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Rian Adams
It’s Okay to Leave Your safety Net
Sermon for the Third Sunday after Epiphany
Simon Peter and his brother Andrew didn’t attend career day during their Sr. Year in High School. They never sat around a warm fire on a chilly evening and talked with their father about what they wanted to do when they grew up. There was only one option, they would be fishermen on the Sea of Galilee for their entire lives.
Today, some children know they will take over their family business after they have completed college and then earned an MBA.
Peter and Andrew were different; they never knew a childhood without labor on the Sea of Galilee. From the time they were strong enough to cast a net into the water and clean it afterward, they know their lot in life was to smell of fish, salt, and sweat.
Their friends, James and John, were born into the life too. Six days a week, they worked all night and half of the day. They were in a bubble, and except for going south to Jerusalem, they wouldn’t ever travel outside a few miles of where they were born.
That makes me wonder… did these four men, Peter, Andrew, James, and John, have a secret? Messianic expectations were at an all-time high in the 20s and 30s A.D. Did they daydream of getting away from it all in a new Kingdom where the Christ would rule?
I think they did, and I think Jesus knew it.
Before we go any further, let me point out something important: The disciples desired change: spiritual change, social change, political change, financial change, and most of all, religious change. Be careful what you wish for.
Excitement for a new beginning.
When we catch up to them in the first chapter of Mark, they are stuck in their predetermined lives, fishing the same waters they fished for decades before.
They were ready for change. So when Jesus comes along and says “follow me.” they do not hesitate, they do not overthink it, they do not form a committee to decide if Jesus really called them; Mark says, “immediately they left their nets and followed him.”
We can respect that kind of commitment. They still had to do three years of seminary and supervised ministry before they were ready to take the message of resurrection and love to the Mediterranean world. But in one moment, their mundane lives drastically shifted.
Jesus knew they wanted more from life than the smell of sardines. Jesus also knew their hearts were prepared for the Messiah’s arrival. They were the perfect candidates to be the first followers of Christ.
Sometimes life presents us crucibles, moments where the trajectory of our life is decided in one instant. Those four men made a choice for a new beginning…and that choice continues to… feed the hungry, heal the sick, affirm the shamed, comfort the fearful, strengthen the weak, and change the shape of the world.
Don’t miss your moment.
A Call to Kingdom Work
Following Christ wasn’t just about being part of his entourage, it was also saying yes to the hard work of the Kingdom.
All my life I’ve heard, “If the disciples had known what they were getting into, they would have had second thoughts.” I think we’ve had that wrong. There’s something in this text that tells us that these four men did know what they were doing. It’s been hiding in plain sight: “Follow me, and I’ll make you fish for people.”
Wait… they know what it means to fish.
They know how exhausting it is to have patience when the fish are not moving. They know strength is required to heave nets full of fish and sea creatures to the beach. They know the frustration of sewing linen nets back together every single morning after a night of fishing. And perhaps most importantly, they know the way people in town look at a fisherman who reek of salted sardines.
“Hey Peter, Andrew… I’ll make you do what you do now, except I’m going to add the complexity of humanity.”
They want to escape fishing, and when the opportunity comes along, they find out they will still be fishing… but this time it’s for for more difficult catch.
Those first four disciples knew that following Jesus meant hard work… real Christianity—not pseudo-faith—is not a behavioral checklist. It is accepting a call to a new beginning… and a call to the work of the Kingdom.
Letting Go of the Security Net
But there is one thing that I’m still trying to figure out about this text. Maybe y’all can help me out in a moment.
I find it odd that the Gospel writer says that immediately Peter and Andrew dropped their nets on the beach and followed Jesus. He also says that James and John were in a boat with their father and their servants. When Jesus called them, they left their father Zebedee in the boat with their nets and immediately followed him.
In a culture of patriarchal honor, abandoning one’s family seems like an insult to everything they hold sacred. They leave families, parents, jobs, and all other responsibilities, to wander around with an itinerant preacher.
They didn’t even have to think about their decision. What could cause a man to do that?
The Central Question… What does it mean?
They leave everything they know behind to follow Jesus. They surrender to possibility, with the full knowledge that this is the biggest risk of their lives.
Why?
