Shaped for Discipleship

Jeremiah 18:1-6; Luke 14:25-33

September 8, 2013

Once more into the breach! That’s what the first week of September usually feels like to me. Kids back in school, the easy pace of summer giving way to the busyness of a new season, meetings gathering, calendars filling. Once more!

I’ve been thinking about seasons and transformations a lot this summer, and as I begin, this month, my 11^th year as pastor here, I’ve done a bit of taking stock. It’s remarkable to me, at once, how much has changed and how little has changed in 10 years.

Think back to 2003: the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were still in their early stages; Abu-Ghraib had not entered our vocabulary; and Guantanamo was still barely more than a Cold War naval base in most of our minds. Mark Warner was the governor of Virginia, and the constitution of the commonwealth did not yet contain an explicit prohibition of same-sex marriage. The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) met in Denver that summer and decided that the ongoing work of the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church would be its only answer to the question of whether or not the denomination would allow the ordination of GLBT deacons, elders or ministers of word and sacrament – to use the language then in vogue.

We’re teaching elders and ruling elders these days. Oh, yeah, and some of us are gay and some are straight and all of our ordinations are all blessed by the whole church.

Yeah, some things don’t change much – anything like peace in the Middle East certainly seems just as distant and just as urgent today as it did a decade ago. But some things have changed a lot, and, honestly, a lot faster than many of us thought possible 10 years ago.

The possibility of change so often runs smack into the perception of obstacles – whether the obstacle is political, financial, personal, and whether or not it is real. It’s not so much that we cannot imagine a future otherwise – although sometimes we can’t even get to that point – it’s that we cannot see the path. Even when we do catch a glimpse of the path, we tend to overestimate the size of the obstacles along the way.

Fundamentally, this is a challenge of faith. That’s why Jeremiah has to go down to the potter’s house. He can see the challenges facing the people of Israel. He has caught a glimpse of a future otherwise, and, perhaps, even seen a path. But he sees huge obstacles. So God sends him to the potter’s house for a lesson in vision.

Look at this pitcher and this plate. They began as mounds of clay. Well, actually, they began as silicate-bearing rock conditioned by centuries of weather, pressure and luck. Before that, they were star-dust and grace and the imagination of God. Yeah, it’s a really long journey to becoming a pot, and the way is blocked by all kinds of obstacles, but, eventually, in the hands of a gifted potter, matter, energy and imagination come together to form something beautiful.

Jeremiah understands the metaphor: God can do remarkable things with the lumps of clay that we are. God can do grace-filled, beautiful things in and through our lives. We’re invited, in this little story, to trust.

Hold on fast to that, because things are going to get bumpy. We are not, of course, simple lumps of clay. We don’t just spin on a wheel waiting on the pressure of outside forces to shape us as they may – even though it certainly can feel that way sometimes.

No, we are shaped in the image of God – in other words, we are made to be creative, imaginative, loving beings who will shape and reshape the world around us. We will – we do – change the world, whether we want to or not. The question is never, “will I change the world?” but, rather, “how will I change the world?”

If we are following the way of Jesus, then our journeys of change are going to get bumpy, and we’re invited to let go of so much that we believe will smooth the way and give us security as we go. That’s the story of the enigmatic passage from Luke this morning. Let go! Let go of the security of your possessions. Let go of the security of your kinship circle. Let go of all false security to follow the One who calls you.

We are shaped, like clay in the potter’s hands, for lives of discipleship – called to follow the way of Jesus.

That way is not simple or easy or even always clear. It is not so much a way of quick answers as it is a way of deep questions. In terms of concerns that press hard against us these days: what is the way of Jesus with respect to Syria? I don’t have a quick answer to the complexities of that situation, but, as Christians, we must frame our conversation in terms of the way of Jesus and remember, always, that we are shaped for lives of discipleship. What does it look like in this situation to pick up one’s cross and follow?

Much closer to home, as we consider significant questions in the life of this small church, we will endeavor throughout to frame our conversations in the same manner. Whether we’re talking about major renovations to our physical space or major reformations in our theological framework, we will frame our conversations in terms of the way of Jesus and remember, always, that we are shaped for lives of discipleship. What will it look like to pick up our cross and follow?

In the same manner, in our work spaces, school days, neighborhoods – whether you’re talking about dealing with a difficult colleague, confronting a bully, negotiating a conflict with a neighbor, or trying simply to be honest with the person you meet in the mirror each morning – frame each encounter, each question, each decision in terms of the way of Jesus and remember, always, that you are shaped for a life of discipleship. What of picking up crosses and following?

Taking up the cross and following is rarely simple or easy, but remember, also, that you are never alone in following the way of Jesus. You follow in the company of other disciples, and in the company of the One who promises to be with us always, even to the end of the age.

We encounter that One every time we gather at his table. Come and see. Leave to follow, for you are shaped for lives of discipleship. Amen.