A friend of mine in seminary came from a long career in the Navy.
She was the seventh woman trained as a Navy pilot, and is featured in a book on women pilots published by the Smithsonian.
She had been a base commander at Key West, and worked for many years in the Pentagon.
The next step in her career was to become Admiral.
One day she found herself drawn to attend the lay school of theology at Virginia Seminary,
which in turn led her into a discernment process for ministry.
She never became an admiral.
Instead, she is the Rector of a small church in Virginia.
She who loses her life
Will find it.
CS Lewis spent the early years of his life creating an entire fantasy world called Boxen.
When he wasn't playing in Boxen he was reading mythology - Norse, Greek, Celtic, Arthurian legends, any kind of other-worldly experience he could find.
As he grew older, served in World War I, and eventually began his life work as an academic, Boxen and the joy he had experienced in it fell into the background.
He had rejected Christianity at an early age,
but coaxed along by friends such as JRR Tolkein,
CS Lewis rediscovered faith in Christ, and when he did so, he found the Joy he had left behind.
He who loses his life
Will find it.
There was a man by the name of David Wilkerson - a southern country preacher in a small Pentecostal church,
like so many one finds in the small towns of the south.
David became aware of the problems in New York - this was in the 1950's - he read in the paper about the gangs that were running wild….the violence, the drugs, the hopelessness,
and he began to pray for these gang members.
One day David got in his car and drove to New York - he had never before been beyond the Mason-Dixon line.
This country preacher went into the areas where the gangs hung out, and began to talk to them about Christ, living in his car on the streets of New York.
It took him a long time to make inroads - but he finally did, and the result of his work is a ministry called Teen Challenge, which today still has the highest success rate of any drug rehabilitation program.
He who loses his life will find it.
Three stories of people who became disciples - became those who are called, who follow, and who stick with the program.
Each one of them had a good, fulfilling life…
And then they began to feel the tug of the Holy Spirit…
And they gave up what they had, in order to gain something much more valuable.
In today's readings we continue the summer's theme of discipleship
Last week we heard the story of Peter, and how his foray into discipleship was about to take a very powerful turn, as Jesus proclaimed him the Rock upon which to build his church.
We also heard Paul's admonition in the 12th chapter of Romans, to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God.
Today, Lets backtrack a little to get the context of Paul's instructions -
Paul's letter to the Romans is an explanation of the entire concept of Justification by Faith -
That wonderful doctrine that teaches us that our salvation is based only on faith in Christ -that it is Christ's sacrifice upon the cross for our sins,
and his rising again to new life that enables us to be set free from sin, and be restored to fellowship with God.
We do not save ourselves by being good people or doing righteous acts;
we are saved by grace, through faith in the Son of God.
We have been set free, as Paul said, from the Law of Sin and Death, not of our own doing, it is a gift from God.
One time a teacher at a Lutheran seminary asked his class, "Because we are justified by faith, you don't need to do anything to earn your salvation,
So what are you going to do now?
It is a question that can take a lifetime to answer. What will we do that there absolutely is nothing we can do to finesse that gift?
Perhaps the beginning of that answer lies in Jesus' teaching to his disciples - if you want to follow me, pick up your cross - lose your life, if you want to save it.
What does it mean to lose our lives in the practical day - to-day living as a disciple of Jesus Christ?
Paul begins that answer in the 12th chapter of Romans -
First - offer yourself as a living sacrifice.
Next: Use your gifts to support the work of the church.
Then: Love one another genuinely. Another translation says, love one another without hypocrisy.
And finally, do something tangible with that love in order to serve the Lord.
Paul takes Jesus' theme of self-denial, and brings it into the setting of community life.
Because he knows that we cannot live out our lives as disciples fully until we do so in the context of rubbing shoulders with others around us.
That is the meaning of the Body of Christ. We live for one another, and at the same time, live for Christ.
Here, at the beginning of September, in what is in many ways more practically the beginning of a new year than January 1st,
We have a good opportunity to ponder how we might take our own discipleship to the next level.
Here at St. James, as we all know, there are many ways of serving the Lord.
If you have not yet found your place of service, I encourage you to live out this calling to lose your life,
by taking on some form of service.
Opportunities abound.
Go with the Godly Grill to Collington Square next Saturday.
Sign up to be trained as a Godly Play teacher,
or help out in Sunday School, or Youth Group.
Sing in the choir. Help Val with Children's choirs.
Sign up to be one of those who serve in our worship services: altar guild, readers, ushers, acolytes…
And for all who have been serving for many years, thank you. Thank you for being willing to let go of other things you could do with your time, talent and treasure and spending them joyfully for the sake of the gospel.
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