Scripture: Matthew 5:38-48
This week has been one of ups and downs for me. Driving home one day I see on the warning signs “Amber Alert”! Meaning a child has been wrongfully taken from her family. Only to find out later that that child’s body was found, dead. We had a wonderful discussion on Wednesday evening only to go back to work to see yet another young person struggling with substance abuse and theft. I listened to people all around me tear my faith to shreds because of the actions of others, yet in the same conversation I heard but you are different, you have faith yet you still honor humanity.
You have faith yet you still honor humanity. That one statement nearly brought me to tears in part because they saw something different in my life and respected it, but there was so much pain in the words. There was pain because somewhere in the past someone deeply injured this person through words and actions that jaded their understanding of what life with Christ truly means. I went to bed that night thinking; actually I was up nearly most of the night contemplating this issue. Begging God to give us all another chance to show the truth and light to the world around us, because in that person’s words all I heard was we have failed to honor our God because we failed to love our neighbors.
This is the essence of what Jesus was talking about in His Sermon on the Mount, the dichotomy of words and actions of the religious. It is said, Jesus repeatedly says in this sermon. He points out the teaching of the religious in many cases, it is said do not murder… It is said do not commit adultery… It was said, give a certificate of divorce… It was said an eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth… love you neighbor and hate your enemy. For most of those statements what was said was correct, but the actions did not reflect what was said in those words.
You have faith yet you still honor humanity. With that simple statement, which was given in complete honesty and genuine respect I realized that often those of us called by the name of Christ have missed the point. It does not take long watching the news to see just how often very well-meaning religious people have diligently held up the letter of the law yet with their words often do not shine the light of Christ to the very ones they hope to encourage. Often we are caught in the “it was said” statements
I tremble as I speak because I know that every word that I say has consequences, once the words leave my mouth I cannot take them back and once the sound waves hit your ears your minds may interpret them differently than the mind that uttered them. I know that it could be thought that I just lowered a standard, that some might think that I have just diminished the place of scripture but please bear with me, and listen.
Jesus in his “It was said,” statements was saying that the interpretation of the law was not adequate not the law itself. Interpretation is not the Spirit behind the words but instead mankind’s understanding of it. Jesus was accused of diminishing the law that was given to Moses by God’s very finger, but in reality he was upholding and deepening the understanding of what scripture was saying. Jesus was telling them that it is not enough to merely keep the law, but to remember honor the humanity of those around you.
Today, we are faced with the law of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. This is a legitimate biblical statement. You could look up the cross-reference and find every place in scripture it was mentioned, but if we only look at the words and do not look at the context, or if we do not contemplate the reason behind the law we may miss the point totally. When we look at this law, we would find that there was a reason for the wording that is used; the meaning in context was to ensure the penalty for an offence did not exceed the offence itself. The law was given to prevent vengeance, yet as time moved away from the initial presentation of the law the interpretation has been twisted and instead of preventing revenge many began using the very words of God to promote vengeful actions. They had faith but failed to honor humanity.
Jesus in His teaching urges us to take a different path. It was said, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer.” Do not resist the evildoer, how many of us just quickly run over that statement as we read this? In the New Revised Standard Version, Do, is capitalized, this struck me as odd. I looked it up and found that the translators of the King James Version also capitalized the beginning of that statement, as did the translators of the New International version. These biblical scholars deemed it necessary to forego proper English grammar to capitalize a word in the middle of a sentence without it being a proper name. It is as if it is highlighted so we will not miss the point. I do not know if there was a grammatical reason why the translators did this but I found it odd, that it has been done in nearly every English translation. Now back to the point, Do not resist the evildoer. Jesus is literally saying eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth is not something that you personally are to do anything about. It is not our place to enact justice; we are not to resist the evildoers personally.
This is very uncomfortable for us to consider, because we as Americans are used to standing up for our rights and we take our rights very seriously. If someone attempts to do us wrong we are quick to demand justice, but Jesus is saying Do not resist. If we do not resist then where does that leave us? If we do not stand up for ourselves who will? This is where the next statements become more important. “If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also…” Jesus is telling us Do not resist but stand firm. To be stuck on the right cheek is to be physically insulted, but our response is not to get revenge but to continue to stand firm in our faith even in the face of persecution.
Jesus moves on to say if someone sues you give them more than they ask and if they force you to go a mile to offer to carry the burden an additional mile. These again are dehumanizing and insulting things to have happen. These actions defuse the situation and it actually removes the argument from the evildoers.
