Christians all over the world today will receive the imposition of ashes on their foreheads in observation of Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. But what does this ancient practice exactly mean for us as Christians in a post-modern world? Why do we need ashy smudges above our eyebrows? Why does Lent begin this way, and does our observance of the season mean we have to give up chocolate or caffeine or The Celebrity Apprentice for 40 days until Easter?
In the PC(USA) the season of Lent—a period of 40 days—is recognized as a time of prayer, fasting, self-examination and service that helps us prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection on Easter morning. As Dr. Martha Moore-Keish, associate professor of theology at Columbia Seminary, puts it:
“Presbyterians do not enter this period of fasting and prayer to attract God’s attention or to be noticed by other people. Lent is a way of paying attention to our own lives. We receive the sign of the cross on our foreheads to focus our attention on who we really are…Ash Wednesday and the whole of Lent provide a time to focus our attention on the mystery at the heart of the Christian life: that through the death of Jesus Christ, we have entered new life…The paradox of Ash Wednesday, and of Lent, is that we take on particular disciplines—fasting, prayer, service—in order to repent and conform ourselves more closely to the life and death of Christ, all the while recognizing that Christ has already come to us before we sought him.”
In other words, Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent are not about us cutting out junk food or countless hours of web & tube surfing. (Honestly, giving up those things is just a pious–albeit unintentional–way to attract the attention of God and others. And avoiding M&Ms doesn’t bring us closer to God, deepen our faith or help us grow as disciples). Ash Wednesday and Lent is actually an incredibly profound opportunity to practice humility and compassion with and toward others on our faith journeys, all the while reflecting on Jesus’ ministry and walk toward the cross in Jerusalem.
It is a chance to take on something new: learning a new spiritual practice; adopting non-judgmental attitude; widening a compassionate heart, volunteering with a non-profit organization that seeks justice and empowerment for the poor and oppressed; spending more time with family; reconciling a broken relationship; speaking out against the bullying of LGBT youth; becoming a better steward of God’s creation, etc. It is a time in which we invest our love and our life into a different way of living–
a type of living that is counter to the self-centered, consumerist society that we live in…
a type of living that faithfully and selflessly seeks to build a community where all are welcome in unconditional love and mercy.
a type of living that believes in God’s promise to awake our souls (our inmost being) to the reality of God’s kingdom and the hope of a another world that is already/not yet…
Awake My Soul–Mumford & Sons (lyrics)
How fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes I struggle to find any truth in your lies And now my heart stumbles on things I don’t know My weakness I feel I must finally show
Lend me your hand and we’ll conquer them all But lend me your heart and I’ll just let you fall Lend me your eyes I can change what you see But your soul you must keep, totally free Har har, har har, har har, har har
Awake my soul Awake my soul
How fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes I struggle to find any truth in your lies And now my heart stumbles on things I don’t know My weakness I feel I must finally show Har har, har har, har har, har har
In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die And where you invest your love, you invest your life In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die And where you invest your love, you invest your life
Awake my soul Awake my soul Awake my soul For you were made to meet your maker
Awake my soul Awake my soul Awake my soul For you were made to meet your maker You were made to meet your maker
1-4 The God-rebel tunes in to sedition— all ears, eager to sin. He has no regard for God, he stands insolent before him. He has smooth-talked himself into believing that his evil will never be noticed. Words gutter from his mouth, dishwater dirty. can’t remember when he did anything decent. Every time he goes to bed, he fathers another evil plot. When he’s loose on the streets, nobody’s safe. He plays with fire and doesn’t care who gets burned. 5-6 God’s love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic, His purpose titanic, his verdicts oceanic. Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost; Not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks.
7-9 How exquisite your love, O God! How eager we are to run under your wings, To eat our fill at the banquet you spread as you fill our tankards with Eden spring water. You’re a fountain of cascading light, and you open our eyes to light. 10-12 Keep on loving your friends; do your work in welcoming hearts. Don’t let the bullies kick me around, the moral midgets slap me down. Send the upstarts sprawling flat on their faces in the mud.
