The Gospel lesson for Trinity Sunday was:
Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV)
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
This passage is often referred to as the Great Commission. "Go and make disciples". Of course we also have the first reference to the Holy Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. However, when I heard these words this time, I was struck by the ending of the passage. "Teach them to observe all that I have commanded you".
The reason I was struck by these words is that we do not hear very often any more that Jesus gave us commandments to observe. Part of being a disciple of Jesus is to learn to do just that, observe the commandments. This is where the Holy Spirit comes in. Without the Holy Spirit it is impossible to obey the commandments at all times.
What commandments though? Obviously, the commandment of love. Love God with our whole being and love our neighbor as ourself. Jesus also gave us the commandment to love one another as He loved us.
There is another commandment that is not talked about much anymore. That commandment is to repent. Yes, I said repent. When Jesus began His ministry He said, "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand". When Peter spoke to the crowd on the day of Pentecost, he answered the question "what shall we do?" by saying, "Repent and be baptized...". Could this be Peter obeying the instruction of Jesus to "teach them to observe all that I commanded you"?
Repentance is the first step of discipleship. The first step in a long journey that requires a humble and contrite heart.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy,
Lord have mercy.
"Trust and Obey
for there is no other way
to be happy in Jesus
but to trust and obey."
1 comment:
I will always remember C.S. Lewis words on humilty in Mere Christianity. We live in a culture that obsesses over the individual and the fulfillment of petty desires. Discipline and humilty are Christian values that are waiting for a reemegence, no matter how "un-sexy" they are.
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