Come and See. Go and Tell.

Jonah is the perfect poster boy for trying to flee God and God's call.  Read Jonah 3: 1-10 to see just how persistent God can be.  After Jonah is dumped overboard from a ship and swallowed by a big fish and then vomited out of the fish through God's creative and saving grace, God comes to Jonah a second time:  "Get up and go to Ninevah to proclaim my message of repentance."  Finally convinced that he can't escape God's call, Jonah does the minimum preaching possible - only to attain maximum results!  Jonah is outraged.

How do we all try to dodge God's call sending us out into the world by diving into our busy calendars, locking ourselves into the demands of work and family, insisting that we have minimum time for service to others?  How do we rationalize that our meager efforts won't make much of a difference in bringing in the kingdom of God anyway?  How do we minimize God with such rationalizations?

In contrast Jesus shows up in Galilee proclaiming the good news (Mark 1: 14-20):  "the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news."  In contrast to Jonah's flight in the opposite direction, Simon, his brother Andrew, James, and his brother John, drop their nets - drop everything - to follow Jesus out into the world.  We might ask, "Did it really happen immediately?"  (Mark writes a fast paced gospel with his favorite being "immediately.")  "Or were they discouraged with their fishing careers and were ready for a new direction?"  "What happened to their families as they left town?"

Perhaps Jesus' presence was compelling enough that they not only followed, but they were changed in the course of following.  Being called to come and see - and then commissioned to go and tell - meant that the 4 new disciples were irrevocably changed forever.  Bowing down before Jesus in worship and then proclaiming by word or action what we believe about the presence of the kingdom in Jesus gives us a new identity.

Going and telling is an act of faithful followership.  It's scary and exciting and compelling and a game changer.  It's how we carry our worship out into the world.

When Judgment is a Good Word

When we have our temperature taken - when we receive a report card - when we step onto the bathroom scale -when we go to our annual review - when Mom says, "Sit down, we need to talk" - we realize that life is full of times of judgment. Sometimes we learn we need some meds or more exercise or less pie. Sometimes we receive an A and sometimes a D or F. Sometimes we receive praise and sometimes criticism with suggestions for improvement.

Read Ezekiel 34: 11-16 and Matthew 25: 31-46 for two stories about the role of leadership (shepherds and kings) who are major players in our times of judgment. Whether it's God as shepherd king or Jesus as shepherd king, we answer to both when we pause at times of judgment to learn how we're doing in our discipling - in our faithful living. The Bible gives us mixed messages about the nature of their kingship.

In Ezekiel, we see God as shepherd king who provides us with protection and nuture and salvation. But God also declares that God will judge between the fat and the lean sheep - between those who butt the weak and those who don't. In Matthew, Jesus declares that he will judge whether we choose to act to grow more and more into his likeness by how we treat the lost, lame, and least of these.

Why are these two scriptures good news? First, God is among us in Jesus - in the ugly, messy parts of life, wherever the needy (you and me and the least among us) cry out. Second, Jesus' judgment comes so that we can change our priorities and our choices. Jesus' judgment gives us chance after chance - choice after choice - to become more faithful in our following by looking for the face of Jesus in those we call other.

As we conclude our "Kingdom of Heaven: Here and Now" sermon series, the judgment rendered by the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, reveals God's reign among us. As we look and listen and respond with loving, caring acts, we draw closer to recognizing the reign of Christ here and now. Recognizing and participating in the kingdom of heaven is the abundant life that is God's shalom - God's will and wish - for all of us.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Shelley