I know it sounds like a losing battle that we will lose everything if we do not resist, but this actually empowers us. It removes the need to use force upon us and opens the door for us to teach out of love.
Jesus then says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” This portion of scripture is one that is highly contested, because there is no reference to where this particular teaching to hate the enemy directly implied. But it goes back to the question who is your neighbor. Neighbor can mean many things like the word we translate as brother. In many interpretations of this word law to love the neighbor it was implied that it was those of the same faith or nation, all outside of that were not equal and the law did not necessarily apply to them. In Luke’s version of this sermon Jesus was asked the question of who is our neighbor and Jesus then told one of his most famous parables, the parable of the Good Samaritan. The word neighbor simply means a person nearby. It is not someone who has similar beliefs, not only those that agree with you, someone who speaks your language, or even from the same country. Simply if they are nearby they deserve the same love as anyone else.
This is where things get more difficult. It is fairly easy to love or to take pleasure in those near us, but it is much more difficult enjoy the presence of an enemy. How can we take pleasure in someone who is hateful, detestable, or hostile to us? This is where honoring the humanity of others is important, this is where listening, turning the other cheek, walking the extra mile comes in handy. If we honor those that oppose us as people equal to us we take the fuel away from the fire, because if they are detestable to us chances are very good that we are the same for them, but if we treat those that oppose our views with respect suddenly they must answer the questions.
These are extremely difficult statements. I like everyone else enjoy my rights, I like everyone else dislikes it when people treat me poorly especially when it comes to beliefs that I hold as important. Yet I look at the way Jesus responded to those around Him. He was very passionate, yet in His passion He honored those around Him. He only used harsh terms on those that lived as hypocrites, yet even in those cases he continued to entertain the company of those that opposed his views. He was willing to sit at the table with the sinners as well as the religious leaders and took pleasure at that table. This tells us just a bit about God.
Jesus says that God makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. God even though we so often times are living as an enemy to Him still cares for us. Even though we tend to make a mess out of His creation He still takes pleasure in us. Even though we reject the ways of God so often He still sent His Son to us and Jesus willingly came even while we were detestable, hateful, vile enemies of His. He came and sat down at the tables of people just like us, yet he took pleasure in it. Even when the enmity got so bad He joyfully endured the pain and shame of the cross. Why?
We rejected Him yet He found joy in that rejection. He found joy, because to honor God we must love our neighbor. To love God we must honor the humanity of those near us. This stops the current course and causes those around us to reconsider their views.
Jesus ends this section by saying, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” This is where we so often fail. This is where the words spoken by my friend cut the deepest, the words, “you have faith yet you still honor humanity.” Be perfect. If our faith is perfect faith it should reflect the one in which we are faithful to. Yet so often those outside of our faith find us to be hateful, vengeful, and detestable. They see us as hypocrites because we claim perfection but often we exhibit something else. The problem again is the interpretation of perfect. The word translated as perfect in this passage could also mean genuine, complete, mature, adult, or initiated. Be genuine as your heavenly father is genuine. This changes everything. Be honest, be humble, and be real. Treat those around us with mature adult responses, filled with love and grace.
You have faith yet you honor humanity. What does that statement mean? This statement came out of observation. This particular individual saw other rip into me, saw people laugh in my face when I expressed my beliefs, had argued with me on various topics yet continues to speak to me. They themselves have often been the ones laughing. You have faith yet you honor humanity. I have not changed what I have said to them, and they are fully aware that I am not perfect, but they see something genuine. They observed me as I make every attempt to live my faith out in my daily life even when it is hard.
You have faith yet you honor humanity. Words spoken, actions taken, and lives lived in front of those around us. Jesus came not as an enemy but as salvation, providing the way out of a lifestyle commanded by cycles of hate, revenge, and other selfish desires. He gives us something new and something real that changes our entire life now and for the ages to come. He shows us that life, the kingdom life, by how He interacted with those around Him. By loving God the Heavenly Father genuinely in worship, by embracing the Holy Spirit in prayer, and by living a life of love by serving those around him. You have faith yet you honor humanity. Our love for God is not complete unless we are willing to take on the life of Christ in our own lives, having faith yet honoring humanity.
