A Fork in the Road

The following was preached at Veedersburg and Hillsboro UMC on Sunday, February 28, 2010. The text for this week's message is Philippians 3:17-4:1.

Last week, we talked a little bit about the journey of the Christian faith. And it really is just that, a journey. In our Wesleyan theological tradition, we have an understanding of God’s grace that is shaped by this idea of a journey. We talked about the beginning step in our journey as we looked at what Paul had to say in Romans 10. The beginning of our faith journey is when we confess with our mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead. At the point when we make that confession, that Jesus Christ is Lord in our lives, God’s justifying grace declares us not guilty of the sin in our lives. Justification is a legal term that points to the absolution of a crime. It is as though it never happened. But that’s just the first step in a journey that we go on for the rest of our lives.

The rest of the journey in the Christian faith is about drawing closer and closer to Christ. It is unrealistic to have the expectation that once you confess Jesus as Lord in your life that things will automatically get easier and everything will just fall into place. In fact, often, it is quite the opposite. When a person first comes to faith in Jesus Christ, things seem to stack up against that person. Times of crisis in our lives are the times when we are most vulnerable. Those are the kinds of times when we come to a fork in the road on our journey in the faith. We have decisions that we have to make.

What we are going to see in today’s passage is that there are two different paths that we can travel when it comes to faith.

There’s one path where we can press forward in spite of all the difficulties and continue to imitate Christ, and consequently become more and more like him. But there’s also another path where we fall away from the faith. On this path, we become less and less like Christ, until we have even forgotten the very confession that caused us to follow him in the first place. To begin with, let’s get some background information on Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi.

As with all of the books of the New Testament, there is some debate as to exactly when and where this letter was written. Reading through the letter as a whole, it is clear that Paul was in prison when he was writing it. There are references to him being “in chains,” as well as the imperial guard and Caesar’s household. A majority of scholars would place the letter as being written around 62 A.D. from Rome.

Philippi was one of the first churches that Paul founded in modern-day Europe. And you can read about that in Acts 16. Philippi was an important city in the Roman Empire. Luke tells us in Acts 16 that it was the leading city in the district of Macedonia, and that it was a Roman colony. It is significant that Philippi was a Roman colony because that meant all who lived in Philippi were considered Roman citizens. They did not need to pay taxes, and they were under the protection of the Roman army. In fact, there was a Roman garrison that was stationed in Philippi. It was also a key city along the Egnatian Way, a major trade route in the Roman Empire. To say the least, Philippi was an important city in Paul’s time.

Typically, as we read through Paul’s letters there is almost always some kind of issue that is being addressed. However, in Philippians, there really isn’t an issue that Paul is teaching about. Philippians is primarily a letter of encouragement from Paul to the Christians in Philippi. Paul has been in prison, but the Philippian church has continued to support him. What’s important to know about Roman prisons is that they were not a place where one was punished. They were a place where one was held until the end of one’s trial. They were holding tanks. A person in prison would be fined, beaten, exiled, executed, or released. That was about it. At this point, Paul doesn’t know what will happen to him. And yet, in spite of all that is hanging over his head, Paul is writing a letter of encouragement to the Philippians.

Throughout the letter, Paul encourages the Philippians to press on in their faith. There is going to be difficult times ahead, and they needed to hear this message from somebody who is in the middle of facing difficulties. When we get to today’s passage, Paul is telling them to be imitators of Christ. Actually, what he says is that they should imitate Paul and his fellow workers in ministry, who, in turn, are imitating Christ.

What is really neat here is the imagery that Paul uses at the end of verse 17. The word that is translated as “walk” is understood in the sense of how a person lives; how a person carries himself in life. And the word for “example” is sometimes understood as a stamp or a mold. In other words, Paul is encouraging the people to mold their lives in such a way that they are following his example of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. And the thing about a mold is that it is something to which one must be shaped. Think about that imagery for a minute.

When the U.S. Mint makes a coin, it doesn’t just pour out the metal and hope that it comes out in the right shape. They are very intentional about making a pattern, heating up the metal and pouring it into that mold, so that when it does cool, it is in the shape that they want it. It is an intentional process. The same is true for those who want to be followers of Christ. People don’t follow Christ by accident. It has to be a very intentional decision to follow Christ, and to continue following Christ. The first step in the journey of the Christian faith is to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, but there is going to come a point, maybe even multiple points in this journey, when a person is going to have to decide whether or not to continue following Christ.

In Bible study this past week, we looked at a turning point in the Gospel of Mark. Follow me here, and I promise this will come back together. Jesus asks the disciples who people say that he is, and then he makes it more personal and asks them who they say he is. Peter replies, “You are the Christ,” and he’s absolutely right, but he doesn’t fully understand what he is saying when he makes this confession. And that is so true for many people today as well. Many people make the confession that Jesus is the Christ, but they don’t really understand what that means.

And so, Jesus defines what that really means – that he will have to be rejected, suffer and die, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead. Peter pulls Jesus aside at this point, and Mark tells us that Peter rebuked Jesus for his misunderstanding of the role of the Messiah. It is actually kind of comical if you think about it. Peter declares Jesus to be the Christ, and then proceeds to tell Jesus what this means. In response, Jesus rebukes Peter and calls the people over for some serious teaching of what it means to be a follower of Christ.

In Mark 8:34, Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” The short version of the discussion that we had on this verse is that there are really two things going on here. The first is self-denial and the second is cross bearing. If these two are in place, then following Jesus is the logical result. And one cannot follow Jesus without either of these two things. You can’t just do self-denial and follow Jesus, and you can’t just do cross bearing and follow Jesus. It has to be both.

The Greek word for “denial” points to an intentional act of disassociation. So, when Jesus is saying that a follow needs to deny himself, he is saying that one must disassociate from the things that put oneself head of Jesus. We can’t be like Peter. We can’t pull Jesus aside and let him know how things are supposed to go. That’s not following Jesus. That is using Jesus to justify your self-desires. Big difference. And now, as we come back to Paul’s writing, we see that there were some who didn’t practice this self-denial.

There were some who Paul calls “enemies of the cross of Christ” because they went their own way. They were more concerned with their wants and their desires, than they were with following Jesus. In verse 19, Paul says that their god “is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.” In other words, their desires guide them, not Jesus. And notice something very important here, Paul is not talking about non-Christians. He is talking about people who once made the confession that Jesus is Lord, but have now gone their own way.

These are the people that came to the fork in the road, and instead of following down the narrow path that Jesus is on, they decided that the broad path looked a lot more fun. They decided that the broad path looked easier. It was more pleasing to their personal desires. But here’s the thing, but paths go somewhere. We make the decision as to which path we travel on our journey, but let’s not be fooled into thinking that both paths lead to the same destination because they don’t. Paul is very clear where that broad path leads. It leads to destruction. This is not an easy word to hear. Is anybody else uncomfortable this morning?

Thankfully, this is not where Paul leaves us today. In contrast to those who decide to follow their own desires, those whose end is destruction. Paul comforts the Philippians by letting them know that those who continue on the narrow path, those who follow after Jesus have their citizenship in heaven – the ultimate destination on the narrow path. And remember, citizenship was serious business for the people in Philippi.

Citizenship is the definition of where our loyalty lies. Paul is reminding us that ultimately, our citizenship, our allegiance, our loyalty has to be to Jesus Christ. Earlier in the letter, in 1:27, Paul tells the reader to “let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” This can also be translated “behave as citizens worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Ultimate allegiance is seen in our self-denial and decision to follow after Christ, even when it is difficult, even when the consequences of following him are dangerous. That is cross bearing, the second component of what it means to follow Jesus.

We bear our cross when following Jesus, following the will of God causes us to face consequences that seem disproportionate. For the first disciples, bearing their cross meant execution for every last one of them. For many Christians in the Roman Empire, bearing their cross meant facing the lions in the Coliseum. For many Christians in today’s world, bearing their cross means facing prison time for sharing the gospel, or capital punishment for converting to the Christian faith. But the simple truth is that we have to decide.

Do we want to live our lives on the broad path? Do we want to live a life chasing after our own desires, or having our belly as our God as Paul says? Do we want to have our minds set on the concerns of this world, things that will pass in time and have little to no bearing on eternity? Or do we embrace the words of Jesus? Do we confess that Jesus is Lord and live our lives in such a way that we are following Jesus? Do we remember that our citizenship, our final loyalty, is in heaven? Y’all, that is what the season of Lent is about.

