“Making Disciples”

(Matthew 28:16-20)

  Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.  When they saw him, they worshiped him, but they doubted.  And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.  And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

            This passage of scripture that you just heard is called the Great Commission.  Jesus’ words in these verses have had a profound effect on Christianity through the centuries.  They have inspired Christians through the ages to share their own transformation through Christ so that the world can be transformed. 

            Some of our ancestors in the faith have taken this text, that is, “Go, make disciples of all nations” and set out a program that culminated in missions to foreign lands that we now know were patronizing and damaging to places like Hawaii, certain African countries and areas in the Far East.  Their philosophy was that, in order to convert the native folk to be disciples of Jesus Christ, they had to make them dress, act and talk just like us. 

We now know that the Gospel can speak truth into many people’s lives and cultures, that they don’t have to become carbon copies of the culture and practices of the missionary.  The Gospel message can be integrated in a very beautiful way with the energy and wisdom of different cultures.

            A United Methodist mission statement that continues to speak powerfully to us is this: “We are called to make disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”  It is the great commission plus the reason for it.  “Go make disciples.”  Why?  “For the transformation of the world.”  These are words directed at those of us who are followers of Christ, who consider ourselves to be disciples.  So, Jesus was, as they say, preaching to the choir when he gave the great commission. 

            Now, I think we need to acknowledge that being a disciple is, not only a big job, but it is an ongoing job.  We know that it is more than getting baptized.  It is living the baptismal life.  It is living as though we have died to our old, sinful selves and risen to the new life in Christ.  It is living as though the change has come, as though we have been transformed, as though we have been born again, as though, because we know Jesus, we will never be the same, as though God loves us while knowing exactly the content of our character.  Being a disciple means saying yes to Jesus when he calls us.  It means following him in ministry along the way even when it is unpopular, even when it is risky, even when it’s not easy nor pleasant. 

So—it is truly clear that being a disciple is an ongoing challenge.  We don’t get our membership into the Disciples’ Club, and then say, “we’re done, we’ve passed the test.  Put a checkmark in that box.  We’re better than all those folks who aren’t in the Disciples’ Club.”  No, each of us needs to wake each morning and, humbly, ask God for the energy, the creativity, the courage, the sense of humor, the determination to be disciples for this day.  Then, start again the next day, knowing that it is only with God’s help that we can live the baptismal life and continue to be disciples.

            So, OK, let’s posit that we are disciples.  Let’s talk about this business of making disciples of all nations.  I have to tell you that, for me, this great commission has seemed pretty intimidating–too big, too daunting, too complicated.  I wouldn’t know how to even begin to get busy with the task of making disciples of all nations.  But then I remember one of my favorite author’s book title, Bird by Bird.  I know some of you have read the book and even more of you have heard me tell this story, so forgive me for telling it again, but it’s a really good one. 

So, OK, the author, Anne Lamott, recounts a story from her childhood.  Her brother has been procrastinating doing a rather lengthy assignment for school.  It’s a research paper on “Birds of North America.”  Now, it’s the Sunday afternoon before the Monday when it’s due.  He sheds tears as he talks to his father about this because he doesn’t think he can get the job done.  Their father, who was a writer himself, gives his son this piece of advice, “Just take it bird by bird, Buddy, just take it bird by bird.”

            So, of course, what this means for us as disciples who have been called to make disciples of all nations the night before our progress report is due, is that we must take it disciple by disciple, person by person, conversation by conversation, day by day.

            I once heard a story told by a newspaper columnist about a long airplane flight she had taken.  As often happens she and her seatmate struck up a conversation.  They discovered they had their Christian faith in common, and their discussion meandered through the issues of the day, questions about how we ought to live and a specific wondering about Mother Teresa.  “Do you think that she had more faith than the rest of us?” one of them posed.  The tentative answer from the other was, “Perhaps she simply felt she was exactly where God wanted her to be and lived as though she believed it.”

            This, then, became a lens through which they each reviewed their lives and choices.  “What if WE lived like we really believed God put us in each place for a reason?  …It would change everything to live like that.”  By the end of the trip the columnist felt that the conversation had actually caused a sort of conversion in her life….  I would wonder, then, if that columnist might understand that she had been given that conversation, that time with her seatmate to witness and be witnessed to, to have that opportunity to feel as though her heart was strangely warmed, as John Wesley would have described the experience.  It’s as though they helped each other to become better disciples, to teach and be taught and to be inspired for the next opportunity to share the love of Christ.  This is how we take it a day at a time, a disciple by a disciple.  It is with a strong dose of humility, open-mindedness and open-heartedness.

            These last words of Jesus to his disciples (in the Gospel of Matthew) were, “Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have taught.”  Now, the truth is that everything Jesus taught is a whole lot.

            But here are some of the high points in Matthew’s Gospel: Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.  You are the light of the world so let your light shine before others.  Give to everyone who begs from you.  Love your enemies.  Pray for those who persecute you.  Do not worry about tomorrow.  Beware of becoming arrogant and forgetting about God which is the true reason for our faith.  Don’t let laws about religion get in the way of loving God and one another.  Then there are the teachings about forgiveness, about marriage and children, about money and possessions, about the way that death is overcome through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

            We have been given all this that, frankly, we disciples are still working on. We are trying to internalize all that Jesus gave us while being given the commission to pass the teachings on to those new disciples.   The tough part is, of course, to learn to live in this way OURSELVES and to do it consistently.  We’ll not ever be able to do it fully and completely, but we CAN make a good, strong attempt.

            A way to begin is to live as though we truly believe that God is acting in our lives and, perhaps, we are where we are for a reason.  That may become clearer as time goes by. 

            Jesus closes with this, “I am with you always until the end of the age.”  These are words for us when the task becomes overwhelming, when we don’t see results, when we fall down in our own discipleship, when we lose sight of what we have been called to do.  These are words to remind us that we are NOT doing this alone.  Jesus’ Holy Spirit is alive and well among us, stirring our own hearts and showing us the way to make a difference in others’ lives, in sharing our own witness to the love of Christ that has healed us and made us whole. 

            And it is this that we all long for.  Here are the words from a hymn that we haven’t sung today entitled, “Lord, You Give the Great Commission.”  It’s on page 584 in the red hymnal if you want to follow along.

1.Lord, you give the great commission: “Heal the sick and preach the word.”  Lest the church neglect its mission, and the gospel go unheard, help us witness to your purpose with renewed integrity. 

2.Lord, you call us to your service: “In my name baptize and teach.”  That the world may trust your promise, life abundant meant for each, give us all new fervor, draw us closer in community.

4.Lord, you show us love’s true measure: “Father, what they do, forgive.”  Yet we hoard as private treasure all that you so freely give.  May your care and mercy lead us to a just society.

5.Lord, you bless with words assuring: “I am with you to the end.”  Faith and hope and love restoring, may we serve as you intend and, amid the cares that claim us, hold in mind eternity.

Refrain: With the Spirit’s gifts empower us for the work of ministry.

            May we be inspired each day by Jesus’ Great Commission.