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"Why Many Curious People Stay Curious" Sermon Preached By Rev. Richard E. Stetler - January 23, 2005 Isaiah 9:1-4; Matthew 4:12-23
Up
until his encounter with John at the Jordan River, Jesus had spent most
of his life in solitude, talking to customers who needed his services
while attending to the needs of his mother, brothers and sisters. The
prospect of preaching may have never entered his mind. In the beginning
Jesus was a follower of John’s message, “The Kingdom of God is near.”
Something happened, however, that changed the direction of his life. John was arrested and put in prison; it was a sentence that would not only end his public ministry but also would eventually claim his life. Jesus was now alone, and he made the decision to leave the town of Nazareth and live in Galilee. Inside of him grew a deep desire to teach people how to change the quality of their lives, i.e., how they felt, how they thought and how they perceived God. When Jesus called Peter and Andrew, he said to them quite literally, “You are fishermen who are experts at catching fish. Let me teach you how to catch people.” No doubt he said the same thing to his cousins who were also fishermen. The message that would capture the attention of people had to do with the “Good News about the Kingdom of God.” What is that “Good News?” In
our language, this “Good News” would be translated, “Your life will be
transformed when you change how you perceive.” Up until the time of
Jesus, the Jews had to be obedient to the law. Jesus’ message would send
them in a different direction. Rather than having to please God by
obedience to Moses’ Law, he taught them to be who God created them to
be. His teachings constantly reinforced these unique life
patterns. What happened to this message of Jesus? Where did Jesus’ mission statement go astray? The answer to these questions is where the division between the four disciples and the masses becomes most apparent.
As we read in the latter portion of our lesson, it becomes very clear
that many people were driven to Jesus by their neediness. They were
not feeling challenged to change their lives; they wanted healing for
themselves, a friend or a family member. They were miracle
hunting rather than seeking a path for changing how they ordered
their lives. Our
lesson says, “The news about Jesus spread throughout Syria, so people
brought to him all those who were sick, suffering from all kinds of
diseases and disorders: people with demons, epileptics, and
paralytics. Jesus healed them all.” The hordes that came to Jesus were
not seeking how to change their attitudes, deepen their character
strengths or develop skills of spirit; they came wanting a miracle. Most pastors have numerous stories about people who come into their
churches because they feel threatened by life. Some of us remember when
over 700 people were in church the Sunday following the September 11
attack on the World Trade Towers in New York City.
People often
bring their pain to God instead of learning how to change the mechanisms
within them that chose pain as a response.
We can easily find ourselves among the crowd that came to Jesus. For example, a marriage has dissolved, and we can become devastated or extremely bitter. A car accident has placed our teenager into the intensive care unit, and the injuries are so extensive that he or she may not survive. A mudslide in California buried several houses containing loved ones and friends. A person whose house was spared says, “This thing happened for a reason,” as though saying, “God had something to do with the disaster.” People who never darkened the doors of a church may find themselves driven to one out of their neediness for some healing word of comfort. They find themselves unable to cope. They want a miracle. The people in that church family respond and surround them with all the support they need just as Jesus would reach out with healing. However, quite often when the source of the pain and suffering goes away, the people drift back into their lifestyles having changed nothing. Jesus encountered this again and again. In fact, there was a time
during his ministry when he told the people that the only reason they
had come was out of their curiosity to see another miracle. (John
4:48) The division between those who follow Jesus comes at the point
of what motivates us to come to him. Are we driven to be “doers of the
word” or by our neediness to get something that our fears tell us we
desperately need? Clearly there is room for both types of people at Jesus’ feet, but there
is a vast difference in the quality and direction of our energy. One
wants to give and the other needs to receive. The truth is that it is
absolutely fine to be either type. There have been plenty of times
when we have been givers, and there have been other times when we have
needed to receive. This is not the dividing point. What divides us outcrops from people who leave Jesus after their need
has been met, as did the nine lepers whom Jesus healed. They never
paused to look back or express their gratitude. Some of us never
graduate into becoming doers, teachers, healers, enablers and
peacemakers. Neediness has defined us, and that is where some of us
choose to remain. For example, expressing forgiveness may be very challenging for us because that would require giving on our part when what we want is justice, an apology or some kind of spiritual ointment for our wound-the healing of which we refuse to allow. We may say to a friend, “Please say a special prayer for me today. I have a job interview tomorrow and I’m scared to death.” Again, while we all may have been there at some point in our lives, why would we want to stay there? When do we become willing to accept the truth that God is with us every moment of everyday – an understanding that will produce confidence when we trust it time and again? We may find ourselves in the hospital for a brief stay. Our surgery went well, but, because we do not find our caregivers as attentive as we would like, we begin being disrespectful, frustrated, and demanding as we communicate our irritability to everyone. These kinds of responses are just like being angry when the police do not come within three minutes of our call, or when the pastor did not come during our hospital stay, or when someone did not return our call in a timely fashion, or when others did not live up to our expectations, or when we have lost respect for someone who spoke words that injured our fragile inner world. Again the question comes: Do we want to be “doers of the word” or remain needy? Being a disciple meant something to Jesus. The four chosen men made
this realization when they said, “yes” to following him. It meant
leaving something behind. In the case of the two sets of brothers, it
meant leaving behind the vocation that helped them to earn a living for
their families. For
the disciples who would later follow, it meant leaving behind
paralyzing attitudes and predispositions that dominated their
responses to life. Living in the Kingdom requires something from us
that takes us beyond our neediness, our desired outcomes and our wanting
God to jump through the hoops that we often unconsciously hold up
from time to time.
