Wednesday, April 27, 2016

April 27, 2016

Last week I began writing on the 7-step process of discipleship that was originally published by Forward Movement in 1934 and presented to the clergy of the diocese.  The first step in the process is Turn.

The second step in this discipleship process is Follow.

Our turning to the Lord can take many forms.  We can be called by God to turn to a new life.  We can recognize our life's path is not what it should be, so we turn to something more productive.  We can recognize we have sinned in thought, word, or deed, and turn back to a godly life.  But once we turn, what then?  Left to our own devices, we will most likely find ourselves in the very same spot.

But if we turn and Follow, we're onto something.  To follow something or someone implies a few things.  First, implies making a conscience decision to let someone else take the lead.  If we are on a journey to an unknown location, or visiting a new city, we let someone who knows where they're going take the lead.

Another thing that following implies is trust.  Are we willing to trust the person leading us to get us to the right place?  Are we willing to trust that the person leading us won't lose us, either intentionally or unintentionally?  For those of you who have followed someone in a car, yellow lights can be particularly stressful.

A final thing that following implies is understanding.  When we are talking to someone, whether we are giving instructions, making an argument, or trying to teach something, the phrase, “Do you follow me?” comes up.  And when we follow, with our full and complete attention on who is leading, we can and do come to an understanding.  We understand how to get from Point A to Point B.  We understand the point someone is trying to make.  We understand how to better do the task we set out to learn.

But probably the most important thing to know about the word follow is that it is a verb.  It is an action word.  When we follow, we are doing something active.  When we follow, we are, or should be, fully engaged.  Now it is possible to follow without paying attention to where you're going, to “blindly follow” without being invested in the journey; but when we blindly follow, we run the risk of not learning anything about where we are going, the person leading us, or a new point of view.

As we go through our Christian journey, are we truly following Jesus?  Are we allowing him to take the lead in our lives?  Do we trust him to get us to the right place?  Do we trust that he knows the way better than us?  Are we being active in our discipleship?

These are, of course, only questions you can answer.  My prayer is that, as you turn to God from whatever is pulling you away, you will also follow Christ in an active way.

Amen.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

April 20, 2016

Last week, while away at clergy conference, I wrote about the 7-step process of discipleship that was originally published by Forward Movement in 1934.  Over the next seven weeks I want to use this space to focus on each step.

The first step in this discipleship process is Turn.

This idea of turning has at its core an understanding that this is a repetitive act.  It begins at our baptism when we, or people on our behalf, are asked, “Do you turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as your Savior?”  It is asked again in the Baptismal Covenant when all present are asked, “Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?”

As we read through Exodus or Judges, we may be tempted to show a lack of sympathy or empathy to the Israelites for their repeated failings.  Whining about being led away from slavery.  Complaining about not having enough food to eat.  Worshiping a golden calf.  Forgetting what the Lord had done for them and, once again, doing evil in the sight of the Lord.  The Israelites were indeed a stiff-necked people, refusing to bow down before the Lord.

But if we are honest with ourselves, we need to admit that we are no different.  We continually put our relationship with God on the back burner in favor things that give us immediate gratification.  We allow our personal treasures to dictate where our heart is rather than work to have our treasures reflect the heart of God.  We belligerently maintain a position of rightness without seeing how our words and actions hurt those around us, or without taking the time to listen and honestly consider that we might be wrong.  We are indeed a stiff-necked people.

With all of the temptations, personal desires, and selfish interests facing us every day, it's important to recognize that we are in constant need of turning back to the Lord.  We need to admit that we aren't going in the right direction, either through our thoughts, words, or actions.  We need to be willing to ask, “Is this what God would have me think/say/do?”  And we need to be willing to accept that the answer just might be, “No,” and repent and return to the Lord.

The other part of willingly turning to the Lord is to understand that God may send you on a journey you don't think you're prepared for.  Moses turned aside and was sent to lead the Israelites to freedom.  The disciples turned away from their various businesses and were sent to proclaim a new way of relating to God.  History is full of people who turned to the Lord and did amazing things.  History is also full of people who turned to the Lord and simply managed to live their lives a little better.

Every day we are given the opportunity to begin again.  Every day we are given the opportunity to live for others, not just ourselves.  Every day we are given the opportunity to treat another person with dignity and respect.  Every day we are given the opportunity to listen to what God would have us do.

This day, will you turn to the Lord?

Amen.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

April 13, 2016

I am away at Clergy Conference this week (back in the office tomorrow).  It has been a good time of seeing and connecting with friends, getting in some quiet time, eating too much, and listening to our keynote speaker, the Rev. Scott Gunn.

Scott is the current director of Forward Movement.  You may be most familiar with that organization through their Day by Day publications.  They also produce most of the pamphlets we have on the wall in the narthex.  They have grown over the years to include books and other educational materials, and they are constantly looking for new ways to engage the church.  Scott is a fantastic speaker and he's giving us a lot of useful information on discipleship and leadership.

And that, Discipleship and Leadership, is exactly what his topic has been.

He began by referring back to 1934 when Forward Movement was created.  The person tasked with leading this new arm of the Episcopal Church (I've forgotten his name) wanted to make discipleship an intentional part of the lives of Episcopalians.  He came up with a seven-step process because he thought seven tied in nicely with the roughly seven weeks of Lent.

Those seven steps are:

1. Turn.  This goes back to our baptismal covenant of “whenever you sin, will you repent and return to the Lord?”  Sometimes we need to admit we aren't going in the right direction and need to turn.  We also need to be aware that we don't know where we'll end up.
2. Follow.  As disciples, we pledge to follow Jesus.  Following often means we need to admit that we don't know all the answers, and it requires trusting whom we are following.
3. Learn.  Most people stopped learning about their faith after the 4th or 5th grade.  We need to make an effort to constantly learn.
4. Pray.  There is no right way to pray; but, like exercise, we need to do it daily.
5. Serve.  We need to serve by answering God's call for us, and we need to serve others (see Matthew 25).
6. Worship.  Weekly worship should be a priority in our lives.
7. Share.  We need to share of our abundance, but we also need to share our faith.

These seven steps were first written down in 1934, but they still have a place in our lives today.  I will be saying more about these in the future, through Wednesday Words, the Luke's Log, maybe a sermon or two, or any other place I can think of.  But for now, as we look to become active disciples in our post-resurrection world, how might you see yourself turning, following, learning, praying, serving, worshiping, and sharing?  What do you think you do best?  What do you think you need to work on the most?

If you have been looking for a way to strengthen your discipleship and deepen your relationship with God, consider putting this list in a prominent place and reflecting on how you can incorporate these seven steps into you life.

Amen.