Finding An Identity

In the novel Taran Wanderer, Taran is an orphan who doesn’t know his heritage. He sets out on a quest to discover who he is, and during the process he becomes an apprentice in three different trades. In the end, he learns to be at peace with the person he is, rather than striving after what he wishes to become (royalty). As he puts it, “As for my parentage, it makes little difference. True kinship has naught to do with blood ties, however strong they may be” (Lloyd Alexander, Taran Wanderer [New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1999], 217). It was through a process of something like discipleship that he found his identity and peace with himself. Today we begin a series on the biblical concept of discipleship. Discipleship is an identity that is also directly related to what we do. Being a disciple of Christ is like being an apprentice of Jesus. We learn from the Master, and one day, while still learning from him, we begin to apprentice or disciple others in the way of Jesus too. In today’s message, we will formulate a firm definition from Scripture of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.