Jesus is Lord

Last week we read the great commission “Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing in the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit.” We talked about the false notions we have about these words and phrases and tried to instill a deeper knowledge of the real meaning. We saw how Christ’s Lordship was one of choice, one where the Lord wasn’t dominating and controlling, but humble and giving. With Christ, we have a choice. We are not subjugated to his role as we would be to a dictator or tyrant. Instead we are invited to share in his kingdom, to be a part of his community. We like that choice. We like knowing we have some power, some say so, that we aren’t just forced to comply with the whim of the Lord.

We also learned more about what it means to be a disciple. We saw that it is like being an apprentice, that we learn from the master and that in order to become like the master, we must follow the master’s instructions…even when it seems repetitious or ridiculous. For it is only by emulating the master that we will become experts ourselves in their ways and practices.
Emulating the master is a choice we make. We are not forced to do what the master does. Instead we are invited to follow and to live like he lived. It may seem basic, or overly simple, but the reality is we have to make the choice. Jesus is a gracious Lord who offers us the choice, and we have to make that decision. We have to choose Jesus as Lord, which isn’t simply an affirmation of who he is, but it is a submission of our will to his, it is to follow him even when we do not want to go, it means mimicking his actions so that we might become more like the master. Choosing Jesus as Lord is something we must do over and over and over again.

To choose Jesus as Lord is not simply to affirm him, but it is to submit ourselves to him, it is to become his apprentice and try and learn all that he has to teach. It is to imitate his practices until we have the same expertise. Becoming great doesn’t happen just by osmosis—it comes from practice—long hours of practice, day after day, year after year.

I will never be as gifted on the piano as Inah if I don’t practice—no matter how much I listen to her or sit by her side, her skills will not become mine. Her mastery will not be my own unless I take time to practice each and every day.

The same is true for following Christ. Listening to his words and knowing his message don’t make us Christ-like. Practicing Christ’s behaviors, his teachings, and emulating his example is what makes us Christ-like. It is in the doing, not simply the believing, that we grow in our discipleship and are transformed into the person God would have us be.

Being a disciple means taking the master’s guidance even when we don’t want to or don’t understand. Jesus tells us to forgive and most of us go “ok. I can forgive.” And then we get hurt again and we think, “Hey, I forgave you! You weren’t supposed to are that again! Jerk!” And then the master says, “Forgive again.” “Again?! No way. I did that once…look where it got me!” And the master insists…again. So we begrudgingly forgive again. And then we get hurt a third time and we think, “See, I knew I shouldn’t have forgiven again! He’s never going to change! I don’t know why you thought it would make him any different.” And the master kindly tells us to forgive again.

• “yeah right!”
• Yes, I am right. Forgive again.
• But it didn’t change him. Why would I do it again?
• Because forgiveness will change you. If you want to be like me, if you want to be great, you must forgive again.
• And just how many times are we going to do this?
• Until you perfect it. Until it becomes so natural that you don’t even have to think about it.

And sometimes, the practice hardly seems worth it. We don’t want to forgive. We don’t want to love our enemies. We don’t want to be stretched and transformed anymore. Which is why we can’t focus on the strain of the action itself, but must stay focused on the goal: to be like Christ.

In 1984, Karate Kid hit the theaters. In it Mr. Miyagi teaches a promising young man the art of karate. Daniel is already trained in martial arts, but it’s a violent, dangerous form and Mr. Miyagi wants to train Daniel in a better way. Daniel agrees, only to spend his first day waxing Mr. Miyagi’s car. Wax on. Wax off. Wax on. Wax off. Daniel is resistant to the chore, but still continues with the practice, hoping the next day he will be able to do karate. The next day he returns, only to be told he will have to paint the fence. Up down. Up down. Up down. Daniel is frustrated, tired, and sore, and still waiting for his chance to do karate. The third day he returns, ready for action, and Mr. Miyagi instead assigns him the task of sanding the deck. Sand the deck. Sand the deck. Sand the deck. Daniel is furious that all he is doing is Mr. Miyagi’s bidding…his chores, but he is doing no karate. Daniel almost leaves, but instead spends another long day working in the sun. Daniel is frustrated and sees himself as nowhere closer to his goal of being a karate great. Mr. Miyagi sees it differently, he knows that Daniel wasn’t learning to wax the car, or paint the fence, or sand the deck, he was training his muscles to respond and react in the motions of Karate.

Daniel learned the skills he would need to make him great, through days of repetition. He trusted the master even when the task seemed ridiculous and exhausting. Only through the repetition of the action the master instructed was Daniel able to perfect the real art of karate.

What was true for Daniel is also true for us. We will become expert disciples, true imitators of the master, not by sitting and listening to the message, or even by believing the greatness of the master. We will only become expert disciples through action. Proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord is less about our words and more about our actions. Claiming Christ as Lord is not just an affirmation of who he is, but it is following him and doing his will in every area of our lives. We must repeat the simple tasks he gives us, over and over and over again, so that they become engrained in our muscles and a natural reaction to the world.