–Psalm 36 (The Message by Eugene Peterson)
When the world defines you by what you do/Love will show you whose you are
All a part of God’s great family/This is why we love, this is why we love
Battles rage and lines are drawn in the sand/Cause we learn to live in fear
Love comes down with the promise of something new/It’s greater than the fear, love is greater than the fear
Sometimes we can’t see/Lord help us believe, believe/In faith, hope/And the greatest of these is love
Note: In between the scripture reading and the sermon, the following movie clip from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (New Line Cinema, 2001) was shown:
Thomas Blanton Jr., 2000, Google Images
When I was 24-years-old, I saw the face of a man once so consumed by evil that he bombed a black church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four little girls.
A short, stocky, soft-spoken 62-year-old man—sporting thinning hair and wrinkles around tired eyes—Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. had trouble opening up a wrapped piece of peppermint candy when I interviewed him in his lawyer’s office on a hot afternoon in August of 2000. For nearly 37 years, Blanton had dodged formal charges but remained a primes suspect in the bombing that caused the deaths of Cynthia Wesley, Addie Mae Collins, Carol Robertson, all 14, and Denise McNair, 11 on September 15, 1963. The girls were in the bathroom of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, putting on their robes, when their lives were abruptly ended by a horrendous act of hate and violence on that Sunday morning before the worship service began.
With newly discovered evidence and testimony from key witnesses, the case was re-opened for the second time in the spring of 2000 and Blanton, along with another suspect, were indicted on first-degree murder charges in the bombing. Less than a year later, Blanton was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, where he remains today.
Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Denise McNair and Carol Robertson
The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing was a watershed moment in the African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s, which sought racial equality through the passing of laws that granted voting rights and abolished discrimination. Much of the nation turned a blind-eye toward the struggle that inflamed racial tensions and prompted numerous bombings of black homes and businesses across the South. But when news agencies reported that church-attending children had become the first victims of a bombing, the nation immediately focused its entire attention on stopping the evil of prejudice and bigotry.
Sitting in a chair a few inches from one of the men responsible for such a senseless tragedy, months before his trial began, was daunting as a young newspaper reporter for the Birmingham Post-Herald. I had been given the unique chance to interview a man who had never spoken to the press since the bombing, and per the instruction of Blanton’s lawyer, the ex-Klansman was not allowed to answer questions about his association with the Klan or aspects of the case. Nor was I permitted to ask such questions, otherwise the interview was done. [1]
I didn’t have a clue as to how to focus the interview so I’d have a story to take back to my editors. And I was both anxious and excited by the possibility that Blanton might slip up and reveal something incriminating about his involvement in the bombing. But mostly, I felt weak and helpless.
I managed to conduct a decent interview and churn out a front-page piece that focused on how Blanton denied his guilt, helped his lawyer prepare his defense and lamented the negative attention he received. However, there was a part of me that wanted to say something to Blanton, even if it meant losing the interview. Deep inside my heart, I wanted to rebuke him. I wanted to demand that he let loose the tormenting demon inside by confessing that he helped kill four little girls and devastated their loved ones! I wanted to confront evil with a great command of authority! But I couldn’t.
And yet this desire within me—to speak out against evil ( “world with devils filled” as the hymn A Mighty Fortress says) and to love the broken-hearted—grew every time I covered a story about a person taking the life of another:
work place shooting rampages
drug-deals gone badly
gang activity
armed robberies
family members murdering one another
spousal suicide murders, sometimes in front of their toddlers
drive-by shootings where innocents were killed by stray bullets
Eventually, I realized my purpose in life was not to report on tragic news stories on a weekly basis, but answer a call to be a pastor who lives out and helps others embody the biblical story, which reminds us that the power of God’s unconditional and non-violent love in Christ overcomes all evil. So I left the newspaper and entered Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur. But even now, seven years after I became an ordained minister, I still struggle mightily with confronting evil.
I truly wish that I could be like Gandalf from the 2001 movie The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien, particularly the scene where the wizard makes a defiant stand against the demonically monstrous Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-Dum, fiercely shouting “Go back to the shadow…YOU SHALL NOT… PASS!” It’s exhilarating to witness magical and heroic figures from film and literature challenge evil in such a glorious way. I revel in the possibility that I could be just as daring as Gandalf if evil loomed before me like Balrog.
When I snap out of that daydream, I remember that there have actually been many ordinary folks throughout history, especially in recent decades, who have stood without any special powers against oppressive and unjust systems that are just as scary if not more so than a fictional monster.
Wang Wei Lin, Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China, June 5, 1989
The first image that comes to mind is the famous photo of a man, shopping bags in each hand, standing in front of a column of 18 enormously dangerous tanks the morning after the Chinese military forcibly removed protestors of the Communist regime from Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989.