Scripture- Matthew 5:21-37
The Sermon on the Mount for me is one of the most difficult sets of scripture to speak about. I say thing because I am fairly confident that among the verses I have failed the God that I love more than anything multiple times. I would venture to say that as I read these sixteen verses we have each cringed just a bit, because Jesus does not sugar coat his words instead He is about as straight forward as one can be. We could spend an entire month on these verses, contemplating and reflecting on them not only on Sunday morning but every morning, afternoon, and evening without really getting a thorough explanation. Each paragraph has a wealth of words riding on the very breath of God that cut deeply into our souls like a sharp cold wind piercing through our winter attire.
I stand knowing that the moment I begin to speak I am the greatest hypocrite when it comes to living these words out. I stand yet I know that there is something that we each need to hear. The number one reason so many people turn their backs on the church and the community dedicated to encouraging a relationship with God is because so many people with in the community are hypocrites. We scoff at this statement saying cliché things like where else should they be trying to lessen the sting of such harsh words. The reason people reject God in many cases are because the people. The odd thing is the number one reason people often begin their journey with God is also because of people. People that have taken the time to build a friendship with them, people that have met them at the level they were at and then walked with them as they struggled to come to term with the love of God.
We could look at these sixteen verses and pick out the sin and hypocritical aspects of our lives or could just acknowledge that we each have fallen short and at this moment realize that we need to turn, to repent, to run the other direction from certain activities we participate in because those activities are grieving the Spirit of God that is wooing our souls at this very moment.
Today instead of focusing on the singularity of these spiritual debilitating activities, I would like us to look deeper at how each of these are connected, and what the root of the issue is. Anger, murder, adultery, dishonesty, divorce each has a root in the exploitation or dehumanization of other. Each of these sins are centered on an unhealthy and prideful self that is focused on lifting oneself higher instead of blessing the community around them.
“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times…” Jesus begins with the basic laws of the Mosaic Laws. It was said… this term does not mean that they have had everything wrong, but that they have not gone deep enough. Murder is the taking of a life. This has been interpreted in various ways because taking a life very serious. This one command has been translated as murder or killing which has vast differences in interpretation. One term, kill, is very broad covering the unintentional taking of life, death due to battle, abortion, revenge, or even the rendering of justice. Where the other, murder, is more directed to the intention taking of a life by the hands of another. It was said… there are vast interpretations to this command against killing, which is why in ancient times as the Hebrew people began to settle into the land of promise they established cities of refuge. These cities were set aside to protect individual from the vengeful retaliation of others in case of unintentional death. Why were cities like these established? I would venture to say they were established to protect the life. When a society is bent on repaying death with death, blow with blow, wrong with wrong we lose our humanity. We become locked in a never-ending cycle of retaliation and revenge those on the opposing side are no longer seen as brothers or equals but instead as lesser beings, not quite as human as us.
There is a grave danger when we fail to see the humanity in others. Women in most cultures have been seen as lower than men as a result they have been mistreated, often they were seen as the highest valued livestock. Then among women in these cases there were the wives and the concubines that also had greater and lesser status, one being greater than the other and valued more, while each being dehumanized. This dehumanization is the root of the slave trade of history as well as in current times, yes there are still slave today, more slaves than there where in the darkest days of American history. It is estimated that there are 27 million people today living in slavery. A slave is person that has been dehumanized in the eyes of others and since they are less than human people can justify the exploitation of their life.
This cycle of exploitation begins with misplaced anger. Anger is a dangerous emotion. Anger if not held in check can build into hatred. Hatred then can lead into actions that are based not on truth but emotional opinions meant to exploit and dehumanize others. But Jesus was angry, we quickly say to ourselves, so surely it is not all bad. I agree, emotions are not wrong; it is what we allow our emotions to do that cause us to lose sight of God and enter into the darkness of sin. Jesus was angry with the venders in the temple, he was angry because these venders were exploiting others in the name of God; they were taking advantage of a situation for their own gain. They saw the people coming to worship not as humans but as a means to their own financial gain. Jesus had a righteous anger, an emotional response with the goal to humanize the exploited.
Our anger is not always held in check, our anger is not always experienced in disciplined manner. Sadly some of the most undisciplined exhibitions of raw emotions are performed among those that claim to love. The people today neglect church because often those in church dehumanize and exploit those around them. It is hard to see at times, because we have become so accustomed to our own actions, we have justified our actions to such a degree that we are no better then the Pharisees whom Jesus called whitewashed tombs of bones. We focus on our own agenda, we hold grudges, we neglect apologies and we do so because we were right. The problem is that being right in an argument has no value unless we honor the humanity of those around us.
