What is a disciple? The results are in!

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