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.