Matthew 4: 12-23: Follow Me!

            I have a confession to make to you today. It is a unique issue that I confess to you but it has been weighing on my mind for a little while. Here goes: I have a bad habit of not finishing things at home. To be more specific, I forget or don’t put things in recycling when I empty the plastic container. I leave the wrapper or the entire emptied bag of popcorn on the counter after I have finished; and that really gets my wife upset! Whew! I am so glad I got that off my chest! I am certain most of the women in this congregation have not had that experience. Thanks for letting me share!

            I know it sounds ridiculous but there is something to this not following through. Our Gospel reading today is all about following…AND following through. Jesus is on his journey of ministry. He was born…God with us, the wisemen have brought him the gifts…this light of God shines in the world that was so full of darkness. AND, Jesus was baptized by John. So, his ministry has begun and he… Jesus…is on the move! He goes into Gallilee. The spirit of the Lord descended on him like a dove and he has all the tools he needs to proclaim God’s Kingdom…the Good News of God’s kingdom.

            Low and behold as he walks along the water he sees to brothers. Jesus doesn’t mince words. He asks them to follow and tells them they will be fishers of people. Then he sees two other brothers that are fishermen and gives them the same statement and immediately the four men set off to follow this guy that they just met! To be clear, fishing was not the noblest of professions. They could’ve been like the ocean version of the shepherd. Yet they made money catching fish and selling it. They may not have been rich but it was their livelihood!

            The four immediately drop what they are doing and start following. They left everything behind to follow this person that they just met! That doesn’t make sense! Why would they give it all up…two left their father in the boat and began following this, Jesus!

            We have the luxury of knowing why they left…Because he is JESUS! We have that part figured out because we have heard the stories before, we study them, and we know how this will all turn out! It will be good for them to follow Jesus, because Jesus will teach them so many things. He show them about healing, and loving our neighbors, he will teach them that God is all about the love.

            But they were not prepared for what would happen. You see when Jesus says “follow me,” they get up and go…no questions asked. They immediately leave everything behind and go. They don’t know what experiences they will have, they don’t know what or where they will eat…in fact, those questions aren’t even asked at this point. It’s just, “C’mon…okay” and they are off.

            But we know the road that lies ahead of them. Because we are the readers of this story of Jesus, we will find out all the things that happen along this path of faith. We will read about all the trials and tribulations that go on, the joys, the struggles, and the healing. We will also be witness to the Friday afternoon, before the Passover when what we might perceive as the “unthinkable” happens. When our Lord…the Son of God, the one who was to come and save us WILL save us through his sacrifice on the cross.

            It sounds like an epic novel sometimes. It sounds like something that happens to a fictitious character that has nothing to do with us, doesn’t it? But it is not a novel. It is not some fictitious character and it is not about someone else’s past. This story is the story…the real story of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is a past that we are tied to over the span of 2000 plus years. It is the story that we are connected to and a witness to despite time and space. We are connected because of our faith in that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and it is Christ who comes into the world to be with us, heal us, and teach us; we are connected in our faith that Christ will go to the cross for us…without condition to give himself for our sake…for you and me.

            So. I have a question for all of us to think about this week. We don’t know what our future holds for us, AMEN? We might not know where God will call us in an hour, day, month, year. We change jobs, don’t always eat the same thing every day, or we might have a different friend or hobby and the list goes on and on; However, I think I do know what will happen if I don’t try harder to follow through with the recycling and leaving things on the counter at home. We don’t know what lies ahead in our journey of faith. So here is the question: ARE YOU WILLING TO FOLLOW JESUS? Are you willing to drop everything and here Jesus say, Follow Me.”

            Are you willing to ask God and listen to what God has to say about following? Are you willing to let God guide your life knowing that it may be difficult, there may be times of joy, and it will eventually mean giving your whole life over to God knowing that it will lead to the cross…to the death of our Lord and savior so that we may have eternal life? It is not an easy question because it might mean giving some things up and taking on new things. But the question, I believe, is definitely worth our time and energy: AMEN!

Epiphany 2017: Matthew 2:1-12 No place to hide

            Today, is the day that we celebrate the Wiseman, those three travelers come to meet this child who is a King. It is Epiphany! It is the season of light…the light of the world we know as Jesus is now visible to a wider range of people. This news of the birth of Jesus has reached far and wide. This is why it is Epiphany! One might equate it to that old picture of someone having an idea, in the movies, and it is signified by the little lightbulb over the head turning on.

