Monday Morning Quarterback

so which one of the characters in the prologue in luke 15:1-2 did you identify with the most sunday morning?

1. tax collectors – powerful, cheaters, despised, greedy, and lonely.

2. sinners – rejected, unclean, helpless, hopeless and lost.

3. pharisees – religious, smug, judgmental, rule-keeping, and prejudiced.

4. teachers of the law – spiritual know-it-all, proud, superior, and unapproachable.

5. disciples – student’s in jesus’ classroom.

i know we all really want to to call ourselves disciples.  but let’s be careful.  a disciple is a student…a learner.  a disciple is someone who watches what jesus does intently…and listens to what jesus says carefully…and follows jesus’ example fearlessly.

be careful if you are going to call yourself a disciple.

what a privilege we have to enter into the mess of people’s lives.  we need to move beyond seeing it as an imposition and begin to embrace the idea that it is our calling…our honor.  but it is difficult.

to draw close to people will require much.  it will cost us our time.  and money.  and energy.  it will require attention and compassion and problem-solving and creativity.  it may demand that we sacrifice our comfort and our fun and even our plans.

i think jesus even had something to say about the cost:

“if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it”.    matthew 16:24-25

another privilege…or responsibility we have is to pray for people.

i dare you to join.  one prayer.  one person.  one minute.  once a day.

who will you make this commitment for?  who will you discipline yourself to pray for every day?  have you ever done it?  maybe it’s about time!

this was a great sunday…for all kinds of reasons i wasn’t expecting.  i’m grateful that no matter how hard i try to keep god in a tidy, little, predictable box…he always seems to find a way to slap me upside the head.

yeah, i’m grateful.