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Sunday, April 26, 2009
GO AND CREATE DISCIPLES
By Kyle Lewis
Scripture Matthew 28:16-20 in the New Revised Standard Version 16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
We have looked at a couple of the after Easter appearances of Jesus the last two Sundays. We have said that they differ from each other and that we should not attempt to harmonize them. Sometimes Jesus appears and his closest friends do not recognize him. Other times they do know him as soon as they see him. One of these times they see him while he is on the beach cooking them a breakfast of fish on a charcoal fire, and Peter is so excited he jumps out of the boat and swims to the shore to be with Christ. Other times the Risen Lord shows up in a locked room like a ghost. I want to read today the last verses of Matthew’s gospel where Jesus appears to his friends, and I ask you to notice where they are and what he instructs them to do.
The disciples go to meet Christ in Galilee. They leave Jerusalem where his execution and burial have occurred and walk the 70 miles or so back to Galilee. Galilee has been their home territory. It is where they are from, where he called them to follow him. It is where their families reside and it is where they will begin the work he is giving them. For Jesus to tell them to go back to Galilee, says that he is going to put them to work, now, right where they began. He meets them on a mountain, a hill for us Coloradans. To be on a mountain is a sign that something extremely important will happen. What other Bible stories do you remember that occurred on a mountain? Moses received the commandments on top of a mountain. Jesus and three of his friends went to a mountain top earlier in the Gospels and they had a vision that included Moses and Elijah the prophet standing there with Jesus. To go up on a mountain was to open yourself to an experience with God. Mountain tops were sacred places. Look at how the disciples respond to the risen Christ. Some of them worshiped him but others doubted! Think about this. They had come there because some women had gone to the tomb, found it empty, and found an angel who told them that the risen Christ was going on ahead of them now to Galilee. (Going on ahead of us is still what Christ has done and is doing for us.) Christ said that he would meet them there, and now that they were in the presence of the risen One, some were in awe at what had happened, and others, looking right at him, were skeptical and doubtful! It sounds like they are like us, a mixture of belief and unbelief, doubt and faith. It sounds like the fellow who asked Jesus to heal his son, who told Jesus, “I do have faith, but help me where my faith falls short!” This is a prayer we might pray, and it would have been a good prayer for those first friends as they gathered around the risen Christ. Jesus gives them their instructions, their marching orders if you will: “Go and make disciples of all the people.” Go and create followers of me and of my way and of course the first Christians were called followers of the Way for the longest time. And Jesus did not limit who should be invited to be followers of the way. “Go and create disciples of all people.” Does all mean all? The United Methodist Church is still struggling with that. Can we welcome all people, or should there be some restrictions that say that some people should be excluded based on sexual identity? Jesus gives those first friends, and his 21st century friends, a clear purpose statement. This statement is called, The Great Commission. It is like the great commandment. It is a mandate. You and I are to go and create disciples of all people. You are to invite all people to consider participating in the abundant life, the fullest life possible that comes from following Christ. What has this meant for us in this congregation? How have we followed that commandment? We have tried to listen. We have, over the years, defined our purpose and mission from this story. We have said that we exist as a church, both for the people who are here, AND for the people who are not yet here and those for whom God is calling us to care. We have made some significant sacrifices by leaving a beautiful, paid-for site, pulling up 45 year old roots in a former location and moving here so we can be more welcoming to all people. Look what has happened, we have been able to be more faithful. We are creating and nurturing and challenging more people to become disciples, not admirers, not spectators, but disciples and followers of Christ! We have welcomed over 700 new members to our congregation since we made more room for them. We have, right now, one of the largest youth confirmation classes we have ever had in our history. 46 young people are exploring faith in God and commitment to Christ. And we are about to take the next step of faithfulness in expanding our ministry to more people and by expanding our space so we can make room for others who are longing for a spiritual home and longing for abundant life and who need us to invite and receive them. This is challenging work. It is sacrificial work. It is controversial work. But the last words in this passage make a difference. I am with you. I will be there for you - even to the end of the world.