Final Session of the MSM Course

St. Andrew's Church, Langley Mill

The Mission Shaped Ministry course is a year long course for people intentional about leading Fresh Expressions of Church. We have had 15 people on the course and all bar 1 turned out today for the final sessions and the commissioning. I led the session on 'Leading a Fresh Expression into Maturity' while Tim Mitchell led the session on Youth.

The commissioning was a very moving occasion and each student received the laying on of hands from the delivery team who were joined by Loraine Mellor, chair of the Methodist District.

 

© Roger G Johnson 2013

Bulletin 280 – Letting go

One of my favourite Bible passages can be found in John’s Gospel chapter 21 verses 15 to 19. The passage is entitled in the NIV as ‘Jesus reinstates Peter’ because it is seen as the time when Peter was ready to give up on discipleship and leadership but Jesus had other ideas for him.

Letting go of regrets and failure
It’s true that Peter had a lot to be ashamed of. He was the one who recognised that Jesus was the only person worth following (John 6:68). He was the one who said he was prepared to die for Jesus and would never disown him (Mark 14:31). It was Peter who again assured Jesus of his loyalty only to be told by Jesus that the opposite would happen (Luke 22:33,34). It was Peter who, even after seeing the empty tomb, decided to go back to the trade in which he had previous found security – fishing (John 21:3).

It was little wonder that Jesus, in this intimate conversation, reminded Peter of his former self when he called him Simon son of John, a name that he had turned his back on after his great confession of faith (Matthew 16:17-18). Jesus had bestowed on him much praise and promised a position of leadership in the church. All this seems like a pipe-dream now for Peter – but not for Jesus. I can’t imagine the pain that Peter must have experienced as Jesus asked him three times, ‘do you love me?’ But it was a necessary process if Peter was to let go of his past in order to embrace the future.

Letting go of past security
It is quite common for people when under pressure to revert to doing the things they feel most comfortable doing. Some people make a habit of this and find it hard to complete the more stressful tasks, leaving their in-tray with a growing pile of unwelcome jobs. Psychologists use the term ‘deferred gratification’ where they suggest to such people that they should tackle the unpleasant tasks first, leaving the jobs they like until later.

Peter went back to his old trade of fishing, not for something to do but because he felt in charge. That was until Jesus showed up and added a higher level of expertise (John 21:6).

If we really want to progress in life we need to let go of things which gave us security in the past. St. Paul puts it like this – ‘When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.’ (1 Corinthians 13:11)

Letting go of self-reliance
One of the hardest things that Christians have to learn is how to trust entirely in God for all aspects of life. A famous verse in the Old Testament says this ‘For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ (Jeremiah 29:11) None of us is left drifting aimlessly through life and each of us can fulfill our potential as children of God – if we let it happen. Sometimes life throws up real problems and challenges but even these are a stepping stone to greater maturity.

Jesus didn’t tell Peter to go and get a masters degree or undertake assertiveness training. He simply left him with two words which are key to discipleship – ‘Follow me’ (John 21:19). Discipleship is not based on academic achievement, physical well-being or self-confidence. Instead it is based on our ability to fully trust God for everything.

Conclusion
I think we can all benefit from reading this passage in John 21 and placing ourselves in Peter’s shoes. We all have regrets and failures to come to terms with. We all like to do what comes naturally. We all like to be self-reliant rather than putting our trust in an unseen God. In this season of Advent it is worth asking ourselves ‘are we ready for the challenge of the coming of Jesus?’ Christmas is not only a time of joy. It is also a time of asking ourselves how we would respond if we stood in that stable looking at the new born baby. Would we see what the shepherds and wise men saw – and commit ourselves wholeheartedly to the King of Kings?