Discipleship
If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ~ Mark 8:34
Dear Friends,
Peace and grace to you on this beautiful sunny Saturday. I continue to give thanks to God for you – for your love for God and neighbor, your generosity, and commitment to faithful living.
Tomorrow’s lesson from the gospel according to Mark is a key passage in which Jesus teaches about discipleship. Jesus is walking with his disciples and asks them, “Who do people say that I am?” Some say “John the Baptist.” Others, “Elijah” and still others say “one of the prophets.” Peter, our namesake, says, “you are the Messiah,” and Jesus warns him to be quiet. People desperately wanted a Messiah…some one to save them. Jesus has much to teach his followers about his mission, what it meant to be the Messiah, and what it means to follow him.
Following Jesus is costly. To be a disciple means to take up your cross (Mark 8:34), to be the very last (9:35), to serve others (10:43), and to give your life (10:45). Jesus’ followers learned the cost of following Jesus in the act of following – by walking alongside him each day, seeing how his ministry threatened those in power, witnessing his death, and experiencing his resurrection. Many of Jesus’ disciples indeed died for the sake of the gospel.
At this time in the life of our country, and in your own life, what does discipleship look like? Our country is divided by politics and hateful rhetoric. In their book, The After Party, Curtis Change and Nancy French, suggest that discipleship, especially now, looks like this: It means being humble –listening to people whose opinions and lives differ from our own. It means being hopeful – living with confidence that God is actively at work in the world and that God’s intention for creation will ultimately come to pass. By being humble and hopeful, a new way of shared understanding and even thriving may emerge.
The road is not easy. Discipleship asks something of us. I invite you to pray about what God is asking of you at this time. What does it mean for you to follow Jesus? How can you listen to the hopes, dreams, and needs of your neighbor? How can you stand fast with hope for our shared future rooted in God’s provision?
