After that day, everything was different. The first disciples witnessed a dead man walking. Their lives would be forever changed, defined by “life before Easter” and life “life after Easter.” On numerous occasions, Jesus showed up in resurrected form before he ascended. In the season of Easter we will examine six “after Easter” encounters with Jesus. What did he say and do? In what practical ways does resurrection change my daily life? Nothing will ever be the same.
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation
“You have made us for Yourself. And our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” (Augustine)
Creator of all things, hear my voice, for you have made it. You who live in heaven, hear my prayer from earth. I am one person in one little town in one corner of your vast creation. Of all the people on the planet, hear me also. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Confession
O God, in the beginning you made us good, even “very good.” I admit the many things in my life that are far from your good intent. I try to change, and then find myself in the same place once again. Lord, you know me. Have mercy. Make me right. Forgive my wickedness. Bring me back to good, as you intended from the beginning. Amen.
Word
“Go, therefore, and make disciples…” Matthew 28:19
Meditation
Today’s meditation is by Johanna Lange.
When I was a teenager, the church youth group activity I dreaded most of all was neighborhood outreach. Our youth leader would pair us up, and we’d walk door-to-door asking strangers the question, “Do you know where you are going when you die?” The goal, of course, was to start a conversation about faith, which would then inspire the stranger to think about attending church. I am an introvert and had pretty bad social anxiety as a teenager, so every time I knocked on a door, I would pray fervently that no one was home.
For a long time, I thought The Great Commission was calling me to these kinds of activities: knocking on strangers’ doors to proclaim the Gospel, passing out pamphlets about Jesus, attending short-term mission trips to pray over non-believers.
I know the Holy Spirit can work through these outreach strategies, but as I think more deeply about the words of The Great Commission in Matthew 28, I see that I am called to much more. The words that stand out to me are these: “make disciples.” The text does not say, “go and tell strangers about Jesus,” though that is implied to a certain degree. In plain terms, the command is, “go and make disciples.”
So, what does it mean to “make disciples,” and how do we do it? We can look to Jesus’s ministry as an example. According to the Gospels, Jesus spent around three to four years building relationships with his disciples: They broke bread together, celebrated holidays, attended weddings. With his disciples, Jesus prayed, served, shared stories and scripture, and modeled his ministry.
In The Great Commission, Jesus calls all of his disciples—including us—to go and make more disciples. In addition to talking to strangers about Jesus, following Christ’s example of discipleship means seeking genuine relationships with others, sharing meals and fellowship, spending time together in scripture and prayer. It means walking alongside others with patience and kindness, bringing them to the fountain to be baptized, and continuing to model the love and grace of Christ through loving relationships.
Will we disciple others perfectly? Of course not; we are sinners. But, fortunately, Jesus assures us that we are never alone in the process: “surely I am with you always,” he says, “to the very end of the age.”
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for the people you put in our lives to disciple us: family, friends, and strangers. Together with the Holy Spirit, guide us as we work to make more disciples in our neighborhoods and across the globe. Amen.
Benediction
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
(Rom. 11:33,36))