Author: Dave Burchett

(This is a reprint from the iPod Devotional that is posted every Monday at theFish.com)

I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving.

My lovely bride Joni loves pottery so one of my “sacrificial” ways to love her is to accompany her to pottery shops. Guys refer to that as “hitting behind the runner” or “taking the charge”. On a visit to scenic Waco eldest son Matt and daughter-in-love Holly took us to a working craft village called Homestead Heritage. If you visit Central Texas this hidden treasure is worth a trip for the restaurant alone. It is a delightful array of shops that features a working gristmill, cloth weaving and spinning wheels, a real forge and a pottery shed. I was fascinated by the open work area of the pottery shop. There were several artisans making vases and pots right before my eyes. Behind me were shelves of the finished products -colorful and beautiful and functional.

I watched a potter take a nondescript lump of clay and skillfully make an unique and beautiful creation. The verse from Isaiah came to mind.

O Lord, you are our Father.
      We are the clay, and you are the potter.
      We all are formed by your hand.  (Isaish 64:8, NIV)

Suddenly that verse came to life. But the complexity of the potter’s work and her skills made the metaphor really connect for the first time. The forming of the raw material into unique forms is just the beginning of the process. That is how it is with us as unique creations of our Father. He forms us by His hand. Like the pottery in that shop, everyone of us is an original. Sometimes we feel like the nondescript lump that the potter drops on the wheel. But the potter knows there is beauty in that lump of clay just waiting to be developed. Our process is also complex and it has just begun when we first submit to shaping by the Potter’s Hands.

The potter must make sure that no dirt or impurities are in the clay as he forms the pot. If he finds those impurities he carefully removes them before finishing the shaping. These bad materials will make the pot weak and not useful for it’s intended purpose. God desires to do the same with us. Impurities (sin) weaken us and keep us from our intended purpose.

The potter must also make sure that air bubbles don’t remain in the clay. Air bubbles can cause the pot to crack when the heat is applied in the kiln. I thought of those air bubbles as pockets of resistance in my life. When I must control my destiny and I won’t trust God. I can appear to be molded to God’s direction. But I have “bubbles” of pride and anger and control. These bubbles of self can cause me to crack under fire.

The metaphors that Scripture uses are so powerful when we take the time to understand context and culture. I realized that the pot on the potter’s wheel is beautiful but essentially useless when it is initially formed. At this point the piece is called greenware and it is extremely brittle and easily breakable. Two things need to happen to make the pot strong and usable. The clay must go through the fire of the kiln to be strengthened and it must be glazed. An article on pottery at Wikipedia had an interesting parallel to the spiritual metaphor.

Pottery is made by forming a clay body into objects of a required shape and heating them to high temperatures in a kiln to induce reactions that lead to permanent changes, including increasing their strength and hardening and setting their shape.

Trials by fire can have that same effect on us as followers of Jesus. Trials can make us stronger and set our shape as His followers. Or the fire of life’s trials can cause us to crack and make us useless for His plan.

I realized that I am just beginning to really understand that process in my life. I would be content to stay in my greenware state, brittle and not useful for service. But God knows that it is in the fire that we are strengthened and made useful. It is in the heat of trials that the true beauty of our creative process is revealed. And every instance of significant growth in my life has been in the fire of adversity.

There are a couple of  huge differences between the earthly potter and God as the Potter. When the earthly potter finds a bad piece of clay he will often just discard it. Our Heavenly Potter patiently works with us even when we seem unshapeable and worthless. If careless handling or air bubbles cause an unfired pot to break the pieces are discarded. Only our Heavenly Father can take the shards of brokenness and make a pot more beautiful and useful than before.

