It’s a choice

It’s a choice. What is “it”? As a sermon title, it doesn’t give much away. I wasn’t trying to be opaque on purpose. The “it” in this case is virtually everything. Someone said, “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.” I say someone because while I thought it was Victor Frankl, it turns out it wasn’t him,three-word but could have been Rollo May or several other candidates, so I’m going to leave it as “someone” said it.

The Bible is full of talk about choice and choosing. The Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons all include it in some measure . . . so what conclusion did I come to? First, it can be a challenge to come to a conclusion regarding a three-word statement; there isn’t much to work with. Second, I came to the unsurprising conclusion that we have choice, and probably more choice than we sometimes think. I find it quite easy to think I do not have a choice, but when I think carefully and accurately about many of these choiceless situations, the limitation is self-imposed.

I hope the sermon is of use to you. I would be delighted to hear what you think if you are able and inclined to let me know.

“It’s a choice” St. Mark’s Presbyterian (to download, right-click and select “Save Link As . . .”)

Blessings,