To this day, no one knows the real name of the man, dubbed by a UK newspaper as Wang Wei Lin and referred to by many as the Tank Man. Nor does anyone know what happened to him after he made his stand. But what Wang Wei Lin did for 5 minutes on that morning would be remembered forever.
As the tanks came through Tiananmen Square, the man walked into the middle of the otherwise empty street (without any warning) and stopped directly in the path of the armored vehicles. When the tanks came to a stop, the man gestured towards the machines with his bags. In response, the lead tank attempted to drive around the man, but the man repeatedly stepped into the path of the tank in a show of nonviolent action. After repeatedly attempting to go around rather than crush the man, the lead tank stopped its engines, and the other armored vehicles followed in suit.
Having successfully brought the column to a halt, the man climbed atop the turret and seemed to briefly speak with a crew member at the gunner’s hatch, where he reportedly said “Why are you here? My country is in chaos because of you.” Then the man descended from the tank, and a few seconds later, the vehicles restarted their engines, ready to proceed. At that point, the man, who was still standing within a meter or two from the side of the lead tank, leapt in front of the vehicle once again and quickly reestablished the man–tank standoff. Then two figures in blue attire pulled the man away and disappeared with him into a nearby crowd; the tanks continued on their way.[2]
Although the Tank Man didn’t permanently halt the terror of the Chinese government in its tracks, his stand is a reminder of how the common man or woman can confront evil, non-violently and without special powers, not even a gun.
Like Wang Wei Lin, other Chinese citizens also confront evil on their nation’s streets today, often walking into the brothels of mafia-run red light districts to tell girls as young as 13 that they can leave prostitution. In brave, rebellious acts of non-violent resistance, members of Mercy Outreach rescue women and children from the menace of sex trafficking and slavery.[3]
In countries like Columbia where citizens are caught in the crossfire of army, guerilla and paramilitary forces, groups of women, farmers and Indigenous leaders gather to non-violently protest the destruction of their country. They stand up to death squads without ever firing a bullet from or swinging a machete to harm their oppressors. [4]
Muslims and Christians unite during the Egyptian Revolution, January 2011, Google Images
And of course, we’re all familiar with the ongoing Egyptian Revolution that began a year ago this month. We watched this remarkable campaign of non-violent resistance unfold on our Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, smart-phones and TVs. Millions of protestors from a variety of socio-economic and religious backgrounds demanded the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his ruthless regime. Some of the most striking pictures and stories of the Revolution have been of Christians and Muslims making a passionate non-violent stand against the evil of oppression together!
That might sound idealistic and naïve to some of you: the idea of confronting evil with non-violent action, of responding to evil with defiant acts of mercy, reconciliation, peace and love. It’s not the type of thing that many Christians want to do. And it’s certainly not a practice that a lot of churches and pastors recommend for its congregants.
But standing in love against the evils that pervade the world is exactly what it means to be a disciple, to be a follower of Christ, to be a fisher for people. If we are to cast our nets wide to lovingly invite others to be a part of God’s good work, then we must be prepared to encounter opposition—hostility and violent resistance from people and systems so fueled by evil, they will do everything within their power to make us crumble.
In a volume of sermons entitled Strength To Love, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who spent a lifetime confronting the evils of racism, wisely said:
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others[5]
During times of challenge and controversy, we are called out by God to stand with Christ and confront evil with the bold and unwavering truth of love. We are called to risk everything to care for our neighbor…without resorting to violent and deadly means.
After calling the disciples to become fishers of people, Jesus, according to Mark’s gospel, went to Capernaum, and on the Sabbath, he entered the synagogue to teach. The crowds are amazed by his teachings for Jesus, the step-son of a carpenter and a un-ordained rabbi, teaches as “one having authority.” And it’s the authority of God-with-us that responds to the man possessed by an unclean spirit instead of the appointed religious leaders who arrogantly and selfishly ignore the poor and suffering.
