Parker and I regularly trim a big hedge in my patio. It grows taller than the garage and its flowers are a favorite of the bees. Now that its tiny white blooms have fallen, Parker will climb up on the neighbor’s roof and cut off the top, while I take the clippers shearing the sides. We shape and trim hoping to give it a balanced lighter feel. Often, we have spots that are bear, because we take it back a little too close. But that is what is needed for it to take shape. If we failed to trim it, the hedge would take over my yard. Because of our pruning, it has greater fullness when the leaves come in the following year.
Pruning is a way of shaping a plant much like learning is a way of shaping a disciple. If we are not pruned, laying bear our needs to God, studying his word, then we can’t grow into our fullness in Christ. So what do I mean by discipleship? Discipleship comes from the same root word as discipline. Think of a parent disciplining their child; grounding them or taking away a privilege. Parents don’t do that to hurt the child rather to teach the child right from wrong, shaping them into the people they hope they will become. Our heavenly parent wants to shape us too. Fortunately, God never sends us to our rooms, but God does want to shape us into true followers of Christ. That’s why we come to church to hear God’s word. Why we read our Bible and discuss it with others, why we confess and repent seeking to be in line with God’s will and Christ’s teaching.
Acts tells us of the discipleship of the early Christians, how they came together for five things, surrendering their lives to the ways of Christ. Those five things are devoting themselves to the apostle’s teachings, fellowship, sharing finances, breaking bread and prayer. Those same five things are the heart of what we do within our community of faith. Because they had first-hand knowledge, they told of the lessons of the apostles. The spirit of those teachings is the foundation of our Bible; the stories of Jesus, the lesson of the parables. These are the ways we submit to God and God’s teachings allowing God to shape us through his word. Sharing our time and our money also helps us to place God first and join in our common life. Prioritizing God by the way we spend our day and our resources shapes the person we are and are becoming. Uniting through communion and prayer feeds us, cleans us, and gives us a way to communicate through Christ with God.
We need all five things for our discipleship formation. Discipleship formation is one of the seven marks of a Vital Congregation. As you know, we are in the midst of an initiative looking at these seven marks. Asking the question how we are doing in discipleship, evangelism, mission, leadership, fellowship, worship and church health. Discipleship is what sets us apart from all the other organizations who do service. Rotary does good service, but it does not make disciples. Lyons does good work, but it does not make disciples. What makes church different from all the rest is that our first task is to become a disciple of Christ. We are to be hungry for Christ. We are to be growing and challenging ourselves in our faith our understanding and commitment to Christ. That is why we study the Bible, why we come to worship, why we pray for God’s will to be done in our lives. Jesus did not say make church members. Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matt. 28:19). Church members join and attend, without any real need to be shaped by Christ. Christ’s disciples on the other hand, submit, allowing Christ to prune and form them into Christ’s image. The church is the only one who is in this business. We are the only ones making disciples and we get to make that a priority of who we are and what we do.
The church educator and theologian, William Willimon said, “As one views modern congregations, many with their hectic round of activities – yoga, ceramics, daycare – one suspects that socialization is being substituted for the gospel, warm-hearted busyness is being offered in lieu of Spirit-empowered community. One wonders if the church needs to reflect again that when all is said and done ‘one thing is needful’, namely to embody, in the church’s unique way, the peculiarity of the call to devote ourselves ‘to the apostles’ teaching’ and fellowship, to breaking of the bread and the prayers.” (Vital Congregation).
Right alongside discipleship is the need to have and be servant leaders. This is another mark of a Vital Congregation. Jesus laid down the template of servant leadership in washing the disciple’s feet. We know this story, John’s account of what happens on the night of Jesus’ betrayal. There are two things to note here. One is Peter’s response. He says no way Jesus! You are never washing my feet. His pride, his wanting to remain as he is, his shame for how his feet look. (How would you feel if Jesus were to wash your feet right now?) These things keep him from submitting to Jesus, to Jesus intimately washing his feet. But servant leadership means that we first submit to Jesus, his teaching, his will, and his love. It doesn’t matter that we feel vulnerable, that we want to hide. Jesus wants all of us and he starts with our feet, teaching us to humble ourselves before our Lord. Secondly, Jesus gives this moment as an example of how we are to relate and treat others. We are to wash one another’s feet. First we submit, then we do. We submit to Christ, then we do the work of a committee.
We submit to Christ then we volunteer to be a deacon.
We submit and then we do. There is a freedom in submitting, in being vulnerable before God through Christ. We are seen completely and know that our lives will never be the same.
Jesus calls us to invite others into this humble submission, this place of washed feet and closeness with God. This is servant leadership. We are in the world to be ambassadors of Christ who first had our feet washed and then invite others to be made clean in Christ. We do this because Jesus is our Lord and Master, Jesus is the one who shows us the way to God, and we serve others in response.
Gerard Sloyan writes, “Being bathed by Jesus means being symbolically taken into the event of the cross. It is likewise a model of service for the disciples” (Vital Congregations). As we let Jesus prune us, shape us, then we find our place of service. We are empowered to do this because we have been washed clean and forgiven by Christ. We find our spiritual gifts to share with our community.
This happens all around us. Connecting with God and the church community and then taking our gifts and finding a purpose that is glorifying to God. We submit then we do. In the doing we find ways we can be servant leaders. A perfect example is right here in our midst. Six years ago, shortly after joining the church, Dee St. Clair came to me with an idea. She made beautiful Christmas stockings and had done that for another organization. She asked me if we could do that as a church project and give the stocking to the foster children in CASA. I thought it was a brilliant idea. Dee already had the skills, but once she was in our community of faith, she wanted to use those skills to be of service and share her gifts. Her faith motivated this new project. Her renewed openness to Jesus in her life opened doors to help. I don’t know if it was a renewed submission to Christ, but I imagine so. She submitted and then she did. I am sure you can think of many examples.
Consider how you deepen your discipleship throughout your life. What are you doing to help Jesus prune you? Are you making that a priority? Also ponder how you are a servant leader within this church? Or if you would like to be more of one? When we each own & answer these questions, it helps St. Andrew Presbyterian Church to be a more vital congregation. Amen.