The words of James made more sense in the context of the Potter’s process.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. (James 1:2–3, NIV)

There is no joy in the trial but there is joy in the knowledge of how God uses such events in our lives. If you are in the trial or facing a trial be comforted that God desires for you to emerge strengthened and beautiful and useful. One potter said that the greatest thing about making pots is that each lump of clay has near-infinite potential. The lump of clay that is me and the lump of clay that is you has infinite potential because we have an infinite God that is patient and good. I pray that we will allow Him to shape us in His image. I pray that we will confess the impurity of sin and ask Him to remove it. I pray that we will burst the bubbles of self that control us. I pray that we will trust the Heavenly Potter as we enter the fire. And most of all I pray that we will not fear the process that God uses to make us beautiful and useful creations. Yield to the Potter and see how beautiful the result can be.

I cut my spiritual teeth in legalism but I knew there had to be a better way. I regularly demonstrated Paul’s Roman treatise that the law inflames the sin nature. My brazen combo of playing high school basketball on Wednesday prayer meeting nights and reading (gasp) the Living Bible nearly resulted in excommunication. I remember one seasoned saint self-righteously telling me that he only read God’s original Word. I asked him if he read the Hebrew or Greek texts. He looked at me like a Golden Retriever hearing a high pitched sound.

We believed that we really were to be a “peculiar’ people. And we nailed it. We were spectacularly peculiar. We were so peculiar that most folks steered a wide path around our judgmental brand of faith.

I thought of that verse from Titus that our pastor often referenced just in case our guilt meter was not peaking.

Who (Christ Jesus) gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2, King James Bible)

We were to be a peculiar people. And we were indeed zealous of our moralist definition of peculiar. Peculiar meant no smoking, no alcohol, no movies, no dancing, no gambling, no cards, no bingo (those Catholics!), no immodest clothing, no jewelry, no makeup, no swearing and no fun. Especially no fun. Seriously. No fun.

But a look at the passage in a slightly later translation shows a bit more context.

For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. (Titus 2, NLT)

Hmmmm. Verily, even the King James version doth acknowledge God’s grace. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” We are to be “peculiar” not by making a big deal of what we don’t do. We are to be peculiar by living in (not apart from) this evil world with wisdom, righteousness and devotion to God. We are to be “peculiar” by recognizing what Christ has done to give us a new identity and power over sin. We are to be “peculiar” by gratefully surrendering to Christ and being committed to good works. That, my friends, is peculiar in a self-centered culture.

We have missed the mark so badly by isolating ourselves into Christian bunkers and only venturing out to buy provisions. We are called to trust God to live in this world with devotion to Him.

All of this came to mind, oddly, after my beloved Texas Rangers won the first playoff series from Tampa Bay. Star outfielder Josh Hamilton is a committed Christian. (You can watch his I Am Second story here) He appreciates God’s grace because Josh was rescued from the depths of hell and restored to health, to his family and to the game he loves. Josh Hamilton is an addict. His addiction nearly killed him. He knows that everyday he must trust God and others with his life or he could fall. That is true for all of us. Josh Hamilton just lives it every day.

He suffered one relapse during an off-season moment of weakness. He did what all followers of Christ should do. Take responsibility. Repent. Seek forgiveness and return to our source of strength. Those simple steps would short-circuit a lot of charges of hypocrisy and those steps would emphasize that our righteousness is not about our behavior. Our righteousness is because of Jesus and the gift of grace. Here is a snippet of Josh’s response to that moment.

“I’m embarrassed about it. For the Rangers, I’m embarrassed about it. For my wife, my kids,” Hamilton said then. “It’s one of those things that just reinforces about alcohol. Unfortunately, it happened. It just reinforces to me that if I’m out there getting ready for a season and taking my focus off the most important thing in my recovery, which is my relationship with Christ, it’s amazing how those things creep back in.”

Because of his history, Josh Hamilton had discretely excused himself from the division title winning post game champagne and beer celebration in Oakland. He could not take a chance to be tempted. He made no demands. He did not make himself a martyr because he could not partake. He didn’t feel sorry for himself. He just did what he had to do to “live in this world with wisdom”.

Fast forward to Tuesday night in Tampa Bay. When Hamilton peeked in the clubhouse he witnessed one of the most heartwarming moments in recent years. His teammates all had bottles of ginger ale and they deluged their teammate with a shower of respect, love and grace. Josh had lived the truths without self-righteous posturing and his teammates recognized that.

