Images of Discipleship
In the Diocese of Sheffield, we’ve been using the idea of being Lights for Christ to help us think about how we live out our faith in the world. All followers of Jesus have this common calling – to reflect Christ’s light to others – regardless of tradition or church background.
Our hope is that this image of light is a familiar and useful one for people to take to heart; to carry with them as they go about their daily lives. God is calling us to be lights wherever we are – even in the areas of our lives that we think are mundane or unimportant.
But there are plenty of other images in the Bible that can help us to understand more about living out our calling to be disciples of Jesus. It may be that one image in particular resonates with you or feels especially relevant during this season of your life.
I invite you to prayerfully consider the images and Bible verses below: is there an image that helps you to understand your own journey of discipleship in a new way?
Herald
In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isaiah 40:3
Perhaps you see yourself as a herald – announcing the coming of God’s kingdom and preparing the way for something bigger than yourself. Like John the Baptist, your words and actions show that you are not the main event – Jesus is! Like a signpost, you point the way to Jesus in all you say and do.
Messenger
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor… to set the oppressed free…
Luke 4:18-19 (from Isaiah 61)
Maybe you have a gift for communicating clearly and can use this to be a messenger of the good news of Jesus. Perhaps you feel particularly called to share the hope that Jesus brings with people who are oppressed and marginalised.
Drink Offering
But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.
Philippians 2:17
It could be that in this season of your life, following Jesus feels particularly costly. Perhaps there is sacrifice involved in what God is calling you to do at the moment. Be encouraged – such offerings are not wasted. Like the woman at Bethany, who anointed Jesus before his death by pouring out expensive perfume, those who serve God at personal cost are doing a ‘beautiful thing’ (Mark 14:6).
Ambassador
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
2 Corinthians 5:20
Perhaps the image of being an ambassador is a helpful one for you – maybe you see yourself as a representative of Christ in your workplace, your home, your group of friends or in your sports club. A foreign ambassador represents the government and interests of their country (an earthly kingdom), but we are called to be representatives of God’s Kingdom and the love on which is it founded.
Shepherd
Tend my sheep.
John 21:16
It could be that you have a gift for leading and caring for God’s people. Perhaps, like a shepherd, you live and work closely with your flock, and love them for all their charms and eccentricities. If you have been given a position of responsibility and authority, look to Christ as your example – follow the way of the Servant King.
The Bible is full of other metaphors and images that relate to discipleship – the ones outlined above are just a small selection. During Wear Your Faith Fortnight last year we saw the importance of symbols for encapsulating and communicating ideas of faith – is there an image from the Bible that you can carry with you, either as a physical symbol or a recurring theme in your mind, that will act as a reminder of the life to which you have been called?