West End Umc Video Podcast Audio Podcast

From Big Fan to True Disciple – Today’s scripture is a scene from Luke where Jesus is addressing the crowds and challenges them in a number of ways, some of which seem very harsh. Carol begins by talking about Taylor Swift and the hordes of her fans. This story in Luke has Jesus surrounded by hordes of people, fans, who travel with Jesus. In the Gospel of Luke there are concentric circles of people with Jesus, the closest of which is his group of disciples. This story distinguishes what it means to be a disciple as opposed to being a fan of Jesus, and the question for us is whether we are fans or disciples. Carol refers to a sermon of John Wesley called, “Almost Christian.” This challenge by Jesus in Luke for people to be disciples can seem very challenging for us. In the story, Jesus doesn’t reject or condemn those who aren’t disciples but is inviting them to become disciples. This comparison is also hyperbole, telling them/us that to become a disciple we have to be all-in and live a life of full com