Lent Reflections: Wednesday, March 19, 2014 Jeremiah 18:1-8, 18-20; Psalm 31:9-16; Matthew 20:17-28 The lyrics of the song “Change My Heart” are: Change my heart, O God. Make it ever true. Change my heart, O God. May I be like you. You are the potter; I am the clay. Mold me and make me; this is what I pray. God says to Jeremiah, “Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as the potter has done?” That is, can God not re-shape His people by tearing them down or building them up anew? The answer seems to be an obvious yes. But He also says, “If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.” It would appear that being transformed is inevitable. The question is whether we submit to the process or resist it. In Matthew, the mother of the Zebedee brothers asks that Jesus give them places of honor in his kingdom. He denies the request and the other disciples are indignant. So Jesus explains that the usual ideas of authority and honor are earthly constructs. In fact, his mere presence indicates a radical shift in what it means to be powerful, influential, and important. According to Jesus, “whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.” We cannot control tomorrow or God. We can submit to the process, to the moment, to be transformed. We can repent of the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf. We can seek justice. We can serve others with humility and gratitude. Because it is in serving, that we are shaped according to the Potter’s hands. It is in following Christ that we love him. Nick Taylor and Alicia Emerson have been at St. James’ since August 2011. Their son, Caden, was baptized at St. James’ in January 2013. Nick is an engineer at JPL in La Cañada. Alicia is a piano teacher, singer and stay-at-home mom.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 12:45:25 +0000
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