Blogging Towards Sunday, June 27

Luke 9:51-62 [The Message]

"Discipleship places heavy demands on followers of Jesus.  The way Jesus takes involves and unprotected mission, a clear choice about priorities, and a clean break with the past."  [quote from my studies this week].  Luke 9 is the beginning of the end: Jesus heading towards Jerusalem, knowing that his way of love, life and liberation will most likely lead towards a cross than a coronation celebration.  In a sense it's the beginning (in the next chapters) of what we might call "Jesus' Following Instructions for Dummies and Disciples."


What does it mean to be a disciple?  A follower?  In a society in which we're encouraged to get out our maps, and chart our own way - the words of Jesus are a challenge.  You - we - will probably fail (like the disciples did in Samaria) at times.  You can't do it half-hearted.  You can't simply squeeze Jesus into your old life, former way of seeing things, familiar practices.  Faith in following, discipleship in motion is a pilgrimage, a journey - and implication of life-change, and invitation to life-transformation, an exhortation to dare to hope for something better, deeper, wider - than we could ever imagine.  You can't expect it to be easy - in the sense that you can't just do the same old thing.  You can't simply go through the motions.  Discipleship implies a putting oneself in motion, a turning around, a new perspective, a life in community with like-minded and similarly called followers.

We don't want to follow - unless we're on twitter - yet what does it mean to follow Jesus as leader, teacher, Savior?  Are we willing to count the cost, to give up what holds us back, to renounce the speed bumps in our daily life?  Are we courageous enough to dare to listen for a word, to respond, to follow? It's a choice we make once and then remake every day.