Plumbing, waterfalls, and grace

Karl has a post about the relationship between grace and sin using the metaphor of a waterfall and cup.  Last week I used the metaphor of a rusty pipe.  Can we clean out the rusty pipe and let the grace of God flow through or do we need a new pipe?  Do we have to clean out our cup of sin in order to catch the water/grace that is flowing? 

Karl's quote says: "You have to empty out the rocks and sand by the "works" of ascetic labor, self denial, taking up your cross, etc. Then you have to "turn the cup over" by further labor - that is those works that orient you properly to God; practicing the virtues."  I'm uncomfortable with the idea that we have to clean out the cup in order to catch the water.  Isn't it more like Christ snatches the cup away and says, "Your cup is no good.  I'm smashing it to pieces.  Here's a new cup."  Or, to go even further with this baptismal imagery, that the waterfall is drowning us (and our cup) and Christ leaps into the water and rescues us.  "I almost drowned!" we shout, and Christ tells us, "You did drown.  You did die.  Now you have been raised with me into new life.  Live into your baptism.*" 

By the way, do I sound even remotely Wesleyan anymore?  I'm not sure I completely agree with what I just wrote - just putting it out there for argument's sake - but on the cooperation with grace scale I'm sliding down quite a bit lately.

(*scroll down to Geoff's second post on Monday's entry)