Be Who You were Created to be

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 25; Ecclus. 4:20-5:7; Rev. 7:1-8; Luke 9:51-62

The evening I was ordained priest, I distinctly remember feeling an immediate overwhelming sense of responsibility. In the first section of what is known as the Examination, the Bishop addresses the ordinand and says, “All baptized people are called to make Christ known as Savior and Lord, . . . ” At the end of a long series of roles the priest is to fulfill, the bishop asks, “do you believe that you are truly called by God and his Church to this priesthood?” The ordinand answers, “I believe I am so called.”

I clearly remember thinking, “Of course I’m called to this and more, whatever you desire Lord.” I was so enthusiastic and filled with hopeful energy that nothing seemed too difficult to take on. And then the weight of what I had been tasked hit me.

To be honest the sense of responsibility may have been more acute that night, but it had begun many years earlier. I remember thinking about 30 years earlier in Sewanee, as I sat in the auditorium, we affectionately called the Pit, watching a fellow student preach, thinking, “What if I get it wrong? I didn’t feel well versed in the scriptures or doctrine and I remember thinking, everyone here is so much smarter than me. I began to question if I should even be there. You see preaching is much like teaching. On a good day a sermon opens the eyes and ears of the listener to see or hear meaning in the readings that they may never have considered. On a better day the preacher hears the Holy Spirit speak and learns something herself. It should challenge the listener to think, to wonder, to question.

That’s very much the same thing that a teacher or a mentor does. It’s who Jesus was in many respects with the disciples and those who followed him as he preached, healed, and taught. As the disciples were swept up in their enthusiastic passion for Jesus, he tried to interpret Hebrew scriptures and explain to them how they applied to their lives. He also tried to impress on them that the life they’ve chosen will be hard and that there could be no turning back. Whether right or wrong, misguided or on-point, they wouldn’t have the luxury to look back. The kind of singlemindedness that Jesus required was a matter of accepting who they had been chosen to be and then living into that way of being. “Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’”

I recently saw a quote from Brene’ Brown, that read: “Give up who you thought you were supposed to be, and accept who you are created to be.” Once you’ve set your course stick with it. If you believed it was worth the chance that you might be wrong, it’s worth not turning back. It’s worth having trust and faith that even when we get something wrong, we also manage to get something right along the way, too.

 Faithfully,

Sally+

Questions for Reflection and Challenge: How many opportunities have you passed up because you might be hurt? Or, you might be ridiculed? Or, you might be wrong? How many times might you have made a difference?