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January
23, 2005 (Jimmie Johnson) Isaiah 9:1-4 But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Matthew 4:12-23 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I collect antique fishing lures, and--I suppose there’s a connection--I also collect religious conversion stories. People will tell me about how Jesus transformed their inner restlessness, filled the vacuum within, or took away their fear or guilt. I don’t doubt any of these stories. I had a wonderful conversation last week in Dallas with a man who told me that even though he is Jewish, he credits Jesus with his three plus years of sobriety. That perked my ears up. He said when he was in an expensive rehab center, one morning he was being led in a directed meditation as part of the treatment plan. And in the directed meditation of all the figures that could have come to him, it was figure of Jesus and the figure of his deceased mother dressed in her scout leader uniform. My friend said he was aware of a larger figure behind Jesus and his mother who was also present and appearing through Jesus. The man defines himself as Jewish but says the appearance of Jesus in his life set him on the path of sobriety. That’s a great story and I believe it. A lot of people tell of coming to follow Jesus out of a need within themselves or a wrecked life that badly needs to be salvaged. But this gospel story this morning tells how for many people it is not their need, their addiction, their fear, or guilt or any desire within them that is the trigger. Rather, it is simply hearing the word of Jesus call them. These fishermen are already at work. They have something that is useful and important to do. They are not looking for a new life. Let’s assume they were happy. People can be happy with their lives, can’t they? Isn’t God interested in happy people, too? Is God frightened off if we are successful? Can God only work with the defeated or the miserable? Do we have to be broken for God to be interested in us? No. Let’s assume these guys are fine with life. Their lives were working for them. They enjoyed their friends and family. They enjoyed good laughter and good thought. They were doing nicely. Nothing in the story indicates otherwise. The miracle of this story is not about how they find Jesus but about how he finds them. Jesus shows up and out of nowhere creates faith where there was none before. This is the miracle of this text. God can call you when you are thinking about lunch or sex. The story says you can be standing in the frozen foods section of HEB and God “can slap you up side the head with glory” (Barbara Brown Taylor, Home by Another Way). You can be walking the dog or taking out the trash, and God has this marvelous ability to intrude into your ordinariness. And nothing is the same again. The old routines, places, and people are all transformed. They are the same, but, no, they are not because you are not the same. My first reaction was to read this as a story about men who became spiritual giants because they chose to follow Jesus, a story about examples and how I am supposed to be like them .Here’s what a Christian is supposed to be like, so, Jimmie, go and do likewise: become a spiritual hero like these followers in the gospel reading. That’s the first reaction I had to this story. It made me want to drink a six pack because frankly I am tired of working hard, praying hard, volunteering for everything I am asked to help with trying to get God’s and everybody else’s approval! I first read this story and thought, I am not ever going to be like Peter and Andrew, James and John. I don’t have it in me, and I am tired of trying to pretend that I ever will. If Christianity is about heroes, forget it. But, look, that’s where we have it all wrong. This isn’t a story about us trying harder, working harder to be good, trying to give enough, pray enough. This is not a story about four courageous fishermen who sacrificed all to serve the Lord. That’s simply the standard Bible-Belt Christian read mixed in with our American “work yourself up by the bootstrap” can-do attitude. This is not a hero story. This is a miracle story. This is a story about a God who can create faith where there was none before. This is a story about a God who can miraculously get us interested in and enthralled with Jesus and the strange God he embodies, so enthralled that we aren’t interested in what we are leaving but in whom we are joining. We are so hooked by God’s love for us that we aren’t interested so much in what we are letting go as in what we are being given. Suddenly we find ourselves in a God-drenched moment, and the miracle is we are thrilled to sense our lives flowing in the same direction as God’s life. Now grab tightly to this idea. The specific form of the following will vary. Don’t read this story so narrowly as to make it mean that you must abandon your responsibilities to your family or quit your job and go to seminary. Don’t read this story as a call to impress God. No, it may simply mean doing the same old things with the same people and with the same old responsibilities but in new ways and for new reasons. Maybe your form of following will be that of being convinced God will give you whatever help you need to stay and take care of your elderly parent. Or God will inspire you to develop a way to keep the fishing business going so that people have jobs and provide for families. Maybe your call will be to become so astounded by God’s love for you that you won’t approach Christianity anymore as if it were a story about how you have to shape up and become a hero as much as a story about a crazy God who miraculously loves us as we are. God calls us to become followers in many ways, ways mysterious and beyond explaining. Maybe it’s through an addiction intervention. Maybe it’s through boredom or inner psychological and spiritual conflict. But maybe you just one day hear his voice calling. You hear deep down inside Jesus speaking your name, and you are slapped up side the head with a miraculous sense of God’s love. You choose a new life not because the old one was bad or in anyway unpleasant or negative, but simply because the words Jesus speaks have power. We find ourselves part of the followers of Jesus because he finds us when we were not thinking of God but simply flirting or writing poetry or humming a song while working. In the passage today, Matthew says Jesus’ voice as God’s voice can disrupt your life. And in the end, the real miracle is: we wouldn’t want it any other way for the rest of life. |
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