Jesus went so far as say, “… [If] you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.” These words are spoken of not just anger but the undisciplined expression of our speech in the heat of an argument. It speaks of the exploitive nature of our language and the inability to disagree agreeably. How often we fall into the trap of our passions where we speak before we think and end up with our feet firmly planted in our mouths. How often do we fail to listen to what is being said and jump to a conclusion starting our next statement before we even hear a response? How often do we ask the wrong questions, which lead to responses that keep us from honoring and promoting the spark of God within an individual. When we fail to be disciplined in speech, when we fail to control our emotions, we will be found dehumanizing those around us, and in the process we may be quieting the very voice that God is using to direct the next step He is encouraging us to make.
Anger, adultery, divorce, murder, and our word each of these sections of this sermon delivered by Jesus revolve around honoring those around us, putting everyone on a equal status as equally human and equally loved by God. How well are we doing? Daily I catch myself failing to live up to the name I claim in Christ. I fail because often I am living in my own power. We cannot love the way God loves; we cannot honor others the way God desires us to honor in our own power. That is the essence of our sinful nature. We cannot do it because we are selfish by nature. We want the glory and honor ourselves. That is why in the story of Eden our first parents ate of the tree. They desired to be equal to God, masters of their own destiny, they wanted to be god. Immediately they began to accuse and dehumanize each other, Adam blames Eve and Eve deflects to another. “I am not the problem,” they say, “but it was this lesser being you put here.” Dehumanization.
We fail all to often. Our community, our world, is falling apart around us running from God and we blame others. The truth of it is that our world is the way it is because we allowed it. We have failed to live up to our name in Christ. We hear news reports and our responses are not in equality but dehumanized exploitive. It’s the gang’s fault, it’s the democrats or republicans, it’s Hollywood’s fault, and it is never my fault. Our schools fail because we allow them to fail. Our neighborhoods have fallen apart because we have allowed them to. We pull back blaming others when I am the problem.
This is why Jesus came. This is why Jesus was born that day in Bethlehem. This is why Jesus gave this sermon and taught His followers on the mountainside, in the fields, and on the sea. He came to meet us where we are, showing us that we have been placing the blame on others that we have been dehumanizing and exploiting everyone around us. But Jesus shows us a different path, which is a different lifestyle. He showed us that the lifestyle cannot be focused on ourselves but must be lived with God and others.
Jesus shows us that the first step, for those of us who claim to be his followers, begins in worship. God is the source of love and true wisdom, He is the breath and Father of life, and we cannot begin to change without first acknowledging and honoring the one from whom our life comes. Jesus made it His custom to worship in the meeting places of the faithful, when He entered a town He would take time to worship with the community at the synagogue, it did not matter if it was a mega synagogue or one that was nearly falling apart He worshiped because worship gives us a right view of ourselves. We are creatures created by God, here for a purpose, to be in communion with our Creator.
Jesus would also withdraw often to a desolate place away from others to pray. He would withdraw to embrace that intimate relationship of love between the creator and the creature. This is embracing the Holy Spirit, or nurturing and deepening our relationship with God. This time of prayer and embracing of the Spirit is expressing our needs, our failures, and our desires to our Lord as well as reading, studying, and meditating on scripture as we allow God to speak to us as well. It is a conversation and an intimate relationship. It is in these times where God will show us how to improve ourselves and where he will provide his strength in our weaknesses. It is during these times of prayer, where we will begin to see where we have shown dehumanizing actions and how to change our ways. It is in these times of prayer where God will direct us and when we embrace His correction He will then send us out to change the world where we are.
Jesus would then engage with the community, healing the sick, answering questions, encouraging the disciples, and teach the masses. It is through the prayer, the conversation with the Father in the Spirit, that He would then begin to serve other. He shows us that in this lifestyle, the lifestyle of the kingdom of God we too will be sent out to serve, and to live the love of Christ with others. It is in this service where we begin to rebuild our communities, reconcile the dehumanizing actions we have allowed to occur, and stop the exploitation of those deemed lesser than us. We share the love of God by feeding the hungry, giving a coat to someone that needs one, repairing the car of the single mother who trying to get to her job so she can feed her children. We live the love of Christ when we meet people where they are, not in judgment because that is a form of exploitations, but in encouragement. Encouraging them by our generosity, encouraging them by our kind words, encouraging them with our tactful teaching and urging to walk the path to Christ.