Claiming Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is a choice we make, one we are graciously offered by a humble Lord. And when we make that claim, we make it not just with our words, but with our actions. The only thing that will make us more Christ-like is repeated imitation of the master. We make Jesus our Lord not with celebration and words of affirmation. We make Jesus our Lord by submitting to his instruction and by living out his commands. My prayer this day is that our lives would be a reflection of who Christ is, that we would persevere through the tasks that seem mundane and unrelated, and come to be truly expert disciples, perfected in the ways of the Lord.

The Obligation of Power

The book of Esther is one of my favorites from the Bible.  I love Esther’s courage and Mordecai’s will and determination that do not let her back down.  I don’t know how many of you know the story well, so I will go over some of the details that were not read this morning.  King Xerxes is the king in power, and the Jews have recently returned to the land out of exile. Many are back in Jerusalem, but the city itself is in shambles….there is not much protection, and being new in town and the regular under-dog, the Jews were often persecuted.  Just before this chapter, the king’s assistant, Haman, who hates the Jews, devises a plan for them to be killed.  He has the king sign an official decree, which by law, cannot be overturned.  This is when Mordecai comes to the King’s gate to urge Esther to speak out and get involved.  As we hear in the story, Esther is reluctant.  She had not been invited to see the king in a month and could be killed for entering his court without permission.  Much like Moses, her excuses are to no avail.  Mordecai pushes back and urges her that she must go speak out.  That even though she lives in the palace, as a Jew, she will not be spared.  She has a responsibility to do something to save the Jews. 

Like the last two call stories we have heard, Esther is asked to take on the impossible.  She is asked to risk death and save thousands upon thousands of people.  Her task is not easy and will require a lot of her. 

Have I mentioned God calls us to the impossible?  That God places before us huge obstacles and challenges?  What we are called to do is not easy, but it is necessary.  While the call before us is challenging and risky, it’s not the risk that tugs on our heart strings….it’s the need.  I don’t think anyone signs up specifically for the job where they could die…not at first anyway.  At first you sign up to help people, to save lives, to feed children, and protect victims of violence.  We sign up to fight an injustice, or change circumstances, and find out later that the risk is much larger than we expected. 

This last week I was talking with some women about being prophetic—about speaking truth to power and challenging the problems in our world and we talked about how hard it is.  And then from there talked about how hard it is to continue to grow in our discipleship, to always be helping someone new, going beyond ourselves for the sake of someone else—often people we have never met or will never see again, but we keep helping and doing because it is what we are called to do.  Most of us admitted that if we had known what would be required of us as Christians—all that we would be asked to sacrifice, the challenges we would face, we probably wouldn’t have signed up.  But we didn’t face the challenges first.  First we saw and felt the overwhelming love of God.  First we were compelled by the needs of others, and then we decided we would do whatever was necessary to help. 

 The need is real and the circumstances are urgent.  People need potable water.  People need basic health care.  People need to sleep at night and not to hear gun shots or bombs.  People need education.  People need to know they are valued and precious—not just in God’s eyes but in our eyes.  Remember God uses us to reach us—and when we live that love, we share God. 

As Christian, we learn we do not just live for ourselves—we are not independent free agents.  Instead, we are connected to each other. God has created us to be inter-dependent—we are to rely on one another—ask for help and offer assistance.  Our livelihood and well-being are inherently connected to that of our neighbor.  As the scriptures say in 1 Corinthians…when one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers.  If one sister in Christ suffers—so do each of us.  If one brother suffers, so do all others.  We may not always feel the physical pain, but our livelihood suffers when they cannot do or create or live as God intended them to.

Living in a privileged society, it can be easy to feel comfortable, to settle into a place of privilege.  For us, water flows freely and clean.  Food is easily accessible.  Hearing gunfire is the exception rather than the rule.  Education is public, free, and mandatory rather than a privilege maintained for the elite of society.  We enjoy so much privilege it has become everyday to us—so normal that we take it for granted and often forget that millions around the world do not and will never enjoy such “everyday” luxury.

Celebrating Pentecost reminds us that we are a global church and that God is the God of all nations.  That Christ died for everyone and loves us all equally.  We are reminded that in Christ there is no Jew nor Greek, no slave nor free—that in Christ there is no hierarchy—that we shouldn’t find distinctions of class between Christians, that there shouldn’t be separation based on race in our churches.  As we hear other languages spoken, we are reminded of the other faithful disciples who have gathered to pray and praise and worship God this morning.

And as we see Esther, the woman with power risking even unto death for the welfare of a people we are reminded of the call to risk for those same brothers and sisters around the world so that they don’t have to worship in secret, so that they have clean water to drink, and food enough to fill their bellies. 

 

 

When we have great privilege or power, we also have an obligation—a responsibility to do something with it.  We are called to help others, to fight for their rights, to speak out against injustice.  We have an obligation to make a difference—to use our power—individually and collectively to do something to save God’s people. 

The call is not easy.  It is risky and challenging.  But we are not compelled by the risk, we are compelled by the need—the individual lives that are crying out for comfort, mercy, and safety.  We are much like Esther, we enjoy a position of power and could rest well in our palace of everyday luxuries, while others suffer, but we are called to help.  We are called to speak out, to make a difference.  And we cannot be so vain as to think that we will be unaffected by the persecution that happens to our brothers and sisters.  If they suffer, so do we, and we need to be faithful to the call and make a change in our world.