Walking with Jesus by Pastor Welty
Lynn Grant
Before my daughter Abby got married last fall, she requested that I wear a gray suit to her wedding. I didn't want to buy a new suit when I own a perfectly good black suit. But because I love my daughter, my wife Beth went out and bought a gray suit for me as a surprise. (I hope my sarcasm didn't go unnoticed.)
Buying a suit is not something that can be done vicariously. The potential wearer should be part of the purchasing process. When Beth brought the suit home, I tried it on and realized that we would have to return to the store. The next night we returned the first suit and found one that fit better. It fit better, but not perfect. Because my inseam is 29 inches, some alterations would be required. Mine is a size that one seldom finds off the rack. So we got home with my new suit, with a perfectly fitting jacket and slacks that were too long. The next morning I was at the tailor shop getting fitted for alterations. Did I mention this was 1 week before the wedding? The suit was ready in time, and my daughter was pleased, and her wedding was a great experience. Thanks in part to my gray suit.
Being a disciple of Christ is like buying a suit. It is not a "one size fits all" proposition. It is unique to each person, based on experiences, propensities and situation in life. There are certainly some basics and standards in the discipleship process that are common, but there are nuances in the process that are unique to the individual.
During Lent, I will lead us through a study of some followers of Jesus in the gospels and how their interactions with Jesus were unique to their situations. Some of the people we'll be considering will be the woman at the well, Zacchaeus, Nicodemus, the man born blind in John 9, Andrew, the father of the demonized boy in Mark 9 and Peter.
Each of these individuals had a unique encounter with Jesus. Hopefully, we too will experience Jesus in a personal and unique way as we go through this series.