Elizabeth Pemberton August 3rd 2014 ~ An Invitation...

And the winner has been announced – Masterchef is over for another year!  This may invoke very different reactions in many of you (celebration, indifference, annoyance!) but for me, watching Masterchef this year has been quite an experience.I must admit I am not a fan of most reality TV shows but this one has been a bit different and not because of the food!As a church we have been thinking through what invitation and challenge is all about and how to create a discipling culture.  This show made me think even a bit more deeply about that.These contestants came from all kinds of backgrounds: among them were a bobcat driver, a systems analyst, a dentist, a model, a brand developer and a hairdresser.   Some were Australian-born, others born overseas.  Some had families, some were single, the youngest was 19, the oldest was 55.  And they all responded to the invitation to tread a new career path, a path involving food.This was not an easy choice for many but the invitation promised something, so it was a choice they felt compelled to make.  They could clearly see a new way ahead for themselves, a better way, one that would let them be more truly themselves and do what they were made for.As the competition progressed, the invitation to learn and grow in both their skills and their character was always still there but this included huge challenges.  Pressure tests, mystery boxes, team challenges, elimination battles and much more.  Most of them said they never thought it would be this hard and yet they persevered.The main thing I really loved about watching Masterchef this year was seeing how they were all there for each other.  This was not a show where they pulled one another down.  They cheered each other on, supported each other, called out tips from the gantry, celebrated wins, cried tears and offered hugs in the tough places, held people to their challenges and saw them push through.This is surely how we should be as disciples of Jesus.  As followers of Jesus we are invited into his new way.  We respond to this invitation because we are compelled by the love shown by the inviter and because we cannot see any other way to live that would allow us to truly be who we are created to be and do what we are created to do.  We then join with and invite others with us on the journey and we are there for each other as we respond to Jesus’ invitations and challenges . We are there for each other as we both learn and teach, as we open our lives to God and to others.  We are there for each other as we listen, grow, celebrate, grieve, take risks, make mistakes, start over and seek the way of the Father.This is discipleship culture- the way of Jesus lived out together . . . lived out in a learning community, where all may grow in love and likeness to the One we serve, the One who loves us beyond all measure and the One who offers us LIFE.John 6:67-68    Jesus then asked his twelve disciples if they were going to leave him.  Simon Peter answered, “Lord, there is no one else that we can go to! Your words give eternal life.” Yours on the journey,Liz