Purpose, Primacy and Changing Seasons

Today the verse for reflection is from John 3:22-30 NIV:

[22] "After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. [23] Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. [24] (This was before John was put in prison.) [25] An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. [26] They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan---the one you testified about---look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

[27] To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. [28] You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ [29] The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. [30] He must become greater; I must become less.”

The retreat guide I have been working through has two good questions to consider, pertaining to these verses, specially verses 27-30:
1) How have I demonstrated such freedom and other-centeredness?
2) Where in my life do I still need to let go of excessive self-preoccupation and control?

I am so encouraged by John's ability to see and understand his role, and Christ's primacy. He didn't grasp for power, get threatened by Jesus entering ministry, even envy his success. He knew his role was to prepare the way. He wasn't worried about his reward, his recognition, or any accolades. There is a definite maturity to his understanding and expression of his role.

In my mind its all about primacy and purpose. John knew where he fit, knew his call and purpose, and recognized the movement of God and the new season that was dawning in his ministry. I was thinking of an analogy of a professional pitcher whose role is the setup pitcher. His job is to prepare for the closing pitcher. That is his job, and he hands over the ball once he has accomplished his task. I am sure he would like to finish pitching, or pitch more innings, but his purpose and role is clear. John knew his role was to prepare the way for the Lord and had accomplished that task. He wasn't emptying himself , but had rather fulfilled his role and knew that the time had come to allow Jesus to become the focus. His role was secondary to Jesus, and he understood that.

I was just thinking about the unique privilege John had as the last of the old testament prophets, he actually got to meet the Messiah, actually saw and interacted with the one He was preparing the way for. I could just imagine the joy he felt when He baptized Jesus and saw and heard the Father's and the Holy Spirit's interaction. I bet he was ready to hand over everything right then. It makes me wonder how I would respond if the Lord really showed up at church, and whether I would willing hand over the reins? I think that is a struggle that many churches have, the need for control and the desire to follow a plan, regardless of whether the Lord is moving or not. My prayer for us all would be that when the Lord shows up, that we react with joy and celebration and a willingness to enable His ministry. In reality we are all set-up pitchers, preparing the way for The One who is or Savior. It is not about us, it is about Him, but that does not diminish our role, responsibility or importance.

On a slightly different take, I like what Bill Johnson has to say about verse 30, which is sometimes turned into a prayer - 'less of me, more of Him'. Bill says that is a wrong prayer, as we should be praying all of me and all of Jesus. We often times get the idea from a mis-interpretation of this verse, that we need to suppress our personality and uniqueness and become solely like Christ. Bill's point is that Christ created us unique for a purpose and he wouldn't suppress that uniqueness, or ask us to become mini replicas of Himself. Jesus wants us to be all ourselves, fulfilling the purpose and plans He has for us, while at the same time being filled completely with Him, so that we actually have the power and strength to do the things He has called us to do.

Finally, another thought that relates to these verses is the recognition of a new season, and willingly adjusting to the new season. Many of us struggle with change, and do not welcome the call to adjust our ways to the new season we find ourselves in. This is true in ministry and in life. When the Lord is doing something new, we must not cling to the old ways, old patterns of thoughts or actions. We must recognize and embrace the new reality and learn to live in this new reality. Sometimes, the new is radically different than the old, which does not negate the old, but is simply something new to be embraced. If we had to move from one house to another, because our job was relocated, we don't have to feel Ike the old house was bad, but rather we just have a new house to live in. Sometimes the Lord moves us, or calls us to change our ways, and we need to be ready to welcome the change or move.

I was just thinking about how personal change, as directed by the Lord, is a bit like renovating a kitchen. Sometimes you have to gut the kitchen and rebuild from the studs and joists, other times you can just replace cabinet faces and handles, but either way it looks new. God in His mercy is constantly working with us to shape and grow us into mature believers who understand our roles and purposes, and to attain that will require personal change, so we might as well learn to embrace the change the Lord brings.