It is about entering into the Christian community. It is about coming back into the Christian community. And truly living life, an abundant life, in relationship with our Creator. When it is all said and done, we do have a choice. It is one that has to be made, and when we don’t make it, we have made it. I’m not going to stand up here today and tell you that it is going to be easy because it is not always easy to follow Jesus – that’s why it is a narrow path. If it was easy, more people would go on it, and the path would be much broader. So as we continue our journey towards Easter, make a decision. Make a decision as to which path you want to be on, but know this – each path does have a destination.

Every Journey Begins Somewhere

The following was preached at Veedersburg and Hillsboro UMC on Sunday, February 21, 2010. The text for this week's message is Romans 10:8-13.

Today is the first Sunday of the season of Lent. Lent is the time of year when we look forward to and prepare for Easter. Officially, Lent starts with Ash Wednesday, which we celebrated just this past week. It began in the early church and eventually became a 40-day period that serves as a spiritual preparation for Easter Sunday. Essentially, it is a journey. It is a spiritual journey that we take as the people of God.

Maybe it’s just me, but I love a good travel story. And I’m not talking about the kind of story that involves hundreds of slides and long descriptions of the events that took place on a cruise. I’m talking about epic journeys that we watch on the big screen, or we read about in the comfort of our favorite chair. Stories of adventure and danger; stories that make you want to stay up late just to see what happens next. Stories that just suck you in.

One of my absolute favorite movie series is the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I didn’t know much about them when they first came out, but for some reason, we ended up watching the first one, Fellowship of the Ring, with some friends who had joined us for dinner one night. And from that point on, I was hooked. Not long after we saw the first one, The Two Towers came out. We kept meaning to go see it, but when you’re a newlywed just trying to pay the bills, you don’t get out to see a lot of movies, and we never made it out to see it in the theater.

When Return of the King finally came out, we did go see it in the theater, and I can remember vividly how my heart was pounding as we watched the battle scene outside of Minas Tirith. It was exciting. I hadn’t read the books, so I had no idea what was going to happen next. I was thrilled. And to top it all off, there are some great illustrations and talking-points in all three of these movies.

But what got me so interested in the first place was that it was a story about a journey. Four little hobbits taken out of their comfortable world, and thrust onto a scene of events with global, long-reaching ramifications. The thought that someone who was often overlooked and deemed insignificant could do something that would have such long-reaching effects stuck with me. It intrigues me. And it is a solid metaphor for who we are as Christians.

Have you ever thought about your faith as a journey? There is an ultimate destination – heaven. Along the way, we encounter all sorts of things. Now, perhaps our journey is not nearly as dangerous as Frodo’s. As far as I know, there are no goblins or orcs trying to get to us. But for millions of people all around the world, it is a dangerous journey. There are places in this world where it is dangerous to live out the Christian faith and illegal to share the gospel. And like all journeys, there is a beginning to our Christian walk. And today’s Scripture gives us a glimpse into the beginning of our journey.

We kind of jump in to the middle of a conversation that Paul is having with his readers when we start with verse 8, so I want to take a brief look at what is going on in Romans 10 prior to today’s reading. Paul is laying out an argument that focuses on righteousness based on the law verses righteousness based on faith. Righteousness that is based on the law is a fleeting type of righteousness. For those who haven’t given up on reading through the Bible this year, you’ve recently walked through one of the toughest parts of Scripture. The laws that are laid out in Leviticus are very dry reading, and those are a lot of the laws that the people tried to keep in order to maintain righteousness.

As we’ll find out from reading the rest of the Old Testament, the Israelites didn’t do such a good job of keeping those laws. In fact, they were terrible at it. They were constantly turning to false idols, and trying more and more to become like the world that surrounded them. The righteousness based on the law was inadequate. Paul writes earlier in this letter, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

There is not one who has accomplished righteous living according to the law because if a person is guilty of breaking one part of the law, then he/she is guilty of breaking all of the law. It is impossible to be righteous from “doing the right things.” So, it is clear that our journey doesn’t begin with “doing the right things,” or “by being a good person.” Those aren’t the ways to begin your journey in the Christian faith. In fact, there is nothing outside of us that we can do to earn the righteousness of God.

Paul quotes from Deuteronomy 30:12-14 in Romans 10:5-8, and gives us a bit of commentary on that passage. And the last part of that Deuteronomy passage is what Paul quotes in verse 8. “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.” And what Paul is saying here is that the word of faith, the gospel that they have been proclaiming, is what they need in order to receive salvation. And he goes on to say that by confessing with one’s mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in one’s heart that God raised him from the dead, one can be saved.