After the ginger ale celebration the regular champagne flowed as Josh retreated to the hallways outside. Josh Hamilton has given the rest of us a little primer on how we navigate our world by how he lives out his faith in the pressure cooker of performance.

Focus on the grace of God who brought us salvation and new identity in Christ. Turn (personally) from godless living and sinful pleasures without condemning others who have yet to understand or experience God’s grace. Live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness and devotion to God.

We are His people and from that we are to be totally committed to doing good deeds. I am proud of my Texas Rangers and their first round win. But I am also very proud of their post-game honoring of a teammate who demonstrated that you can be “peculiar” without being weird. People will notice that.

A recent breakfast with my friend Bruce McNicol continues to mess with my mind. Bruce asked me a couple of thought provoking questions and they continue to bounce around my cranium. Yeah, I know there is lots of room. I was sitting there innocently enjoying my oatmeal and catching up on mutual friends when he dropped one of the questions on me.

“If grace based theology as the way to live out the Christian life is true then why is it not more popular in the church?”

That may be a paraphrase but that is the essence of his query. That is a great question. I have been swept away by grace. My life, my ministry, my marriage and my relationship with Jesus have been transformed. Yep…it has been that dramatic. So why aren’t there more revelers on the grace train? And why are so many afraid to even board that train and take a ride? I think part of the answer is control. When you lean on grace you surrender control and hopping on a train that you are not exactly sure where it is going is not real appealing to many Christians. I will address that thought in another post.

One of the first analogies I thought about when Bruce asked that question came from football. Perhaps that is because I am a television director and college football is the current gig. Perhaps it is simply because my brain is not wired to factory specs. But this idea popped in my mind. A lot of football teams play a defense that is called the prevent defense. That style of defense is designed to allow the opponent short yardage gains as it tries to prevent big plays and long touchdowns. The theory is that if you can force the other team to settle for short gains they will eventually make a mistake, get called for a penalty or simply fail to get the yardage needed.

I thought about the opponent we line up against as followers of Christ. It occurred to me that Satan played a kind of “prevent” defense in my spiritual journey for many years. It was almost like the Enemy was willing to give up short gains of spiritual growth and ministry as long as I focused on my own efforts to keep grinding out more gains. Satan, like a good defensive coordinator, believed that I would make a mistake and then he could pounce on my miscue and cause a costly turnover. My failure would cause me to doubt myself, my commitment and my worth. When I made a mistake Satan’s play by play announcer would broadcast loudly in my head.

“You have failed again. Jesus must be really disappointed with this effort but He certainly is not surprised. Dave, you have been a disappointing member of the team since you joined.”

Or my past performances might cause me to be tentative and fearful. The announcer always chimed in.

“Certainly no reason to expect victory from Dave this time. He has failed over and over in this very situation. To be honest, I am not sure why Jesus even keeps him around.”

The goal line of joy and freedom and peace seemed more and more difficult to reach. Finally I was happy just to make a short gain now and then. I seldom sustained a lengthy drive of positive spiritual gains. 

But then I discovered a new offense. A game plan that Satan can’t defend. When I lined up with grace there was no way for the Enemy to keep me from the goal of freedom and joy. Instead of grinding out each painful yard with begrudging self-effort I simply followed the lead block of the Spirit and ran with confidence. I remembered my team identity and the power that was promised from that association. I believed that I would be victorious not because of my skill but because of Christ.

Maybe the analogy is a stretch. But I think there is something to consider in the idea that Satan “gives” us little gains and tries really hard to stop the big ones. I believe that grace scares the Enemy more that anything we do because grace relies on surrender and trust. My self-effort against the ruler of this world is a long shot. My surrendered life to Jesus is a sure shot. Jesus has fought this battle and won. Why we would we not depend on His gameplan to reach the goal?

