process as part of discerning.
The Rev’d Marilyn then explains what discernment is and that we are called to many different types of ministries. It may be that you are called to liturgical ministry but it may be that you are called to a ministry outside of the church building, in the community. The one thing she pointed out is that ministry comes with responsibility and accountability.
The next part of the presentation focussed on a Model of Discernment which is a process - a way of life; a way of discerning God’s hand in everything you do; coming into a deeper understanding of the nature of our call; coming into a deeper relationship with God and a deeper relationship with ourselves so that we can be with others.
What is our Christian Ideal? It is listening, seeing and speaking through our heart. She encourages Prayer – both for ourselves and for others
And in closing, The Rev’d Marilyn encourages the viewer to grow and become who you were created to be all God calls you to be, so that you can and will be, in each and every moment of every day, whatever that moment happens to be.