A Spiritual Exam

I Corinthians 11:23-30

The unexamined life is not worth living  at least according to Socrates. Paul warns us that coming to the Lord’s table should be accompanied by examination and reflection. Unfortunately it is usually only the ancients who call us to examination. In our era it is hurry and rush not reflect and examine. We are about doing. There are very few places set aside for examination, further there is very little time given for examination. Examination is a tough proposition. We’d rather look out the window and judge our neighbor, than look in the mirror and examine ourselves.

Paul calls us to examine ourselves, but where do we begin? The way we have practiced this call to evaluation is by pausing a moment before we share the supper and offering a prayer of repentance. This is our idea of reflection. Something that can be done neatly between the end of the sermon and the sharing of the cup.

Some people spend more time in the shower or more time putting on their makeup than examining themselves. Anything we can do in the length of the time of a commercial break on TV can’t be to effective. Like most of our lives we want our examination to be quick and easy. We need it quickly.

Paul calls us to examine what it means to hold faith in a faithless world. This apparently needs more time, but again how do we do this?

We begin with a mirror. We are not looking at our complexion; we are looking at our soul. If we were to look at our decisions this week, if we were to examine our motives this week, if we were to review where we were hesitant or indifferent this week, what would we discover? Rarely do we examine our lives to find out what kinds of answers are evidenced by our actions, hesitations, and indifferences.

One of the reasons we fail to do this is time. Within the career of day-to-day, common-sense existence, each of us goes about his or her business without philosophical worries. We have time to shave, time to watch television, time to eat, and time to work. We may say we have no time for reflection. Time is made, saying we have not time for it is equivalent to saying we don’t want to. We would make time if we wanted to do it. Which brings us to the real reasons we fail to live examined lives? We are scared of what we might find.

If we look carefully at whom we have become and where we are headed we might get the sad news we need to change directions. Or the news we have made a mess and have to clean it up. When we pause and reflect we will see the missed opportunities, the poor habits, the time we waste, the relationships which are in jeopardy. This sort of examination might bring sorrow to our heart or tears to our eyes; it might even make us change and go a different direction. Yet the last thing we want to discover it we are on the wrong path or bring sadness to our human existence.

Yet examination is always the prelude to progress. Moving toward the will of God or moving away from sin, stepping away from an addictive relationship, or changing the way we spend our time could all be called progress. Yet none of this will happen without pausing to examine ourselves.

This morning we will pause. Instead of rushing to the table, we are going to reflect. Consider any or all of these questions.

• When did you behave this week in an un-Christ like way?
• Did you tell and show your spouse and children love?
• Is there anything large or small that is pulling you away from the things which matter?
• Do you love God as much toady as you have in the passed?
• Are you being true to whom you are or are you trying to please someone else?
• Does your checkbook reflect discipleship or selfishness?
• Do things in your life need to change because the important is being crowded out by the urgent?