Teaching the Tradition

by Cassandra D. Carkuff Williams

Christian discipleship began with vocation, with the "call" of Jesus to some fishermen.
Jesus's call was a call to relationship: "Come, follow me." Whether among first-generation
Jewish followers of the Way, third-generation entile Christians in !sia "inor, or twenty-
first-century Western church fol#, discipleship is grounded in the calling to relationship with
od through Jesus.
$n the summer following second grade $ had a consuming crush on a boy named %ruce.
While $ barely registered on the status meter of elementary-school social hierarchy, %ruce
was &uite popular, and try as $ might $ could not get him to return my affections. 'n warm
afternoons $ would hi#e down by the cool cree# that ran beside our yard, thin#ing about
%ruce. 'ne day $ pic#ed a daisy and began pluc#ing the petals, reciting, "(e loves me. (e
loves me not." $ convinced myself that if $ ended on "(e loves me," %ruce would magically
return my ardor. )luc#ing the final petal, $ shivered with e*citement, "(e loves me+" and
yet, his sentiments didn't change.
"agic cannot create relationship. $n fact, magical thin#ing impedes relationship. Whenever
we participate in activities designed to induce another to act, thin#, or feel a certain way, we
are engaging in magic, precluding relationship by turning the other into an "it" rather than a
"who." ,et it is surprising how easily magic creeps into Christianity.
When $ find myself feeling disillusioned about -unday mornings $ often wonder when
worship as celebration became "going to church" as an act of obedience that appeases od.
$f we approach worship, %ible reading, participation in rituals, financial donation, or other
"religious activities" as attempts to win od's favor, they become magic, every bit as much
as dancing around a fire chanting incantations on moonlit nights. $f, on the other hand, we
approach these practices as ways to spend time with od, then we are involved in
relationship.
.elationships are powerful. $ recall a friend who had been all "pric#les and burrs" in
seminary. (is anger was notorious among the students, and his hostility fre&uently erupted
in tirades against professors. (e didn/t 0ust have anger1he was an angry person. $
developed a friendship with this man when we wor#ed on a pro0ect together. $ learned that
he had had a damaging upbringing and had recently e*perienced a difficult ending to an
incompatible marriage. 2hese relationships had left him in a perpetual state of
defensiveness. $ wondered at graduation time how he would fare in ministry or, more
pointedly, how a church would fare in his hands. ! decade later $ was leading a seminar
when $ noticed my old angry friend among the participants. 2he face was familiar, but $ saw
differences beyond those made by the passage of years. !t brea# time $ connected with my
pric#ly friend. 'nly he wasn/t pric#ly anymore. (e radiated a gracious, gentle spirit and
laughed easily, in a way that seemed to celebrate sheer 0oy in life. !s we were spea#ing,
some people 0oined us, and he introduced me to a small entourage from his church. 2hese
people obviously adored him. (is final introduction was of a gentle-faced woman with whom
he e*changed loo#s of obvious devotion. "2his is my wife," he said, beaming. 2he cause of
the difference was clear. 2his man's relationships with his church members and with his wife
had created a safe place within which he could reclaim his inner #indness and 0oy.
.elationships with others have the power to change us.
2he power of human relationships offers a mere glimpse of the capacity of relationship with
od in Jesus to transform us. Jesus promised us "an !dvocate, the -pirit of truth," who
abides with us and in us 3John 45:467489. 2his indwelling -pirit ma#es possible a
transformation of self that affects all of our other relationships. 'ur primary vocation to be
in relationship with od, which was redeemed for us by Jesus, ma#es possible restoration
and renewal.
!s most of us #now from e*perience, this oneness of self is neither a static state nor one
fully achieved in earthly life. :n#ind people, challenging circumstances, and habitual self-
denigration all conspire to rob us of the relationship with ourselves made possible through
od/s grace. !gain and again we need the -pirit to remind us who we are and to empower
us to grow toward what the second-generation )auline communities called "the measure of
the full stature of Christ" 3;ph. 5:4<9.
=iscipleship is grounded in the primary vocation of redeemed relationship with od through
Jesus. ! foundational &uestion for discipleship formation then is this: (ow do we teach
vocation>
;ducation is an invitational endeavor. We cannot compel, manipulate, or otherwise coerce
people to enter into relationship with any sub0ect matter. !s relationship with od is the
primary vocation of discipleship, the principal e*perience for discipleship formation is
encounter with od through Jesus.
When $ was a pastor $ was blessed to serve in a community that had a remar#able
ecumenical ethos. 'ne summer night we gathered as several denominations in the
)resbyterian fellowship hall for an evangelistic event for older children and teens from the
community. 2he evening began with a group of bodybuilders giving testimonies and
continued with the guests brea#ing up into discussion groups. -ince $ wasn't assigned to a
group, $ spent my time helping with snac#s and visiting rooms to see if anyone needed
anything. !s $ approached one doorway, $ heard a young woman pleading, ";ven if you
don't believe it's true, 0ust do me a favor and say the prayer with me. $f it's not true, you
haven't lost anything. $t if turns out to be true, then you'll be saved, and when you die you
will go to heaven." 2his was the first time, but not the last, that $ heard this shoc#ing
approach to "evangelism."
.educing Christianity to a matter of final destination is manipulative, of course, but this
approach also suggests that how we live out the faith in our earthly lives is of secondary
importance. "ost readers would li#ely agree that the practice of repeating particular words
1irrespective of belief and regardless of desire for relationship with od1as a guarantee of
going to heaven is pure magic. 2he &uestion for those of us who re0ect this and other
magical approaches is, what do we do instead> (ow do we encourage and nurture the
primary vocation of discipleship, which is relationship with od through Jesus> 2he
enterprise is complicated by the fact that Jesus is not physically present to us, at least not
in the ways that we typically understand physical presence. We need to identify, therefore,
the ways in which Jesus is present and invite people to an encounter with Jesus through
those venues.
!lthough they described the e*perience in a variety of ways, the earliest Christian
communities were formed around the very presence of Jesus. Jesus was present through his
-pirit, who gave believers the power, discernment, and s#ills necessary to live out Christian
community. (e was present in the gathered community as master teacher and guide. (is
presence was evidenced in the love that members shared with one another, the ongoing
ministry of his followers to the world, and the traditions that were taught as the gospel was
proclaimed.
?or us today, teaching the tradition ma#es Jesus present and provides opportunity for
encounter with him. %y nature discipleship is dynamic. We were created for relationship
with od, we become disciples through Jesus, and we continue to evolve in discipleship
through the practices of transformed relationships. 2o become fully the disciples we are
designed to be, we need to practice the vocations of discipleship through which we develop
intimacy with od and move toward "the measure of the full stature of Christ."
$t is more important than ever that we #now and share our tradition. 2he risen Christ is
actually present in the telling of the Christian story. $t is essential that we tell the story1not
tal# about the story, not give directives based on the story, not modify or abridge the story
1but tell the story. We need to tell the story with our words, through our relationships, and
in our actions, and to trust its power as a vehicle of Christ's presence.