Surrender and Grow
Knowledge is wonderful, but we have our limits. Some things you just know—Your ABCs. Some things you know you don’t know—the rate of the expansion of the universe. Some things you don’t even know that you don’t know—Sorry, I cannot give an example.
The Analects of Confucius record, “He who knows and knows that he knows is a wise man - follow him; He who knows not and knows not that he knows not is a fool - shun him” An extended version is attributed to Arabian wisdom. Originally expressed with male pronouns, I will ask you to put up with plural, neutral ones:
They who know not, and know not that they know not,
are fools - shun them.
They who know not, and know that they know not,
are children - teach them.
They who know, and know not that they know,
are asleep - wake them.
The one who knows, and knows that she or he knows,
is wise – follow this one.
My dad picked this up from his army, college, or med school days. He would quote it when casually entertaining and follow it up, gesturing with his finger and saying, “Come along, now.” What a ham! So glad that trait was not passed on.
The Bible has a prominent thread of people being called and choosing to follow. The teacher calls, and the invitee has the option of following the regimen or discipline extended, the option to surrender and grow into the life offered. It is something of a scriptural theme in the Sunday liturgies in the season after the Epiphany. The reason it comes in the Epiphany season is when Jesus called disciples to himself, we deduce there was something of a spark of charisma manifest in the invitation. They see something of God shown when Jesus says “Follow me.” God’s glory shines through him and is detected. Some people drop the life they know and begin the adventure they do not know.
As an introduction to the theme, consider the story from 1 Samuel. The youth, Samuel, goes through the transition from being the servant of his master, Eli the priest, to being the servant of Yahweh. He hears the Lord's calling, and in time he replies, “Speak, for thy servant is listening.”—1 Samuel 3:10. In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells Philip “Follow me.” He does so and soon challenges his friend Nathaniel to come along as well. What is it about Jesus, that hits the fishermen, Andrew, Simon Peter, James, John, and Philip? What is it that strikes Levi, that is, Matthew, moving him to leave his tax-booth and follow? Something emanates from Jesus to captivate the crowds that follow as disciples. Twelve of them, he later summoned to himself and appointed them Apostles, “those who are to be sent out.”
We also are disciples of Jesus, and in a certain way, we too have an apostolic edge to our discipleship. We are sent out into the experiences of our lives to make disciples of all people with whom we are privileged to interact. In sharing, we draw on our reservoir of knowledge. It is limited but growing. We are called to Jesus as disciples as our Teacher. Little by little we learn. We know what we know; we are coming to know more. We remain hungry and curious to discover even what we don’t know can be known. Following the All-knowing One all, we press on. Look at our psalm for the weekend:
How deep I find your thoughts, O God!*
how great is the sum of them!
If I were to count them, they would be more
in number than the sand;
to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours. —Psalm 139:16-17
How do you learn and grow concerning the Lord, how do you absorb God’s higher thoughts? Study and prayer are not electives for the disciple, they are staples. The Word and Sacraments illuminate the Christian. Knowing God through the word, we develop a ravenous appetite for a discursive study of passages from the Bible. Why else would I long to learn from upcoming Sunday passages? But there are contemplative ways to internalized God’s wisdom through scripture that also bring things to life specifically and personally. I love to teach these ways. Speak up and I will teach you. We do morning and evening prayer daily on zoom. We meditate too. Look it up on the church website.
We can pray deeply through the Sacraments and prayer offices. We also come more and more to know ourselves and thereby know the Lord more profoundly through meditation. Get the right hemisphere of your brain activated and see how markedly different your experience of prayer becomes. We know what we know. Strive to know more! To say “Yes” to God when you are called to follow sets you on a path, not to sit, but to move and grow. When you surrender to Christ and follow him, you can progress. The rhythm and extent of your growth are up to you. I leave you with this passage from Morning Prayer this morning, a portion of Paul’s letter:
I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine…be glory…forever and ever. Amen. — Ephesians 3:16-21