Read

Matthew 18:1-5

Questions are one of the surprises that can appear as we read the scriptures. Questions are a part of our faith.

Jesus asks the disciples questions. Jesus asks crowds questions. Jesus even speaks to the people who are wanting to put him to death in a questioning tone. And the disciples also ask Jesus questions.

The passage today, Jesus offers his response to the question, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

I can see the disciples sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for Jesus to look at them. Instead, Jesus invites a child into his midst.

And the disciples are dumbfounded.

The disciples are confused, “Become like a child, Jesus?! We’ve spent our whole lives growing up! What in the world are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?”

(If you’ve never rumbled with vulnerability with Jesus, I recognize that last statement may read a bit like blasphemy. After all, how could Jesus lose His mind?)

That’s why we need rumble tools. Before I share a few tools, let me remind you of the journey you’ve been on with Jesus and courage.

You named your call to courage and explored what ordinary courage is all about (week 1). Then, you learned the definition of vulnerability and how following Jesus takes courage (week 2). You explored the difference between armored and daring discipleship (week 3) and learned about the empathy skills and your emotions (week 4).

Now, let’s add a tool to your toolbox. (See below) These rumble starters are intended to help you lean into vulnerability and stay curious – even when conversations start to get messy.

I imagine the disciples and Jesus seated on the floor eating dinner that night and one of them says, “Jesus, help me understand…when you invited us to become like children, what does that mean? What does it look like? How can we do that?”

Jesus, laughing, might have said, “Do I need to go over this again? I will. I can. I’m not asking you to transport back in time. Stop thinking literally. I’m asking you to have the curiosity, compassion, joy, and vulnerability of a child.”

“But, Jesus, there are laws we need to follow. How can we NOT be literal?” Matthew interjects.

“That’s a whole different conversation,” Jesus offers.

Then Jesus continues, “We’ll have plenty of time together to keep practicing the faith, learning a new way. For tonight, can we simply stay curious about what the LORD is doing in our midst?”

The twelve nod in agreement. They get it. Their nods are not a polite-go-with-the-crowd type affirmation. They are WITH Jesus. Just then, Matthew has to break the silence and says,

“Oh. Yes, Jesus. We can do that.”

Judas, “Sorry, Jesus. I didn’t mean to start a conversation so late. I misunderstood.”

“Thanks for clearing that up,” said James.

Their conversation turns to celebration about what the LORD is doing. They’re so curious to hear the stories of what is happening, their meal lasts late into the night.

All that’s left for Jesus to do is go off on his own and pray.

Reflect

What would rumbling with vulnerability look like for you and Jesus? Refer to the rumble starters below.

Respond

Use the rumble starters to begin a conversation with Jesus or another person. Here are a few examples to help you get started:

Jesus, I’m wondering…How does your love multiply more when it is shared?

Jesus, help me understand…What happened to my dog when she died?

Walk me through, what can I do to help our friend who is hurting/has cancer/going through a divorce?

I’m wondering…What do I say to my neighbor who is moving?

Pray

Read

Luke 11:1-4

The disciples want to learn to pray from their Master, Jesus. The prayer we know as the Lord’s Prayer is the prayer Jesus teaches the disciples to pray.

While the Lord’s Prayer is a familiar prayer to many, at one time you had to learn it. You stumbled over the words. You wondered if it was trespasses or debts.

You may have even prayed it out loud in a Roman Catholic context and realized their tradition does not include “for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Yes, I’m speaking from experience. Of all the times and places it could have happened – this protestant pastor was attending a Roman Catholic funeral mass. It was another context to practice, stay curious, and receive the grace of the people around me.

Just like me, you practice the faith.

The more you practice the faith, the more you learn about Jesus and ourselves. The more you learn, the more curious you get. The more curious you get, the more you’ll need to practice rumbling with vulnerability. And the more you practice rumbling with vulnerability, the more courageous you become.

That’s the journey of a courageous disciple.

There’s one more thing. You never graduate from practice. Ask any professional athlete what they still spend time focusing upon each day. They’ll tell you the fundamental skills of their sport and basic physical & mental training.

Each of these is an example of why we practice prayer. It’s also why we practice following Jesus. Yes, you guessed it, you’ll also need to practice rumbling with vulnerability and being a courageous disciple.

You’ll mess it up. When you do, dust off your knees, get back up and return to the arena. You are a courageous disciple on a journey with Jesus.

Reflect

What spiritual discipline are you willing to use to explore practice rumbling with vulnerability? Here are a few spiritual disciplines you might consider: Daily prayer. Daily reading the scriptures. Serving with people living in poverty. Tithing. Caring for the sick. Accountability with a small group.

Respond

Practice a spiritual discipline today.

Pray

Wholehearted Disciple

Each Friday we’ll pause to consider the previous five days, integrating what we’re learning and how we’re seeing Jesus with three questions. As you consider the six myths of vulnerability and how the scripture passages brought these myths to light, respond to the following questions:

Thoughts

What are you thinking as a result of what you read, reflected and responded to? Specifically, what are you thinking about vulnerability?

Feelings

What are you thinking as a result of what you read, reflected and responded to each day? Specifically, what are you thinking about being curious and grounded confidence?

Actions

What are you doing as a result of what you read, reflected and responded to each day? Specifically, what are you doing about being curious and grounded confidence?

Where is there overlap in your answers? Wholehearted disciples practice uniting what they think, feel, and do. If you’re thoughts, actions, and feelings are not in alignment with one another, keep practicing! You’re on a journey of following Jesus.

Want to Dig Deeper? – Join the practice of TGIF

• Who or what are you trusting?
• For whom or what are you grateful?
• Who or what is inspiring you?
• How are you practicing faith?

Read

John 8:31-38

You’ve been practicing naming your emotions and identifying the emotions of others. But what about the hard emotions? What do we do with the emotions that feel negative?

Did you read the Scripture for today? Jesus mentions a three-letter word we like to avoid in the church: sin.

Sin, simply put, is separation from God. Because it’s hard, difficult and challenging you may not want to talk about it. But here we are, together, talking about it. That’s the key to “paying attention” as an empathy skill: acknowledging and naming the negative.

Jesus names what is negative, but he doesn’t dwell on it. He doesn’t get emotionally hooked by what the Jews are saying. Jesus also doesn’t create more drama where there isn’t drama. He models paying attention beautifully.

Now before you say, “Yes, Jesus models paying attention so well I don’t think I can do it.”

Scapegoating on Jesus is still scapegoating, ok?

You can do this.

Here’s the thing: if you have a pattern of not paying attention to the negative, this will be challenging. Be kind to yourself and take a baby step. You just acknowledged you don’t like to deal with the negative. What a great place to start. Tomorrow, try to name what emotions are negative to you. If you need the help of a counselor or other helping professional to do this work, that’s a great next step too.

The point here is to acknowledge the negative but don’t get sucked into a death spiral of negative emotions. Be mindful and take good care. Both are needed. Too much negative and you’re wallowing. Too much positive and we seem unreal. Ignore the negative, you’re not dealing with reality either. Give too much credit to the positive, yes, you guessed it, it’s not reality either. It takes work to not suppress or exaggerate your emotions. Live with that challenge today. Jesus is our example.

Reflect

What negative or positive emotions do you tend to suppress and exaggerate?

Respond

Today, be mindful of the emotions you identified in the “reflect” section. Pay attention to how these emotions come up in your life, the lives of others, and even in the media.

Pray