Salvation is not that complicated. We have made it complicated by attaching all of these rules to it. But it’s really not. The Christian faith is not about a list of do’s and don’t’s. It’s not about what you should watch and what you shouldn’t watch. Or what you should listen to or not listen to. Those things come into play on the peripheries, but aren’t the focus of the Christian faith. In the season of Lent, we hone in on what the faith is all about. It’s about Jesus.

It’s not about what color the sanctuary is painted, or the type of carpet that we have, or where people sit, or what people are wearing. It’s not about saying the right things or about doing the right things. It’s about confessing that Jesus is Lord and believing that God has raised him from the dead. Let’s take a few minutes and look at those two statements.

First, confessing that Jesus is Lord. Think about the context for just a minute here. Paul is writing to the Christians in Rome. The Roman church was a gathering of Jews and Gentiles. In the Roman Empire, the emperor, also known as the Caesar, lived in Rome. And in the Roman Empire, Caesar was Lord. To confess that anyone besides Caesar was Lord was to commit treason against the Roman Empire. And treason was an offense punishable by death. Suddenly, confessing that Jesus is Lord just became a whole lot more dangerous. But this confession is so much more than simply a statement that somebody makes. It is something that has to come from a deep conviction.

Saying, “Jesus is Lord” is not a magical formula. It’s not like “open sesame” or “abracadabra.” It’s not like somebody can just make this confession and move on with their lives as they had before, assuming that now they are saved and can do whatever they want because now that eternity is taken care of and they can move to more pressing matters. Unfortunately, that is how some people treat their salvation these days. They treat it as if it is something to be checked off a to-do list, and not as a central focus in life. But when we understand what Paul is saying here, we see that there is no way we can possible approach our faith like this.

Paul is saying that our confession must come out of a deeply rooted belief that God has raised Jesus from the dead. Paul says that we must “believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead.” And the heart here doesn’t simply signify an emotional belief, but the heart was understood as the very core of a person. He is saying that we have to belief with all of our being in the resurrection of Jesus. And when you believe in something with all of your being, you can’t help but confess it.

Confessing that Jesus is Lord and receiving salvation from that confession begins with the heart, with the core of your being. Our sin is atoned for through our belief in the resurrection of Jesus. That’s what this season of Lent is all about. It is about a spiritual journey that we take to prepare our hearts for what it is that has been done for us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a journey in which we remember the story of the Christian faith. We remember why we do what we do. The message of salvation is the single most important message that you will hear and that you can share in your entire life. And it is a message that should be shared with everyone.

Paul goes on to say that the message of salvation is for everyone who believes. All who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Who are we to discriminate who gets to hear this message? As a Jewish listener to this letter, one might get offended. We talked about it a couple weeks ago when we looked at Jesus’ message to the people of Nazareth. The idea was that this message of salvation was only for the Jewish people, God’s chosen people. Jesus was very clear that salvation is for all people. Paul is simply following along those same lines. And yet, whether we realize it or not, we discriminate when it comes to sharing the gospel with others.

Everyone has that mental list of the people who they try to avoid. The name pops up on the caller ID, and you say, “Oh, I’ll call them back later” and never do. You get an email from them and your eyes immediately roll back. Or maybe it’s not somebody that you know. Maybe it’s those “loud neighbors” who are always outside making a ruckus. Maybe it’s those people down the street that you wish would just move already. There’s somebody like that in your life. And let me ask you – how willing are you to share the gospel with them? How willing are you to let them know that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead so that they could have salvation and enter into relationship with the God who created everything?

It’s tough, but that’s the logical end to what Paul is writing here. Paul and his companions went through all kinds of things to share the gospel with people that they didn’t even know. They faced persecutions, trials, beatings, execution, all so that they could spread gospel all over the known world. And yet, we have a hard time talking about Jesus to somebody that we see at work every day in a country where it is all right to talk about Jesus without any kind of legal consequences.

As we go through the season of Lent over the next month and a half, I want you to think seriously about your faith. Lent isn’t just a time when we give up soda or chocolate. It is a time when we remember the message of salvation. It’s a time when we remember what Jesus has done for us by giving his very life on our behalf. It’s a time when people all around us need to hear the good news that Jesus Christ died so that they could be reconciled with God. As we go through this season of Lent, don’t worry about what you are going to give up. Be thinking about what God gave for you and for those around you. Look at them with eyes that are colored by God’s love.

