Matthew 4:12-25 (Reading from the Message Bible)
Introduction
“We are called to be a challenge to the challenges of this life, this world, this culture.” What does that statement say to you? What does that statement mean to you?
These are words preached two Sundays ago at Beargrass Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Louisville, Kentucky by the Rev. Dr. William Barber, during the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and when I heard them they struck a chord with me, because in their simplicity there is nonetheless a depth that implores us to explore and seek out the deeper meaning therein—and among its meaning is a call to confrontation.
“We are called to be a challenge to the challenges of this life, this world, this culture.” What does that statement say to you? What does that statement mean to you?
This statement can no doubt elicit an initial response—faithful for sure—still however it is a statement that elicits new responses each and every time we are confronted by it— “We are called to be a challenge to the challenges of this life, this world, this culture.”
First, we ought to ask, what are the challenges of this life, this world, this culture? What are the challenges we are currently facing as individuals; as parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles; as workers and co-workers; as those who are part of a community—Stow, Munroe Falls, Cuyahoga Falls, Tallmadge, Hudson, Akron, and so forth??
What are the challenges of this life, this world, this culture for the Church, for those who are followers of Jesus Christ—Jesus Christ who has called us and has shown us a particular and distinct way of life that mandates doing and sharing and giving love and acts of love…even to those who make it hard to love?
What are the challenges?
Another question we must then ask is obvious of course, “How do we challenge the challenges?” But asking also, “Why must we challenge the challenges?” is just as important to ask, if not more important—because if we do not know why, then the how likely won’t be all that impactful.
But perhaps what we must ask before we ask anything else when considering, discerning, and searching for a faithful response to the statement, “We are called to be a challenge to the challenges of this life, this world, this culture” is the question, “What does it even MEAN to challenge the challenges of this life, this world, this culture?” What does challenging the challenges even LOOK like?
Are we challenging the challenges when we sit in church or watch online?
Are we challenging the challenges through our ministries?
Are we known as a church body that challenges the challenges?
“What does it even MEAN to challenge the challenges of this life, this world, this culture?”
Move 1
In our text for today we encounter Jesus calling the first Disciples, using that familiar refrain, “Come with me.” Jesus calls out to these people— who are doing their “regular work” as the Message version of the Bible succinctly states. He’s interrupting their day, their work, their livelihood with a simple invitation, “Come with me…”
Come with me and I will show you a new way to fish, a way that involves catching people who are falling because of the challenges in their lives, world, and culture. Come with me and I will show you what it means to be part of the kingdom and the kindom of God. Come with me and I will show you how to be a challenge to the challenges of this life, this world, this culture.
Matthew is showing us, that at the beginning of his ministry, Jesus is fulfilling prophesy and revelation from Isaiah, and he is picking up where John the Baptist had left off before he was arrested and imprisoned, solidifying all of it with the declaration, “Change your life. God’s Kingdom is here.”
The message becomes then: Now that God’s kingdom is here we are about to be shown and taught what it means and looks like to challenge the challenges. It means that Jesus shows up and says to you and me, “Come with me and go to a place you never thought you would go.” It means that Jesus shows up and interrupts our “regular work”, our regular daily lives, and says there is important work that needs done. It looks like Disciples of Christ dropping their nets, their regular work, their regular daily lives, and going with Jesus when they hear his call.
From his first disciples of the Gospels, to his disciples today, Jesus says the Kingdom of God is here, so come with me to challenge the challenges.
Move 2
You don’t need a preacher to tell you from a pulpit that there are a lot of challenges of this life, this world, this culture that need to be challenged with a confronting yet faithful and loving voice and hand. This is not a new message. I know this. You know this. And Dr. Barber knows this. Which is why in his sermon two Sundays ago, during the General Assembly, Dr. Barber unpacked his statement, “We are called to be a challenge to the challenges of this life, this world, this culture” by citing a reality that often invades the Church—a mindset of its people that becomes a primary hinderance to the Church being an effective challenge to the challenges of this life, world and culture. Barber spoke to this hinderance by sharing a poem once shared with him, that reads at length…
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There was the most important job that needed to be done, and no reason not to do it, there was absolutely none, but in final matters such as this the thing you have to ask, is who exactly will it be who will carry out the task?