What does it mean when four men, groomed from birth to live and die in one vocation, walk away without a moment’s notice to walk a tightrope across the Grand Canyon?
What is the spiritual lesson tied up in men leaving their nets on the beach to follow Jesus?
I don’t have the perfect answer. I have my suspicion… Could it be that following Christ actually means letting go of your safety nets?
Amen.
God Will Redeem the Difficulties
I read an article recently from the British Broadcasting Network about a town in Nigeria celebrating their tiny village’s renaming. The name was “The village of idiots.” Some 70 years ago, the people settled too close to a river known as “The idiotic river.”
One man from there said, “It was shameful telling people that I came from the “area of idiots.” So, the village elder decided to finally change the name. The area of idiots down by the idiotic river got a new name, “The area of plenty.” I think it’s safe to say that’s an improvement.
I couldn’t help myself… I had to read the comments. One particular kind-hearted gentleman said, “Now it’s the village of plenty… of idiots.”
There’s a lot in a name. Last week I had some fun and researched some… interesting… town names. There’s Nothing Arizona, and there’s Nowhere Colorado… But wait… there’s Hell for Certain, Kentucky. Perhaps you dated someone from there once or twice.
There’s knockemstiff Ohio. Apparently, it doesn’t refer to fighting, but it’s supposedly a reference to the power and the octane level of their moonshine. It will knock em’ stiff!
One of my favorites was Slapout, Oklahoma. Apparently, way back in the good ole’ days, limited inventory plagued the local store; it was always “slap out” of whatever you needed.
That brings us to today’s Gospel reading: Philip tells his brother Nathaniel, “We’ve found the Christ; he is Jesus of Nazareth!” Nathaniel says, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Nazareth in the Culture
His suspicion was partly justified. In the 1st century, Nazareth wasn’t quite a gated community. It was Nowhere Galilee, and it was slap out of a good reputation.
Nazareth was infamous for not being the most welcoming of places. People saw the residents as “Those people from the north.” They were the backwoods knockemstiff moonshine runners.
To put it in the Star Wars universe… Nazareth is the outer rim planet of Tatooine.
“Hey Nathaniel, we found the Christ; he’s Jesus from Nazareth.”
Nazareth Earned its Reputation
Nazareth’s issues are even listed in the Gospels!
Luke says Jesus preached his first sermon in his hometown synagogue. While there, he had what bishop Russell would call “a run-in” with religious officials.
Jesus stood and read the Isaiah scroll where it says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring the Good News to the poor.” Then he sat down and said, “Today, you watched this fulfilled in your hearing.”
Now, there’s a mystery here. Was Jesus talking about the financially poor? Or… as I see it… was “the poor” actually those present who were spiritually anorexic?
We know it made the men of Nazareth so furious that they drove him out of town and tried to throw him over the cliff outside the city gates!
They were all justice and no mercy.
No wonder that Nathaniel says, “Can anything good come from Hell for Certain Galilee?
Nazareth: Underneath the Fig Tree
But then the text turns in a different direction that raises our curiosity. Jesus meets Nathaniel and tells him, “you’re a man of integrity, and you do not manipulate others for your own gain.”
Nathaniel says, “How do you know me? I certainly don’t know you.”
There’s sarcasm there; “You’re making this statement about who I am, but you don’t even know me.”
That’s when I saw something that I had never seen before. I always looked over it with each lectionary cycle. Jesus says, “While you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Then Nathaniel says, “Rabbi, you are the son of God.”
The Jewish faith says the Torah is like a “Tree of Knowledge.” It produces the fruit of new teachings generation after generation. Those who studied the Torah were said to be “sitting under the fig tree.” Now that’s quite an abrupt change! First, it was, “Nazareth? Impossible.” Then it was, “Don’t judge me; you don’t even know me.” Now, out of nowhere, Nathaniel does a complete 180—”You’re the son of God.”
I spent about two hours researching the Talmud and Midrash, and what I found opened my eyes.
To “sit under a fig tree” meant to sit under the shade of a Rabbi’s teaching, enjoying the fruit of his instruction and wisdom of the Torah.[1]
Jesus knew Nathaniel was a student. That’s why he says, “I see all the work you put into the study of the Messiah. As a matter of fact, that’s what you were doing the moment Phillip called you to tell you about the Messiah—to you about me.”Then Nathaniel realizes that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus opens his eyes about the Messiah, but he also opens his eyes about Nazareth.
