Sunday, February 10, 2008
John 1:35-46
Senior Pastor
Rick Warren is the pastor of Saddleback Community Church in southern California. It is one of the largest churches in America. He is also the author of the most widely published Christian resource of all time, The Purpose Driven Life series. I saw a videotape of him speaking once and he said that he had recently concluded that the number one problem in the U. S. today was Christians not living their faith. He simply said he has observed over his years of ministry that people just don’t do it – they don’t apply their faith to their life. What do you think? I think it is something worth considering.
These last several weeks we have been spending our time together working on getting clear about out commitment and examining some specific ways to put that commitment into practice. Last week we had an opportunity to solidify that “all in” commitment by remembering our baptism. These next several weeks we are going to extend that work as we read through the Gospel of John and study several accounts of how Jesus bridges the gap between belief and practice in a variety of situations and relationships.
Let’s begin with the question that Jesus poses to these men wondering about who he is. He says to them, What are you looking for? (v. 38) Now that’s a good question to ponder every now and then: What are you looking for?
Christian Schwarz is an author I have been reading quite a bit lately. He has done extensive research focusing on the differences between healthy and sick churches. In his research he has traveled all over the world and been to lots of church conferences. He reports that often there is a call for greater commitment and dedication. Yet, he says at others the motto is seek more of God’s supernatural power. Finally, he says, other groups rallying cry is for more wisdom. The plea is to act more wisely and in so doing we will see many problems disappear.
Schwarz has concluded that we must be careful here because in one way they are all right and yet in another none of them are right. “The simple truth is this: The very thing that might be “right” for some Christians would be completely misleading for others. Not all Christians need more commitment, but some do. Not all Christians need more power, but some do. Not all Christians need more wisdom, but some do.” (The 3 Colors of Ministry, p. 9)
The disciples, just in this short story we read today, are coming from different perspectives. Andrew, the first one named, goes because he is curious. Simon Peter, his brother, comes because Andrew tells him we have found the Messiah. Next Philip comes as a response to a direct invitation from Jesus. He goes to recruit Nathanael, but Nathanael is skeptical. He comes, but he surely is not as eager as Andrew or Philip.
What are you looking for?
Most of us are not coming to church or toward Christ for the first time. Most of us have come before, many of us for years. In fact, many of us may be coming not knowing what we are looking for, we are just sort of going through the motions.
Adam Hamilton, our United Methodist pastor at Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City drew an analogy I found helpful. He said if you think about it, the Bible is story after story of people falling in love with God, making a commitment and then over time drifting away again. He says – now I am not sure I would have shared this in a book – but he says, over the last twenty years of marriage he has fallen in and out of love with his wife many times. He goes on to say when he finds himself just going through the motions of marriage, but not feeling the love and passion that he begins to do some things to rediscover his love for her.
“I begin by praying for her. I spend time speaking with God, asking God to fill my heart with a love for her. I then begin giving thanks for her—recalling the blessing she is in my life, I thank God for her. These words of gratitude lead to feelings of gratitude for her. I then begin focusing on doing loving things toward her—I seek to bless her. Finally, I seek to spend more quality time with her. In the end, I rediscover ‘the love I had at first’ for her.
The same principles work in reclaiming my spiritual passion,” Hamilton says.
(Selling Swimsuits in the Artic, p. 13ff)
So you may be looking for deeper commitment or more power or increased wisdom or maybe you formulated something in your mind that you are looking for that is completely different. What I am suggesting is that bridging the gap between our belief and our practice may come in a different guise for each of us, it may come in a unique way that is just right for you and where you find yourself in your journey right now.
Lent started this last Wednesday. (Again my apologies to anyone who missed the service because I messed up the times.) But we are now into Lent. Lent is this season of preparation before Easter. It has evolved into a 40-day experience in which we are encouraged to reflect on our lives. Wednesday night at the Service of Ashes, as Susan and I placed ashes in the sign of the cross on a person’s forehead, we said, “Repent and believe the Gospel.”
Repent is the Biblical word for changing your mind. It is from the Greek word metanoia. Meta is change and noia means mind. Repent means to change your mind. Repent and believe the Gospel. Change your mind and believe the Good News,
which is, that your God is close at hand or as Jesus said: Repent and
believe the Gospel for the kingdom of God has come near.
Repent is a call to change our way of thinking and our way of doing, i.e., to turn away from anything that keeps us from God and turn toward the ways of Christ which lead us to God. Lent is a special time to focus on that just before Easter.
As a way to do that, we recall the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness seeking clarity about his call and his desire and ability to turn toward God and God’s will continually. It has been a common practice in some traditions to sacrifice something during Lent as a physical reminder of the sacrifices Jesus made for us and as a way to be reminded to turn toward God more frequently.
So some give up food and fast during Lent, a common pattern is once a week. Some people give up a favorite food or pastime that they overindulge in, as a way to move back toward God. They might be giving up smoking or chocolate or ice cream. I just read this week about a number of college students giving up Facebook and Myspace on the internet because they recognize the large amount of time that it is taking, which in their estimation has become excessive in their lives and therefore counterproductive. Others take on a new discipline, some form of prayer or some action of love for God or neighbor.
Notice that all these fall into similar categories of action Hamilton mentioned in rekindling his love of God – Prayer, reflection, thanksgiving, doing loving acts, reallocating where and how we spend our time. All of these can help bridge the gap between what we say we believe and what we actually practice in our daily living. Lent can be a really hard journey, especially as we think about the terrible things that happened to Jesus leading him to the cross.
Yet, we might also see it as a great time to fall in love with Jesus all over again.
Are you ready to fall in love with God again? Are you ready to fall in love with God and God’s family, whether it is again or for the first time? Jesus says, Come and see. (v. 39) Lent is a time to come and see. It is an opportunity to spend some special time with God… to see for yourself that God deeply desires an intimate love relationship with you and then inspires you to turn around and expand the circle by sharing that divine love with others.
That’s what we see in our story from John today. First the disciples connect with Jesus and then almost immediately they go and tell others about it. When you fall in love, when you are deeply moved, deeply passionate about something, you want to share it. John the Baptist tells Andrew, Andrew tells Simon, Philip tells Nathaniel. You see the pattern.
The challenge for us during Lent is not only self-examination and sacrifice but is receiving the love of God and sharing it with others. Let’s not confuse the means with the end. Whatever we choose to do during this season of Lent, let’s make sure it empowers us to be a vessel of God’s ever flowing love.
Amen and thanks be to God.
…the number one problem
in the U. S. today was
____________________ not living their faith.
…Jesus bridges the ______ between belief and practice…
(v. 38) What are ______ looking for?
“…very thing that might be ‘__________’ for some
Christians would be completely misleading for others.”
…sort of going through the ______________.
…Bible is story after story of people falling in love
with God…
…then over time ________________ away again.
…may come in a unique way, that is just right for ______ …
Repent is the Biblical word for changing your ________.
…a common practice in some traditions to
__________________ something during Lent…
Others take on a ______ discipline,
-- Prayer, reflection, thanksgiving, doing loving
________,
reallocating where and how we spend our time.
Are you ready to fall in love with ______…
…receiving the love of ______ and sharing it with others.
Kid’s Question: What is the Biblical word for changing
your mind?