Submission Is a Tough but Timely Topic

This week marks the halfway point in my journey of preaching through the Spiritual Disciplines.  In recent weeks our congregation has focused on Mediation, Prayer, Fasting, Study, Simplicity, and Stewardship.  During the next six weeks we will highlight Submission, Service, Confession, Worship, Guidance and Celebration. 

During casual conversations with me, a few of our members have speculated on which disciplines are the toughest to preach or to practice, and the usual assumption is that Fasting and Stewardship must be among the two most difficult.  At this point in the journey, I am thinking that Submission may be the toughest to deal with in a sermon or to practice in our daily lives.

From early childhood, our fast food culture indoctrinates us with a counter-Christian mantra that urges, “Have it your way!”  Rather than pressing to get our way, the Discipline of Submission teaches us to follow God’s way.  It is necessary, but not at all easy, to forego our personal ambition and to submit… submit to God, submit to our spouse, submit to our leaders, and to submit to our spiritual community.

This week I am preparing to tackle the subject of Submission in the sermon entitled Knowing When to Follow.  Many are surprised to learn through the study of numerous biblical texts that Jesus focused more on the importance of being a faithful follower than he focused on the role of being a leader.  Jesus implies that the key to becoming a good leader in your area of giftedness or expertise, is to first learn to be a good follower.

In his book, Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster proposes one dimension of submission as the ability to lay down the terrible burden of always needing to get your own way.  As I lead a diverse and dynamic community of believers  who have been taught by the world and at times, the church,  to define success and happiness as having things go their way, I am finding it tough, but timely, to preach on the spiritual discipline of submission.