The Selfless Way of Christ
Downward Mobility As Christian Vocation
Upward Mobility + Downward Mobility
Pages 23-36
TOGETHER read the devotional and the scripture.
INDIVIDUALLY take notes in your journal on what stands out.
Acts 9:19-31 (NIV) Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah. After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall. When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
PRACTICE: One excellent way to learn self-denial is to serve someone anonymously. Pray for God to give you significant opportunities in the next few days, and then practice downward mobility by serving someone in secret in the next week.
TOGETHER pray for one another.
INDIVIDUALLY answer the questions in your journal - process your devotional notes and pray.
“Individuals as well as institutions tell us in a variety of ways that we must conquer knowledge and people; we must strive to wield influence and be successful. And even love itself is either something to be conquered or a reward for the victorious.”
What is your response to this statement? How widespread do you think this is in our culture? How about in your own heart?
“There is a profound difference between false ambition for power and the true ambition to love and serve. It is the difference between trying to raise ourselves up and trying to lift up our fellow human beings”
What does this mean for how we do discipleship?
“The great paradox which Scripture reveals to us is that real and total freedom is only found through downward mobility.”
What does this mean? Do you really think this is true?
“The disciple is the one who follows Jesus on his downward path and thus enters with him into new life. The gospel radically subverts the presuppositions of our upward mobile society.”
How would you describe upward vs downward mobility to someone?
“Somewhere deep in our hearts we already know that success, fame, influence, power, and money do not give us the inner joy and peace we crave.”
How have you seen this to be true in your life?
EXTRA READING:
“They say that I am crazy because I refuse to be crazy the way everyone else is crazy.”
- Peter Maurin (1877 - 1949) co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement