In 1987 Pat and I took our oldest child, Candace, on a tour to visit colleges. The day we arrived at Wheaton College, John Stott, the great Anglican preacher and world-class author, was the morning chapel speaker. Reverend Stott’s text was James 1:19, “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” The sermon was simple, profound, unforgettable!
In answering the question, “To whom should we listen?” Stott said, “Listen to your parents! You will never hear God if you cannot hear your parents. He added, “Listen to your pastors and teachers, they are gifts God puts in your life to help you.” Dr. Stott added layer upon layer of people, from whom we may learn. I had an image of many people making a strong platform, as thicknesses in plywood. During the sermon, Candace leaned toward me and said, “I want to come here to study.” I wanted her to, she did, and graduated in 1991.
When reading through Ezekiel recently, I was reminded of our day at Wheaton College when I noticed that the duty of priests is, “To teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.” (44:23) None of us came into the world with spiritual discernment and natural inclination toward the holy. We all need teachers.
Early in my training for the ministry, our homiletics professor invited a pastor to teach a session of the class. The pastor said, “Don’t limit your reading to those with whom you already agree.” He added, “Dare to read and listen to those who have a different view. We learn more from those with whom we disagree than those who simply affirm what we already know!” That was great advice! Let us spend some time today listening and learning.
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