“Summer Vacation: Following Jesus” Second Sunday After Pentecost—June 22, 2014 Rev. Scott Shaffer—Blairsville First United Methodist Church (Show Video to 2:00: https://youtube/watch?v=58Lfx3YG2qw) This video clip comes from one of my favorite movies, the 1989 classic starting Robin Williams, called The Dead Poet’s Society. I have always enjoyed this movie for several reasons. Because it is well written, with an interesting story and a surprising plot. Because of the inspirational scene in which the students stand up on their desks. And of course, because of Robin Williams’ excellent acting. But more than any of these reasons, I have always loved this movie because deep down, I want to be in the Dead Poet’s Society. Is there anyone else willing to admit that ever since they saw this movie, they too wanted to be in the Dead Poet’s Society? Well it takes a certain type of person. But I have always been drawn to literature and poetry, and the thought of having a group of friends who sneak off into a cave in the middle of the night, introducing the meeting with a quote from Henry David Thoreau, and smoking pipes while reading dusty old books and talking about the meaning of life…just happens to appeal to me. People like to feel included, whether it is being part of a staff at work or playing on a sports team, and there is no better way to feel included than being a part of a secret society. Not to mention the appeal of escaping from the world, leaving your worries behind, and just kicking back and relaxing for a while. But as I think about the appeal of the Dead Poet’s Society, it strikes me that many people could list the same reasons for why they like being a part of a church. It’s a place where you can feel included. Where you can relax, enjoy some good music, some good conversation, and some good food. And a place where you can come each week to escape the busyness of your daily life, and the craziness of the world around us. Church is a place that is relaxing, a place where we feel rejuvenated, and a place where we can belong. But we have to ask ourselves, is this all that we are called to be as a church? Are we really called to be a secret society, set apart from the world? Or is relaxing, belonging, and connecting with like-minded Christians and with God only one part of what it means to be the church? Last week, we started a new sermon series called “Summer Vacation.” And I explained that we have decorated the sanctuary to represent Mountain and Beach Vacation locations, in part because our Gospel texts for the summer involve Jesus leading his disciples up to the mountains and down to the beaches, but also because these are symbolic locations. The mountain is the place where we retreat from the world and connect with God, and the beaches are the place where we encounter the crowds of people, sharing our faith in Christ, and serving those in need. And I said that we are not called to be spiritual beach people, or spiritual mountain people, but that as Christians we are to connect with God in the mountains, and then carry out God’s mission in the beaches of our world. After last week’s Scripture reading from Matthew 28, where Jesus led his disciples up on the mountain and instructed them to go out into the world and make disciples, this week we have jumped back to the middle of Jesus’ life and ministry, in Matthew Chapter 10. And in this passage, we find Jesus teaching his Disciples what it will require to be his followers. We don’t know the exact setting of this passage, but we know that it is a “spiritual mountain” type setting, as the Disciples have withdrawn from the crowds, quite possibly up on a physical mountain, where they could go deeper in their understanding of what it would mean to give their whole lives following the Son of God. This is the Dead Poet Society, retreat into the cave moment for Jesus and his disciples. And Jesus begins by warning them about the persecution that they will face as his followers. “A disciple is not above the teacher” Jesus says, “and if they (meaning the Religious leaders) have called the master of the house Beelzebul (another name for Satan, which is what the religious leaders have called Jesus), how much more will they malign those of his household.” In other words, if they have persecuted me, expect that they will persecute you as my followers. Already it isn’t sounding like following Jesus is just going to be about relaxing in the protection of a secret society, cut off from the world. But then Jesus offers his disciples encouragement, saying “So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing is secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.” When Jesus says, “What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light,” this is something that would have resonated deeply not only with the first Disciples, but with many of the Early Christians, including the ones that Matthew wrote his gospel for. Because you see, much like the Dead Poet’s Society, the Disciples and the early Christians met almost exclusively either in their homes after dark, or they would retreat into the mountains and meet secretly in caves. And Jesus doesn’t tell them to stop having their secret meetings. But he tells them that these secret meetings are not enough. “What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.” Congregation, I believe that this word from Jesus is just as fresh and relevant to us today as it was to those early Christian communities 2,000 years ago. Of course we do not live in a time and place where our government actively opposes our ability to worship freely. In fact, our government specifically protects our right to share our faith in public, even shouting it from the rooftops if we wanted to. But the fact is that the government is not the only powerful force in our world that might prevent us from living out our faith. There is another, even more powerful