So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.  (Hebrews 4, NLT)

“Be the kind of physician that you would want to have if you were sick.” With these words, Dr. Arnold P. Gold welcomed the incoming class of medical students at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons last month. As thrilled parents looked on, 168 young men and women sat expectantly in the school’s auditorium, their white coats folded over their arms, each waiting to be called to the front of the room and “cloaked” by a senior physician. This marked the 18th annual White Coat Ceremony at Columbia.”

Dr.Sally Satel wrote those words in the Wall Street Journal as she observed a growing tradition in America’s medical schools. The “cloaking” is a symbolic way to remind the physicians going forth to serve their patients and do no harm. Dr. Satel continued her piece.

Dr. Gold, a white-haired and avuncular pediatric neurologist, popularized the practice years ago because, he said, “medical students were becoming enamored of technology and were losing the important aspects of human relationships with patients.” Columbia’s chaplain referred to the coats as “cloaks of compassion.”

I am sure that some are skeptical or even mocking of the gesture. But I believe in the power of symbolism and I am sure I would be moved by that ceremony. I am also sure I could never get through med school. The article led me to consider a similar ceremony that might have some power for followers of Jesus. A “cloaking” ceremony might be a powerful way to illustrate to new believers in Christ what happens when they are delivered by faith.

Many (if not most) of us come to the Cross because we desperately feel the need for a Savior. We have lived a life of selfishness and sin. Some of us have made terrible decisions with consequences that painfully hurt ourselves and others. We cry out for hope. We realize how completely we have failed to live a life that could be acceptable to a Holy God. We fall at the feet of grace and gratefully accept the free gift of salvation.

And this is where the “cloaking” idea could have symbolic power. What if every new believer were brought forward and “cloaked” with a robe of righteousness? Most would protest that they did not deserve to wear such a luxurious garment. Most would point out that they had done nothing to earn being wrapped in this beautiful robe that represented justification and forgiveness. And that would be the very point of being cloaked in this symbolic robe of righteousness. They had done absolutely nothing to deserve this gift of grace other than surrendering their control and self to Christ. All of those objections would be true yet they had been clothed in this beautiful robe. You wear the robe because of grace.  

Jesus gave us an amazing picture of justification by faith in the story of the prodigal son. The son rebelled, sinned, and suffered the horrible consequences of his actions. The son realized his sin and in humble desperation decided to throw himself at the mercy of his father. The imagery is compelling. The father runs to him. His act was a gesture of love and forgiveness but also to protect his precious child from the judgment of others. 

And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’

“But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began. (Luke 15, NLT)

The Father placed the finest robe on his wayward son who deserved nothing after his selfish and sinful actions. In the cultural context readers would have surmised that the “finest robe” was the father’s own robe that he placed on his son. The robe that was worn on the most special of occasions. The custom would have been for the son to bathe, put on clean clothes and then put on the robe. But in a stunning gesture of compassion, the father placed his robe over the filthy garments. By “cloaking” his wayward son, the father gave him a covering of acceptance and salvation. And the father also let everyone know that the son was forgiven, accepted and no longer to be condemned by others who had judged his behavior.

The story is the same today. The Father ran to forgive you when you acknowledged your sin and need. While you were still dirty and clothed in filthy garments you were forgiven, accepted, justified and wrapped in the robe of righteousness. You were declared a saint because of Christ. And you were no longer condemned. Satan would have you forget that the robe of righteousness is wrapped lovingly around you. The author of lies would remind you that you still wear dirty clothing. He would suggest that you need to set aside the robe until you clean up yourself and your garments. That is the power of this story. The robe of righteousness is never earned. It is a gift of grace. On my worst day the Father wraps me up in this precious garment because of His Son Jesus.

How differently we would live if we remembered that truth every day. I am a saint. I am wrapped in the robe of righteousness. Christian “cloaking” would be a great ceremony to teach new believers their identity in Christ. But maybe it is more important to remind us old saints that we are also new creatures who are forgiven, accepted, and wrapped in this incomprehensible gift of grace.

Maybe if trusted that truth we could also model the last part of verse twenty-four in Luke’s passage.

So…the party began.