A couple weeks ago, some friends came in from out of town to visit. They hadn’t been to my new home so they called ahead and got directions. When their projected arrival time came and went, I knew they must have taken a wrong turn. Shortly, the call came, “Well, we think we’re lost.” They had turned one street too soon and found themselves looking in vain for the right address . All it took was a simple reroute and they were at my house in a matter of minutes.
I often wish that my journey of faith was that easy. In fact I am always a little jealous when I read the account of the Last Supper where Jesus gives those specific directions to the disciples. Remember that? Go into the city and find the man carrying the jar of water , follow him home and tell him the Lord needs his guest room for dinner. Or what about Palm Sunday when Jesus gives explicit instructions, “ Go and find the colt that is tied up. Untie it and bring it to me. If anybody asks you about it, tell them the Lord needs it.”
Clear. Concise. Easy to follow. I can handle directions like that. The trouble is, it seems that Jesus doesn’t give you and me the same easy directions to accomplish tasks. Instead discipleship looks like the sending of the disciples. “Go,” Jesus says, “Proclaim the good news, heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons.” Or what about after Easter, when the risen Christ commands the disciples, “Go, and make disciples of all peoples, baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
Um, ok, where do I even begin? Right? I mean seriously, it would be a lot easier if Jesus would break that down a little bit into easier-to-manage chunks, wouldn’t it? First, go and find the guy who’s car is broken down on the side of the road. Or, stop at the nursing home on your way home from work. You get the idea. Most days I think I’d like a little more clear direction from Jesus. Dumb it down for me so I don’t have to do so much navigating. All I’d have to do when I got lost was make a call… was that a right or left turn?
But I keep reminding myself that discipleship isn’t as much about destination as it is about journey. What opportunities might I miss if I focused only on the destination? …so focused on the map that I missed the world around me?
Proclaiming and healing and teaching may not be as easy to accomplish as finding a room or a colt. They may continue to leave us wondering if we made a wrong turn somewhere. But Christ also promises that we don’t take this journey alone. We are sent with the power and direction of the Spirit of the risen Christ. So my friends, go out and embrace the world around you with God’s love, and don’t worry about getting lost.
The Long View is Pastor Liz’s mid-week observation of our regular stories, and how they may show the Spirit at work.
