“Living As Disciples”

February 26, 2012

Romans 5:1-5; Matthew 11:28-30

Someone once said, "Lent is a time to choose who we will be and whose we will be."

During the winter of 57–58 A.D., Paul was in the Greek city of Corinth where he wrote the longest single letter in the New Testament, his letter to the Romans. Like most of his letters, it was written in response to a church’s need or crisis. And it is believed to be the last written of the seven New Testament letters that are attributed to Paul. Many consider Roamns a summary of his thought, composed toward the end of his ministry. In Romans there appears to be no specific crises or contemporary, as in his letters to other churches, but rather broad questions of theology. What the church in Rome needed most then might very well have been answers to what it meant to be a church “living as disciples.”

So Paul wrote to the church in Rome, saying: “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.” The early church in Rome needed assurance, it needed encouragement, and it needed a sense of direction. And through this letter Paul delivered. But this church also needed to know what living as a disciple of Christ would actually mean to them. So Paul reminded them that their peace with God, came through “our Lord Jesus Christ.” In other words, they were to look to Jesus for direction when it came to “living as disciples.”

In some ways, we may be like that early church in Rome, needing encouragement and assurance, a sense of direction, or to know what it means to be “living as disciples.” Paul says look to Jesus! Okay then, what do we know about Jesus?

Let’s start with the fact that throughout his ministry, Jesus is sympathetic and compassionate. When hearing of a friend’s death, Jesus wept. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

So if we look to Jesus as portrayed in Matthew 11, we see him recognizing the difficulties of our human life, the heavy burdens we carry, and offering relief. Jesus is aware, responsive, and relevant. He not only proclaims a promise but also gives a summons to a new relationship with God. It is to be a relationship of community expressed through discipleship. It is a new way of living that includes – a life of gratitude and obedience, of service and sacrifice, of celebration and commitment, and of freedom and responsibility. I think Paul would agree that this is what “living as a disciple” is all about.

If the early church in Rome was going to succeed in sharing the gospel message – if it truly “hoped to share the glory of God” – if it was going to succeed at making disciples, it was going to have to begin “living as disciples.” I think that is true of us as well. If we are succeed in our mission of “making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,” our focus and attention will likewise need to be on Jesus’ teaching and his model for community.

Starting next week, in a four-week sermon series and group study entitled “A People of Salt and Light” we will look at his teaching and model for community. Hopefully this will help us in our current journey to discover and embody God’s vision and calling for our church. And over a period of four weeks, we will consider the nature and purpose of Christian community in light of Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.

It is the Sermon on the Mount that provides some of Jesus’ most direct teachings about life together as disciples. The goal of this series will be that, as a congregation, we might tap into the power of Jesus’ words as together we consider the question, “What would it mean if contemporary Christians intentionally engaged in Jesus’ teachings as a model for community, as a guide to their life together?”

The Sermon on the Mount is aimed at a community of faith, much like ours, and is meant to give guidance – how we might live as a church – if we were to follow Jesus. We are that community of faith. In the Sermon on the Mount, a certain way of life is being laid out for us. We are not only to hear what Jesus says but to live it as well. Yet to do so may mean our discovering once again who we are as a church. Frederick Buechner, writes, "If you want to know who you are, watch your feet. Because where your feet take you, that is who you are."  So, where are our feet taking us, as a church? Living as disciples may require an involvement and commitment greater than ever before.

It is my hope that everyone who is part of our church would be present in worship during these four Sundays, and that many of you will take part in a study (either immediately before or after worship or another time during the week). Our study together will allow us to discuss and respond to questions from the message, questions like: “Why does it take a community to live the beatitudes?” “How can we as a church live more fully as salt and light for the world?” “What is Jesus’ view of community in right relationship?” “What would we be doing if the Lord’s Prayer more fully shaped our life as a congregation?”  And in the end, we would have been able to determine “who we will be and whose we will be."

In Beyond Words, Frederick Buechner wrote: "And when Jesus comes along saying that the greatest command of all is to love God and to love our neighbor, he too is asking us to pay attention. If we are to love God, we must first stop, look, and listen for him in what is happening around us and inside us. If we are to love our neighbors, before doing anything else we must see our neighbors. With our imagination as well as our eyes, that is to say like artists, we must see not just their faces, but the life behind and within their faces. Here it is love that is the frame we see them in."

Together, Jesus’ teaching will strengthen you. Together, you will become a community committed to the gospel message, and together, you will find yourselves “living as disciples.”