What is a disciple? The results are in!

/in /by

What fun we had on Sunday, January 26, when we shared about being a disciple. During the sermon time we addressed the question, Who/what is a disciple of Jesus Christ? This was a follow up to our District Superintendent asking us this at our Charge Conference. I was pleased with the eager willingness of our congregation to share. Our responses can first be divided between actions and characteristics. It was clear that we all believe being a disciple is something that we live out in our lives. Some of the responses were: being a servant, living by the teachings of the Bible and Jesus, Living simply, doing what is morally right even if it doesn’t benefit us, helping others whenever there is an opportunity to do so, etc. The focus of these action kinds of responses is interpersonal – that is, they involve how we treat each other. Upon reflection what is missing is the social. Living simply is perhaps the only response that can be related to the affects of our lives on society. The absence of these responses may be my fault, in part. One of the questions that was on the cheat sheet that I didn’t really address was, does being a disciple involve being political. I would say firmly yes and I think that given the chance, and the lead, all of us would say so. To give a timely example, I think we all believe that our work toward becoming a Reconciling Congregation is a part of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Most of the responses concerned personal characteristics which is what one would expect. The most common characteristics grouped around not being selfish, being compassionate and being open. The responses about not being selfish were humility, not being self-reliant or perfect, and being respectful, obedient and self-sacrificing. These last two stirred some emotion, however. We live in a culture that values the self; it is perhaps the greatest conflict between our culture and our faith, and largely unaddressed. We are taught self-esteem, not self- sacrifice. We are taught to follow our bliss, not to be obedient. But as I said on Sunday, self-sacrifice and obedience suffuse the New Testament: If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34 NRSV). How do we balance having a sense of self-worth with a call to put that worthy self aside, not be preoccupied with it, to in this way sacrifice it for the common good and the glory of God?

There were numerous responses that can be grouped into being compassionate: empathetic, forgiving, and as one would expect, loving. The strong commitment to loving our neighbor as ourselves is fundamental to being a disciple. One of the things that attracted me to Methodism was our emphasis on God’s love and grace. As I write this I am preparing for class discussions on sin and salvation. The dominant understanding passed down from Paul, Augustine, Luther and Calvin and in the 20th Century Neo-Orthodox theologian Karl Barth has been that we do not deserve salvation but God in His (sic) mercy has graciously decided to save a few of us. I imagine this drove Wesley nuts for its lack of compassion. Where is Jesus in this view?!

As much as our Church feels connected to the denominational motto, Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors, it is not surprising that openness would also be seen as a mark of a disciple: Listening, understanding, accepting, being teachable, transparent and diverse all suggest openness.

There was an interesting contrast between words that insinuate strength and those that hint at weakness. A disciple is not submissive, is confident, hardworking and disciplined. At the same time a disciple is vulnerable, sensitive, forbearing and patient, We Methodists are very attached to the word “discipline” and claim that spiritual disciplines are an important part of a life of faith, but that doesn’t mean we are so determined so as to be insensitive to those around us. I preached a few weeks ago about the power of vulnerability, the necessity of our accepting our weakness and even finding strength in our weakness, but that doesn’t mean we are submissive or lazy. It is a fine balance.

There were three responses that could suggest evangelism: Sharing God’s Word, sharing Christ and sharing our passion. We must know that in an evangelical church these sorts of responses would dominate. While we may not agree with these churches theologically, that doesn’t preclude a need to share our message. I think we have a message to share; I think people are out there who need to hear how we see the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I think this needs to be a part of what it means to be a disciple.

Then there is the issue of community. Can a person be a disciple of Jesus Christ and not be a part of a community of faith? Our culture says yes, our tradition says no. Paul could not have conceived of a person who is a disciple of Jesus by him/herself. As I have said, I don’t’ want to be absolutist about this, but I too do not feel comfortable, at least, with the idea of an individual deciding what it means to be a Christian without any other accountability. It isn’t just about amenability either, it is about identity. I don’t think we are who we really are without being in relationship with others. Other people form and change us. I have been shaped by each community I have been a part of, starting with the 1st Presbyterian Church in Corvallis, Oregon right down to you all. The belief that we are followers of Jesus first who then look for a community to be a part of, if we so choose, is connected to the understanding of faith being primarily about belief. If I believe in God and Jesus I am a Christian. Even if we accept this idea it seems to be kind of selfish and lazy. This also relates to the quotes I shared from Dietrich Bonheoffer’s The Cost of Discipleship: “The response of the disciples is an act of obedience, not a confession of faith in Jesus.” What Bonheoffer calls “the first step” is to act, not to believe. And traditionally Christians act in the context of community. We can say at the very least that it is far more difficult to be a disciple of Jesus by oneself; far less action occurs as well. Relating this to evangelism, I think one of the things we need to share with the world is the transforming power of living in Christians community; we invite them not to share our beliefs but into relationship with us, as we live in relationship with God.