Jesus and The Unclean Spirit by Cerezo Baraedo, 1999
Jesus, without raising a hand in violence, stands his ground and says to the demon: “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, after convulsing within the man and then crying with a loud voice, comes out and then presumably disappears! The crowd is astounded again, saying to one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”
A preaching professor of mine in seminary once wrote that Jesus’ exorcisms and healings…
were not simply actions on behalf of individuals but at a deeper level presented a challenge to the powers of death at work in the world. Through his healings Jesus not only restored people to physical health but restored outsiders, and unclean persons to community and social standing.[6]
This incident where Jesus confronts the unclean spirit in the synagogue reveals that God in Christ has authority over all things, even evil and death. The episode is a foreshadowing of the evens that occur at the end of the gospel story…
when Jesus’s crucifixion—an act of nonviolent resistance—“exposes the lies and pretensions of the powers” and
when the resurrection of Jesus—a demonstration of the power of new life—“sets the church free from the fear of death that so often prevents us from…following Jesus.”
And following this all-loving, mercy-filled pacifist Jesus that we study in scripture is, of course, never easy…especially when we know that evil still lurks in the dark and broken places of the world. As my professor suggests:
Although ultimately overcome in the cross and resurrection, the powers continue to go about their deadly work in the world, often with the intensity and violence of an injured beast.
This, of course, doesn’t make me feel any more confident about confronting evil, although I know it’s what God calls us to do as followers. But maybe this non-violent act of “staring the beast in the eye”[7] with love doesn’t always have to be as intense as blocking 17 tanks with your body or risking your life to go into the slums to save teenage prostitutes.
Maybe it’s the other types of ministry that we do with and for others in Jesus’ name that are just as bold and defiant in the face of the evil-powered systems of the world. Maybe it’s the daily, selfish acts of service that also loudly rebuke the demons that try to prevent us from caring for another human being. Consider for a moment that in every instance where you have…
served food to the hungry in Atlanta, Charlotte or Haiti
helped build homes in New Orleans, Tuscaloosa or Honduras
denounced words and actions that are demeaning toward a person’s
race, culture, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and physical-mental development
accepted gays and lesbians as called by God to serve as ordained church leaders
advocated for peace and reconciliation instead of violent retribution
loved those whom you disagree with and call “enemy”
… you have made a stand with Christ by confronting evil and its oppressive, unjust systems of hate, greed, disease, destruction, poverty, addiction, slavery war, and violence. In every instance, you have rebuked those malevolent powers that seek to undermine God’s power. In every instance you have said with your entire being…
Be silent! Be gone! Go back to the shadow…YOU SHALL… NOT PASS!
[3] “Works of Mercy: Chinese churches face off against human trafficking—and start to see social justice as part of their mission” by Sylvia Yu, Sojourners Magazine, February 2012
[4] “Standing Up To Death Squads: Caught in the crossfire of army, guerilla, and paramilitary forces, women, farmers, and Indigenous leaders in Columbia fight bravely for the right to live” by Elizabeth Palmberg, Sojourners Magazine, February 2012
[5]Strength To Love by Martin Luther King Jr., Harper and Row Publishers, 1963
[6]The Word Before the Powers: An Ethic of Preaching by Charles L. Campbell, Westminster John Knox Press, 2002.
[7] A phrase coined by retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu while speaking on “The Spirituality of Reconciliation at the National Cathedral on Nov. 13, 2007.
Note: My column for the January 29 issue of The Chosen Word, the newsletter of Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church:
Lift up your eyes and look around; …and then you shall see and be radiant.(Isaiah 60:4-5)
In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die. And where you invest your love, you invest your life…Awake my soul. Awake my soul. (Mumford & Sons, Awake My Soul, 2009)
To kick off the New Year, Anna B (the director of Christian Education) and I traveled to the Montreat College Conference from January 2-5 with 10 amazing young adults from PHPC. It probably goes without saying, but we had a wonderful time together—laughing, playing, listening, talking, discerning, worshipping, praying and seeking God’s presence at Montreat and in our daily lives.
The theme of the conference, Seeking Stars, focused on the day of Epiphany—the celebration of God’s manifestation of self-revelation to the world in Jesus Christ—on January 6. Through keynotes, sermons, music and workshops, the conference leaders helped 800 participants to see (as the magi did) the light illuminating the darkness of our world.
Of all the messages shared about the meaning of Epiphany, the words of the dynamic conference preacher Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, director of the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness in Washington D.C., remain close to my heart weeks later: Jesus came as a reminder of our responsibility to redeem the broken world in which we live through the power God has given us. Each of us is a manifestation of God’s love in the world. Each of us has the responsibility to share the redeeming love of God with those who do not know it, and do it in such a way that it is a reflection of the miracle that God can do in us. We are an epiphany of God.”
