Deep Spirit: A Life That Matters

February 13, 2012

(Note: This is the last full sermon to be published to this blog. The Sermon Archive on the church website is operational again. The Sermon archive is found on the website at http://www.pocatelloumc.org.)

Sermon, February 12, 2012

Rev. Dr. Craig Strobel

Matthew 4:12-22

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:  ‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,  on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—  the people who sat in darkness  have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death  light has dawned.’  From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

Opening: Dinner Conversations
Story of Kiki and Mike– 2 friends from college who got married. After we all had gone to Graduate School, we got together again one night for dinner. I was just starting to serve my first church in Sheridan. During the course of dinner Mike asked me some serious questions concerning the Christian faith, Church and religion. I remember clearly at one point that he asked with great earnestness, “What I’m looking for is how to be a better person.”

How to be a better person. That is the center of the spiritual quest. It is what drives people after years of going their own way to find their way to the church. After all, isn’t that what we are all about? Sadly, however, it is also what drives many people away from church.

I ran straight into this very critique of Christianity and the Bible at a party I attended one December a few years ago, in which I got into a conversation with a man from Switzerland who felt that the whole Old Testament should be thrown out, that it was full of barbarity. He acknowledged that Jesus taught many good things, but few people follow them. He even challenged me to come up with a set of my own 10 Commandments. He asked me, “If you could write your own 10 Commandments that you want to live by, what would they be?” A good challenge, eh? It reminds me of the famous quote by G. K Chesterton, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.”

In another conversation, I was talking with a person who knew I had studied Buddhism as part of my doctoral work, and had some questions concerning Christianity and Buddhism. He had been raised Christian, at least nominally, and had turned to Buddhism because he perceived that Christianity was more concerned about believing things, and agreeing with certain doctrines than it was concerned with the actual spiritual transformation of people. Buddhism had spiritual practices that appealed to his deep desire to be changed, or to be, as my other friend expressed it, “to become a better person.” He was surprised to learn that Christianity has had a number of very well-defined and venerable spiritual practices that are as old as the faith itself. But few people are aware of them.
There is a longing, a hunger for a life that is personally transformative, morally integrated, ethically exacting, socially just, and intellectually fulfilling. But what often passes for Christianity in our society does not meet these cravings.

I have been pondering these matters for some time. Can Christianity be intellectually satisfying, socially viable, and spiritually transformative in our contemporary situation? I believe that it can, and should and must be in order to be true to its divine mandate.
But where to begin? This brings us to this morning’s scripture. Jesus begins his ministry with call to change directions. He calls out “Repent!” The Greek word we translate as “repent” is from metanoia, whch means to transform your mind. Not just feel sorry, but to allow your mind be transformed. Your way of thinkingm your attitudes, your assumptions about the world.

Take those fishermen, Simon, Andrew, James, and John. Think about wat their lives were like, plying their trade day in and day out, mending nets, taking their boat out each day, casting their nets into the water, hoping for a decent catch to sell to the roman fish buyers who came to purchase fish for salting and curing to take back to Rome. Along comes Jesus who tells them to leave everything they knew behind to follow him, and have their lives transformed. Metanoia indeed!

What does it mean for us to follow Jesus, each of us, in our own situations?
What do we need to leave behind in order to fulfill the Purpose of our church: the purpose of Pocatello First United Methodist Church is to build a caring community of Christians where we accept, renew and change lives by sharing God’s love in ways that make a difference in our world.

I’m wondering if we might need to leave behind the idea that Church is something we do only one hour once a week? Or maybe that someone else is called to build a caring community? Or that we can’t share God’s love because we have to be some sort of super spiritual person to do that? (Do you think those 4 fishermen were super spiritual?) So just what do we each need to leave behind, adn what do we need to bring along?

Issue the challenge.