Sunday, August 28th: Discipleship

“Discipleship” is not just a biblical teaching of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ, but it is also a popular buzzword in American Christianity that has taken on other shades of meaning. Oftentimes it is a word used to lean dangerously close to replacing the Gospel of Christ with a return to the Law as if to suggest: “Now that God has done His part in saving you and forgiving you, it is now time for you to get busy and engage in serious discipleship!” If we are not careful, we will commit the grievous error that occurred among the Galatians (O foolish, bewitched Galatians!). This Sunday — the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost — we are given what is perhaps the most important Scripture on “discipleship,” Matthew 16:24 which reads, “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'” And yet by virtue of our sinful nature, we haven’t the power to lift one finger to 1) deny ourselves; 2) take up our crosses; and 3) follow Christ our Lord. It is the Lord Christ — THE DISCIPLE who heard and obeyed the Heavenly Father — who denied Himself, took up HIS cross and followed for the joy that was set before Him, namely to give glory to the Father and to save YOU and me and all sinners. This work of Christ, however, continues. Through Holy Baptism for example, He is the One who kills us, buries us, crucifies us so that we may daily rise up again in the grace of God through His powerful Word. Then in Christ, it is His life that permits — in mercy — our cross. That cross may be an illness, an injury, a hardship…perhaps it is your call to take care of someone and to bear their burden with them in fulfillment of Galatians 6:2 for example. And these crosses which we are not to go out looking for, are crosses placed upon us by the Lord as we live lives of faith. These crosses teach us to lean not on ourselves but on Christ, to fall into the arms of the One crucified and risen for us so that His life and His life alone marks our lives. We deny ourselves when we say to our sinful flesh: “I don’t know you!” Instead we say, “I know Christ, I follow Christ, He is my life, He is my Savior, and He will lead me by grace to be His disciple!” We rejoice in the Lord and invite you to come worship with us! In Christ, Dr. Espinosa

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