Sunday 22nd January
Isaiah 9:1-4
Matthew 4: 12-23
“Jesus said to them, Come with me, and I will teach you to catch people.
At once they left their nets and went with him.”
What is your response when I say evangelism? What does that word convey to you?
It means good news, but the bad news is that evangelicals are often associated with we’ve-got-the-truth-and-you’d-better-believe-it message.
Do you think of yourself as an evangelical Christian, a liberal Christian, an ecumenical Christian, a progressive Christian or – as C.S. Lewis memorably said – a mere Christian? Do these labels matter?
The Text
The gospel reading is set at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. The lectionary has skipped over his temptations, and taken us to the edge of Lake Galilee. It’s is a hive of industry as fishermen clean and mend their nets, clean out their boats and get the catch of the day ready for the local market. The air is noisy with singing, and the energy of men at work.
If you were listening carefully you will have noticed that Matthew quotes from Isaiah 9 – a passage we also heard just before Christmas. It’s a messianic passage which begin with the image of deep darkness. It continues with vivid pictures of men at war, and concludes with the hope of a child’s birth – Wonderful, Counsellor, mighty God, Prince of peace.
Matthew quotes part of this ancient text – he knows his readers will get the connection – and links it with Jesus’ first sermon echoing John the Baptist: repent, turn from your sins, prepare for God’s kingdom.
Jesus then goes to the lakeside, and simply calls four young men to follow him. The text says “at once” they dropped everything, responsibilities, work tools and family in response. In church speak this is becoming a disciple.
And, then there is the vivid picture of Jesus preaching and healing of the sick and oppressed, and a vast number begin to follow his movements closely as the word gets around. (I wonder what Jesus would have done if he had social media and Twitter feed?)
This whole passage concerns evangelism fishing for people.
Following Jesus
In a recent book “That Was the Church That Was” the story is told of how the Church of England has gone from being the central religious institution in England to fractured by social change, endless battles over ordaining women, homosexuality and same-sex marriage and endlessly talking to itself.
From being the centre of English society it moved to the edges. From baptising, marrying and burying the majority of the population who all nominally belonged to the parish , unless they chose another denomination the C of E faded from social and cultural significance.
The gospel of Jesus doesn’t tell us anything about maintaining religious institution, probably the best take on his proclamation of God’s Kingdom was that he was seeking to renew Judaism.
After his death-and-resurrection his teaching and life began to be shared, gossiped, passed on first orally and then was written up in many gospels, most influentially through the letters of Paul and the canonical gospels.
Millions of people have been inspired by this Jesus. His love, his vision of God, his commitments to the poor and outcast have influenced countless men and women.
Some deeply influenced by Jesus are not Christians, but they are disciples. Mahatma Ghandi said that her would have been a Christian – except for the examples he experienced! But he lived the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount in his practice of non-violence with his enemies. He was asked about the path to peace, and famously said peace is the path.
All Christians – anyone who says yes to Jesus – must grapple with the teachings of Jesus. That’s what it means to confess Jesus is Lord, allowing his authority in how we live, relate and serve. It’s simply core business of being church whether we are on the fringes of society or whether at its centre. Following Jesus calls to the deepest part of anyone who listens.
The late Athol Gill ( influential Baptist pastor) had this to say:
“For over forty years, these stories had been handed down by word of mouth in the early church as preachers and teachers called men and women to follow Jesus Christ. In this process of telling an retelling, all the irrelevant details so that what now remains is of intense theological interest. Nothing is told by chance. More like a woodcut than an etching: the picture is presented in the boldest outline. As Jesus was travelling along he saw certain people, he called them and they responded.”
Going Fishing
Fishing has never been one of my passions. As a boy my uncle took me river fishing, and I have good memories of those quiet times. As a dad my children were only interested in trout farms where an immediate catch was virtually guaranteed.
Jesus said he would teach those first followers to fish for people. But what if you don’t like fishing?
A member of a church and i were talking about evangelism. A slight look of alarm crossed her face as we talked. She heard evangelism as imposing her views, knocking on doors ( religious callers not welcome) and telling people they are sinners.
D.T. Niles ( an Indian Christian and writer of the hymn “The great love of God”) quotably said that evangelism is one beggar telling another where to find bread. In a society which has so much stuff bread in one of the least of our wants – we want all the options and additions – which are empty nutrients often.
Most UCA members are rather shy about going fishing through faith-sharing. The National Church Life Survey showed that the UCA embodies a huge amount of gospel through many forms of service, but becomes tongue-tied in conversation.
This week at Mavis Angel’s funeral her children and their spouses had quite a range of spiritualities. How do I know? They told me, both before and after her funeral service. A couple told me about their experiences with churches, and why they went searching elsewhere. However – and it was a pretty conventional Christian funeral – they felt welcome, included and heard good news. Indeed, one said with this kind of expression he could imagine thinking about church.
Following Jesus is not primarily about church-going, or keeping the institution going.
Going fishing is not about collecting rods, discussing the merits of different attractors for fish, or remembering how much you enjoyed fishing as a child.
It is about embodying the Jesus-way with our living, sharing and responding. That’s evangelism, contributing to a community of Christians who are generous with their welcome, encouraging to strangers, open to diversity and new challenges, encouraging spiritual journeys and willing to learn from others – even those with a very different experience of life, and open to the breath of the Spirit.
It is about being a Christian community in the context we live – building a unity with our diversity, being a living sanctuary for all who seek a spiritual home, sharing spiritual bread with those who are hungry in response to our love for God and our neighbours.