"I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service..." (I Timothy 1:12)
When considering whom to call to be a promoter of peace and justice, an example of Christ's compassion and caring and a model of the gospel, we would not necessarily think of Paul. If the personnel department of Christian evangelism was looking for a candidate to spread the message of grace and inclusion that defined Jesus' ministry, Paul's résumé would not make the cut. And yet -- here he is, preaching the gospel and somehow "judged ... faithful and appointed" to the service of Jesus Christ. When seeking a devoted disciple, God saw more in Paul than simply his past. His past was not his future. God, who can make all things new, opened up the door to new life and invited Paul to enter in. Paul was like the lost sheep that God rejoiced over redeeming. So what's our excuse? If God can transform a Saul to a Paul, if God can "appoint to his service" a mean-spirited, blaspheming man of violence like Saul -- what are we waiting for? Why do we think that God has not "appointed" us to serve? Paul was a follower of Jesus not because of his upstanding behavior in the past but because of God's mercy and grace. God understands that Paul "acted ignorantly in unbelief" (v. 13) but is now ready to receive God's forgiveness. Ironically, it is Paul's experience with sin and turning away from God that makes him appreciate the gifts of God's mercy and kindness even more. It was precisely Paul's shameful past behavior that made him an ideal candidate for a future in forgiveness and redemption. God reminds us through the example of Paul that our past does not have the final word. The past is prologue. God will give us the best job ever. The dream job. A job that will lead to the adventure of a lifetime: following Christ in serving the Kingdom of God. When I was young, my father told me, "If you love to serve, you will always have something important to do and you will always be happy." This is our calling as Christians. We are appointed to serve. And if we love to do it, God will give us joy and fulfillment forever.
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As the old hymn goes: Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Thou art the Potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will, While I am waiting, yielded and still. This hymn was written more than a century ago, leaving us with the question: Can we still find “the Potter’s House” today? Or will we decide to ignore God’s map for us? First we need to make a right turn. A word that appears repeatedly in this passage from Jeremiah is “turn.” God speaks of a nation that “turns from its evil” (v. 8) and calls for Israel to “Turn now, all of you from your evil way” (v. 11). God also says that “I will change my mind” about a nation that turns from its evil (v. 8), and “I will change my mind” about a nation that turns toward evil (v. 10). This language of turning and changing is the language of molding and making. Nothing is fixed, everything is changing. Second: When you get there, allow the potter to work with your clay as he chooses. Don’t worry about what shape you are in now; the potter can reshape you. Don’t fixate on the flaws of the past; the potter can purify you. Don’t stress about wrong turns you’ve made in the past; the potter can help you move in a new direction. In the Potter’s House, you are ever-changing clay in the divine potter’s hand. Allow the divine potter to make you and mold you, according to his will. Open yourself to being filled with the Holy Spirit, until — as the old hymn says — all shall see “Christ only, always, living in me.” Jeremiah 18:1-11 |
Rev. Dr. Shannon SmytheUnited Presbyterian Church Archives
March 2023
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