These are just notes of a sermon I preached at my home church today.
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I want to see an icon written that has Jesus with his back to us, walking along a road, perhaps with a star ahead of him, definitely in mid-stride. Because that's what some of the folks in our Gospel saw of Jesus after they asked him to wait, just, just, a second, *first* I have to… No. Now. The train is pulling out of the station. Are you getting on?
Can you imagine what they must've felt as they watched him walk away? The longing, the anger, the resentment? So why have an icon of it?! Well, I think it's also an icon of hope, as I hope you'll see.
The Scriptures are not, in general, full of people seeking God. The Scriptures are full of people being sought by God, being pulled up short and shaken up by God. But from what I can see, the call will come not when you are expecting it, but when you are not. Elisha was at his plow, Moses tending Jethro's flocks, Matthew at his tax collector's table, Peter and James and Andrew at their nets. It will come when you are holding on the phone, or writing an e-mail, weeding your garden, or cooking a meal. It will come while you're checking your Blackberry or changing a diaper or waiting to cross the street. But when the call comes, we have to understand that it may not come again. You will never be this person, responding to this call, at this particular time, ever again.
This gets at a concept of the ancient world that comes in handy here. There is such a thing as kairos: the right time. And the wrong time. Bakers can tell you this, and wine makers, and farmers.
'But, wait, I have to…?' Tell that to the bread in the oven or the ripe tomato hanging low on the vine. No. Now. These are not silly things these folks want to do! 'I have to bury my father.' What more fundamental moral duty is there than to bury one’s parents, if it’s possible? But Jesus said, The time for you is right now: let someone else do that. The audacity of Jesus! This is no 'Savior, meek and mild.' [NB: You'll note that 'Let the dead bury their own dead' is not a verse often used at funerals!]
'I have to say good-bye to the people I love, those that love me.' No. Now. There's another example of Jesus' famous family values for you! Even Elisha got to have a cook-out for the village before leaving to follow Elijah, but not so the followers of Jesus.
Jesus says 'No,' not because these are bad things to do, but because putting my to-do list before the life-giving Dominion of God is a pernicious habit of mind that is difficult to escape and spiritually dissipating. A life spent paying attention to what’s crying out for attention rather than what’s most important wakes up one day to find the credits rolling and no time left to do what most needed doing.
From a translation of the poetry of Sufi mystic Rumi by Coleman Barks: “There is one thing in this world that you must never forget to do. If you forget everything else and not this, there's nothing to worry about; but if you remember everything else and forget this, then you will have done nothing with your life. It's as if a king has sent you to some country to do a task, and you perform a hundred other services, but not the one he sent you to do. So human beings come into this world to do a particular work… If you don't do it, it's as though a priceless Indian sword were used to slice rotten meat. It's a golden bowl being used to cook turnips, when one filing from the bowl could buy a hundred suitable pots. It's a knife of the finest tempering nailed into a wall to hang things on.”
Here's the truth we all know at some level but need to be reminded of when we get drowsy or distracted. We have a finite number of days in this life; no one knows how many. Is there always a reason to put off commitment, to be prudent in investing your life? Of course. If there weren't, we might not be so prone to doing it. Don't put off following Jesus. When the call comes, no matter what the cost, say ‘Yes.’
This same Jesus that demands so much is also offering us a gift: single-mindedness. Plow a straight row; prepare the earth for fruitfulness by keeping your eyes on Jesus and following where he leads. Looking back means the furrows will be crooked and shallow. No time for nostalgia, that delicious longing for a past that never was. No time for regrets or wishing things had been different: they weren't. Keep your eye on that strong back in motion. See how the icon of Christ's back can be empowering? As Buckminster Fuller said, God is a verb! As you pay attention to the task and follow his lead, the plow will break up the ground under your feet. Understand that this is what comes first. You're not even ready to plant yet!! First you have to prepare the ground, plow faithfully and carefully, to break up the dry clods at the surface of your life and release the loamy moist interior. Then perhaps the seed can take root.
What does following Jesus look like? I’ll tell you what it doesn’t look like: calling down fire to rain from heaven on your enemies or those you fear.. The days of those pyrotechnics are long over. Jesus is asking for something greater, something much closer to the heart of God.
Think of the icon of Jesus walking away. I love it because it tells us that this act of adoration is not a picture show, a movie we can behold passively. There’s a reason why the early Jesus movement was called People of the Way. We've got to move! Follow that man! Go where you think he would be. Listen. Spend time in the wilderness wrestling with our demons. Travel light. Tell the good news of God's love for each and all. Feed the hungry. Eat with all kinds of people. Heal the sick. Bind up the broken-hearted. Seek out the lost. Answer questions with more questions. And don't forget: following Jesus leads to
Following Jesus might lead to overturning the tables in the
It’s tempting to think – first, I have to be a better person – first, I have to get my act together – first, I have to have a firmer faith – first, I have to be sure –first, I have to be able to say the creed without smirking or grimacing – No. When the chance comes, take the first step. Follow that back. Go!
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