Committing To Discipleship by the Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Girata
A Message from the Rector, the Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Girata
“Be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.” (Col. 1:9–10)
It’s been a month since we celebrated the opening of our newly renovated Education Building. We’ve planned and waited a long time for a space that will allow us to gather and learn, while growing in our discipleship together. What we have now is a true gift to our community!
Although a newly renovated building is very exciting, you’ve heard me say again and again that our physical space is not as important as what our physical space empowers us to do. Having a well-designed physical space allows us to focus on the discipleship development of our entire community. Healthy discipleship growth is what we prioritize, and by focusing on discipleship, we can change the lives of those in our church community and in our world.
A focus on discipleship is a renewed spirit here at Saint Michael. Of course we have always encouraged spiritual growth, but truly encouraging discipleship growth across our entire community wasn’t happening with much intentionality. The newly renovated building supports one of the critical components of discipleship: learning.
As Episcopalians, we naturally attract people interested in learning. I can remember the first time I visited an Episcopal Church as a young adult. One of the most interesting differences between that church and the Catholic Church I grew up in was the adult education offerings on Sunday morning. When I grew up, Sunday School classes were for children and teens, not adults. The Episcopal Church encouraged everyone to attend Sunday classes, and the emphasis on learning didn’t stop there.
Over the years, I’ve loved the focus on learning that so many in our community celebrate. And yet, there is always room for improvement. Over this last year specifically, the number of people—of all ages—attending Sunday classes has increased, and with our new space, we have more room to continue that positive trend. For what we have done and what we are doing in the lives of our community, I’m very grateful.
Gratitude is where our discipleship begins. Christianity can often seem complicated because we’ve had 2,000 years to develop lots of traditions and ways of believing, but faith in Jesus reduces it to a very simple starting place: gratitude. We are created and loved unconditionally by God. God’s love is with us at all times—through the highs and the lows—and God’s first ask of us is to love him and others in return.
Love is the root of our faith. Knowing that there is nothing we can do to separate ourselves from God’s love is truly amazing. Life can be so very hard, and we are tempted to think we’re alone, but then the truth of God’s presence and never-failing love can help us see the light in the gravest darkness. When we learn that God loves us, and that nothing we have done and nothing we will ever do will separate us from God’s perfect love, gratitude can overwhelm us.
In gratitude, we begin to explore what being a disciple truly means. Discipleship is no litmus test, and as Episcopalians we certainly don’t define discipleship between narrow boundaries. Instead, discipleship is more what defines our identity and points us in the right direction. You might say that discipleship is the “north star,” received from God through Christ, that directs our steps. Each day, we’re giv- en the opportunity to choose how we live and how we love. Many days can feel full and busy, and that busyness can distract us from feeling empowered to live out our discipleship. Although we might feel as though we have no extra time, when we remind ourselves of God’s incredible love, we can recorrect our path and readjust our priorities. That recorrection and readjustment encourages us to move closer to God over time, and that movement is what we call “discipleship.”
In a September sermon, I spoke about how important it is for our discipleship growth to not only be about us, but also about who we can become as part of our evangelical impact. When we are healthy disciples, growing in our identity as followers of Jesus, we naturally attract and invite others to join us. We might still live in a community where going to church is a cultural norm, but committing to a life of discipleship is still very rare. We are made for that commitment.
Our world is in the throes of uncertainty, and I believe that uncertainty comes from living life without an anchor. God should be our anchor, and when we anchor ourselves on God’s purpose for us, we find the peace that passes understanding. I pray that you find that peace, and I pray that together, we extend the invitation for that peace to everyone in our lives. God is doing something remarkable at Saint Michael, and through our commitment to discipleship, we are part of God’s kingdom-building work!
**This article was written by the Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Girata and was featured in the 2024 – 2025 Winter Archangel.