The Path of Discipleship
The Light in Every Thing is a podcast of the Seminary of The Christian Community in North America. Learn more about the Seminary at our website or become a friend and supporter with access to more content at our Patreon.
Our thanks to Elliott Chamberlin who composed the opening music, "On the Road" and the closing music, "Seeking Together". You can find more of his music here.
Episode 1: Ten Steps Through the Liturgical Gospel: “Who do you say that I am?”
In this first episode of a new series on discipleship, Patrick Kennedy and Jonah Evans dive into the first of ten gospel readings that will guide the series: Mark 8:27-9:1. In this passage Jesus confronts his disciples with his own description of his mission and destiny and the core instruction to his students (disciples): “anyone who would follow me must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me.” - we look forward to hearing how these conversations spark your own reflections.
Episode 2: The Path and the Gate that Leads to Life
In this episode, Patrick Kennedy and Jonah Evans continue their conversation on discipleship by exploring the second gospel reading in the series: Matthew 7:1-14. Here, Christ offers his followers a sequence of rich images in these verses that culminate in the narrow gate, with its promise of Life on the other side.
Episode 3: The Disciple’s Heart - Both Shepherd & Sheep
In this episode, Jonah Evans and Patrick Kennedy continue their discussion of discipleship by exploring the third gospel reading in the series: Luke 15: 1 - 32. Through the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Prodigal Son, Jesus reveals to his disciples the dynamic loving effort the divine world is making to find every human soul that has lost its connection to its true home as well as the inner transformation of heart and mind each person can make to turn again towards the ‘Kingdom of God’.
Episode 4: Christ Empowers and Sends His Disciples
In this episode, Patrick Kennedy and Jonah Evans explore the next steps along the path of discipleship as revealed in our fourth gospel reading of the series: Luke 9: 1 - 17. We hear how Christ gathers his disciples, empowers them, and instructs them as to their mission and sends them out into the world. What is the mission of a disciple? How are they equipped for this work, what provisions given? Jonah and Patrick take up the answers given in the gospel and explore the deeper mysteries of the 'angel' of the discipleship circle and the final step in the passage: the feeding of the five thousand.
Episode 5: Learning to See for the Blind
With this episode, we arrive at the center of our ten episodes on discipleship. After hearing in the last gospel passage of the disciples’ mission to proclaim the divine kingdom and to heal the sick, Jonah Evans and Patrick Kennedy lead us into the first in the series of discipleship readings that describe a concrete healing: the healing of the blind man at Jericho (Luke 18: 35 - 43). From this begging man who cannot see, we learn in this episode about true sight, fearless prayer and true faith.
Episode 6: “Be Opened!” - The Finger of God and the Healing of Ear and Tongue
The path of discipleship begins with a call to pick up our cross and follow (Matthew 16:24) and ends with a resurrection - not of Jesus, but of a 'prophet'. We hear Jesus speak to the 'dead man' who was carried out of the town, Nain, "Young man, I say to you, arise!" (Luke 7:14). Suffering, death and resurrection - this threefold process is the signature of Christ's very being which he expressed on a cosmic scale on the mount called Golgotha. In this final episode on the path of discipleship, Jonah and Patrick explore how this pattern is meant to be revealed in all those who would be his students, that Christ might work through them into the world.
Episode 7: "…Like lambs among the wolves..."
In this seventh episode of our series we hear of a second sending forth of disciples. Not the twelve disciples from our fourth gospel reading (Luke 9: 1-17), but an expanded community of 70 are sent forth "like lambs among wolves" (Luke 10: 1-20). Patrick and Jonah explain how this apostolic community of 70 has its roots deep in the hidden spiritual patterns of life revealed in the Hebrew Bible and is a fulfillment of Christ’s mission to seed a new Humanity and, ultimately, a new Heaven and a new Earth.
APOLOGIES, Friends! The sound is very poor in this episode because somehow the good microphones didn't record. Thankfully, we always have a backup iPhone at work...
Episode 8: Faith, Servanthood and Lordship
With this eighth gospel reading in our series (Luke 17: 5-10), the apostles return to Christ Jesus after their sending and ask Him to increase their faith. His response takes the conversation on a surprising turn, referring to the disciples as ’douloi’ (Greek: slaves) to their master. This controversial phrasing leads Jonah and Patrick to deepen how Christ’s guidance helps us to continually reestablish our humility even as he increases our capacities through his own power, thereby protecting us from potential dangers on the path.
Episode 9: Called to Live in a Different Cosmos
This episode explores the next level of moral substance and practice that disciples are called to cultivate, as described in this week’s gospel reading (Matthew 6: 19-34). What is spiritual treasure? Where am I placing my faith? Have I found a ground to walk on that cannot be shaken under any circumstance?
Episode 10: The Widow-Soul and the Risen-Self
The path of discipleship begins with a call to pick up our cross and follow (Matthew 16:24) and ends with a resurrection - not of Jesus, but of a 'prophet'. We hear Jesus speak to the 'dead man' who was carried out of the town, Nain, "Young man, I say to you, arise!" (Luke 7:14). Suffering, death and resurrection - this threefold process is the signature of Christ's very being which he expressed on a cosmic scale on the mount called Golgotha. In this final episode on the path of discipleship, Jonah and Patrick explore how this pattern is meant to be revealed in all those who would be his students, that Christ might work through them into the world.
Q&A Episode 1: The Path of Discipleship
In this first Q&A episode, Patrick and Jonah address three broad questions from our Patreon community. To begin, they discuss a question about ‘fear’ in the gospels and how we might understand its role in our lives as disciples. From there, the role of sacraments, the gospel readings throughout the year, and even the sacramental nature of our own biographies, are considered as expressions of the discipleship path.
Q&A Episode 2: The Path of Discipleship
In the final Q&A episode of the discipleship series, Jonah and Patrick take up several questions which relate elements from the spiritual guidance given by the founder of Anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner, to the path of Christian discipleship. Jonah and Patrick answer the question of how the “path of feeling” Steiner describes relates to the path devotional gospel reading, prayer and worship, and then contemplate a question as to how religious community life supports the life of the disciple. In the heart of the episode, they attempt a kind of ‘anatomy of faith’ in response to another question, lifting it far beyond “blind faith” and recognizing it for its immense transformative power.
