SIM News

When Discernment Becomes Action

02/25/26

Through prayer, preaching, music, and deep discernment, participants were invited into a sacred space to listen closely for God’s call — and to respond with courage. The retreat fostered honest exploration of vocation, courageous conversations about ministry, and intentional reflection that led to greater clarity. It offered encouragement that inspired forward movement and faithful next steps. And its impact did not end when the retreat concluded — the momentum continues to shape lives, decisions, and ministries beyond that gathering.

George Davey’s Music - Music That Opened Space

A Word That Carried Forward - Marissa Sifontes’ Sermon
One of the defining moments of the retreat was the powerful sermon offered by Marissa Sifontes — a message that challenged participants to trust God’s voice and step forward in faith.

Sermon - January 13, 2026 Jeremiah 1:4-10 John 1:29-34

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. And before you were born, I consecrated you.”

The call of the prophet is a funny thing. Equal parts inspiration and obedience, with probably more than a healthy sprinkle of sheer, dumb luck.

It’s not just that God calls us. That God gives each of us a gift. Because then we’re meant to figure out how to use that gift for the furtherance of God’s work in the world.

The call is only the first step. We have to have ears to hear. And circumstances that allow us to respond. We need mentors to come along side us. And sometimes a shovel, and other times a bulldozer to push aside the very real stumbling blocks that litter our path.

That anyone navigates such a journey is noteworthy. That some manage to do so in spite of the barriers placed before them is extraordinary.

And we all know, there are barriers.

After all, we are a church who for all but the last fifty years looked past the gifts of half of our members in deciding who was called to be a priest in God’s church.

Even now, there are those who are turned away because they may not have the right gender. Or the right credentials. Or the wrong mental health diagnosis.

Or maybe they aren’t old enough to have paid their dues — whatever that means.

The result is that yet again, one of God’s children offers themselves when the Holy Spirit calls.

Says yes, Lord — but is turned away.

And it’s more than that, because while we’re asking people to listen for a call, and discern what that might mean in their lives — we also have to be honest about what we’re calling them to.

How we call people into spaces where we haven’t yet fixed the very real problems we know are there. Whether it’s expecting someone to bring bodies into a broken building. Or to serve a congregation whose disfunction is known, but hasn’t been addressed.

And that’s to say nothing of asking people to show up in spaces where there’s never been an image of a God who looks like them.

That all should bother us. Should bother us greatly.

But change is hard. And we live in a world where making more room at the table always seems less intuitive than it ought to be.

And yet, change is precisely what we’re called to.

Real change — the kind that can make a difference in the future of the church. The kind that centers God at the heart of the process instead of our own proclivities and personalities, instead of leaning on our favorite saying in the church — ‘but we’ve always done it this way.’

So how might we faithfully, and prayerfully, find that path?

How do we get out of the way so the Holy Spirit can fuel the flourishing of both the church and the world?

And how do we open our hearts, so we too might hear?

Well, that’s the work God has given us to do.

Our call is to create a path that looks more like the testimony of John — a path that proclaims and affirms the work of the Spirit so we might move beyond so many painful stories of dreams deferred and denied. So that when we find the Holy Spirit so clearly at work in the life of a fellow child of God, we, too, might be able to stand in wonder and awe and proclaim: come and see.

We know Jeremiah’s road wasn’t an easy one. That his witness fell on deaf ears. He stood in opposition to those in the temple and the authorities of his day. And yet, it is his story that we still tell.

So maybe his struggle might inform our own. So we can see past the shortcomings around us and dream of a church filled with those who speak truth to the words of Gospel, instead of pandering to it — out of convenience. Or comfort.

So we might realize a country where those who invoke the name of Jesus actually follow his words — instead of co-opting and perverting God’s message for their own ends.

It may feel odd to dream right now when there’s so much pain and confusion in the world. When we’re surrounded by uncertainty and fear.

But I would suggest to you that there’s no better time to dream. To be the midwives on the other end helping a new reality emerge.

God has handed you this charge. And put you here at this time. God has equipped you with a life of experiences. A love for the church. And a heart for God’s people.

You’re the ones to whom God has handed this charge. This call. To build up and plant, and to pluck up and pull down.

In the end, the prophet’s response to God’s call often looks a lot like surrender. Or resignation. Or sometimes even defeat.

It might seem like the death of what we value. What we hold dear.

But none of it’s for naught.

Instead, it is making a way so that something new might emerge, so that through God’s love, the church and the very world might be remade.

Dream big, my friends.

And once you’re done doing that, dream even bigger. Let the Spirit work through you in ways that seem reckless. In ways that make no sense — because while each of us carries only part of the revelation, every one of us shares in the work of making it happen.

Amen.

From Retreat to Real-World Impact