From the Mountain to the Valley

The following was preached at Veedersburg and Hillsboro UMC on Sunday, February 14, 2010. The text for this week's message is Luke 9:28-43a.

Today is a special day in the Christian calendar. It is known as Transfiguration Sunday. As you can probably guess from the name and from today’s Scripture, it is the Sunday when we look back at the story of Jesus’ transfiguration before three disciples on the mountaintop. It is an important story in the New Testament, and as we’ll see shortly, it is a story that puts things into motion; things that will ultimately end with an empty tomb and a proclamation that will forever change the direction of the world. So, let’s buckle up and see where this ride leads us.

And as always, let’s get a little bit of background to give us an idea of where we are as we come to this passage. Prior to today’s reading, a very important conversation took place. Jesus and his disciples are walking around, and Jesus asks them, “Who do people say that I am?” It’s an interesting question because Jesus usually doesn’t seem too concerned with what other people think. But on this day, he wants to know what people think of him.

The disciples respond by saying a number of things. Some people think that Jesus is John the Baptist back from the dead. Others think that he is Elijah, or one of the prophets of old. In other words, the crowd, the everyday person, they don’t really know who Jesus is. There is a lot of speculation going on in the region.

And honestly, there’s a lot of that same stuff going on today. People don’t really know who Jesus is. Go to the religion section in just about any secular book store, Barnes & Noble, Borders, places like that, and you’ll see a wide variety of books published addressing the question, “Who is Jesus?” I always find that to be an enlightening exploration because, really, the only book you need to answer this question is the Bible, but there is no shortage of books on Jesus. Some of them are pretty good. Some of them are awful. I want to encourage you to read these kinds of books, but I think it is important for you to be reading it with your Bible open right next to you. The crowds that Jesus is asking his disciples about live all around us, even today. People have so many different views of who Jesus is.

But then, Jesus makes the question more personal; he asks them, “Who do you say that I am?” Another good question that we have to face in our own lives. Now before, the background information becomes the sermon, let me make one more remark. We have to decide on that question before we move on to the rest of the story. If we decide to stand with the crowd, we are going to be left confused. We won’t understand what is going on, no matter how hard we try. But, if we make the proclamation, as Peter did, that Jesus is the Christ, we still may not understand what is going on, but we put ourselves in a better position to see what God is going to do.

This question, “Who is Jesus?” lies in the background of today’s text. When we read the story of Jesus and these three disciples at the transfiguration, we need to have it in the back of our minds. “Who is Jesus?” How you answer that question determines the direction that you will take in your life of faith. And now, we pick up in verse 28.

Just over a week after Jesus and his disciples have this conversation, Jesus takes Peter, John and James with him to the mountaintop to pray. Here is where the three laws of real estate take place: location, location, location. Having this event take place on a mountaintop is really more theological and geographical. Mountains have a significant role throughout Scripture.

It was on Mount Horeb that Moses just so happened to see a bush that was burning but wasn’t being consumed. It was there that he encountered God for the first time. Later on, after he led the people of Israel out of Egypt, it was on Mount Sinai that Moses received the commandments from God. Elijah had his encounter with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, and then fled to Mount Horeb where God spoke to him in a low whisper. Jerusalem was built on a mountain. Often the mountains, or the high places, were where you would find altars. The idea is that they get you as close to the heavens as you can possibly be. And here, in Luke 9, Jesus takes three of his disciples up on a mountain so that they can pray.

And as Jesus was praying, something incredible happened. Luke writes that his face and clothes became a dazzling white. What it neat is that the word used is the same word that might be used to describe a flash of lightning. It was extremely bright. And it brings to mind the stories of Moses speaking with God on the mountain. When he came down, his face was so bright from being in the presence of God that he had to put a veil over his head so that the people could look at him. It’s incredible.

Is it a coincidence that this is how Luke describes this event? Doubtful. Because look at who else is in the scene: Moses and Elijah. Two other people, who have encountered God on the mountaintop in such profound ways in Scripture, are standing around talking to Jesus. Wouldn’t you love to be there for that conversation? Well, in a sense, we are, Luke tells us that they were talking about Jesus’ departure, which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. In other words, they are looking at what lies ahead for Jesus. Chapter 9 is pivotal in the Gospel of Luke because of Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ and because of today’s passage. From the point on, we are building up to Holy Week.