Many Christians, thoughtful Presbyterians included, spend too much time it seems on where folks will end up when this life is over or what will become of the poor sinners or when and how God will show up to take the righteous to heaven. We fret (almost unnecessarily) about salvation and eternal life to the point that we ignore or forget that God is already present in the world! God’s love is here at this exact moment! And Emmanuel (God- with-us) calls us to embody daily that unconditional, sacrificial love in word and deed. As the author Marianne Williamson writes, “We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same” By shining in God’s love for others, we inevitably free others to also shine in God’s love and on and on and on.
The possibilities for how the world can be transformed are endless once we lift up our eyes and see God in the midst. May our souls be awakened and invested in the love of God. Not tomorrow or hundreds of tomorrows, but today. Always and forever today. Amen.
Columbia Theological Seminary student Lisle Gwyn painted this piece as J. Herbert Nelson preached during the 2012 Montreat College Conference
A Sermon For Sunday January 22, 2012, Psalm 62:5-12 and Mark 1:14-20
http://www.sundayschoollessons.com
Jesus’ call of the disciples at the beginning of his ministry is probably one of the most well known stories among for post-modern believers. Several of you gathered in the sanctuary this morning have heard this story so many times since you were a child that you could quickly and accurately re-tell it without ever looking at the actual text. And you’ve probably also heard as many sermons about Jesus’ call of the disciples as the story itself, and you could easily come up with the story’s theme or message in the blink of an eye: Jesus calls the poor, uneducated, ordinary, imperfect fishermen Andrew, Simon, James and John to drop their nets and become his disciples, fishers of people who preach, teach and heal in the name of God’s kingdom. Like the disciples, God in Christ calls us sinners to drop “our nets” and follow Jesus to preach, teach and serve in the name of God’s kingdom.
The story is cut-and-dry, straightforward with few surprises, easy to remember and understand. So other than gaining a sense of comfort and familiarity, what more can be gleaned or preached about the text that hasn’t been done hundreds of times previously? What more can we understand about our own faith and lives from the account, Mark’s version in particular, of Jesus’ call of the disciples by the Sea of Galilee? On first glance, it would appear that there’s nothing new we can learn from the story than the simple lesson of God calls and we follow. …
Except the lesson of the story is not that simple. We assume the story and message is cut-and-dry likely due to Mark’s writing style, which is clear, direct, concise and picturesque yet lacking a lot of details. Mark moves the reader so quickly along the page that we don’t stop to think that there is more to the short words, sentences and sharp scenes the writer has laid out before us. We miss a lot by taking the scripture at face value and not spending more time with the text to understand the much deeper message and implications for us as followers of Jesus in the 21st century.
Before we dive into the reading, however, it’s worth taking a moment to explore the historical contexts in which the story takes place and when it is written. In the time of Jesus, the people of Israel are living amidst the rule of the Herodian dynasty and under the oppressive power of the Roman Empire. Herod the Great, placed on the throne by the Roman Senate as a reward for supporting a recent military invasion, was anxious to show the Roman authorities and his Jewish subjects that he was worthy of the title king. Herod rebuilt the temple of Jerusalem because temple rebuilding was a royal privilege, constructing an impressive building over the tombs of the patriarchs and their wives to show that he honored Jewish tradition.
Herod then built two cities to impress and honor Augustus Caesar, his imperial patron. Later, Herod’s son Antipas rebuilt the city of Sepphoris, located three miles from Jesus’ childhood village of Nazareth. Sepphoris was Antipas’ capital until he built Tiberius along the western shore of the Sea of Galilee to honor Tiberius Caesar. The New Testament doesn’t record that Jesus ever entered those cities, which symbolized the royal power of the Herodian dynasty.
Forty years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Roman Empire is going strong but Jerusalem is crumbling beneath the weight of this domineering and violent regime as Mark begins to write his gospel. And the people of Israel are divided over how to respond to Roman occupation and ensure Israel’s future.
Some have chosen to go to war against the Roman presence in their land, believing that God will re-establish a reign in Israel that was as powerful as that in King David’s time. Others realizing the might of the Empire was too strong, chose to be more accommodating toward their oppressors. Although they believed God would one day redeem Israel, they felt it was much more prudent to go along to get along. If they kept their heads down, didn’t stir up trouble, heeded Roman law and customs (even those that went against their own faith), the Empire would allow them to have a relatively normal self-governing existence (yeah, right).