Once again, I thank you all for your willingness to participate in this unusual “sermon”.

Pastor Jim

Sharing Our Faith

/in /by

The first module discussed by our Beta Vitality Task Force was about Spiritual Disciplines, but as discussions go, it morphed into talking about sharing our faith. It was out of this discussion that we formed the Caring Committee, but a number of other ideas were extended, some of which we would like to implement, one has to do with sharing our faith in worship.

You might have noticed a few times during our prayer time in worship in addition to asking for “Joys and Concerns” I have invited you share about a time when you have experienced God in the last week. It hasn’t sunk in… we haven’t done a good job of explaining it. In Youth Group they share about their “Pows, Wows and Hows”. The “Pows” are the concerns, the “Wows” are the joys and the “Hows” are the places they experience God. That’s where this idea comes from. I will continue to give this a try; please listen for it and be prepared to share.

We also floated the idea of people sharing about their faith lives in a similar way to what we do in the Stewardship season. Like a Mission Moment – Why is the church important to you? What was a formative experience in your journey of faith? Who was someone who helped you in your faith? What communities have been a part of your life? What is your image of God and/or Jesus? I think we can learn so much from each other; I know that the times people have shared during the Stewardship Drive, it has been meaningful. If anyone is interested in doing this, please contact me.

The second module that we discussed in Beta Vitality was small groups. Here too the matter of sharing our faith is involved. There are all sorts of small groups. Some small groups are centered around a task (choir, band, quilting, etc.) Other small groups are study oriented (Sunday School). There are small groups that are primarily fellowship oriented (Saints and Sinners). And even committees are small groups. At our meeting we viewed a video featuring Reverend Curtis Brown from our own Annual Conference Office. Interestingly, he did not suggest that we all add a new program to our church – enlist every member to join a small group – he said that we first need to pay attention to the character or spirit of the groups we have. To recognize that wherever two or three are gathered in God’s sight it is a small group and as such an opportunity to meet God. Even the Trustees. As a matter of fact, Curtis shared a story of a church that invited a newer member to become the chair of the Trustees. This man had little experience in the church – his greatest experience was through Disciple Bible Study. In Disciple Bible Study meetings begin with a devotion, and not a simply Upper Room reading and a prayer. These devotions were check ins on everyone’s life. Now, we know what kind of people gravitate toward the Board of Trustees – they usually aren’t the touchy feely share your feelings types. Yet over time these Trustees became one of the strongest small groups in the church. How is your heart today? Do we all remember that question? How is it with your soul? Creating new small groups is also a good thing, but more fundamental towards transforming the church is enlivening and revitalizing the small groups we have recognizing that whenever we gather we are called to share our faith.

See you in worship. Pastor Jim

What is a Disciple?

/in /by

What is a Disciple?

Those of you who attended our Charge Conference in December may recall that our District Superintendent, Reverend Daniel Foster asked us, “What is a disciple?” The mission statement of the United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. To follow that, don’t we have to have an idea of what a disciple is? Because it was a surprise question, the response was not enthusiastic. I can’t even remember what was said, other than, “all of us are” which although true doesn’t get at what I’m sure Rev. Foster wanted us to reflect on. Perhaps he could have refined the question to, what characterizes a disciple? What are the qualities of a disciple? How do we recognize a disciple of Jesus Christ? I Googled these sorts of things and got all sorts of lists, none of which I found satisfying (This is a lesson about the Internet – because Google places the most popular responses first it often narrows the possibilities; the most popular rarely reflects truth.) One example is from the Tabernacle Baptist Church:

1. Imitates the Master.

2. Does not fear the world.

3. Confesses the Lord.

4. Willing to forsake one’s family.

5. Offers up one’s own life.

6. Receives a reward. Hmmm?.

On January 26 in the worship service during the sermon time I will be asking the congregation these questions in a dialogue sermon.:

1. What characterizes a disciple?

2. What are the qualities of a disciple?

3. How do we recognize a disciple of Jesus Christ?

The text from the lectionary from the gospel is the calling of the disciples; epiphany is the time to ask this sort of question. So I ask you all to prepare yourselves. Reflect on what you think being a disciple means. I’m looking forward to what you all share. If you don’t come up with anything it will be a very short sermon.

Pastor Jim