One of the amazing
things we can see in the Gospel Narratives is just how quickly Jesus decides to
send out his 12 disciples with his mission. In the Gospel of Matthew, he begins
the process of selecting his 12 disciples in chapter four, and sends them out
into the world in chapter 10.
The fact that Jesus
made this leap so quickly is shocking.
How could he possibly
think that these men were ready?
How could he be
confident that they knew what they were doing?
Sure they had seen a
lot up to this point, but it is not possible that they could have fully grasped
the message of Jesus.
The more time I look
at this passage and timeline, I start wondering if maybe the point that Jesus
is trying to make with his actions is that there is a great deal of GROWTH that
can come from PARTICIPATING.
Maybe he is saying
that preparation does not only come from listening.
As many of you are
aware, AFE celebrated its first graduating class last year. In an effort to
allow our graduates the opportunity to give back and to also grow in their own
maturity as adults in this world, AFE has provided the opportunity for several
students to teach in the afternoon for our adult education. Although it has
been a big step for them, they have welcomed the challenge and are finding
GROWTH through PARTICIPATION.
