January 17, 2025
Formation and Reformation
In worship this past Sunday, we heard God’s Word read and proclaimed which invited us to follow the example of those who were willing to do “hard things” for the sake of God’s work in the world. After worship we heard words which invited us to rethink how we “make” disciples—forming people into faithful followers of Christ. Together, this raises the question of how the people in the scripture who were willing to do those “hard things” (even Gentiles of unknown belief) were formed? How is it that some people are open to hearing, trusting, and the following the guidance of God and other people are not?
What we know about human beings, and their formation in general, is that we learn inductively first and deductively later. Children can learn before they are verbal. That is because a human child is born with an innate talent to watch and imitate. If the child imitates improperly, they are often corrected until their imitation is more appropriate or acceptable.
Think about this for a moment: we say the Pledge of Allegiance before we have any idea what it all means. In some ways, even once we are verbal, the actions of a hand over our heart while viewing an American Flag provides the primary meaning: our country is special, this flag symbolizes our country, so we show how special our country is by how we treat the flag. The words, their meaning, and what those words represent, all come over the years that follow. What we don’t do is wait until a child is an adolescent and has learned our nation’s history, and its political and economic philosophies, and then ask them, “Would you like to pledge allegiance to the flag?” In the same way, we bless our food before children at the table understand the importance of food, the value of nutrition, and how fortunate they are to have abundant food when so many in the world don’t have enough. Actions do speak louder than words. As we age, the congruence of words and actions become more important, identifying what we call integrity.
This Sunday we celebrate Jesus’s baptism by John. We also will read of Samaritans who had been baptized in water but not Spirit, who receive the Spirit through the laying on of the Apostles’ hands. As the baptized, we are to be imitators of Christ, born of water and Spirit into new life. And though the gospel depictions of Jesus help us to imitate Christ, more powerful are the examples of our faithful sisters and brothers living out their baptisms as examples of being willing to do hard things for the sake of promoting the gospel.
Admittedly, we often fall short. And so, we are in ongong need of being re-formed, constantly trying to realign ourselves with the work of the Spirit in the world and in our lives. This Sunday we explore the last event of Jesus’s formation and preparation for his ministry. May we take pause to give thanks for all those who have formed our faith through their lives and examples, and remind ourselves that our formation is never done. Equally importantly, may it remind us that we are forming people in their faith by our example. Might we all consider this privilege with great humility as well as confidence in the Sprit’s work in and though us, that we might live our faith with integrity.
Of Jesus it was said by God, “You are my Son, the Beloved One.” Of us may it be said by Jesus, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” To this end, might we pray that we live into all the hard things it may be required of us in the year that is now before us.
With confidence in Christ,
~ Pastor Todd
P.S. I have two sets of copies of Paul Hoffman’s books on faith formation. Feel free to borrow them from me. I thought this might be easier than hunting for them in our church’s library bookshelves.