Through the writing of his gospel, Mark presents a third and better, albeit a less attractive, option for Israel and its people: Be a part of God’s kingdom that is revealed in the incarnation of Jesuswho in love and mercy knocks down the walls that divide and accepts all people—the rich, the corrupt, the healthy, the sick, the stranger, the poor, the prisoner, the prostitute, the soldier, the tax collector, the thief, the murderer, women and children, the old and the young… In other words, “do not foster the violent overthrow of those who oppress or accommodate to the way things have always been to secure a false peace devoid of justice….but remember and choose Jesus’ way of tearing down the boundaries that separate people from one another and therefore people from God.”[1]
http://www.thebricktestament.com
With that history and context in mind, we return to the reading from Mark 1:14-20 to discover that God’s way of doing things is at the heart of the disciples’ encounter with Jesus as well as the entire gospel. The story begins with Jesus loudly proclaiming the power and might of God’s way as he walks through the region of Galilee: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
Jesus boldly tells the people to turn their backs on the ways of violence and accommodation. Embrace, Jesus says, the kingdom of God, the way of God—the way of unconditional love and never-ending grace that is coming to dismantle the oppressive rule of the kings, authorities and Empires now and forever! And this, Jesus testifies, is good news that all can believe in. To show that he is not kidding around, Jesus walks by the Sea of Galilee and speaks those words about the way of God into reality. Mark’s gospel tell us:
“He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately, he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed them.”
And the kingdom of God begins. No longer an abstract idea shouted to the heavens, the kingdom of God is very much an earthly presence that is sweeping through the land in the form of Jesus and a group of rag-tag fishermen. The fishermen, says the gospel writer, immediately left their jobs, families and hometown to follow Jesus on what we might describe as a journey to conquer violence and oppression—the way of kings and Empire—with the loving way of God.
http://thebricktestament.com
Mark indicates that the fishermen, who dropped everything without a moment’s hesitation, followed Jesus with great intention in their hearts. The Greek word for “followed”is akoloutheo, (to join one as a disciple; to side with the party of the one preceding). The fishermen didn’t just merely follow someone who was calling; they reached out to the One who was calling over the way of kings and Empire that cruelly demanded their allegiance. They joined Jesus as his devoted disciples, and they sided with the kingdom or way of God that Jesus represented (and still represents) in all its fullness. They trust with all of their mind, heart, soul and body in God who is their rock, their refuge and quite possibly their bridge over troubled water.
The fishermen chose to follow because of their trust in God and because they believed in Jesus’ promise to make them (become) fishers for people. In the Greek, the word for become is ginomai (become; to come into being, to be fulfilled). Andrew, Simon-Peter, James and John drop their nets because God in Christ is calling them into a new way of being in the world, to fulfill God’s desire of them to become what they were made to be—something that is much more satisfying than casting nets for fish. They are to be fishers for people. And to be fishers for people is about liberating those caught in the grip of kings and Empire and showering them with God’s love and grace—
the ones who have chosen to resist through acts of violence
the ones who have chosen to accommodate the system of oppression
the ones who are sick and shunned for their illness
the ones who are hungry and refused bread and water
the ones who are blind and ignored by passers by
the ones who are imprisoned and denied basic human rights
the ones who are female or children and are treated like property
the ones who are foreign and are abused for not fitting in the right way
What was true for Andrew, Simon-Peter, James and John centuries ago is the same today for each of us who God in Christ calls to become fishers for people. I know it might sound odd to think of ourselves as fishers for people, or as disciples who are called to enter into a new way of being in the world, or followers of Jesus who are called to embody love and grace in all that we say and do, to be full participants in the way of God.
Maybe the label feels uncomfortable because some fundamentalist Christians, the ones who constantly seek news headlines to spread fear, hate and mistrust among people, have high-jacked the concept of fishers for people. They’ve turned the calling into an opportunity to save, convert and literally scare people into a relationship with God. For them, becoming fishers for people is about rescuing people from the fiery depths of hell (a preposterous notion by the way) instead of freeing people from the grip of injustice and oppression. Becoming fishers for people is not an opportunity to convince others that their beliefs are wrong and our beliefs are right.
