Sunday, January 27, 2008

Sermon: "Walk the Walk"

Scripture: Matthew 4: 12-23

Reverend Larry Gerber

It takes energy to be dynamic disciples of Jesus Christ. Are you able, and are you ready, to walk the walk?

His name is Simon, and he's a thin, fit, 27-year-old man, in perfect health.

Simon Peter of Galilee?

No. Simon Lezama of Las Vegas.

What's so surprising about Lezama is that he's riding an electric "mobility scooter" all around Las Vegas. He's taking a vacation, and because of the miles of gambling and gluttony that stretch out before him, he's decided to fork over $40 a day to rent an electric wheelchair.

Now, Simon doesn't have to take a step. He doesn't even have to put down his drink.

"It was all the walking," he explained to the Associated Press (May 2007). "Now I can drink and drive, be responsible and save my feet."

Simon, Simon -- you should hear the words of Jesus, "Stand up and walk" (Matthew 9:5).

Marcel Maritz runs the scooter rental company that caters to Las Vegas visitors, and he's seeing the number of able-bodied renters growing every year. "We're seeing more and more young people just for the fact that the Strip has gotten so big, the hotels are so large," he says. Most of his business still comes from the elderly, or disabled, but the young and fit now make up about 5 percent of his clientele.

These young folks don't want to walk to the casinos, hotels, shopping malls, spas, bars and restaurants -- not if they can ride.

Call them "Las Vegas Lazy."

These lethargic Las Vegas louts provide an excellent contrast to Simon Peter in today's passage from Matthew 4. Jesus is on the go as he begins his ministry, leaving Nazareth and making his home in Simon's town of Capernaum, by the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:13). There Jesus hits the road -- without a "mobility scooter" -- and begins to proclaim, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near" (v. 17). Everything Jesus says and does is energetic in this passage, even his announcement of the kingdom coming and breaking into the middle of human life.

He insists that the kingdom of heaven is not a passive place, but is God's active, powerful, table-turning, world-changing reign.

There's nothing lazy about it.

As Jesus walks by the Sea of Galilee, he sees two brothers -- Simon Peter and Andrew. They're working as fishermen, casting a net into the sea, and Jesus says to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people" (vv. 18-19).

Notice that his initial invitation is not "listen to me," "believe in me," "bow down to me," or "take a course in systematic theology" -- it is "follow me." Discipleship begins with walking -- with faithful following.

Immediately they leave their nets and fall in behind him (v. 20).

Moving on down the road, Jesus sees two other brothers, James and John, who are in a boat with their father, mending their nets. He calls to them in the same way, and they leave both their boat and their father, and follow Jesus on foot (vv. 21-22).

The passage ends with Jesus striding all throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in synagogues, curing diseases, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of heaven (v. 23). Jesus is a true prophet -- a walking spokesman for the one true God.

His disciples will need to keep moving if they want to keep up with Jesus.

To follow Jesus is to accept his invitation with passion and purpose, and to set a course in his direction. This doesn't absolutely require the use of your legs, but it does demand the investment of your whole heart, soul, mind and strength. You cannot be "Las Vegas Lazy" as a follower of Jesus -- you've got to put energy into this endeavor, and make your discipleship dynamic.

So let's be more like Simon Peter than Simon Lezama. Let's respond to the call of Christ with energetic, faithful following.

What does active discipleship look like? There are so many examples. Where to start? We might want to start with young people; they seem to have all the energy. But, that might be a cop out, let's start instead with people like us, something over 20teen..There are people right hear in this very room who know how to walk the walk, that is the spiritual walk, not necessarily walking physically.

You might have a story such as Walter Hart, who last year at the age of 88 finally earned his Eagle Scout rank! Hart had joined the Cub Scouts in 1928 in Massachusetts and had earned 23 merit badges as a Boy Scout, two more than needed to qualify for his Eagle Scout badge. He was all set to receive it when World War II broke out.

As he was going through some memorabilia last year, he found the documents and realized that he had never claimed his badge. So he got to work to get it. Scout officials say that he might be the oldest person to be awarded the Eagle Scout ranking. And of all Boy Scouts, only 5 percent achieve this rank.

Let's not forget that young people love to be active disciples for Jesus Christ if given a vision and a challenge. That's why youth mission trips are so popular, and a great way to practice vital discipleship today in the United States and abroad. These trips often focus on home repair, community service, children's programs and spiritual growth -- and they provide life-changing experiences for young people and their adult advisers.

That's vital, active discipleship.