That’s kind of appropriate isn’t it? Because this Wednesday is known Ash Wednesday on the Christian calendar. It is the start of the season of Lent. Lent is forty days, not counting Sundays that lead up to Easter. Just like Advent brings us to Christmas, Lent brings us to the cross and to the resurrection. And this event is the catalyst that leads us into the season of Lent.

Remember the question that should be in the back of our minds when we come to this section? Who is Jesus? We just got a whole lot closer to understanding that question through understanding what is going on here. The glory of God shines all around Jesus. Two figures, who represent the Law and the Prophets in the Old Testament, come together over Jesus. The Law and the Prophets point to Jesus; they are fulfilled in him. And on this mountaintop, three disciples, who are a little sleepy, who had no idea what they were going to see on top that mountain, these three disciples see something that nobody else in history had ever seen.

And Peter doesn’t know what to do. And in all honesty, I don’t think any of us would know either. He says one of the biggest “no-duh” statements in all of Scripture. He says, “Master, it is good that we are here.” Well, no duh, Peter. But what else do you say? Peter, of course, continues speaking. And he wants to build three tents, or booths for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. He wants to stay in that moment. But just as he is saying this, a cloud surrounds them, and the Father speaks.

Again, this is not the first time that God speaks out of a cloud. When Israel was in the wilderness, a cloud was over the tabernacle when God was there. When the cloud lifted, the people knew that it was time to pack their belongings because it was time to move on. And they continued following the cloud, which symbolized the presence of God in the tabernacle, until it was time to enter into the Promised Land.

The Father speaks to the disciples from the cloud. And He says, “This is my Son, my Chosen one; listen to him!” Once again, they are headed towards the Promised Land. We start to pick up steam from here on out until everything clashes in Jerusalem. Jesus is arrested, tried, and crucified. The disciples are dejected and don’t really know what to do. And then the report comes, the tomb is empty. Jesus has been resurrected. That is the ultimate end to the journey, but it begins right here, on top of a mountain, where the answer to the question, “Who is Jesus?” is address by God Himself.

The next thing the disciples know, it’s just them and Jesus, and it’s time to head back down the mountain. At the base of the mountain, there is a boy who is possessed by a demon, and the disciples cannot cast him out. We have all been there at some point, haven’t we? Suddenly, unexpectedly, we see Jesus in a whole new, and we think that our lives will never be the same. We don’t know how to process what has happened, and eventually, we come back down the mountain. Life catches back up, and we are faced with new challenges. Maybe we feel defeated once again. And we so frustrated that nothing changes, and it seems like things will never change.

But we cannot forget the truth that we learned on the top of the mountain. There will always be highs and lows in our walk of faith. But what do the disciples do? They keep walking with Jesus. They travel all over the place with him. They learn from him. They listen to his teaching and marvel at his works. After the resurrection, they change the world because they finally get it. And this time, it’s not just a momentary glimpse, but it is a vision that will stick with them for the rest of their lives; lives that they give in the service of God.

One thing we can’t miss in today’s Scripture is the stark contrast between the mountain and the valley. On the mountain, they go to pray. They go to be with God, away from the distractions of this world. In the valley below, evil is still at work. A demon torments a young boy. On the mountain, they see Jesus for who he is, the Son of God. In the valley, they see Satan for who he is, one who torments and destroys. On the mountain, they don’t know what to do. In the valley, they are unable to do what they are supposed to do. And this is all in the same day.

Don’t be discouraged if you have a bad day in your faith. Don’t be discouraged if you can’t seem to do the things that you are supposed to do. Find your mountaintop. Spend some time with God, and allow Him to speak to you in powerful ways. Ways that will affect you for the rest of your life.

An Inconvenient Call

The following was preached at Veedersburg and Hillsboro UMC on Sunday, February 7, 2010. The text for this week's message is Luke 5:1-11.

Over the last couple of weeks, we looked at Luke 4. In that chapter we have seen some important things that we need to keep in mind as we press on in our life of faith. Luke places Jesus’ visit to his hometown of Nazareth at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus is invited to speak at the synagogue, and instead of going with the traditional memorized lesson, he begins to preach with authority, the likes of which the people had never seen. At first, they are proud of the hometown boy, but very quickly, they become enraged by what he is saying.

