Jesus Calls His Disciples - Mark 1:1-20

      Discipleship is hard. It's hard because despite what we want to believe there isn't a cookie-cutter formula for making disciples. There are certain components - prayer, attending worship, working towards tithing, serving in the community and the local church, and sharing one's faith (in the United Methodist Church this is why our membership vows call for prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness) but we each live into what it means to be a disciple in a very particular way.

     But no one who claims to be a Christian is excused from being a disciple. If we claim to love Christ then we must be willing to hear his call and follow him, no matter what the cost. And there will certainly be costs, especially since we need to lay aside our will for Christ's. But the cost is nothing compared to what is at stake - proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is near!