Walking the walk can take place in many ways. Some of you have experienced the "Walk to Emmaus", a weekend where one really sits most of the time. It is a weekend based on the scripture that tells the story of two persons who were walking the road from Jersusalem to Emmaus and they were encountered by the risen Lord, Jesus himself. Of course their lives were transformed, just as many who take this weekend experience of the "Walk" today.

There are those among us who train to be Stephen Ministers, such as the two who were commissioned this morning. Jacquie and Vera went to an extensive training seminar recently, as others have before them. They are among the 200 or more from this congregation who were trained over the years, trained to help others walk the walk of faith when they can't seem to walk alone. Trained to be leaders among leaders, disciples among disciples, ministering to others who need help taking that first step after loosing a loved one, or recuperating from a long illness, or one who is in distress about situations in their life.

Stephen Ministry is  discipleship at its best. Experiencing a weekend called "The Walk to Emmaus" and other spiritual, life changing programs are what it is all about when Jesus says "Come and Follow Me". It is that type of living that God, through Jesus Christ, calls us to do if we are 20teen or 90teen.

 Energetic discipleship is found in the passage from Matthew this morning. Let's dig into the challenge that Jesus lays before his disciples: "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people" (v. 19).

When we follow Jesus, we fish for people -- not with hooks, not with nets, not with anything tricky or manipulative or coercive. Instead, we attract people with the magnetic power of God's work in our lives. When people see what God has been doing for us, they're naturally going to want to walk along with us, following Jesus.

This requires a bit of a stretch for many of us, because we're not accustomed to talking about God's work in our lives. Even prominent pastors such as John Buchanan of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago were taught to avoid the personal pronoun in sermons, and never to use personal illustrations. His preaching teachers told him, "They come on Sunday to hear about God, not you."

But guess what? Personal experience is what catches people. It's essential for us to talk about how and where God's at work in our lives, whenever we speak about the Christian faith. Biblical scholarship and theological propositions are not going to get the job done -- we also have to be willing to give some personal testimony. Think of Simon Peter, a few chapters later in Matthew, stepping out of the boat and walking toward Jesus on the water. He became frightened by the strong wind and began to sink, and it looked like he was going to go under until Jesus reached out and saved him (14:28-33). What a story, What a testimony, No doubt Simon Peter told that story again and again throughout his life.

The first time I had the opportunity to ride a tour boat across the Sea of Galilee I was invited to do the morning devotions. It was a windy day, the sea was rolling and the boat was rocking. I stood up, holding on to the railing and reading the scripture of the disciples and Jesus riding the same stormy sea when the disciples were afraid of being cast overboard and drown when they woke Jesus up. Jesus' words flowed from my mouth that stormy morning: "Peace be still" and the winds became calm and the sea stopped rolling. That morning as I was reading that very scripture  we all were astounded when immediately the winds stopped and the sea became calm. What a serendipidous moment! What a powerful feeling. I felt that God had spoken through me that very moment. Others did too. Everyone in the boat felt that Jesus had intervened that very moment. There was a hush among all the  tourists and we prayed a prayer of thanksgiving. The rest of the ride was smooth, but not uneventful. If there wasn't before that expereience,there was, at that moment, a sense of the Holy that stayed with us through the rest of the tour.

What is your story of discipleship? What unexpected walks have you taken? As we journey through our lives we are given opportunity upon opportunity to walk the walk. If you are knowing, loving, and serving your Lord you are on the right path in your journey. Some have asked why we have a banner out front that simply says "the Journey". I tell them to slow down and read the rest of the banner:  knowing, loving, serving. We need to live that theme. It is a commission given us by Jesus Christ. If we are not knowing, loving, and serving, then we are not walking the walk, but rather just talking the talk. What a huge diffence.

When fishing for people, one finds that personal experience is what catches them, hooks them. If they don't see us walking with Jesus, then they are not going to be inspired to follow Jesus themselves.

The challenge for each of us is to hit the road -- doing mission, falling down, getting up, sinking, being saved, and then being willing to tell our stories to others. That's what it means to follow Jesus, and that's what will attract others to be active disciples along with us.

Las Vegas laziness is not the fitting response when Jesus calls us to fish for people. Time to stand up and walk the walk.

Sources:

Buchanan, John. "The ?I' in sermons." Christian Century, March 6, 2007, 3.

"Exterior improvement, interior change." Ad for Group Workcamps in Rev. magazine, July-August 2007, 67.

Fickensher, Pamela. "Off-road ministry." Christian Century, March 6, 2007, 21.

Hennessey, Kathleen. "Vegas visitors are indulging in exercise avoidance." USA Today, May 25-28, 2007. 2A.