Thunderstorms have been rumbling through Kansas with more regularity this summer. The intensity of the barometric pressure changes, the humidity grows, and the storm finally erupts. We can feel the storms brewing sometimes in our joints and moods. Recently, sitting in prayer as I observed a storm roll in, I was reminded that beyond the weather is the sky. Still and present, the weather comes and goes, and the sky remains.
With the resignation of Bishop Cathleen, the diocese of Kansas is thrust into discernment again. Playing with the metaphor, her departure brings a shift in the weather of the diocese. We have begun to prepare for the shift. The Trustees have organized a Search Committee and a Transition Committee. A calendar of deadlines and events is planned for all parties of the decision to work together for an election in June 2026. We are organizing and preparing, and yet the weather in this shift affects us.
Feeling the pressure of this shift time, we might worry, “What if we don’t get good candidates?” or wonder, “What if the new bishop changes how we do things?” or fear, “What if we choose a new leader who is not competent?” As we focus on the feeling of the shifting weather, we become alert to our vulnerability.
Discernment is what we call our interview process in the church.
Discernment is attending to the movement of God in our present lives. Discernment is prayer. Discernment is a way of life for Christian communities. So, as we seek a new bishop, we are invited to draw closer in spiritual community, listening for God together, attending to our hearts and minds to be open to what God is bringing forth.
The saints and masters guide us to pray and teach us to become compassionately aware of your weather, whatever it is, and reach out to God from a true heart.
I invite our diocese to pray throughout this shifting time. Open a space within your liturgies and personal prayer to listen for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. For discernment to be realized, our prayer must be connected to reality. Pray specifically aware of the challenges facing our diocese, feel a fullness of longing for our territory to benefit from the fruit of the Kingdom in the Episcopal way of being Christian. Genuinely listen for God’s prayer in your prayer and God’s longing in our longing. In true discernment, God draws people together in prayer and purpose. Let us be drawn together in prayer and open for renewed shared purpose. For God is guiding us, sure as the stars in the sky guided our ancestors.
by the Rev. Lisa Senuta, Canon for Spiritual Life and Clergy Care
835 SW Polk St.