When we leave the lifestyle of exploitation and enter into this lifestyle of Christ we will begin to see the world change around us. We will begin to see men treating their wives differently, we will begin to see people living not out of anger or lust but out of generosity and respect, we will begin to see the end of exploitation and the beginnings of encouragement.
How often have I failed, how often we as Christians have failed to truly be the people God has called us to be. But Jesus is giving us an opportunity to turn it around, to rebuild the world that we have allowed to falter, to bring in the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. As we enter into this time of open worship, and holy expectancy let us allow God to examine our lives, let us repent of our failures and let us ask God for the forgiveness and strength to change, let us begin to see His kingdom come in our lives so we can encourage and honor those around us with honesty, and humility.
Scripture: Matthew 4:12-23
I have found that one of the most relaxing and amazing things to do to pass time is to watch birds fly. As a child when riding in the car to town I would stare out the window and see the huge flocks of black birds jump up at once to take flight and do aerial acrobatic moves that were awe inspiring. Hundreds of birds moving in unison weaving and twisting, flipping and rolling only to settle back down onto the ground. I would stare in wonder watching the magic of nature noticing that not a single bird would fly into another while they performed their dance, each fitting in and doing their part to amaze the poor creatures that were not created with wings on the ground.
People have studied these birds and have tried to explain how and why they do these acrobatics but I could not tell you myself, to be honest I could not tell you what kind of bird they are, I just enjoy watching the show. But I do know that from observing the behaviors of birds like these people can determine things about the environment around them. From my days working outdoors I can tell you that if you have several birds in your lawn chances are very high that you would have a grub problem, and the birds are around to eat them. So if you happen to need some fishing bait you might observe the birds.
People have always observed their surroundings; they have studied how the animals and plants react. They study so they are able to survive and thrive in environments that are not always pleasant. As they studied and learned they were then able to use this knowledge to domesticate animals, to determine where the best land would be to plant crops, or when it was time to move. It is remarkable how well we have been able to do this. Just think for a bit, how did mankind eventually tame a dog, how did they learn to control a horse, the reindeer, cattle, or the largest mammal on land the elephant?
The world around us is filled with wonder if we were to take the time to slow down and enjoy it. We have yet to really observe and harness various amazing mysteries surrounding us. For example we have known and studied the forces of magnets for centuries but magnetism for the most part is still a mystery, after hundreds of years of study the forces of nature continue to cause many to wonder just as a child watching the birds perform outside a window.
Today, as we reflect on this passage of scripture, I would like us to focus on that sense of wonder and natural curiosity found in humanity. Jesus has moved from the banks of the Jordan, where John was preaching, to the Sea of Galilee. The cause of this move could be because of John’s arrest or just a change in the approach of ministry, either way the delivery method of the Gospel changes because of this move. In the ministry of John, the people would leave their homes and come to the Jordan to hear the message. In many ways that was the way the religious world worked. People would make holy pilgrimages to various sites to pay homage to God; the greatest example biblically would be the feasts that required travel to Jerusalem to worship at the temple. John’s ministry was transitioning the people out of this temple form of worship, basically telling them that God does not dwell only in a temple of stone but He can be worshiped anywhere. But the method was still similar it required a pilgrimage, people came out to listen to John. They left their community to worship God. Jesus changes the method, instead of having people come only to him, but he would go to the people. He moved to Capernaum and traveled the countryside teaching in their synagogues and ministering to the sick and hurting.
Jesus changed the method of ministry. The ministry is now active in the community, walking around and engaging people where they are, instead of requiring people to come away. This is interesting in many ways, because the methods do change at times. It like many things is cyclical. There is a time where the method is best in the heart of the community and at other times the gospel is best heard when one leaves their own community and get outside their normal routine. At times we build and people come while at other times we must go meet in the houses and parks within a community.
Jesus goes and he is walking on the shores of the sea. We do not know how long Jesus was in Capernaum before this story took place, but I would venture to say that he was there for a while. What we do know is that he was there long enough to walk around and attract the attention of the fishermen. It is the fishermen he first engages. Two brothers are casting a net into the see and Jesus calls out to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” or as other translations state, “I will make you fishers of men.”
Think about that statement. I will make you fish for people. It immediately makes one think of the art and science of fishing. One does not just simply fish. A true fisherman knows fish, like a rancher knows their cattle. They know how fish react to the climate and to the current weather patterns. They know how they react to light and what areas they inhabit at certain times of the year. They know what season the fish are mating, when they are hibernating, and how to effectively catch them in any situation. It is a skill that takes time to learn through observation and careful study; it takes years of practice and discipline. The men that Jesus is speaking to know their trade, they know when to take the boat out and when to stay home. They know where to go and what tools to use. Although it is not always an exact science, these men know their business because if they did not they would not survive.
