Adult Confirmation - Session 8: Called with Purpose-The Journey of a Disciple

Sorry for the delay in getting this week's posting up... Better late than never!


Prayer of the Week:
Father God, Perfector of our faith, give us the grace to lay aside our differences. Take away our prejudices, our greed, our hatred, and whatever else hinders us from being united under the banner of Christ our Savior. There is one Body, one Spirit, and one Hope, and in it is in You we place our faith. Strengthen us as a covenant community, that our words, thoughts, and deeds would be steeped in Your divine love. Amen.

Opening Thoughts:
Each of us is different. We have unique upbringings, different family and job situations, and specialized talents and passions. We've been created and endowed with tremendous potential in fulfilling our call to be stewards of creation, love one another, and share the hope of our salvation. Our culture asks us to define ourselves by our uniqueness, to highlight and exemplify our differences, and for each of us to honor them alike. This in and of itself is not a bad thing. However, it can often lead to misplaced hope, devotion, and actions unbecoming to the Gospel to which we've been called.

Our charge as disciples of Jesus Christ is not to highlight our own creativities and skills in order that they be lauded and proclaimed for all to see. Rather, we are called to join together in one accord in order that the goodness and glory of God be proclaimed; that our neighbors, locally and globally, would look to us and see not the individual, but instead, the loving face of God. The focus for this week of study, discussion, and exercise is to explore what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, what it means to live in love, and how we exists as one body of faith.

Suggested Scripture Readings:

• Matthew 20:1-16 - "The Laborers in the Vineyard"
• Mark 12:28-34 - "The First Commandment"
• Luke 9:57-62 - "Would-Be Followers of Jesus"
• John 21:15-19 - "Jesus and Peter"
• 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 - "One Body with Many Members"
• 1 Timothy 4:6-16 - "A Good Minister of Jesus Christ"
• 1 Peter 1:13-25 - "A Call to Holy Living"

Reflection Questions:

• Is love a gift? What does it look like for us to love in the way that the passage in Mark describes?
• In the text from Luke, Jesus tells the would-be follower to "let the dead bury their own dead." How do you understand this verse?
• What "dead" things in your life might you need to leave behind in order to follow/keep following Jesus?
• There are many places in Paul's letters where we find encouragement and command that the church be united. To what extent do you see McFarlin as well as The Church universal practicing unity in the face of social and cultural diversity?
• What are some of the positive and negative connotations with "holiness?"

Yours,

Michael C. Andres

Director of Discipleship