What the heck is going on....

What the heck is going on in the church? Angst… anxiety… anger… seem to just be oozing out of everyone… leaders and congregants alike. People have hunkered down… hoarding kindness… refusing to lend a helping hand… navel gazing.

Everyone declares daily… God is distant… silent… or if they are really (seriously) trying to be faithful… saying that we are in the wilderness… so we just need to be patient and God will lead us.

Congregations aren’t happy with their pastors. Bishops (insert proper denominational title here) aren’t happy with pastors.

It seems as if pastors have become stupid slugs… who don’t know anything about the church… or anything else (did we all start taking stupid pills?). Pastors that I know… are in chronic pain (or have developed chronic illnesses)… maybe because we are constantly beating our heads against stone walls? Pastors I know… weep for their congregations… their families… and themselves… and don’t understand how to lead… because leading means you will get smacked by someone.

What’s all this about? Is the economy? The time of the year? The weather? The spatial relationship between the earth and the rest of the universe? But perhaps the better question is… regardless of the cause… why is it being taken out on pastors? What did we do to deserve to be treated as if we are somehow less than human… and at the EXACT same time… be required to be superhuman… complete with ESP… no need for rest… and totally undeserving of a kind word from anyone?

What the heck is going on… and what the heck are we going to do about it? The answer is important... because the longer we stay like we are... the less we are able to do... for others. Isn't that REALLY what we... as the church... leaders and congregants alike... supposed to be doing... serving others... like Jesus taught us?

A sermon... Luke 5:1-11

As we settle in for the sermon… think back over the past week. What’s it been like for you? Quiet? Unsettling? Busy? Peaceful? Stressful? Sad? Joyous? Lot’s of family stuff going on? Mainly focused on work? Tons of school work… pretty quiet… or drama central? What’s your week been like?

I’d guess that Simon Peter… could have had a week… like yours.

On this particular day… he’s busy… after a long night of fishing… washing the nets. Jesus comes along… gets in his boat and asks him… to push out a little from shore… so that he can teach… without being pressed by the crowd.

Simon… puts his nets in the boat… pushes the boat away from shore… Jesus sits down… and begins to teach. When the teaching is done… Jesus says… put out for deep water… and let your nets down for a catch.

Perhaps a little weary… maybe disinterested… maybe with plans for the rest of the day… or perhaps doing nothing more than stating a fact… Simon Peter says… sir… we have worked all night… and have caught nothing. But if you say fish… we will fish.

The nets are cast. The nets are towed in… filled with fish… filled to the breaking point… filled so full… the boats begin to sink. Simon Peter… says to Jesus… get way from me… I am a sinful man. Jesus tells him… do not be afraid to do anything… now you are going to fish for people.

I’ve heard this story about Jesus… many times. It is a comforting text for me… because it reminds me… of the times I’ve been fishing with my daddy.

Daddy was the sort of fisherman that always put my end of the boat… in the sweet spot… right over the brim bed… right up under the edge of the willow trees where the big bass hang out… in the murky water… where the catfish love to loll. Daddy was a good fisherman… he liked to catch fish… but even more… he loved to watch other people to catch fish.

But… after I reminisce awhile about fishing with daddy… this text always makes me ponder… what does it look like to fish for people… as the church?

When I used to go fishing with daddy… we spent a little time in the back yard… assessing the fishing situation. We checked out our resources… the boat… the paddle… the trolling motor… the rods and reels… the poles… the lines… the supplies in the tackle box… and the last check… did we have ice and drinks in the cooler.

Being the church and fishing for people isn’t a lot different. First… we assess our resources. We can do that… by physically walking through the building… mentally walking through our ministries… the way we communicate… educate… worship… serve and reach out to others.

Once we assess what we’ve got… we can figure out if there’s anything missing… if anything needs to be replaced… if anything needs a little work… just like me and daddy would do… before we headed out to go fishing. You can’t fish… if you don’t have fishing line… or if you have only a few rusty… bent hooks in your tackle box.

When resources are accounted for… we can prayerfully discern our next step as the church… discern where we are going to fish. No point in packing salt-water equipment… if we are going to the local catfish hole. No point in packing the trolling motor… if we are going to fish from the bank… or from a dock.

On this trip… this journey together as the church… we have to discern our next step… are we going to fish for singles… divorced folks… young married folks… teenagers… older folks like me… or a mixture of all kinds of people? On this trip… are we going to fish for… Lutherans… non-Lutherans… folks who are un-church or under-churched… or a mixture of all kinds of people?

We assess ourselves… in each thing we do and say… as the church… hopefully with new eyes… the eyes of a guest… and give each area an honest evaluation… so that we can discern… what’s required… what’s useful… what’s not needed at all… and what’s standing in the way of our journey.

But… there is a bigger question in this text… than how… or where… you fish for people. The bigger question that this text raises is… what does it look like for us… to drop everything and follow Jesus?

Should we quit our jobs… drop out of school… leave our families behind without a kiss or a care… and say… here I am Lord… send me… wherever you want me to go. Hot or cold. Wet or dry. Rich or poor. Sick or well. North or South. East or West. Send me Lord.