Essentially, what Jesus is saying is that the good news of the kingdom of God is that it is not just for the Jewish people. It is for all people. And, really, when it is all said and done, we are faced with a very important decision. We can choose to listen to Jesus and embrace the gospel, or, like the people in his hometown, we can turn on him and reject him. Before we walk through today’s passage, let’s take a look at what happened between where we left off this week and where we are this week.

After he gets away from the crowd in his hometown, Jesus heads back to Capernaum. We see that he is teaching in the synagogue once again, and the people are amazed that he is teaching with authority. While he is teaching, there is a man who is possessed in the crowd. And he cries out in a loud voice that he knows who Jesus is, and Jesus very quickly tells him to be quiet and to leave the man. It’s pretty clear that word was starting to get out about Jesus, but after this event, people were really excited and spreading the word about him.

Once he leaves the synagogue, he heads out to Peter’s house, only to find that Peter’s mother-in-law has a high fever. Jesus stands over her, rebukes the fever and it is gone. Luke says, “Immediately she rose and began to serve them” (4:39). Now, it doesn’t say this in the text, so I’m just going on pure speculation here, but I think that Peter’s mother-in-law made some of the best roast beef and mashed potatoes, and Jesus was just really hungry. Peter had been talking it up for a while, and when they finally get there, they are a little bummed out that she’s not feeling well, so they were going to have to settle for canned tuna. Jesus was getting a little tired of eating fish, so he healed her, and they had some of that roast beef. I don’t know for sure, purely speculation, but that’s what I’m going with until I learn otherwise. Well, anyway, as the day was ending, word must have gotten out because people started showing up out of the woodwork wanting to be healed. The next morning, after having some time to himself, Jesus decides that it is time to keep moving.

Now, I know that this is not the passage that we are looking at today, but I do want to take just a minute to pause here and talk about something important really quick. There will always be more to do. There is always somebody else that needs help with something. There is always something more that can be done. One of the reasons why it is so important for us to spend time in prayer, listening for God’s direction for us as a congregation, is so that we know what makes sense, and what doesn’t make sense for us in ministry. We have to be willing to say “no” to things every once in a while. This isn’t to say that the ministry isn’t a good idea, or even that it is not needed, but there is only so much that we can do, and it is important for us to be listening for God’s call on us as a congregation to determine the direction of future ministries of this congregation. Okay, into Luke 5.

Luke tells us in the opening verse of today’s passage that the crowd is pressing in on Jesus to hear the word of God. Word is getting out about Jesus, people are hearing about the things that he is doing, and they want to see and hear for themselves. There are so many people that they are pressing in on him, crowding him so much that he ends up getting in a boat to teach. Can you imagine the scene?

What would it look like to be in the midst of this right now? You’re on the shoreline, with people all around you. You’re straining to hear Jesus teaching, but it’s a little faint, so you try to get a little closer, but so is everyone else. And the reason that you are listening so intently is so that you can hear the word of God. Do we do that today? Do we try to get as close as we possibly can to hear what Jesus has to teach us? What if we did? How could Jesus use us if we are willing to get just a little closer and listen more intently? I think we’d see some amazing things. I think we’d start seeing God work in some awesome ways. And that is just what happens in this scene.

We are told that Peter (or Simon, as he is called here) and his fellow fisherman are on the shoreline cleaning up their nets after a long and unsuccessful night of fishing. Along comes Jesus, and asks to teach from his boat. Now, imagine this for a second. You’ve had a long day at the workplace. You are wrapping things up and getting ready to go home for the day. You’re looking forward to getting a bite to eat and get some sleep. Along comes this guy who asks if he can use your workspace for a little bit. How willing are you going to be to let him do that? I can’t imagine that Peter would be in a good mood at this point, but he lets Jesus on his boat anyway.

After he is done teaching, I imagine Peter is really ready to go home, eat and get some sleep. However, Jesus tells him to, as Luke says, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Okay, just a shot in the dark here, but I imagine that Peter’s first thought is something like, “Are you out of your mind? You may be able to teach and heal some people, but I’m the fisherman here. You don’t fish in the middle of the day. I don’t tell you how to drive out demons, don’t tell me how to fish.” That may not have been exactly what was going through his mind, but I bet it’s not far off. Peter is not crazy about doing it, but he does say, “All right. We’ll do it your way because you said so.”

