A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society

“The essential thing in ‘heaven and earth’ is…that there should be long obedience in the same direction; there thereby results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

How are we transformed into disciples of Jesus who have been sent to “be the church where we live, work and play?” It is the Holy Spirit who transforms us into the image of Jesus. And we are called to put ourselves in a position (only by the Spirit’s help) whereby God does his work of transformation in and through us. We’re embracing a model of discipleship that has three key components: radical obedience, a community of grace and truth, and reflective living. This sermon series will explore the first aspect of this model: radical obedience.

The Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120 thru 134) open our eyes to what a life of radical obedience looks like in an instant society that glimmers with distraction and is teeming with idols. These are traveling songs—songs sung by the people of God as they made the journey upward to Jerusalem to worship in the Temple. And so they are the songs we sing as we, too, make the journey as disciples of Jesus. This is a fitting follow-up to Jeremiah 29 as the besetting sin of the exiles was that they were living lives of disobedience.

Eugene Peterson will be our trustworthy companion as we make this journey and learn to sing these songs. The title and structure of the series are based on his book (by the same title). Unfortunately, we will not be able to explore all fifteen of the Psalms of Ascent, but we will learn a handful of them. Copies of Peterson’s book will be available in the Welcome Center this Sunday (cost: $10). Consider picking up a copy and reading along as we travel together!