            I know that sounds like I am trivializing the birth of Jesus, but I am not. This day is significant because Jesus is revealed to more witnesses. He is seen not as a little child but as this new King. This moment in time signifies that God’s truth and light is in the world! This statement of God being light means that there is nowhere to hide anymore. God was once seen as being in a far-off place…that God is merely an observer as to what goes on in the world. WE, tend to think heaven is where God resides and is in this far-off place and just watches what happens.

            Today, we acknowledge the fact that God is here in the world…in their world and in ours. That changes the dynamics of everything. It can be a comforting and scary understanding. It is comforting in that now God will finally see, through Jesus, how tough this world really is; that there are ways in which the world does not necessarily hold the same beliefs in who God is or how we are to live in this world. It is comforting to know that God is here with us, to walk with us and to get an understanding about the difficulty of living a life of faith…because it is difficult, especially today.

            Here is the scary part. With God in the world we don’t have the blessing of distance. Using the phrase “there is nowhere to hide!” God is in the world and will show us, through the life of Christ, that living a faithful life is difficult! We are held to account by God in what it means to be a child of God…to be faithful in our lives of discipleship. It means that “we may want to think that God is in some far-off place” or outside the room when we say or do something that may not be pleasing to God or that we ourselves question. It means that God is right here beside us.

            The Good News about this is that it can be transformative. Jesus is in the world, NOW! God’s only Son comes into the world…leading us, teaching us, guiding us, AND walking beside us. We are transformed just knowing that we are not alone in this world that is so broken! We are a changed people to know that God is no longer far off, but right here with us and among us!

                        So, you might be asking, “why would I want to be transformed?” What is the big deal?! Because transformation frees us to look to scripture as how we live out our faith in God. Transformation causes us to refocus our lives and put God and the words and works of Jesus Christ at the center of what we do in the world and the mark we leave on the world. It helps us define who we are; Children of God, claimed by God. It gives us the opportunity to look at our brothers and sisters in Christ and the stranger as one…not an “us vs. them” …and strive together to do God’s work in the world. It also helps us to witness the sacrifice of Jesus for you and for me, without condition, to know that we all matter and are loved by God.

            That may be all well and Good but what does it specifically have to do with us? Transformation comes in many different ways and actions. Transformation can be holding back that hurtful comment, despite our anger or disagreement. Transformation can look like taking the time to count to ten before reacting, asking ourselves if we really need this or that, or saying, “It might be what I want to do or say,” but not doing or saying anything. We all know or have some idea what it is like to blurt out a reaction and be the one either saying it or receiving it.

            Transformation, with Christ’s light…God’s light in the world can also look like bringing God’s love to the center of who we are; children of God. Reading God’s word in scripture to help us better understand who God is in the Old Testament and the New. Understanding who Jesus is, his mission, Title, and Job description (Yes, Jesus does have a title and will do something, unselfishly for you and me). With Jesus Christ now in the world, that little lightbulb might go off in our heads and we may ask ourselves “how can we bring God’s peace into a world so broken and divided.

            The Good thing about this Christ light in our world is that it can bring out the best in us. Following Christ is difficult but not impossible, we know that. But when we share God’s light with our brothers and sisters in the community and in the world, we can be transformed. When a person needs food, clothing, and/or shelter and we all band together so that people aren’t left without because Jesus teaches us that…it is living out our transformation. When we lift each other up when tragedies of unemployment hit, natural disasters, medical diagnoses, mental illness, addiction, and the list goes on…when we take time to help those in need there is a transformation of inner peace…God’s peace in knowing that we answer God’s call through Jesus to help all our brothers and sisters.

            Today the light of Christ is revealed to a new group of people in the magi. The news of God in the world is spreading. I am going to ask you to consider two things from this scripture and from the light now shining in the world:

1)      Knowing that God is now in the world, take time before reacting.

2)      Do one random act of kindness this week and write down how this transformed you (did you see God’s light? Did you feel God’s warmth? How did it feel knowing God was beside you?). We will take time next week to share who we were transformed.

May this light of God’s Son who is now in the world shine on us and lift us all up. May we feel strengthened and excited about spreading God’s love in the world, and may we be transformed in our lives here in this world and may we bring God’s love and light to all whom we come in contact with:

AMEN