A number of weeks ago, I was visiting Cherie Edwards at Suburban Hospital. As she and Dave were up-dating me on her condition, another friend literally came bouncing into the room. Her name was Marsha. Her confidence, joy and loving spirit filled the room. Her level of energy affected the three of us. She told me how she and Cherie were long time gym buddies who work out together every morning. When it was time for me to leave, the four of us joined hands and I
prayed. When I was finished, Marsha said, “I took some of your prayer
for myself.” I said, “Sure, why not?” but I wondered why she would say
that. As
Dave and I were walking to the front door of the hospital, he told me
Marsha’s story. He said, “Isn’t Marsha incredible? Would you believe
that she has fought cancer twice before and is battling with it right
now for a third time? She has a special needs child who demands
everything she has and yet she still takes time to visit Cherie. She
carried herself at that level of energy even when she was taking her
chemo treatments. When she is with you, you are the only person in her
world.”
Do we see the difference between the “doers of the word” and those who
constantly need God’s help just to get through another day? The
breakthrough comes when we use our crisis to deepen our awareness of
God’s presence. When life plunges us into darkness, we are not being punished.
We are not being inflicted because life is unfair. Sometimes our
personal crises forge in us a strength of spirit that is quite similar
to the tempering process of fine steel. Only in darkness will our
light shine as brilliantly as did Marsha’s. It is the pressure and the
heat that turns the lump of carbon into the diamond. Our failures, our dips in attitude, our desires to give up,
or the unforgiving spirit we often direct toward ourselves for past
mistakes are only steeping stones that enable us to cross the river
of neediness. One does not develop the full stature of being a
disciple overnight. That did not happen for the twelve nor will it
happen for us. We all have our individualized curriculum that we need to
learn. Accomplishing this is why we came here. When we refuse to
forgive, to get our hands dirty, to become concretely involved in
mission or be a friend to someone, we are choosing to keep our barriers
to growth in front of us instead of choosing to move beyond them. Those who are driven by neediness will remain victims
until they choose to perceive differently. Jesus said, “I have come
among you as one who serves.” When we come to Jesus because we
need to be served, our energy is flowing in the opposite direction from
the one that he taught. While expressing ourselves in this manner is fine, it is not where Jesus wanted us to stay.
We are to give and not count the cost. Jesus gave his life’s
energy to others. He never looked at how unfair life was. He invited
us to follow. We all know that the most impressive, inspiring people
in our background were not those who were consumed by their own
neediness, but were those who gave form to God’s loving energy just as
Jesus taught. One of my favorite poems is this one:
I would rather see a sermon than hear one any day. I would rather one walk with me than merely tell me the way. The eye is a better student and more willing than the ear; fine counsel can be confusing, but example is always clear. I can soon learn how to do it, if I only see it done; I can watch your life in action, while you’re serious or having fun. The greatest of all my friends are the ones who live their creeds; for to see the good in action, is what everybody needs. THE CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER Loving Creator of
life, thank you for giving us the capacity to learn. We are fascinated
by mystery. We enjoy studying the aspects of life that excite our
imagination. Our curiosity attracts us to people who have an uncommon
mastery of unique skills. We enjoy being entertained, stimulated and
inspired by others. We confess how easy it is to listen to and talk
about the journey Jesus invited us to make. He said that many
are called but only a few are chosen for the tasks that will bring
understanding to others. Thank you for touching our lives with the
light of your love. As each of us lives our dream by giving wings
to faith, may the world be brighter because we have said, “yes,” to
reflecting our discipleship. Amen. THE PASTORAL PRAYER
Loving God, we often think of discipleship as
a quality of life that is a decision away. How often we neglect
remembering that it is a journey and not simply a single choice. We can
stand out in our witness as did Peter, only to be humbled by
circumstances that evoke our fears. We can talk about our gifts, our
sacrifices and our righteous deeds, bypassing the spirit of the unknown
woman who gave two copper coins, and, in doing so, gave away everything
she had. We can understand our light with our minds but hide it
under a basket the moment life hurts us, demeans us, or destroys the
outcome we so patiently wanted.
Open our eyes, O God, to how truth was shyly
given to us in a stable in Bethlehem, or sown as verbal seeds from a
carpenter who never wrote anything or captured in personal letters
written to small groups of the faithful in Rome, Corinth, Galatia or
Ephesus. We can never see your creative brush strokes when it is our
turn to shine. Strengthen us to become doers of the word rather than
always turning to you to help us get through another day. May we turn
heads because of the beauty of our spirits, and show leadership and
courage in ways that inspire. Jesus sent us forth to change the world,
and we cannot do that until we have been transformed ourselves.
Thank you for guiding our lives to be in this
place at this time of our lives. Together and individually, may we make
the Kingdom more visible to others. We pray these thoughts through the
spirit of Jesus who taught us to say when we pray . . . |