They are also religious men. Last week we read a similar passage in the Gospel of John where two of these men were mentioned, they were disciple and students of John the Baptist. But today they are not on the banks of the Jordan but at home fishing in the sea. There is something about the Gospel that compels them, it drew them from their homes to seek out John, and it opens their lives to Jesus as well.
Jesus says to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” He is offering them a new trade, a new way of life. The discipline required to learn how to fish is now being applied to humanity.
Let us go back to the human’s natural curiosity. For us to survive in our environments we must observe and adapt, we must learn skills and develop tools to survive. Andrew, Peter, James and John were master fishermen. They knew the tools of their trade, they knew the best places to fish and they knew how to read the environment to get an idea of where to go next. These same skills apply to ministry. To fish for people we first must develop an understanding of people. We need to know where they are coming from and what they hope for. To be effective we must observe the cultures we are in and adapt our methods to present the Gospel more clearly. We must devise tools to use that will effectively reach the people. This takes time, discipline, and a willingness to adapt.
These fishermen know the task at hand. They know that to be good fishermen they must use nets; these nets must be constructed properly. They are designed to catch large fish but to also let the smaller fish escape so they will grow and repopulate. These nets are thrown out into the waters and then pulled in, and as they are pulled the nets close and capture the targeted fish. This is one method of fishing, but there are other methods as well. If you were to go fishing in around Kansas City you would not use nets but hooks and lines. We place various types of bait on the hooks to attract the attention of a specific type of fish. Again one must know the fish and the tools to do this effectively. And just so you know I am a terrible fisherman so do not ask me what to use.
But in dealing with humanity we are not catching them or baiting them, this illustration was made to specific people of a specific profession. The point is discipline. Jesus is presenting to these men the ability to observe and read people, and to adapt their ministry to reach people more effectively. How do we do this? What are the forms and methods of communication utilized by our culture? What are the interests of those around us? What are their needs and what are their fears? If we cannot adjust and adapt to the culture we live in our greatest ministry efforts will be like throwing out fishing nets without the netting, as it is pulled it catches nothing. To be effective we need to first be students. We must know the Gospel as well as the culture so we can adapt to minister to those around us.
This applies to all types of ministry in every culture. Those that minister in Rwanda must know the message of Christ but they must also be able to present that message in the language of the Rwandan. For the Rwandan to listen to the message the minister must have some understanding of the people. They need to know the political, economic, and other cultural aspects affecting the people in their daily lives. What about our community? What are factors here that would affect our ability to minister?
Jesus is calling us to follow him into his ministry and to do that we need to develop a discipline to read the culture around us. To begin we first need to follow Him. We need to develop in our own lives the rhythm that Jesus himself had in ministry: a lifestyle of prayer, worship, and service to others. Without this rhythm our best efforts in ministry are empty, without power or substance. In prayer we connect to Christ, in worship we are empowered and in service to others we pass the grace on. In prayer we interact with the Spirit of God as we engage scripture and observe our community. In worship we join together to encourage one another to embrace the Spirit’s leadings and to go out and serve. In prayer we get direction, in worship we get confirmation. Both lead to service. Our prayer and worship is empty if we do not serve others. And our service is misplaced and ineffective if it is not connected to God.
We are faced with a great challenge. Jesus is calling us as he did those first disciples to follow him and he will make us fish for people. The challenge is learning and observing taking a step back to gain understanding before we move forward. The challenge is putting our own preferences off to the side so that collectively we can serve our community more effectively. It is adapting our ministry to engage with culture we are called to serve. We have a great challenge before us, but one that is filled with promise. God is calling us to become His laborers and to participate in His Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven. The challenge is before us, but we are not alone in this task. The power that raised Jesus from the grave is available to each of us when we ask for it in His will and in His name. That is amazing power, power that we have only begun to understand after 2000 years of observance and study. But are we willing to rise up to the challenge, are we willing to drop the control of our own lives to follow Jesus into this great unknown? Are we willing to lose ourselves to gain the Kingdom of Heaven?
As we enter this time of open worship and holy expectancy, let us remember that curiosity of a child that would wonder about the dancing birds and other mysteries of our world. Let us remember the curiosity and the desire to know and let us apply that same curiosity to the challenge and joy God has set before us.