Nathaniel ruled out Nazareth. It couldn’t possibly be a place of redemption! But when he meets Jesus, suddenly the dark areas on the map and the bad neighborhoods downtown do not matter to him anymore.
Jesus opens his eyes, and Jesus transforms Nazareth.
Transforming Nazareth
Now, let’s step back from the 1st century for a moment and pull it forward into our day. Let’s personalize Nazareth.
What about the places in the soul that cause us shame? Or the scars we carry but won’t reveal? What about the tears, the fears that we’re too embarrassed to show?
There is a Nazareth in each of our souls! The Good news is that when we encounter the real Christ, God can take a stain on a map and transform it into a story of redemption.
But let’s step back even more and put Nazareth in an even larger context—let’s look at it socially.
I wonder if Nazareth was a little bit like Selma, Alabama. I wonder if no one wanted to go to Nowhere Alabama because it was a place with a dark reputation and a darker history?
Jesus couldn’t be present in a place like Selma! But Martin Luther King Jr. showed us that yes, God can begin a march in Selma that transforms a nation. Dr. King showed us that the Gospel is good news to the captives. Dr. King showed us that Jesus, faith, hope, love, justice, and peace were the liberating powers of God that overcome oppression.
There are plenty of Nazareths in our society today. Some are personal… some are social… But like Nathaniel, when we encounter the real Christ, we can proclaim what I titled this sermon:
God Will Redeem Your Struggles.
Amen.
Sermon for second Sunday after Epiphany
[1] See underthefigtree.com; myjewishlearning.com and Talmud Bekhorot 45b for tree as a sign of one’s behavior, and “sitting under a rabbi” as an illustration.
Sermon Proper 24, Year A – Matthew 22:15-22
Are you familiar with the term internet troll? The Wikipedia definition is “A person who posts inflammatory messages to provoke an emotional response.”
That sounds direct enough, but it’s too sterile. It doesn’t convey the emotional disdain caused by said group of people. Instead, let’s look at The Urban Dictionary—it will tell you what words really mean. This is slightly “edited.”
An internet troll is an attention—“grabber”—who posts stupid comments on websites in an attempt to get a reaction towards themselves so that someone will acknowledge their pathetic, insignificant lives since they don’t receive any attention in real life.
In the 21st century, trolls are mostly online, especially Twitter, but they have been around for centuries.
Jesus experienced their pre-designed and well-rehearsed confrontation that only had one aim, to ambush him.
Trolls use morality, theology, or ethics as launching points. In today’s Gospel reading, the Pharisees come out of their holes and try to trap Jesus in his words. If he declared allegiance to God, the Romans would execute him. If he admitted loyalty to Caesar and said to pay taxes, it would disgrace him among the people.
This is a very practical passage. It shows us how Jesus handled these issues, and it gives us a model to follow when we encounter trolls and Pharisees.
First, he recognizes them.
Matthew suggests that Jesus was “aware of their malice and knew they were putting him to the test.” The word “malice” is usually translated as “evil intentions.”
Jesus knew that the political and religious climate was delicate, so Pharisees would try to use both against him. He knew people are vicious when their influence is threatened.
So the Pharisees came together and plotted in the dark.
“We’ve gotta get rid of this guy because he’s dangerous to everything we hold sacred.”
“Oh, I know, but he didn’t even go to seminary, so let’s trap him between religion and politics.”
That sounds like a good plan by itself, but they didn’t stop there. The Pharisees joined forces with the Herodians. They were a Jewish political party that backed the Roman government and the taxation of the Jews. The two groups customarily opposed one another, but they hated Jesus more, so they put their quarrels aside.
They went to Jesus with a compliment, “We know that you’re an excellent and faithful man who teaches with no motives. So tells us, should we pay taxes to Caesar?”
It was either/or for them, but Jesus recognized that tactic. When we encounter Pharisees, who are more dedicated to an ideal than to God, the best thing we can do is determine the motives behind the actions.