That’s what Simon Peter… and James and John did. Jesus called… and three new disciples… dropped everything… and followed. No questions. No conversations. No nothing. They simply followed.

I don’t know about you… but if I told my husband… see ya’. God’s sending me to Botswana… Cambodia… or Latvia… he would probably get a little upset… and maybe even think I had lost my ever-loving mind.

So…. what could… dropping everything… and following Jesus look like for us? Perhaps… following Jesus would look like doing just one thing… dropping not our nets… but dropping just one word… from our vocabulary.

That’s right… dropping everything and following Jesus means… dropping the word… CAN’T… from our thoughts… and from our lips… and from our hearts.

Each time we say we can’t… or think I can’t… or believe we can’t… we are clinging to something in our mortal lives… clinging to something worldly… clinging to the safety of shallow water… which means we aren’t willing to drop everything… and go into the depths of the world… and following Jesus.

Saying can’t… means that we are unwilling to drop what we think is important… or it means that are unable to let go of our own ideas… or it means we’re holding so tightly to what we do have… that we can’t reach for what God’s offering us.

Each of those can’ts… means… we are hanging on to something other than the promises of Jesus… to lead us… to guide us… and provide for our every need. When we say… we can’t… we are not dropping everything and following Jesus… we saying… we know what’s best for us.

Dropping everything and following Jesus… looks like this… pray hard… listen closely to what God has to say… make a plan… and do it.

That’s dropping everything… our past… our prejudices… our hurts… our fears… our sinfulness… our selfishness… and following… the truth… the way… and the light… deep into the world… where we are being called to serve. Following means taking a risk… to take the boat out in deep water… scary water… and saying… yes Lord… I’m gonna do what you say… and follow you where you go.

God… through Jesus… has called us… has cleansed us in the waters of baptism… continually nourishes our bodies and spirits with one holy food… and through God’s holy word has said… drop everything… go fish for people.

All these wonderful things that God has done for us… that leads us directly to the last question… to the most important question… to the most difficult question… raised by today’s text… do we really… and truly… in our heart of hearts… want to drop everything… follow Jesus… and fish for people?

Think back over the past week. What’s it been like for you? Quiet? Unsettling? Busy? Peaceful? Stressful? Sad? Joyous? Lot’s of family stuff going on? Mainly focused on work? Tons of school work… pretty quiet… or drama central? What’s your week been like? In the midst of all that is going on in your life… right now… are you willing to drop everything… and go fishing for people?

Today’s text… is asking the same question Jesus asked Simon Peter, James, and John 2000 years ago… are you willing to take the time… the energy… the risk… and make the commitment… to do what Jesus says… to go where Jesus goes… and make a difference… not just inside the walls of this building… but outside these walls… in this community.

If the answer is no… then all of the assessing… the planning… the money… the building updates… the programs… the bands… the worship books… the pastors… the consultants… the musicians… and anything else you can think of that makes a church… will not make one iota of difference to this community… or to God’s kingdom.

If we say yes… yes Lord… I’m dropping CAN’T out of my vocabulary… yes Lord… I’m ready to go into the deep water… yes Lord… I’m ready to follow you wherever you lead… yes Lord… I’m ready to risk it all and commit myself to doing your will… then we will be just like Peter… and experience a… net-ripping… boat-sinking... people-saving miracle… as countless lives are transformed… through God’s amazing grace.

Amen

Sorta confused....

Supplied this morning. Worship went well. They provided a leader book... nice... but a little hard to use with a lot of jumping from page to page. I had to start on page 2... go to page 3... go back to page 1. I'm glad I pretty much have the service memorized. I'm proud of them for trying to make it easy on their supply pastors (that's all they use).

Alone in the pastor's office... I prayed before worship... asking if God wants me to serve in a congregation like the supply place... and to let me know. I was really trying to be open to hear God's call... not my own desires. I was OK praying that prayer... and then continuing to listen for an answer.

After I prayed... I started looking around the office. Old (1930's - 1960's) certificates on the walls. A new laser printer. No computer. A 100 anniversary book... that basically was a list of stuff that people had purchased or built at the church. 20 year old confirmation books (they use them). The only color in the office was a wall calendar. There was also a shadow box hanging over the pastor's desk. I stood up to see what was in it. It was a hand-drawn map of the cemetery plots... with names of dead people... and notes about plots reserved for people.

After worship... the lady writing my check said... "We like you... we are going to write you a check for $XXX. (does that mean if they don't like a pastor they pay less?) We pay a flat rate... and don't worry about paying mileage... is that OK with you?" Then she started filling out the check. The dollar amount she quoted is the standard supply rate... for 1 service. I'm also supposed to get mileage. OK... it would have been $35 bucks... it won't make us or break us... but paying mileage is part of the deal.

I'm confused... am I avoiding small congregations in general... or am I avoiding congregations where cemetery maps are considered art for the pastor's office... and people want awesome pastors... but don't wanna even pay the minimum due them?

Are you listening God... I am... and I'm really trying not to be totally sarcastic about your people... and totally turned off by this whole pastor gig.