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March 6 - Bryan Charlton

3/9/2015

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Friday

Genesis 22:1-18 and Matthew 4:18-22

In my evangelical church years, I was taught that God wanted to do great things through all Christians. Today’s scriptures were cited as examples of God’s call to every believer.  But I was always uneasy with this teaching. Abraham’s call to sacrifice his son is one of the most disturbing stories in the Bible.  Jesus’ call to his disciples seems less threatening until one realizes that they were being called to lives of sacrifice, persecution, imprisonment, torture, exile, and martyrdom.  Was God expecting me to emulate these people?  If so, I really did not want to be called. 

So what does God expect of me? Zack Eswine has eloquently expressed a vision of discipleship that I find liberating.  When we are called, we need to keep in mind our humanness.  He writes:

“First, we can only be at one place at one time, which means that Jesus will teach most of us to live a local life….Second, we cannot do everything that needs to be done, which means that Jesus will teach us to live with the things that we can neither control or fix….Third, we are unable to know everyone or everything, which means that Jesus will teach us to live with ignorance, our own and other’s.”

Christ wants us to be faithful in the routine and ordinary of our lives.  Pastor Eswine summarizes Jesus’ call to us:  “Follow me and I will teach you to do small things slowly over a long period of time for God.”

Amen!

Bryan Charlton

 

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505.345.8147                601 Montaño Road NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87107                  office@all-angels.com

  • ABOUT US
    • Meet Our Clergy
    • Meet Our Staff
    • Meet the Vestry
    • 2023 Annual Meeting
    • Our History
    • Contact
  • Transition
  • Worship & Prayer
    • Download Service Bulletins
    • Pastoral Care
    • Art & Music >
      • Visual Art
      • Music
  • FORMATION
    • Adult Formation
    • Children & Youth
    • Intergenerational Formation
    • Lenten Book Group
  • Outreach & Social Justice
    • Casa San Miguel Food Pantry
    • The Landing
    • LGBTQIA+
    • Immigration Ministry
    • All Angels Episcopal Day School
  • Give