Many of us, myself included, find ourselves challenged by the sheer magnitude of events thrust upon us this year. In addition to moving forward with our lives and ministries in the face of a global pandemic, we also watch in stunned silence as news reports of hurricanes, tropical storms, floods, and raging wildfires fires devastate one community after another. And, as if this wasn’t enough, many struggle to make sense of the deep fissures threatening to divide our neighborhoods, our nation, and our world.
The time is ripe, now more than ever, for Christians to live into our respective baptismal vocations. To take seriously the invitation that Jesus extends to disciples of every time and place when he declares in Matthew 16:24: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Following Jesus is no easy task. Is it? For one, it requires trust; the trust that we do not make the journey alone. Discipleship requires the trust that God is with us in the midst of it all – calling, strengthening us in faith, and equipping us with the gifts of the Spirit. Following Jesus into the places we live, work, play, and pray also requires courage. The courage to admit that we don’t know everything there is to know. The courage to engage in honest self-reflection, attentive listening, and respectful conversation, especially with those whose views may differ from our own.
One of my responsibilities as a called and ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament is to help equip the baptized for the work of ministry. Recently, in an effort to move beyond my own fears and ignorance regarding white privilege, systemic racism, and the insidious nature of institutionalized oppression, I have taken the first steps toward an ongoing journey of honest self-reflection and personal growth by participating in two informative webinars — Talking about Race and Holy Imagination + Race: How Church Can Be a Healing Force in America’s Racial Divide. There is, I soon discovered, so much that I need to unpack, grapple with, and understand. Two excellent books, So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo and Waking Up White by Debbie Irving, have also challenged and inspired me to “have some skin in the game.” My own journey continues.
Ultimately, however, the work of discipleship is not a private matter. Discipleship is a shared ministry. Notice how many times Jesus extends the invitation to would-be-disciples to “Come.” Playing it safe and observing events unfold from a distance is not an option for Christians. Time and time again Jesus goes out into the crowds seeking out the sick, the lame, the marginalized, and the excluded; the ones scripture refers to as the least of these. It is precisely there, in the midst of a hurting, violent, and unjust world where Jesus sends his disciples of every time and place. Teaching, baptizing, ministering to people in need, and speaking truth to power. Christian disciples cannot sit on the sidelines and “wait this one out.” For one thing that has become crystal clear to me in the ongoing cries for an end to systemic racism and demands for equal treatment under the law is the truth that silence only perpetuates the continuation of injustice and oppression.
Though we may often prefer the safety of the comfortable and the familiar, God’s liberating Word of Law and Gospel has a way of grabbing hold of us, breaking through our defenses, exposing our bondage to sin, and raising us to new life in Christ. In the process we find ourselves strengthened for lives of Christian discipleship and evangelical witness; something we Lutherans often refer to as “faith active in love.”
Like it or not, we are the body of Christ in the world – the church. We are a called, gathered, empowered, and sent people. And Jesus makes it clear, in both word and deed, that discipleship is not a spectator sport.
“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” If not now, when?
Walking to Golgotha 