March 11

John 7:14 – 31

Link to Bible Verses: John 7

Discernment: requires prayer and time, sometimes a lot of time

I recently heard an intriguing definition of discernment: Attuning to how the Holy touches us through experience. (I’m not certain of the source, but I think it’s Christine Valters Paintner.) What I love about this definition is the presumption about the Holy touching us. The definition doesn’t say “when” the Holy touches us, but “how.” The definition operates from a givenness about the Holy and the profane intersecting in human experiences, and it therefore becomes an invitation for us to witness the intersections. By cultivating quiet and stillness—both internally and externally—we can start to finetune our awareness to a presence that is always there but is missed 99% of the time. Discernment requires time and patience.

When I read John 7: 14 – 31 with this understanding of discernment, I am struck by Jesus as living, walking discernment. He is God entering into human experience, and yet so few attuned to that reality. Even those who were astounded by his teachings did not discern what and who they were experiencing. Similarly, how often do we miss the sacred presence, the spark of God, in the places, people, interactions, struggles, and encounters with nature? The presence is always there, waiting for us to tune in.

Thank you to Linda Land-Closson for writing our 2026 Lenten Devotions.