force, and that is the power of culture. Our culture tells us that we are free to have private religious beliefs, but that we need to keep them to ourselves. Our culture tells us that there are far more important things to spend our time on, like the constant pursuit of happiness in entertainment and consumerism. The government doesn’t have to worry much about stopping Christians from proclaiming our faith from the rooftops, because the culture has already made us content with sharing our faith only within the like-minded company of other Christians. The last thing we would ever want to do is to offend somebody. But what Jesus says next is directly opposed to this kind of thinking. Jesus says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” I don’t know about you, but this powerful word from Jesus shakes me to my core. Because I know the fear that Jesus is talking about. I may not be afraid of losing my life for my faith. But we all have fears that keep us from going out into the world and doing the work of God’s kingdom that God wants us to do. One of our greatest fears is the fear of rejection. Fear that people might not like me. That they might think I’m strange for speaking and acting so boldly about my Christian faith. Fear is a powerful, powerful motivator. And Jesus is telling us to ask ourselves: who do you fear more? Do you fear human beings, or the God who has the power both to create and to destroy the whole world, human beings included. And lest we see this as a threat, rather than an invitation into a relationship with God, Jesus then says, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.” And what I believe Jesus wants us to see is that we will never be ultimately fulfilled if we live our whole lives up on the mountain, separated from the world. It is in sharing our faith with others, that we are reminded of the power of the Gospel in our own lives. And we cannot appreciate the love and care of the Christian community, unless we get out into the world and share that love with others. My wife Shannon and I both attended a Christian college called Eastern University, which is located on a beautiful scenic campus in the middle of one of the wealthiest Main-line neighborhoods in suburbs of Philadelphia. In fact, our campus was recently voted one of the top 20 most beautiful college campuses in America. There were three ponds and a stream in the center of campus, an old scenic water wheel, and the main part of campus was built around an enormous mansion and picturesque gardens. It was a wonderful place to go to college. You could sit by one of the ponds and do your reading for class, or hang out with your friends in one of the beautiful gardens. Every day, I felt a connection to God just walking out of my dorm and walking to class. And I have to say it was a pretty nice place to go for a romantic walk with your girlfriend, which obviously worked out pretty well for me. But as wonderful as it was to go to college on a beautiful campus in a wealthy neighborhood, I have to tell you that the greater part of the “education” that I received in college happened in a very different setting, just a 20 minute ride on the R-5 train into the city, where I spent my Saturdays serving with a homeless ministry in inner-city Philadelphia. The homeless ministry was even ironically named the YACHT club, which stood for “Youth Against Complacency and Homelessness Today.” At the beginning of each semester, we asked students to give up one meal each week from their meal plan, and the cafeteria would provide a bagged lunch instead that the YACHT club could take into the city. And then every Saturday morning, and sometimes lasting into the afternoon, a group of admittedly naïve, mostly white middle-class college kids went into the city to hand out lunches and build relationships with homeless people. As I look back on my college experience, it is clear that I encountered God in the lives of the homeless men and women we spoke to just as vividly as I experienced God in the beauty of our campus. I heard stories about people’s hurts and pains, their struggles and fears. I had countless homeless people share with me about their faith in Jesus Christ, and bear witness to the work of God in their lives. And at times, I got to share the gospel message with others, and to pray with people to receive God’s forgiveness, and healing, and salvation in their lives. YACHT club on Saturdays taught me just as much about God as all of the philosophy and theology classes that I was taking back on campus combined. Friends, I hope that you will hear in this message from Jesus, that we are not called to be a secret society, closed off from the world. Following Christ requires spending committed time in the mountain, but we can’t live on the mountain. We have to leave the church, leave the comfort of our living rooms, leave the security of our same old group of friends, and go out into the world. John Wesley wrote in an essay called Thoughts on Methodism, “I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid, lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case, unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.” I view that as a powerful challenge for our church, and United Methodist Churches everywhere as we look to the future! At the end of todays’ passage from Matthew, Jesus says, “Whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” This is our challenge to get off the mountain and head down to the beaches. But then Jesus continues, saying, “Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” Friends, the invitation to follow Jesus is not meant to be safe. It is not meant to be comfortable. But it is an invitation in which we have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. So let’s get off the mountain together! In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen!
Posted on: Wed, 25 Jun 2014 03:13:03 +0000