February Newsletter

Today we are all called to be Disciples of the Lord,
To help to set the captives free, Make plow-share out of sword,
To feed the hungry, quench their thirst, Make love and peace our fast,
To serve the poor and homeless first, Our ease and comfort last.
(Today We All Are Called To Be Disciples, by H Kenn Carmichael ©1985
#507 in Voices United verse 1)

Bold Discipleship. We are called to be bold as disciples of Christ. Great. But how do we do that? What does it mean anyway?

Years ago I was taught that when one wants to know what something means a dictionary might help. So I went to dictionary.com and looked up discipleship. This is what I found:

discipleship [ dih-sahy-puhl-ship ] noun
the condition or situation of being a disciple, a follower, or a student of some philosophy,

Ok, so discipleship means being a disciple. Seems pretty straightforward. But what is a disciple? Back to dictionary.com...

disciple [ dih-sahy-puhl ] noun
a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another; follower:

Now we are getting there. To be a disciple is to be a student and follower of a teacher or leader. And discipleship means being a disciple. So as the hymn tells us, all those who call themselves Christian are meant to be students and followers of Christ. We are meant to learn from the stories and teaching of Jesus. We are meant to follow the path he laid out. We are meant to live like him, or at least how we wants us to live.

That seems in line with everything I have ever been taught. Jesus calls us to share in the work of proclaiming the Reign of God. Jesus challenges us to live by a different set of priorities. Jesus requires us to use love of God, neighbour, and self as the guiding principle that shapes everything else we do. To be a disciple is to be continually learning (sometimes through trial and error) how to be Christ-like. It means being disciplined in our choices.

What about the bold part? How are we going to be bold in sharing the work of Jesus? How can we be bold in living by different priorities? How do we boldly love self, neighbour, and God?

First off, we don’t try to do it by ourselves. We live bold discipleship in community. We do it together. We hold each other accountable, share each other’s successes, and lift each other up. Like anything else in life, bold discipleship is easiest, when we are part of a group of like-minded individuals.

Secondly, it means we are willing to take risks. Sometimes we forget that following the path that Jesus followed, loving the world as he did, proclaiming an alternative kingdom like he did, means taking risks. When we proclaim God’s wide, unbounded, open-armed love we stand in the face of others who want to limit that love to the same people they love. When we remind ourselves and anyone who hears us that sometimes this world fails to be a place of justice and abundance for all we risk annoying those who have benefited from the injustice and inequity that has brought us to this point. This is where the boldness comes in. Taking risks in the service of a vision for the world, knowing that others may strike out against that vision, is being bold.

Thirdly, and finally for now, we can only engage in bold discipleship when we centre ourselves in God. As I write this part of my mind is also preparing the February 26 sermon on temptation. The way Jesus resists temptation, the way Jesus resists the easy way out when he is in the desert and when he is in the Garden of Gethsemane is to centre himself in God. He keeps his “eye on the prize”. Repeatedly in our Gospel stories Jesus goes off to pray. This helps him maintain his relationship with and centredness in God. If we are to be bold like Jesus, we too must keep our centre. As a community we must help each other keep that centre.

May we in service to our God Act out the living word,
And walk the road the saints have trod Till all have seen and heard.
As stewards of the earth may we Give thanks in one accord
To God who calls us all to be Disciples of the Lord.
(Today We All Are Called To Be Disciples, verse 4)

We are invited, encouraged, challenged, and called to join a parade that goes back centuries, the raggedy band of disciples who, for 2000 years or so have boldly shared God’s vision for the world. May God give us the boldness and the wisdom to share the vision, the hope, and the possibility of God’s Reign of love with the world we meet here in 2023.

Be bold! Let love shine for all the world to see! Go make a difference in the world!
Gord