Pastor's E-Letter 9/25/20
When was the last time you had to “unlearn” something? You had always done something a certain way, and suddenly, you learned it was wrong. Some new information came to light that meant you had to change the way you had always done something. I’m reminded of the “back to sleep” campaign that started sometime after Scott and I had become parents. I did a lot of baby sitting when I was a teen and I had been taught at the time, to put a baby to bed on his or her stomach. It was standard operating procedure for years. If the baby spit up, they wouldn’t choke. The pressure on the stomach might help with tummy problems. There were all kinds of rationale behind it though it may not have been scientific rationale.
So, when my first child was born, we put him to bed on his stomach. But later all of that changed. I honestly don’t remember if it was before the second or the third baby, but suddenly, there was all this scientific data that pointed to babies sleeping on their stomachs having a higher incidence of sudden infant death syndrome. So everywhere we went, doctors’ offices, childbirth classes, even commercials on television encouraged parents to put their newborns on their backs to go to sleep. It was called the “back to sleep” campaign. It was really hard. It didn’t make sense after all those years of conditioning. But obviously we didn’t want to risk our child’s life. So, on their back they went. But it took a long time before it felt right, before it felt natural.
Unlearning things is hard, but it is sometimes necessary in life, and unlearning is absolutely necessary for those of us who are seeking to follow Christ and live according to the Kingdom standards that Jesus taught. In one sense, that is what our “Teachable Moments’ message series has been about. Jesus invites us again and again to “unlearn” the ways of the world and to “learn” and practice new, very different habits. For example, in conflict, our natural tendency is to go and vent our anger and hurt to anyone who will listen, anyone except the person who hurt us or made us angry. But Jesus says, go directly to your brother or sister.
Or we naturally want to impose some kind of limit or moratorium on extending forgiveness. But Jesus says we must forgive as often, and as much as we have been forgiven, which means throwing away the limits. Last week we talked about the rules of “fairness” that we wish that God would apply to others. But Jesus reminds us that what we need from God is not fairness but grace and mercy and that we should celebrate the amazingly generous character of God that lavishes grace on all of us freely, undeservedly.
This week in worship, Joel Lusz will lead us in exploring Matthew 20:17-28. Here Jesus lays out for us the cost of discipleship, of following him. First, he tells the disciples what is ahead of him. He will be handed over to the religious authorities who will condemn him to death. He will be mocked and flogged and then crucified and on the third day rise from the dead. Then there is a scene where the mother of two of the disciples asks that her sons sit at the right and left of Jesus when he reigns in glory. Jesus explains that this is not something he can give and then has to explain to the disciples that life in the Kingdom is not about sitting on the right or the left hand of power, or being first, or the best, or in charge. Life in the Kingdom is about giving and not counting the cost as Jesus gave and never counted the cost. Life in the kingdom is about serving instead of being served. It is about emptying yourself as Jesus emptied himself, so that God might fill us.
All of which takes a whole lot of “unlearning”. It is hard. It takes time before it begins to feel natural at all. And honestly, if we had to try to unlearn all this by ourselves, it would be impossible. But as Jesus said to his disciples earlier in Matthew, “For God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) We are not alone in this process of unlearning. The Holy Spirit is with us to teach us, to empower us, to guide us in “unlearning” the ways of the world and learning the way of Christ.
The only question is, will we be open to these "teachable moments" with Christ? Are we willing to unlearn, in order to learn? Or are we content to go our own way and just do what feels natural? The choice is ours. If we choose Christ and his Kingdom way, it will be hard, it will feel unnatural for a long time. But Jesus promises the life we will experience in return will be more than worth it.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Annette