I posted on the Renovation of the Heart book blog today...

Willard says on page 120:

"When Jesus said to the man by the pool of Bethesda, waiting for the angel to stir the water, "Wilt thou be made whole?" he was not just passing the time of day (John 5:6)...This man had been in his impotent condition for thirty-eight years! If made whole, he would have to deal with a "career change" of immense proportions. To all his relatives and acquaintences he would no longer be "the one whom we take to the pool every day to wait for the angel." He would now be...What?..."

"But, really, this man's problem was nothing compared to an individual undergoing the transformation of his feelings (emotions, sensations, desires) from those he learned in the home, school, and playground as he grew up to those that characterize the inner being of Jesus Christ...He will not be always on the hunt to satisfy his lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). No wonder he has no real idea of who he will be; and he must content himself with the mere identity: "apprentice of Jesus." That is the starting point from which his new identity will emerge, and it is in fact powerful enough to bear the load."

For the past week, a few of us in our community have been talking about identity. For me it began as I relooked at my roles as a pastor, and attempted to ask the question "What is my job?" I discovered that my job is primarily (or chieflly) to be a disciple of Jesus. All other aspects of my identity as a "pastor" flow from that new name - Apprentice. Similarly, in the process of redefining and reshaping our inner selves, our external selves, and the community of "selves" that is the church, this simple re-identification is crutial. Jesus takes first place; he gets the first word. "The earth was void and formless and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." In a very real way, we have been "crippled" by our earthly formation. As the healing begins, learning how to walk again is the least of our worries. The journey ahead is overwhelming and precisely why we are incapable of renaming and reforming ourselves. "Apprentice" is kind of like the blue or pink blanket the nurse wraps a newborn in before it is returned to its mother. It's "one-size-fits-all". The permanent clothes, name, identity come later.