Unfortunately, today’s Gospel passage has often been used to defend a version of Christianity that is all about converting and colonizing. Frankly, it’s quite anti-Jesus. I want to suggest a different reading of this important passage, known as the “great commission”. “Go… and make disciples!” In Matthew, Jesus is a teacher in the mold of Moses, who liberates his people from slavery and meets with God on the mountaintop. Jesus’ mountaintop teaching in Matthew 5, called the beatitudes, portrays a God who takes sides. God sides with the suffering and oppressed. God is always on the side of mercy and compassion. And then there’s Matthew 25. People ask, “When did we see you hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick or in prison…” And Jesus replies, “Whatever you do to the least of these, you do also to me.”

Teaching, for Jesus, was not primarily about imparting knowledge; it was about adopting new communal patterns of behavior that challenge empire. Being a disciple of Jesus means showing up in a certain way. In Bible study this past week we wrestled with the declaration: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” We agreed this didn’t really sound like Jesus. It sounds more something people said about Jesus. To me, it’s a way of saying, we trust this guy—he has credibility. He’s been through some stuff, and he’s qualified to teach people how to live good lives!

Today’s passage isn’t actually about putting a spotlight on Jesus. The point is to center and empower the community of Jesus’ followers to “go and make disciples”, to relate to others the way Jesus taught, to build connections and partnerships to cultivate mutual learning with those grounded in the wisdom of other spiritual paths, and then to use all that relational trust and power we’ve built to make the world different and better. For me, the saying attributed to St. Francis sums up the true spirit of Jesus’ great commission: “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”

Now, we’re going to take some time to reflect on our actions, our ways of preaching the Gospel with our lives, over the past year. We’ll do something called a “gallery walk”. You can literally get up and walk around and look at the statements on the little papers or you can stay in your seat or participate at home, by looking through the list in the online document. Kids, this activity is for you, also, to do with your parent or another grown up. Here are some questions to consider as you wander through the statements:

• What do you notice?
• What surprises you?
• What inspires you?
• How is grief and trauma coming up? What care or healing is needed?
• What do you want to take with you?

Friends, as we continue the work of showing up, let us stay rooted in the promise of Jesus: “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Amen.