Monday, January 27, 2020

Sermon: Fishing for people (Jan. 26, 2020)


Epiphany 3A
January 26, 2020
Matthew 4:12-23

INTRODUCTION
         Last week we heard John’s story about Jesus calling Peter and Andrew, the first disciples. Today we’ll hear Matthew’s version of the same event (which is considerably different, actually!). This is the year we will be focusing on reading Matthew’s Gospel, with a few detours through John, so I wanted to give you a little overview of Matthew’s approach to the Jesus story.
         Matthew was writing for a Jewish audience, and so you will often see him drawing on their sacred scripture – what we call the Old Testament. In fact, you’ll see that today, where Matthew will tell us, “This was to fulfill what the prophet wrote,” and then he’ll quote a text from Isaiah – the same one that we will be hearing this morning. The reference gives reason for why Jesus did the bulk of his ministry in Galilee. His constant referring to Hebrew scripture is intended to give validity to the Jesus story for his Jewish audience, like saying, “See, your prophets said this would happen, and now here it is, happening!” He argues that Jesus IS the Davidic Messiah that they have been waiting for.
         Some other themes in Matthew: he is incredibly organized, almost obsessively so. Jesus’ ministry is organized into five sections, the Five Books of Jesus, to echo the Five Books of Moses (the Torah, the first 5 books of the OT). In fact, Matthew paints Jesus as a sort of “new Moses.” We’ll see that especially in the next few weeks when we hear Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount. Jesus will say, “You’ve heard it said [in the law of Moses] this way, but I tell you that this is the law.” Matthew hits home that Jesus came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it, and so Jesus’ words, and his reinterpretation of the law, have ultimate authority.
         Another important theme for Matthew is God’s abiding presence. It is Matthew who gives Jesus the name, “Emmanuel,” meaning “God with us.” And at the end of Matthew Jesus will say, “Lo, I am with you to the end of the age.” In the midst of all that law that we will no doubt break, this is a comforting promise!
         A third major theme in Matthew is the establishment of the Church, and what discipleship and obedience look like in that church, and that is what we will see in our readings today, as Jesus calls the disciple on whom he will ultimately build his church (Peter). Sometimes discipleship is easy, as we know, and sometimes it’s a real challenge. So listen in our readings today for words that can speak to both situations. Let’s listen.   
[READ]

