Becoming a Mature Christian 4

 Luke 5:1-11   Go Try Again


God doesn’t expect anyone, even Jesus, to change the world all by oneself.  Jesus gathered a group of people around him.  During their initial encounter, Jesus called on them to do something that was just not done.  Putting out onto the lake again, once the sun was up, after having fished unsuccessfully all night was a simple waste of time and effort.  They would look foolish to all the other fishers calling it a day.  It was as if Jesus was saying, “humour me.”  It worked.  Jesus is always calling us to do things that are just not done, that won’t work, that pull us out of our routine, out of our comfort zone, that seem ridiculous.  The world is always changing and we need to change with it.

Peter, having seen the results of his doing something that ‘obviously won’t work,’ recognized his sinfulness.  Can we understand one aspect of sin to be a refusal to step out of our accepted ways of doing things.  Jesus’ reaction to Peter was “Don’t be afraid.”  Don’t be afraid to change, don’t be afraid to leave all that seems safe and comfortable and follow me.

What routines, patterns of behaviour, ways of relating have you fallen into that on the surface are comfortable, but that prevent you from making the changes you need to make to be truly mature, truly the you God meant you to be? This pandemic has lasted long enough to make the ways of relating it has forced upon us routine.  We will have to be very intentional about choosing which of those ways are healthy and which ones we need to change. 

I wonder if the angst behind the occupations that are plaguing our country are an expression of fear over becoming something different, when no one can really tell us what that something different will be.  Fear makes people vulnerable to seditious manipulation.  How can we as groups of mature Christians inspire others to “don’t be afraid”?  Can we offer a way forward that is not guaranteed but nevertheless safe and secure?  Can we offer a way of justice and compassion for everyone? 

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