Andrew Marantz did a TED Talk titled “Inside the bizarre world of internet trolls and propagandists.” Some of the primary tactics he lists are:
- Trolls drive content with emotion… everything is about emotion.
- Trolls love to make accusations, especially moral and ethical ones, against people.
- Trolls love drama, and many have sociopathic tendencies, so they do not care if their gossip or posts inflict pain on people and families.
J.R.R. Tolkien said, “Trolls are mighty slow… and suspicious of everything new to them.”
All of that is valuable information! How do we deal with trolls? Watch for them and recognize the tactics.
Second, Jesus responds to them.
Jesus responded in two different ways. First, he called them out. He says, “This is so hypocritical… why are you testing me like this?”
Jesus knew they needed to trap him between God and empire, between faith and politics, between the people and the emperor.
Then he pointed the Pharisees and Herodians back to God. He said, “Give Caesar what belongs to him; his face is clearly on the coin. But more importantly, give God what belongs to God.”
He’s speaking about honoring God by devoting a part of what we have to God. He’s also talking about presenting our lives to God and whatever vocation and ministry God might call us to.
So when we need to handle all the chaos, anger, bitterness, rage, prejudice, and racism, Jesus serves as the model! We can confront evil as Jesus did; tell people to give God what already belongs to God… ourselves… after all, God’s image is stamped on our hearts, not Caesar’s.
Lessons from the life of Fr. Sngi
I wanted some fun last week, so I decided to see what would transpire if I trolled some Christians about God, country, and politics. So I headed over to a website that’s frequented by progressives and conservatives alike. Translation, it’s where Episcopalians and Lutherans go to fuss with Baptists and people who consider themselves non-denominationals but are conservatives with reformed theology.
I disguised my email and created a username; then, for my picture, I used a photo of Fr. Sngi, a Roman Catholic priest from India who passed in 2016 after 58 years of ordained ministry at 95. In the picture, he’s dressed as a priest, but he’s wearing a turban.
I went after both camps! I posted, “As someone on the outside looking in, it’s time for “American Christians” to stop attacking their government as if it’s demonic, and stop spreading COVID in their “rallies and marches.” It’s also time for them to check their malignant patriotism and their loyalty to their leader instead of God. Focus on God, and go be true Christians by producing the works of mercy and feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and healing to the sick. That’s the church’s vocation, not the American government’s job.”
Then I got some popcorn, grabbed a Sprite, kicked back, and waited for the fireworks. Whooooooo, it was nuclear. The replies, in the name of Christian charity, of course, were nasty!
“Bigoted racist.”
“Yet another white male homophobe.” – somehow Fr. Sngi transformed into a white American male.
“Proof conservative republicans don’t care about the earth.”
This one is good….. “This kind of southern hypocrisy sickens me! The church has a moral obligation to overthrow this regime!”
So, Fr. Sngi has assembled some impressive adjectives. He’s a straight white homophobic male who is also a southern racist republican intent on dismantling the world for oil.
It didn’t stop there; I inflamed the other side of the aisle too. Three particular responses were deliciously fantastic.
“Don’t even lump this guy in with us! He’s no conservative, just look at that turban; he’s foreign.” May I confess I heard that one in a deep southern accent?—”Faarrnnn”… that’s how to say foreign in the south, if you wondered.
“You’re not even from here, so what gives you the right to tell us what to do with our country? This troll is proof we need more immigration restrictions and law and order.”
“This Arab has a lot of big words but not a lick of common sense.”
So, Fr. Sngi is now an intellectually challenged Arab foreigner—probably… a turban-wearing terrorist—who is a threat to law and order and in need of a wall to keep him out of the U.S..
Fr. Sngi was none of these things. Fr. Sngi only said to worry less about the emperor and more about Jesus. No one agreed with Fr. Sngi about giving to God what belongs to God; they only concentrated on what was wrong with Fr. Sngi’s opinions.
The more he pointed people toward God, the angrier they got.
Then a man who had to be a parish priest posted a reply. His username was brilliant… it was the best I’ve ever seen, “sheepdog.” He simply replied, “Hey, I see what you did there, you trolled trolls. This is proper 24’s Gospel reading; Sunday sermon gold!”
Amen.