Two weeks ago we talked about two ideas. The first idea was how the people rejected Jesus in his hometown of Nazareth. Scripture told us how the people of the town had heard about Jesus before he arrived (his reputation preceded him) and they were even amazed at what he had to say to them when he taught on the Sabbath in the synagogue. They were really into him and what he had to say.
Suddenly, the whole scenario changed. The people of Nazareth put Jesus back into his box. “Who made him so smart?” they asked. “How could he even do these miracles?” they wondered. After all, he is only a carpenter and the son of Mary. They decided that there is no way he should be able to do these things. He’s only Jesus.
We talked about how dangerous it is to put Jesus/God in a box. When we do this we limit who God and Jesus are. In a sense, it makes it easy for us to control them. In our Old Testament reading this morning from 2 Samuel, David wants to do the same thing. Feeling guilty because he was living in a palace of cedar while the ark of God is in a tent, David decides he wants to build a permanent place for God. The prophet Nathan tells him to go for it, to build it.
But during the night, while Nathan was resting, God told Nathan that now was not the time to build a place for God. Nathan was told that God hadn’t dwelt in a house since leading the people of Israel out of Egypt and God would determine the time and place for this to happen.
We are reminded in this story that God is still in charge. We are also reminded that it is indeed good to rest on a decision. It is often during times of rest that we are better able to listen for and hear God’s voice.
The second thing we talked about two weeks ago was about Jesus sending out the twelve, giving them power over evil (unclean) spirits. They were told to take nothing but their staffs, the clothes they had on, and a pair of sandals. That was it. Nothing else; they were to rely on the hospitality of strangers and trust that God would see them through this. They were transitioning from disciples (followers) to apostles. The Greek word for apostle is apostello, which means, “to send out with a message.”
Today, the twelve return and they must have been pumped up. They told Jesus what they had done. (“They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed man sick people with oil and healed them.’ John 6:12-13). They also taught people. Instead of giving them another pep talk and immediately sending them back out to continue the work Jesus tells them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (John 6:31b).
This period of time would give the disciples a chance to rest, recharge, and reflect. And it would also allow them to understand that although they were able to do many miraculous things it was God who was working through them and using them for his glory. Again, we see the importance of rest and letting things possibly percolate and to be listening for God; first with Nathan and now with the disciples. Jesus throughout his ministry also shows us the importance of rest, reflection, and being in communion with God.
We are also called to be apostles. We have been given the power of the Holy Spirit. How do we make use of this authority that has been given to us by Jesus? How can we use this authority to best spread the gospel of Jesus Christ at this time in this place with our own words and deeds?
I have with me this morning a box. This box motif seems to keep coming up these last few weeks. “So why does he have this box in the front of the sanctuary?” you might be asking. Sometimes I need a visual aid in order to help me better understand what is being said.
Last week I quoted Marianne Williamson from her book, A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles (Harper Collins, 1992. From Chapter 7, Section 3 (Pg.190-191)). In it she said that our biggest fear is not our inadequacies but “that we are powerful beyond measure.” Our light frightens us, not the darkness. Jesus calls us to be lights in the world. Jesus will give us the ability to overcome our inadequacies. Just as Jesus opened and escaped the box that the people of Nazareth had placed him in we are also called by God to leave the boxes we put ourselves in. Whether we realize it or not we do climb into a box, sometimes on our own and sometimes with the help of other people (their expectations of us, what they think of us, how they react to us, how they treat us, what they say to us, etc.).
As I look into the box, I see the first thing that needs to come out. I am the first thing that needs to come out of the box (I take out a picture of myself). I gave my first official sermon on October 1, 2006; that was two years, nine months, and nineteen days ago today or a grand total of 1,022 days ago.
As a new pastor, I came here with the intentions of not wanting to rock the boat; to get a feel for how the church operated, what it did, the churches likes and dislikes, and to get to know the people. I think I have succeeded with those intentions. I preach, I counsel, we love, comfort, and respect each other, and the ship sails along smoothly because of your Session.
But while I have led this congregation I have, in another sense, not led it. I like to have things go smoothly and things have been pretty smooth since my arrival, not that I am complaining. One of my defects is that I can fall into the trap of avoiding real leadership and I have allowed that to happen to myself and I apologize for it. When things run smoothly, leadership comes easy, a kind of a go with the flow routine. In this sense, leadership can suffer if we’re not careful. What I mean by this is that I find being a leader hard. It makes me uncomfortable but I have always found myself being put into these situations (sometimes of my doing and other times not). I prefer to blend in along the wall of the gym at the dance. I tell you to trust God for guidance and strength and I am not doing this myself.
I’ve also said that maybe all that we do now in our ministry is all that God will ask us to do. I know I’ve said it but I don’t believe it. I truly believe that God is calling us to do more. But it’s just not going to happen if we sit here all comfortable in our pews, in the box we can call our church.
I really can’t tell you what my expectations were at this point in our ministry together. Maybe I thought that giving good sermons would be enough of an inspiration to make some change happen (I’m assuming my sermons are good because no one has said otherwise). I realize now that it takes more than words; it takes work and I haven’t done my share of the work.
So I will work hard to overcome this fear I have about leadership. I will work harder to become a better shepherd. But as I come out of this box I ask that you come out also (I take a picture of the church out of the box). Just as Jesus believed that we needed our periods of rest in order to refresh ourselves and listen for God’s voice, I think we’ve rested a good length of time together. It has been a pretty smooth journey so far. Now it is time to talk about what we might have heard God say to each of us.
As your pastor, I will become more involved. I will seek out your ideas and suggestions rather than waiting for them to come to me. I will become more proactive in helping to discern what God might be calling us to do. But I also understand that this is your church and I am your servant just as we are all servants of God. I understand that this church is not my own little fiefdom; God and you are still in charge.
So as we come out of our box I think we can get rid of excuses like we are too old or too gray, myself included (I now pull out the mug of the gray bearded man). Moses was old, Abraham was older than dirt but that did not stop God from choosing them. Age is not an important factor to God. God will qualify those who are called.
Or we may not look at something because we are small and money is tight (I now pull out a small bag of coins out of the box). Don’t let the shortage of money completely limit our ideas or interfere with what we might think God is calling us to do. I have heard too many stories from this congregation of how when something major came up for repairs, etc. money was gotten no matter how bare the cupboard might have been. If God wants us to do something, the resources will be found even if we have to look real hard for them.
As each of us shows the courage to come out of the box, Jesus will also come out of the box. Jesus wasn’t there because he chose to be there but he was in the box because of us. When we come out of the box it allows Jesus to work better, to work more efficiently in our lives. When we think we might be old and gray think again of the years of experience that we have. When we feel tired let us call out to the Holy Spirit for strength. If we feel small because of the size of our congregation remember that David was small when he went out to face Goliath. When we complain about our lack of resources to do something, if it is God’s will that we do it He will find all the resources we need like manna from heaven. Don’t let our perceived shortcomings hold us back.
I stand before you this morning out of my box. I ask that you too step out of whatever box you might be in. Together, we can work to keep each other here, help each other fight the temptation to crawl back in. God continues to call. How might we answer that call together?
