Discipleship

Matthew 10 v2. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3. Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4. Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

Jesus is not concerned with quantity but with quality. These 12 disciples are going to be shown the way of Jesus which becomes the way of God for 3 years when he is leading them for 7 days a week 24 hours a day. That is a huge commitment where he is teaching them using words but also allowing them to watch him in the way he lives and breathes. It not only tells them about God his Father but also teaches them how to relate to each other and those whom they will meet. The words are often simple and straight forward; for example: ‘love God, love one another and love yourself’. Simple but putting it into action is a lesson we need to keep striving for, for the whole of our lives.

This raises serious questions for the Church today where the emphasis is often on numbers in church, ie quantity; not on the quality of training for Christians in growing towards God and learning to be a community which is looking outwards to those around them and doing all of this with love, care and compassion!

The first thing that all of us must do is to look at our own weak spots. When we are invited to love God, love our neighbour and love ourselves; which of those is most difficult for you and our answers are not all going to be the same.

Also if someone asks us about our faith do we know enough to begin to answer their questions? Do we have the courage to acknowledge our weaknesses and ask for help? At the other extreme are we able to acknowledge that we don’t know it all? After all we are dealing with a faith in the enormous mystery of a loving God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Here is what John said in his first letter, which Common worship uses as a Canticle:

1 Beloved, let us love one another,

for love is of God; ♦

everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

2 Whoever does not love does not know God, ♦

for God is love.

3 In this the love of God was revealed among us, ♦

that God sent his only Son into the world,

so that we might live through him.

4 In this is love,

not that we loved God but that he loved us, ♦

and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins.

5 Beloved, since God loved us so much, ♦

we ought also to love one another.

6 For if we love one another, God abides in us, ♦

and God’s love will be perfected in us.

​​​​​​​1 John 4.7-11,12b

Amen.

Andrew SSL