At the final Gathering of the year–the “Rope of Hope” service–Trygve sends off the Hope College seniors with some thoughts from Matthew 28, the Great Commission.
I. The Great Commission
It’s nearly time. Time to pack up. Time to load up. Time to drive away. This can be hard. It can also be good. Before you go. It is time to be commissioned to Greatness. Listen to these words from the book that we love. The bush that burns and is never consumed. From the gospel of Matthew. Chapter 28. Verses 18-20.
“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”
II. Go Forth
This is known as The Great Commission. This is nothing less than the summary of the whole Gospel of Matthew. At the end of this gospel – this announcement of news of Jesus – that brings joy – for all people, in all places, at all times – Jesus speaks to his disciples and, at the same time, speaks to us tonight.
It’s post resurrection. The 11 disciples – 11 because Judas betrayed Jesus and is now dead – the 11 disciples set out to Galilee – to a mountain where Jesus directed them. Eleven is an imperfect number. God sends an imperfect, fallible, odd number into the world. Yet, God uses the imperfect to do his perfect work.
Here, in Galilee, where their ministry started they see Jesus. As T.S. Elliot said, “in the end is your beginning and in your beginning is your end.” Here, they see the resurrected man! But not a man – they see God! Truly this man is the son of God. He was dead, and see he is alive. He is the first and the last and the living one.
When they see him – you know what they do? They worship! With their heart and mind and soul! What are we to worship? God! To worship Jesus is to worship the living God. Jesus – who they see is alive – and they fall down and worship. In Matthew, worship means ultimacy. Worship means that Jesus really is God with us; worship means that Jesus is more than a teacher, because he is the divine Lord and Son of God. Or, in the later church’s consequent and necessary formulation, Jesus is “God of God, light from true Light, Very Good of Very Good,. Human beings ought not to worship other human beings. We are called to worship God. That is the first commandment!
First, Go forth and worship Jesus… even in doubt. Eugene Peterson says:
“Failure to worship consigns us to a life of spasms and jerks at the mercy of every advertisement, every siren, every seduction without worship we live manipulated and manipulating lives. If there is no center, there can be no circumference. Failure to worship sweeps us into a vast restlessness, epidemic of the soul, with no steady direction and no sustaining purpose.” (Living the Message, p. 74)
We need to worship. This summer, wherever you go, find a place to worship. It is critical. You can’t do this discipleship thing along. You do it with others. Can a hand be a hand without the arm? Can an arm be an arm without the shoulder? Can the shoulder be a shoulder without the body? Can you be a Christian without being connected to other Christians?
Notice also… as they worship, some doubt. They see him. Worship is going on. Some doubt. In the Gospel of John this is pointed out as Thomas. It’s ok to doubt. Just remember that in light of this news – be willing to doubt even your doubt! Jesus is alive. He is here. And the worship cannot be stopped. And yet some doubt. Bipolarity. Even the disciples who see Jesus doubt. We both worship and we still doubt. All disciples experience this bipolarity, and it’s not healthy to deny it. The good news of the great commission is that Jesus addresses and uses exactly such worshiping-doubting disciples.
Second, Go forth with the authority of Jesus…to make disciples…
Then Jesus speaks. He speaks to them this revelation. To the eleven – these disciples – that are soon to be graduated into full fledged life of ministry, he says this – “‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you”
The Great Commission begins with an astonishing claim: that Jesus has been given universal authority. This is an important claim. Jesus – no one else – has that authority in heaven and on earth. Jesus has the authority of God. All authority – in heaven and on earth. Jesus is the authority over all things. He is the judge who was judged. He is the key master, for he holds the keys of life and of death. All authority over everything. Even you. Even me.
On the basis of this world-altering authority, then, disciples are given universal orders – the mission to bring all nations – all people – at all times to the school of Jesus. With authority, Jesus says, “Go forth… go forth… and make disciples of all the nations, and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…”
“Go forth… Make disciples.” Notice something significant. Notice that those now being commissioned – graduated – are not called leaders, church officers, pastors, or even apostles, but simply disciples. Followers of Jesus. That is all a Christian should ever want to be. No matter who they are. No complex church structure. No hierarchy of better or worse. Just be a disciple.
To make disciples however, you have to first be a disciple. That is what I love about you. You want to be a disciple. That is what I love about this ministry. We are here to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the world. To be world Christians is to be a disciple of Jesus for the world.
You are commissioned, by the authority of Jesus, the resurrected Lord, to go forth now:
Go forth, make disciples in your family.
Go forth, make disciples in your places of work.
Go forth, make disciples in your churches.
Go forth, north, south,
Go east and west, but go, and make disciples!
When I hear this I think of you. You are going forth. I see it. I hear it. God is at work in your life.
Last Wednesday I had a meeting with Jessical Cronau, Shannon Moloney, Joel Klopfensein, and Caleb Goodman…they wanted to share with me what God is doing on campus. They were talking about how so many of you are coming alive in Christ, how you are loving, worshiping, and going forth. They prayed for me. They wanted me to know that God loved me. That they are praying that God is powerfully at work. It was beautiful. It reminded me that Jesus is still commissioning. Jesus is still sending. Jesus is still making disciples who want to make disciples. That is the Hope Way.
If you don’t know this – you should – you are part of something at Hope. God has been sending out disciples from this school forever – 150 years – God has been sending people from Hope College all over the world as pastors and missionaries, as teachers and scholars, as business people and engineers, as civil servants and entrepreneurs… from Hope College God has been raising up disciples. You are one of them.
I love the door handles into Dimnent…
I think of Tim Brown…
I think of Olivia Husbands…
I think of Adam Parlberg…
I think of Ryan Tanis…
Go make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptize. Wow… two millennium later, this great commission is still being lived among us!
I think of Caroline Barrette who was baptized on Easter Sunday…
I think of Hailey Houck who was baptized in October…
I think of Jori Gelbaugh who was just baptized at Engedi Church last Sunday.
It’s time to go forth, to worship, to make disciples.
III. And Remember
And as you go forth, remember this, Jesus promises: he gives you his word and his word is always binding. Go forth and remember God is with you till the end of the age. Which means God is with you now and forever.
No matter where you go, remember: God is with you!