Discipleship - Rector's Rambling for November 23, 2025

One very important aspect of membership in the Church is what is known as Discipleship.  

The word disciple literally means one who follows.  We are disciples of Jesus Christ.  Although the word apostle is sometimes used as a synonym, apostle means one who is sent.  In the Bible the 12 apostles are also considered disciples of Jesus, but not all disciples are sent out as leaders. We are all called to be followers of Jesus Christ.

When we talk about discipleship in the Church we refer to our continued learning of The Faith, being equipped and built up for mission and ministry.  Baptism and Confirmation are beginning points, not an end point, in our learning.  We must continue to learn in order to be able to live the faith, and to share it. 

How do we do this?  Primarily we do it through worship.  The late Bishop Emrich said “In prayer and worship, which are the means of Grace by which God’s life comes to us, we become what we could not otherwise become.”  We are also transformed from the inside out by the Grace of the Blessed Sacrament and instructed by hearing Scripture read in worship, as well as expounded upon in the sermon.

But we have to take the opportunity to further our discipleship by learning the Scriptures through individual study as well as corporate study.  A bible through the year course, such as those offered through podcasts, are a great start!  The Daughters of the King have a regular bible study and in the new calendar year we will restart our Sunday Bible Study.

Also, starting December 7 will be offering a class An Outline of an Anglican Life, on Sundays after the 10 AM Service (and a bit of coffee hour). This 8 week course is an expansion of the Catechism and the Offices of Instruction found in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Class dates are December 7 and 14, then January 4 through February 8.  If you are going to be away for some of the dates we can make a video of that lecture available to those absent that day.  PLEASE SIGN UP so we have enough books prepared for the class!