Anybody could’ve told you that everybody knew that this was something somebody would surely have to do, yet nobody was willing, even though anybody had the ability, but nobody believed it was their responsibility.
It seemed to be a job anybody could have done if anyone had thought they were supposed to get it done. But since everyone recognized anybody could, everybody took for granted that somebody would.
But nobody told anybody (that we are aware of) that they would be in charge of seeing it was taken care of; and nobody took it on themselves to follow through and to do what everybody thought somebody would do, when what everybody needed did not get done at all, so everybody was complaining that somebody dropped the ball.
Anybody then could see it was an awful crying shame and everybody looked around for somebody to blame. Somebody should have done the job everybody should have but in the end nobody did what anybody could have.
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This poem points to a truth…the things of God don’t get done without recognizing the Kingdom of God is among us, and when we accept this truth, we accept our call and role within it.
Dr. Barber, when he finished sharing this poem then said, “One of the most flawed theologies is to always ask God to do what God has called us to do. God does not do what we can do. Now God will do what we cannot do—but true faith is never treating God like a divine bell-hop who we just send on an errand. God does not save us and redeem us so we can rest down here.”
If we want to challenge the challenges, we need to recognize the Kingdom of God is among us. If we want to challenge the challenges… if we want to challenge the challenges of loneliness, of sickness, of depression, of hatred, of racism, of homophobia, of xenophobia, of violence, of judgement of the other, then we must recognize the kingdom of God is among us and Jesus is saying, “Come with me” and he is saying it to each of us—not somebody else, but to each of us.
Now that might sound like an oxymoron—Jesus is saying “Come with me” to each of us, but not somebody else? Yes. But if Jesus is saying this to each of us, isn’t everyone “somebody else”? No. Because you are the only you. You are the only somebody who walks your path each day, and along that path are your opportunities to challenge the challenges in Jesus’ name.
Conclusion
“What does it even MEAN to challenge the challenges of this life, this world, this culture?” What does challenging the challenges even LOOK like?
These are among the questions we will begin to intentionally ask and unpack during the Church Chats we will hold the next two Sundays. After worship next Sunday, August 20th, and then again after worship on August 27th, you are invited and encouraged to attend one, or both Church Chats where we will aim to give faithful answers and responses to these questions, while taking an intentional introspective look at ourselves as a church, all in an effort to bring about broader clarity to the vision, work, and ministry we are being called to in this life, this world, this culture.
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We are called to challenge the challenges of this life, this world, this culture because these challenges must be confronted, and they must be confronted by those who understand they can be confronted, they can be challenged, because the Kingdom of God is here. But they also must be confronted by those who not only know there is a job to be done, but that Jesus is calling you and me to do that job, that work, that ministry. Because for certain, none of us ever wants said, about the Church or this church… Somebody should have done the job everybody should have but in the end nobody did what anybody could have. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer, August 13, 2023
Gracious and eternal God, we pause these moments for a time of rest because the world is so much with us, frequently causing us to lose our sense of perspective, making us engage in frenetic activity simply to avoid looking inward, leading us to be overwhelmed by all the commitments in which we are engaged.
Help O God…help us hear Jesus’ call to follow him.
Help us to find time to nurture the interior journey of our spirits and to make moments when we can be in touch with the eternal.
Help us to know, like the Psalmist, the number of our days is finite and to embrace each as the gift it is.
Help us not to fear the challenges before us, but to be confident in confronting them because your Kingdom has come.
Holy God, we often feel the challenges of life, of the world, of our culture are so overwhelming that we could not possibly make a difference. Help us not to diminish what we might do because of our lack of expectation. Help enhance both our vision and our will. Help us to reach out to alleviate the world’s challenges. Help us to put our influence on the side of justice and peace. Help us to use our voice to make known our wishes in the political arena where decisions are made which affect people. Help us to give and to share generously where tragedy strikes. Help us to be open to the hurts of others whom you put in our path each week.
In all these ways, and in the ways not yet spoken, help us O God. Help us to be the church you have called us to be—a church that strives to bring healing and wholeness to a fragmented world, a church that is not afraid or ashamed to drop our nets, follow Jesus, and challenge the challenges of this life, this world, this culture.
Hear now O God, the prayers of our hearts as we offer them to you in this time of Holy Silence.
All this we pray in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray saying, “Our…”