Nor is becoming fishers for people a chance to check off our “to-do” list of individual church tasks and responsibilities so we can carry on with our compartmentalized lives. And it’s certainly not a time to obsess over church growth statistics as a gauge of success when energy can be better used to relish the holy and beautiful moment of ministry that is occurring regardless of the number of folks present.
Becoming fishers for people is about devoting ourselves entirely to the way of God. It’s about binding up the brokenhearted and working for reconciliation and peace with every breath of God that is within us.
That still may seem daunting because of a worry we have that our work, our living and being into a new way of life, has to be perfect. The worries are for naught since we’ll never be able to be perfect anglers any more than the disciples. The purpose of living in the way of God is not to be perfect but to live out what God calls us to become each and every day, even when we mess up. And have no doubt that God is going to continue to call you and me because, truth be told, there isn’t anyone else. No other living creature on the planet is capable of becoming fishers for people except human beings.
Jesus Freak: Feeding, Healing, Raising the Dead by Sara Miles, Jossey-Bass Publishing, 2010
Consider as an example a story that renowned Christian author Sara Miles recounts in her book Jesus Freak about one Friday at her church’s food pantry where she works as the founder and director:
I was standing at the bus stop across from the church…as the food pantry was winding down, talking with Miss Lola Brown. A tiny, elderly black lady with sensible shoes and bent, arthritic hands, she was shaking her head in despair because she didn’t know how to get her groceries across town to her apartment…
I was exasperated. I didn’t have a car. I didn’t have money to give her for a cab. I had to be somewhere else in a little while. I looked at the man standing next to us, a big, quite psychotic white guy, a ranter, who’d also just been at the pantry. ‘Ok, we’ll help you,’ I said, not very nicely. I had no idea how. And then the bus pulled up, and the man shuffled forward, muttering, and the two of us lugged her cart on board.
Miss Brown smiled and raised her hand to heaven. ‘I know,’ she testified. ‘I know the Lord will always send me help.’ I told that to my wife, Martha, when I got home and she rolled her eyes. ‘Couldn’t the Lord send her a taxi at least, if he’s got all the power to help?’ she asked. ‘Instead of a crazy guy and some feeble middle-aged lady, and she’s still got to take the 22 Filmore for an hour?’
‘Nah,’ I said. ‘Jesus has a sense of humor. He just sends us.’[2]
Jesus sends those who he has called out…to be fishers for people. That’s all of us, no exceptions. As the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. might’ve said:
Everybody can become fishers of people. You don’t have to have a college degree to become fishers of people. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to become fishers of people. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to become fishers of people. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity… You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics… You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can become fishers of people.[3]
Amen.
[1]Preaching Mark In Two Voices by Gary Charles and Brian Blount, Westminster John Knox Press, 2003
[2]Jesus Freak: Feeding, Healing, Raising the Dead by Sarah Miles, Jossey-Bass Publishing, 2010
[3] Adapted (out of great respect) from Dr. Martin Luther King’s sermon “The Drum Major Instinct,” preached at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church on February 9, 1968. I substituted the word “serve” with “become fishers for people.” Although both words/phrases are similar in concept and practice, I chose to make the change as a way of emphasize the words in the text and the deeper meaning of the phrase for the congregation.
In recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday (January 15, 1929) and today’s Martin Luther King Day of Service, I offer the following quote from Dr. King about servanthood
And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s a new definition of greatness.
And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.
The Pink Panther by Friz Freeling. Does he also have pink eye? Hmmmm?
Today was going to be the day I bounced back from this knock-you-on-your-butt-cold I received following the 2012 Montreat College Conference “Seeking Stars” (an awesome experience with my colleague AB and 10 incredible college students from PHPC in the wintry Black Mountain hills of North Carolina). Today was going to be the day I jumped back into the first regular Sunday schedule in the new year–assisting in 8:30 and 11 am worship services, teaching 9:40 am church school class, co-leading a workshop with youth advisers/church school teachers after the 11 am worship service, attending High School Youth Group and Session meeting this evening. And honestly, I was looking forward to a day chock full of ministry.
But when I woke up at 1 am to go to the bathroom (having consumed large quantities of hot tea the previous day to battle the germs doing triathlons in my head, nose and lungs), I discovered my right eye was red and puffy and both the corners and the lashes were covered in thick mucus, which looks and feels like rubber cement. In other words…duh-dunt-duh-dunn…I had pink eye and knew immediately that there was no way I was leaving the house less I infect my colleagues and couple hundred church goers who came to church to be touched by God’s love instead of conjunctivitis.
