Recently, we finished up traveling through the Apostle Paul's final correspondence, a letter he wrote to a body of disciples in Ephesus. Throughout that letter, Paul wanted to help this community bend closer and closer to the life and example of Jesus Christ. His hope was for them to be imitators of Jesus ... in word, in thought, in action.
In the next several weeks, we will be looking more closely at how we can indeed be "imitators." Or, to use another word often used, we are going to consider what it means to be a "disciple," someone who desires to follow the example and teaching of Jesus.
As I have been thinking about discipleship, I keep hearing Whoopi Goldberg's voice.
Clearly, I need to explain that last sentence.
As parents of two young children, my wife and I have discovered a valuable friend: Sesame Street. In our weaker moments, or when we feel that the time has come for some cleaning to be done around the house, we sometimes put in a Sesame Street DVD for our son to watch. And at the beginning of the videos Whoopi Goldberg's voice comes on and says ...
"Children in America are learning ... Children in Africa are learning ... Children in Russia are learning ..."
She then goes on to tell us that children all over the world are learning because of Sesame Street, which is now broadcast all over the world in multiple languages. So, yes, in a way, children are learning because of what Elmo and Grover are saying to them whether it be in English or Mandarin.
But, as I recall Whoopi Goldberg's voice, I can't help but think: we are all learning ... every single moment ... every single day. And not just because of Sesame Street. We are learning because that is how God created us as human beings: as developing, learning children.
Whether we are learning in a classroom at DePauw, on the job, while listening to talk radio on the way to an appointment, or watching Sesame Street ... we are all learning. We are learning as we talk with friends and family on the phone; we are learning as we sit around the dinner table; we are learning as we watch the evening news. Thus, the key question becomes, "What are we learning?"
That is the question.
One of the major reasons we exist as a community is to be a place where people can come and learn about the way of Jesus Christ. I hope when we gather as a community we can all walk away and say, "Today, I learned a bit more how I can follow Christ."
Because we are all learning ...
Blessings,
Wes
In the next several weeks, we will be looking more closely at how we can indeed be "imitators." Or, to use another word often used, we are going to consider what it means to be a "disciple," someone who desires to follow the example and teaching of Jesus.
As I have been thinking about discipleship, I keep hearing Whoopi Goldberg's voice.
Clearly, I need to explain that last sentence.
As parents of two young children, my wife and I have discovered a valuable friend: Sesame Street. In our weaker moments, or when we feel that the time has come for some cleaning to be done around the house, we sometimes put in a Sesame Street DVD for our son to watch. And at the beginning of the videos Whoopi Goldberg's voice comes on and says ...
"Children in America are learning ... Children in Africa are learning ... Children in Russia are learning ..."
She then goes on to tell us that children all over the world are learning because of Sesame Street, which is now broadcast all over the world in multiple languages. So, yes, in a way, children are learning because of what Elmo and Grover are saying to them whether it be in English or Mandarin.
But, as I recall Whoopi Goldberg's voice, I can't help but think: we are all learning ... every single moment ... every single day. And not just because of Sesame Street. We are learning because that is how God created us as human beings: as developing, learning children.
Whether we are learning in a classroom at DePauw, on the job, while listening to talk radio on the way to an appointment, or watching Sesame Street ... we are all learning. We are learning as we talk with friends and family on the phone; we are learning as we sit around the dinner table; we are learning as we watch the evening news. Thus, the key question becomes, "What are we learning?"
That is the question.
One of the major reasons we exist as a community is to be a place where people can come and learn about the way of Jesus Christ. I hope when we gather as a community we can all walk away and say, "Today, I learned a bit more how I can follow Christ."
Because we are all learning ...
Blessings,
Wes
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