Leaning Into Luke

 

Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God.  And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles:  Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. Luke 6:12-16

Show of hands…how many of you before you read the passage above could have named all the disciples?  To be clear, my hand is stuck to my side and my head is studiously looking at the ground avoiding looking anyone in the eyes.  Oh, I know a few.  Peter.  Check.  James and John and Andrew.  I am on a roll.  Philip and Thomas, feeling good about myself.  Oh, then there is Judas, Mr. Betray Your Best Friend.  Then, my mind goes blank.  On a good day, I might remember there was a second one named James.  Other times, my mind starts naming the seven dwarfs from Snow White or Smurfs from the cartoon I watched growing up.  Unfortunately, we don’t get a bio on all twelve, we get bits and pieces of their stories.  Unfortunately, some of the disciples, I am looking at you Bartholomew – with the cool name – don’t stand in the scripture spotlight very much for us to get to know them. 

There is a great line from the musical Hamilton asking, “Who tells your story?”  We don’t get to know all the disciples’ stories.  We have this list of their names and know that Jesus saw something stirring in each of their souls.  I encourage you today to speak, say aloud each of the disciples names, even Judas (that is important for tomorrow!).  After each name, pause, imagine, conjure and create a story.  We know Simon/Peter; James and John were fishermen.  We know Matthew was a tax collector.  We know Thomas is the one who gives us permission in faith to ask questions and to seek God through experiences.  We all know Judas.  But dive deeper.  Why did Simon leave his net?  What did Matthew feel surge in him that caused him to get up out of his tax booth?  Why did Judas sell Jesus out?  Who is this Bartholomew?  Hold your insights and ideas lightly and let God’s light shine brightly on the ways the disciples’ stories sing to your story today.

God, You come down to the lakeshore of my soul and call to me to be a partner in Christ’s service; call to ministries of grace.  I pray I will respond with deep compassion, fresh new lines of faith of your grace to trace today.  Amen.