United Lutheran

A Message From Pastor Beth

“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”  Matthew 16:24-25

This familiar passage comes from a conversation that Jesus was having with his disciples about what following him was about. After spending some time with Jesus, hearing what he said and seeing the amazing things that he did, they began to get rather inflated egos, and, of course had dreams of glory about their future with him. They were upset when he began to talk about his eventual suffering and death, Peter even scolding him -- that couldn’t happen to the Messiah. 

Here Jesus outlines for them what it really means to follow him; service and sacrifice, no simply belief, saying that he came not for earthly glory and praise, but to help, to serve and to heal and to give of himself for others. There were no selfish motives behind what Jesus did. To follow didn’t simply mean that you acknowledged that he was the Son of God. To really follow meant doing as he did, sacrificing as he did which was a bit frightening for the disciples. 

What can make us a bit uncomfortable is that Jesus wasn’t talking just to them, but is also talking to us, reminding us that to follow him there are certain expected behaviors and beliefs that we must live by. And yet, in our society it is all too easy to call oneself a Christian because we believe that Jesus was the Son of God and died for us without the real dedication of what it means to follow. How many Christians today think of themselves as disciples as opposed to simply being Christian? Maybe many don’t because of the high bar of expectations that seem to come with it. Many people would question that or balk at it because, well after all, life is so busy and there’s really not a lot of time for that ‘Jesus’. 

But maybe as we continue through our Easter cycle of celebration it’s time to re-examine our dedication and commitment to following Jesus, our efforts to live a life worthy of the calling to which we have been called in our baptism. As scary as this all might sound, it also comes with a promise, a promise that we will be blessed, a promise that we will find the life we are looking for, a life that we unsuccessfully try to find in other things. As Devlyn Brooks said in his article in the Grand Forks Herald: “Maybe it is indeed past time that we as faithful people aimed to be disciples of Jesus, rather than only Christians. AMEN”

Peace,