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Texts: I Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28
I don’t really want to preach on the scripture passage for today.
I’ve been reflecting on the Gospel passages that we heard the past two Sundays,
about the call of the disciples.
And today, I’d like to address the question, “what is a disciple?”
What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ – not just then,
for those first followers of Jesus, but now, for us.
What does it mean for us today to be disciples?
For you and me, and other Christians around us.
Now mind you, there is a difference between being a Christian,
or even a church-goer, and being a disciple.
Maybe there shouldn’t be, but I think there is.
Coming out of an era when almost everybody went to church
or at least belonged to a church because it was “the thing to do”,
most people in the United States considered themselves Christian,
but not everyone was an active or conscious disciple.
Maybe that’s changing.
Nowdays, being an active member of a church
and raising one’s family in the church isn’t taken for granted.
It’s more of a conscious choice, almost a counter-cultural choice,
rather than the thing that everybody does.
Maybe now more Christians are actively seeking to be followers of Christ,
whether they would express it that way or not.
And that’s what a disciple is: a follower, a learner, a pupil, an apprentice if you will.
I like the idea of a disciple as an apprentice.
We’re all apprentice Christians, practicing the skill and art and discipline
of being a Christian, a Christ follower.
There is nothing mysterious or mystical or “holier than thou” about being an apprentice.
It’s nothing to be haughty about, but it’s nothing to be ashamed about either.
If someone asked you, “are you a disciple of Jesus”
you don’t need to break into testimony or start quoting Bible verses.
They’re asking you, “Is Jesus a model for you, an authority in your life?”
“Do you look to Jesus’s life and teachings
to learn about how to live, how to be happy,
how to find fulfillment and worth and joy
in this one precious life you have to live on earth?”
If so, then you’re a disciple -- an apprentice of Jesus.
If you were learning carpentry, or practice teaching, or training in the law,
and someone asked you if your were an apprentice carpenter,
or an apprentice teacher, or apprentice lawyer, it’s a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question.
You could easily answer ‘Yes, I am.’
If they went on to ask whether you were a good apprentice,
or whether you could be a better student of whatever skill or discipline,
that might cause you to hesitate before you answer, right?
But that’s also part of being a disciple, being an apprentice.
To be a learner means that you are not perfect. There’s always more to learn.
One can be a very raw and incompetent beginner, and still be a disciple.
Someone might ask, but if I say I’m a disciple,
then what is it that I’m supposed to learn, exactly? And where do I learn it?
In last Sunday’s Gospel, just before Jesus called the first disciples, it says this:
“After John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the Good News of God
and saying, “The time is fulfilled. The Kingdom of God has come near.
Repent, and believe the good news.”
Are you learning the good news of God? Are you learning that God IS good news?
Are you growing in the understanding of what it means
that ‘the Kingdom of God has come near?’
A great summary of Jesus’ teaching is Chapter 5 of the Gospel of Matthew,
the Sermon on the Mount.
Not just the Beatitudes, but the whole of Chapter 5.
And how do Jesus’ teachings make a difference in your life?
How might they make a difference in your life
– at home with your family, in your workplace, in your recreation?
– in how you offer your time, or plan your budget?
The church is a school for disciples, not just in Sunday school,
but in worship and music, in preaching and prayers,
in Sunday forums and adult education
and special retreats and mission projects,
and yes, in coffee hours and meals in common
and cards and calls to the sick and the shut-ins.
The Church is a school for disciples.
So being a disciple usually involves a commitment to a house of prayer and learning,
being part of Christ’s family here, in the Christian community
supporting its programs and ministries and helping make them happen.
But being a disciple doesn’t mean that you’re on your knees
praying and reading scripture two hours every day,
or working on a dozen church committees, or teaching Sunday School every term.
You are called to be a disciple in your whole life, in your everyday life,
in the ways your earn and spend your money, and prioritize your time,
and practice your particular profession or trade or skill,
whether it’s nursing or accounting or teaching or childrearing or housecleaning.
That’s where the living Christ will meet you and mold you and love you and teach you.
God calls each one of us to discipleship uniquely
according to our own personality and temperament and station in life.
Often enough, God calls us beyond ourselves,
to some new challenge or new identity or new insight
-- but God still calls us as ourselves.
So more often than not, our call to discipleship
will at first look a lot like "business as usual"
if we're not looking at it through the lens of faith and of prayer.
It'll look a lot like just another newsletter article about the women’s retreat,
or just another cranky, overstressed colleague at work
or just another stranded motorist beside the road,
or just one more request to fill a slot on some church committee,
or just another headline about injustice and repression somewhere.
But some of those bits of ordinary daily life will not be ordinary for you.
Some of them will have your name carved on them.
Some of them are, for you, a unique opportunity to serve God
and be Christ’s apprentice in a very specific way.
So how do we know? How do we learn how to listen?
Where do we begin to hear and discern?
The answer to that will be different for different people, and again, unique to each one.
But a good place to start is here, in the midst of the community of believers,
in dialogue not only with God and Christ, but also with other apprentice disciples.
I know in my own life that there have been many women and men
who wrestled actively and listened carefully to discern how God was calling them
and what Christ invited them to do with their lives;
And as they discovered their own unique calling,
that encouraged me to continue to explore my own vocation,
and risk new challenges and seek new identities in my Christian service.
Their paths were not necessarily close to mine,
but their courage and grace and fidelity gave me strength and faith.
They have been the seasoning that give spice to my apprenticeship.
It is a joy and a privilege to be a disciple in a community of disciples of Christ.
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