We are apostles of Jesus. Jesus sends us too! When we limit our understanding of what it means to be a disciple or an apostle to membership in a group of 12 men who lived 2,000 years ago, we can forget to heed Jesus’ call to follow and serve him today. We limit the power of Jesus’ call to use our gifts to serve the neighbor if we think we can’t be like Peter, James, Mary Magdalene, or Martha. The disciples were more like us than we realize. They were ordinary, working-class people. Matthew, the tax collector, and Simon the Zealot came from opposite ends of the political spectrum. Some disciples had children, parents, and spouses who counted on them. Most importantly, the disciples were not perfect. Peter denied Jesus. Judas Iscariot betrayed him. Thomas doubted Jesus’ resurrection. Yet God worked through all these imperfect followers of Jesus to proclaim the good news and serve a world in need.
This message is excerpted from “Everyday disciples” by Rebecca Sheridan in the May 2019 Gather magazine. Today we commemorate Matthias, apostle.
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