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
         “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”
It’s sort of a weird thing to say, right? I’ll be honest, if I had been in that fishing boat, or mending those nets, I’m not sure that would convince me to leave everything I know and follow a guy I hadn’t really even met yet! What does that even mean, “fish for people”?
Well maybe Jesus was being clever, using a fishing metaphor for these fishermen. I’m sure it spoke to them differently than it does to us 21st century Christians who aren’t quite so intimate with fish as those first disciples. But over the years, Christians have come to understand that phrase, “I will make you fish for people,” as referring to evangelism: sharing with people the good news of Christ, and thus inspiring them into a life of discipleship.
Now that is something that means a bit more to us. During our small group gatherings last summer, one question I asked in every group was, “What is your greatest hope for St. Paul’s?” And in almost every group, one of the answers was, “I hope that we grow [in numbers].” How many of you share that hope? Yeah, it’s a great answer, and one I think we all agree with! Of course we want to grow!
         But I have two follow-up questions: First, why do you want us to grow? Is it because you want St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on Lincoln Ave to survive? Or is it because there is something that you get from being here that you want other people to experience, something that you gain from your involvement in this church that is so great, you want it for everyone? If so, and this is important, what is that thing?
         I think the ability to answer this question is the first key to evangelism, to “fishing for people.” It is being able to articulate, “This is why being a part of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church – or any church, for that matter – is worth my time,” to tell your own story, compellingly and passionately, about how your relationship with Jesus makes your life better, and how this gathering of faithful people who have been changed by Christ are working together to make the world better, too.
         Last week I asked you the question Jesus asked his first disciples: “What are you looking for?” Many of you wrote wonderful answers to that question, which I have read and will take to heart (it’s not too late to answer, by the way, I left the basket out). The reason I asked is that I hope that what we do here can help you find what it is you are looking for. Then, when you want to tell someone about why it is worth your time to be here, you can tell them about how you find, here, what you are looking for.
         My second follow-up question in response to the desire for us to grow in numbers is, “What are you going to do to make it happen?” Maybe you think it is my job, as the pastor, to bring in more disciples (and you’re right, it is!), but Jesus also says pretty clearly here that “fishing for people” is a job for a disciple. How many of you are disciples? I hope all of you! And so, this is your job, too.
I know, that sounds a little scary, but it doesn’t have to be. So, let’s think together about discipleship, and from there, what it means to “fish for people.”
First, discipleship is necessarily relational. It’s about how we interact with other people. It is also about our personal prayer and study, yes, but genuine faith doesn’t stay there. That’s why the first three of the 10 commandments are about our relationship with God, and all the rest are about our relationships with others. Faith is relational. With that in mind, then, there are three essential words that can inform us about “fishing for people.”
First, invite. That’s a pretty obvious one, I hope, and was exemplified in last week’s Gospel lesson, where Andrew determined that Jesus was the messiah, and so he invited his brother Simon to “come and see.” And it definitely has credence. Many studies in church growth have found that the number one reason people go to a church for the first time is that they were invited by someone. Simple enough, huh? And yet, it’s not. Can you remember the last time you invited someone to church – if ever? Maybe we are embarrassed, or don’t want to intrude on someone’s personal life… Or maybe it’s just because we haven’t found the right opportunity.
So with that in mind, here is what I suggest: take a moment right now to think about someone you know, someone with whom you have a relationship, and who is not involved in a church. Maybe even jot the name down on your bulletin. Now, during this week, here’s my challenge to you: pray that God would give you an opportunity to invite that person to church. Notice I didn’t say, pray that they would come to know Jesus and walk into church all on their own, though that would also be nice. No, I’m asking you to pray for yourself, that you would have the courage and the opportunity to be a fisher of people, to invite that person to participate in something that is meaningful to you.
The second word is: befriend. This can mean a lot of things, but I’m thinking about it in terms of the fish who are already here – all of you! I heard a story about a man who was a member of a large church, but was considering leaving that church. “I’ve been an active member there 20 years,” he said, “And I only know maybe 12 people.” Now, this may reflect upon him, and how much effort he has put into getting involved and meeting people, but it also reflects upon the congregation – how many members in that large church had made an effort to befriend him?
Well, be honest: how are you at befriending people who are already a part of this church? We talk about “our church family” but being a family is not always a good thing, because families can be terribly difficult to break into! I know I started this sermon by talking about the desire to grow in numbers, but there is also a benefit of having a smaller community – we are small enough that we could really all know each other’s names. So what would happen if we all made a goal, even just one Sunday a month, of introducing ourselves to someone new, of any age, and chat for a few minutes. After all, we all have something in common – we’ve just been to church together! You could talk about the sermon, or the music, or about how long you’ve lived in the community. You could make an effort to remember their name, and say hello the following week. It could be a lot of fun – you could make a new friend – but it is also a part of discipleship: fishers of people befriend.
The last word is love. Love is simple to say, and to know intellectually… but much harder to do! Though it is central to our faith, Christians don’t always do such a great job of modeling it in the world, and never have – just look at the church in Corinth, a community racked with dissention and disagreement, as we can see in our epistle reading today. Loving one another is hard because we are so different. We have different politics and opinions, different life experiences, different perspectives on world events. Though we can agree on some outcomes – like, abolishing world hunger – we disagree on how to get to that point. We don’t think or act or approach life in the same way… and yet, we are one in Christ. Discipleship means loving one another despite those differences, loving others without restrictions or prerequisites, forgiving those who offend you, and accepting that people can disagree with you and still be good people. Fishing for people means loving one another.
I’ll be honest – some days, this all sounds like a lot of work. And I wonder, why go through the trouble? The answer is, because Jesus did it all for me, for all of us. Jesus invited us into relationship with him, invited us to “come and see” and experience new life in him. Jesus befriended us, against all odds, even though we, like his original disciples, deny, rebuke, and desert him all the time. And Jesus loves us, even when we fall short of the demands of discipleship, and continually invites us back into relationship with him.
You see, as disciples of Jesus, followers of Jesus, our job is to try in every way to mimic him, to do as he does, to live as he showed and taught. Discipleship is to live in relationship with our neighbors, inviting them into the life-giving story of Jesus, befriending them even despite differences, and love them even when they are unlovable. May the God who calls us to this, graciously give us the power to do it.
Let us pray… Gracious God, you have called us into this marvelous ministry of sharing your good news with others. Give us the courage and the opportunity to invite, befriend, and love our neighbors as you have done to us. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Sermon: What are you looking for? (Jan 19, 2020)


Epiphany 2A
January 19, 2020
John 1:29-42

INTRODUCTION
         This second Sunday after Epiphany we continue with a strong Epiphany theme: the revelation of God in the world. We’ll see it in the form of Spirit, and voice, and call. And in our Gospel reading, we’re hear it in a special name John uses for Jesus: the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. If you are familiar with the liturgy you will likely notice: this is the text on which the song we sing at communion is based. It’s actually the only time in the Bible that this particular phrase is used, but it is clearly important – which is why John the Baptist uses it twice in a row!
         That’s interesting, and important, but it is not what draws me in about our Gospel text today, or Epiphany in general. In the season of Epiphany, we talk a lot about seeing God revealed, and this word, see, and other words like it, play a prominent role in today’s story. So, as you listen especially to the Gospel story, notice how often you hear words like see, look, behold, found. Maybe you even want to circle them whenever you hear them. We’ll be making a quick detour today from Matthew’s Gospel into John’s Gospel, and for John, words like that, about seeing, are a big deal, so we’re going to explore that a bit today. Let’s listen.
[READ]


Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
         In my dream life, I live in a house where I know where everything is. Like, I think, “I need that book,” and I go to the place where the book is, and I find it there, every time. Does that sort of house exist? Does anyone have one? (Teach me!)
         Of course, I live with a curious 3 and a 4 year old, and a sometimes absent-minded husband, and I have myself been known to pick something up to do something, get distracted, put it down somewhere else to do something different instead, and then come back later and wonder why my car keys are in the fridge. This is one reason I am almost always late to things – I spend a solid portion of my life looking for things.
         Even if you do have one of those magic houses where you never lose anything, I think all of us spend a good portion of our lives looking for something – and a lot of the time, we don’t even know what it is. I’ve been thinking about that a lot this week, because what gripped my attention in our Gospel reading are those first words that Jesus utters to his disciples: “What are you looking for?” Such a normal question – one we regularly hear in our house! What are you looking for? But the context of the question causes it to take hold of my heart, and not let go. As I mentioned, these are the first words Jesus says to his disciples, in fact the first words he says in this Gospel at all, and first impressions matter. The Evangelist John is incredibly careful in his writing and every word choice means something, so I have to assume that this first question Jesus asks is an essential one in our understanding of entering a life of discipleship. What are you looking for?
         You know, I think a lot of times, our culture tries to answer this for us. It tells us that we are looking for a new car, or a bigger house, or whiter teeth, or a new outfit, or a flatter belly. And then it tells us that if we can find these things, we will be happy. And then it tells us that these things can be ours, for a price. Suddenly, we no longer know what we are truly looking for, because we are so busy trying to acquire what we think will fill whatever void needs filling. But all the while, Jesus’ question lingers over us, persistently asking, “But what are you really looking for? What is your deepest longing? What is your greatest hope? What are you looking for?”
         Are you looking for community in a world in which people feel increasingly lonely and isolated from one another? Are you looking for authenticity or acceptance, in a world quick to judge and quicker to hide anything that might not be accepted? Are you looking for silence in the midst of so much noise? Are you looking for meaningful connection, and a place to serve, in a culture that encourages us always to look out for ourselves first? Are you looking for hope, and something to believe in, when the headlines seem so devastating? Are you looking for some sabbath rest, an escape from 24/7 busy-ness and demands? Are you looking for truth, where everywhere you look are cries of “fake news”? Are you looking for clarity, or direction, in lives so full of spiritual and physical stuff that you can’t see which way to go? What are you looking for?
         I’ll tell you one thing that I’m looking for (when I’m not looking for my car keys or my child’s other shoe). I find I am often looking for space, both physical and spiritual. This was part of the reason I decided to pursue for Lent this year a theme about simplicity. Over the course of the six weeks of Lent, I’m hoping to walk with you to learn about how to simplify our lives of all the junk that gets in the way of us having a deep and meaningful relationship with Christ. Maybe the clutter distracts you from having time to pray. Maybe something in your heart is blocking you from letting the Spirit in to guide you. Maybe it’s a bit of both. During Lent, I hope we can all find a way to get some of the junk out and find the space just to be with God.
         So that’s what I’m looking for. What are you looking for? In your bulletin, you will find a quarter sheet of colored paper with this question on it. For the rest of the service, and the week if you need it, I invite you to think about this question, and write it on this piece of paper with as much clarity as you are comfortable. You don’t need to sign it if you don’t want to – I just want to get a sense of what members in this congregation are looking for. Next week, we will be electing new council members, and shortly thereafter that council will hold a retreat during which we will make some goals for the coming year. As we make those goals, it would be helpful to know what you, the congregation, are looking for, so that we can work to provide that insofar as it is possible, through our programing. If we don’t know what people are looking for, how can we provide it? I’d also like to know, as your pastor, what you are seeking, so that I can also work to provide that in my preaching this year.
         Now, going back to the Gospel text… how did the disciples answer Jesus’ question? Interestingly, they seem to dodge it, by asking another question: “Rabbi, where are you staying?” That word, “staying,” is an important one for John the evangelist. In Greek the word is meno, which appears over 40 times in this Gospel and is often translated as “abide.” The reason it is important is that for John, “to abide” is to be in relationship with Jesus, and for John, is the very definition of faith, of discipleship: abide with Jesus.
         So what does it mean, then, that the disciples’ answer to Jesus’ question, “what are you looking for?” is, “Rabbi, where do you abide?” I read that and hear from them a cry for a life-giving relationship with the Lamb of God. What are you looking for? I’m looking for you, Jesus, for you to know my heart, for you to guide my ways, for your peace and wisdom to fill me up. Where do you abide, teacher, so that I may abide there with you? I’m not sure what exactly I’m looking for, but I know that I’m going to find it when I abide with you.
         Because in the end, that is what we all are looking for, isn’t it? For a meaningful relationship in which we find truth, peace, comfort, wisdom and purpose, to abide for all of time in the one who brings life, who brings it abundantly. For the one whose very essence is love, who is a light to scatter the darkness of night. For the one who loves us just exactly as we are, but who also loves us too much to let us stay in our lostness and our brokenness, and so always is calling us out into service and into life.
         What are you looking for, people of God?
         Let us pray… Abiding God, we don’t always know what exactly we are looking for, but we know that we will find all that we need in you. Guide our hearts and our ways, so that we would find whatever it is that we are looking for. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.