So I stayed home, which turned out to be a great thing because it gave me the opportunity to hang out with my 3-year-old daughter Katie whom I normally don’t see much on Sundays, save for a few brief moments at church. Although Katie had just caught my cold, she was in great spirits and a silly mood. After watching several episodes of Katie’s new and favorite program, Word World, we played a fun filled game of Katie Knock Daddy Down: I sit with my legs crossed on the floor while a wide-grinning and giggling Katie charges at me from two feet away. Upon impact, I grab her and fall backwards, both of us laughing out loud.
Following a couple of rounds of Knock Daddy Down, Katie set up an art class in her playroom. In front of each of her favorite toys (Pescetti the gray-and-blue stuffed dog, the orange stuffed Nemo and Deep-o fish, and the five Mater’s Tall Tale’s monster trucks), she placed a page from her Cars coloring book and two markers, and then helped each one color their picture. I soon joined in with the new 400-page Star Wars coloring book that Elizabeth bought for me because I was sick (The force is strong with her). Afterwards, Katie shot a few baskets on her toy basketball goal and I helped her with a few slam dunks.
By the time noon rolled around, Elizabeth was awake (she got extra sleep to prevent what felt like an oncoming cold) and tagging in to play with Katie while Nana was coming home from the morning worship service. What followed was more silly play, a struggle over a nap (which Katie finally relented to for a solid hour and a half) and a viewing of the 2007 film Alvin and The Chipmunks (As much as I tried to avoid the sound of rodents annoyingly singing nutty pop tunes, Alvin, Simon and Theodore have landed smack dab in the middle of my living room to Katie’s great delight. And if Katie’s happy, daddy’s happy. Surprisingly, the movie is better than having pink eye)
In a few minutes we’ll have dinner and then its bath and bedtime for our girl. She still has a runny nose but seems to have shaken the cold for the most part. It’s hard to keep a spirited 3-year-old down, even if you are a menacing germ.
I’ve received many wonderful and loving gifts over the course of 36 birthdays, including the blessing of being born on January 1 and celebrating my birth along with a new year. Even spending New Year’s Eve with my wife Elizabeth and close friends at the Chik-Fil-A Bowl at the Georgia Dome was amazing as Auburn clobbered Virginia 43-24. But none of the gifts and memories quite compare to the moment on Friday afternoon when Katie, excited about my approaching birthday, decided to sing to me a couple of days early…
I can’t wait till later today when I get to celebrate the day with my family and share in the German Chocolate Cake that Katie, Elizabeth and Anne (aka Nana) made for the special occasion. Incidentally, when I teasingly asked if I could have a piece this afternoon, Katie smiled and gently reminded me: “No daddy, it’s not your birthday yet.” What an amazing gift this child is in my life.
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 14,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
Although I mostly agree with Calvin, I thought it might not hurt to at least come up with a list of resolutions that would attempt to keep me on course in 2012, and not have to “wing it” too much…
1. Be more patient and kind (particularly with Wally the wonder pup–God bless his labrador energy and God give me the strength to be more tolerant with his antics)
2. Try to not over-react to other’s words and actions, be less judgmental of others, and practice more grace toward folks
3. Read 24 books (an average of 2 per month)
4. Spend less time on the computer to read, draw, write, watch movies and play the occasional video game.
5. Learn to cook
6. Live in the moment (especially with my daughter Katie. Typically I lament how she’s growing up too fast or I wish that she was older so I don’t have to dress her or so that she and I can go ride roller coasters.”
7. Be more gentlemanly and romantic by opening doors for my wife Elizabeth, holding her hand in public, go out of my way to do things around the house, try not to leave a pee trail next to the toilet (you guys know what I’m talking about ), and saying moronic crap that hurts her feelings.
8. Cut out the complaining and whining when Elizabeth makes a genuine and fair request of me (This goes hand-in-hand with No. 6)
9. Go camping and hiking (and maybe white water rafting)
10. Take more opportunities to build friendships
11. Become more confident about riding a bike (and well, to be honest, become more confident about myself and my gifts in general and be ok with the failures and mistakes)
12. Go on a bike trip adventure with JB, husband of church colleague who keeps putting out an invite that I have yet committed to
That’s a fairly good start for 2012…what about you? What do you resolve to do in the next 365 days?
), and saying moronic crap that hurts her feelings.