You know, sometimes in life, we think we know better than Jesus. We think, “Hey, we’re the professionals here. We are the ones who have lived here all our lives. We are the ones who know how things work around here. I don’t tell you how to cast out demons, don’t tell me how to do things.” But we just have to stop ourselves and say, “All right. We’ll do it your way because you said so.” We aren’t always excited about ministry are we? We aren’t always excited about doing something for somebody else for whatever reason. Maybe it’s inconvenient for us. Maybe it’s too much of a stretch. Maybe we just don’t think we’re cut out to do it in the first place. And yet, Jesus says to us, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

Understand this, Peter was cleaning his nets. He was done for the day. His office was packed up and he was just about to lock the door. And Jesus says, “Hey, how about some overtime?” Do you ever get tired of working so hard on something when it just seems like there wasn’t much of a point in doing it? Peter and his partners had been out all night and haven’t caught a thing. They had to have been tired and discouraged. But they pressed on anyway. Because Jesus said so, they go out one more time. And not only did they go out again, they went out to the deep part of the lake.

I don’t know a whole lot about the lake of Gennesaret, also known as the Sea of Galilee, but I do know that you don’t find the deep part of a lake while you are sitting on the shore. They had to load the nets back into the boat, and do some rowing to get out to the deep part of the lake. They are already tired, hungry and discouraged from a night of fruitless working, and now they load everything back into the boats and work to get to the deep part of the lake.

Sometimes, when God calls us to do something, it is inconvenient for us. It would be so much easier to ignore the call. It is so much easier to just continue doing what we are planning on doing and not load up the nets and head back into the deep part of the lake. The call of Jesus never comes at a time when we have all our affairs in order. The call comes when the time is right, not when we want it to. Not when it is most convenient for us. And in spite of all the inconvenience, in spite of the fatigue, in spite of the hunger and in spite of the discouragement, Peter and his partners set back out into the lake. And what happens?

They drop their nets and end up with the largest catch of their life. And notice something, Jesus doesn’t tell them that this is what is going to happen. Jesus doesn’t say, “Hey, guys, thanks for letting me use your boat. As a reward, let’s go out and I’ll give you the greatest catch of fish that you’ve ever seen.” No, he doesn’t say that at all. He simply tells them to go out to the deep part of the lake. Through their obedience to this call, they end up with more than they ever could have imagined. It took a step of faith in order to get this catch.

Once Peter sees what has happened, his first reaction is to fall before Jesus and confess his sins. Peter recognizes that there is something going on here, which goes far beyond a lucky guess about where the fish are at that time of day. He sees Jesus for who he is, and like the prophet in Isaiah 6, he realizes how far away he is from the holiness of God. Peter’s immediate response is to recognize that he has fallen short in his own life, and that he is not worthy of being in the presence of God. He gets a proper perspective of who he is and who Jesus is.

It is a perspective that we all need to have when it comes to ministry. And again, it’s not always going to come at a convenient time. Is it ever really a convenient time to take a look at ourselves and realize just how far we are from where we are supposed to be? But when God calls us, we realize how inadequate we are for the task at hand. But notice something that’s very important here: This is the beginning. God prepares those whom he calls. God equips those whom he sends. Do you feel inadequate for ministry? Good! It is so important for us to have a perspective like Peter’s, to realize that we are indeed sinful people, people in need of a savior, people in need of forgiveness. Our adequacy for ministry comes out of our recognition that we cannot do it alone.

And finally, at the end of the story, Jesus says to them, “Do not be afraid, from now on you will be catching men.” It begins with a simple act of obedience to push out from the shore in spite of the fatigue, hunger and discouragement. It ends with a miracle and a call to something more.

When Jesus calls us to follow him, at first it may not seem like that big of a deal. Maybe he wants you to do something simple. Maybe he wants you to cast nets. Maybe he wants you to be just who you are and where you are. I think so many people are afraid of responding to the call of Jesus because they think that means they will end up among the indigenous tribes of the Amazon. But Jesus calls us where we are. He calls us to cast out our nets one more time, even though we are tired, hungry and discouraged. He calls us to be witnesses to the world, even though it would be so much easier for us if he just left us alone.

The call of Jesus is inconvenient. It is a call that causes us to go beyond ourselves. It is a call that causes us to stretch ourselves. It is a call that causes us to lay down our pride and follow after him, regardless of the cost. When we look at the call of the first disciples, we need to realize that this isn’t just a story about what happened in an isolated place centuries ago. We need to realize that it is a story that is taking place right here, right now, among us. It may seem inconvenient, but Jesus calls us on his terms, not ours.