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Jesus, Immanuel, Forever Gathering

  • I have a confession to make about my biggest fear. For a long time, it was being irrelevant, but as I've aged, I've come to find that my biggest fear in life is missing out on my new favorite song because I didn't listen to the next track on the album.
  • I think this is the result of modern technology that allows you to a la carte everything
  • But it still worries me with other things too
    • What if the best song I'll ever hear is next?
    • What happens if the article that will change my life was just on the next click or a few pages beyond where I stopped in the magazine?
  • At first, admittedly, that might sound a hint neurotic, but, as I start the fifth decade of my life, I realize part of it may just be a resistance against the anesthetizing comfort of routine.
    • I get that more now. The playlists I've developed would have worn cowpaths in them they've been played so many times. I delight in listening to the same 90s and 00s hip hop when I exercise as I did a decade ago.
    • I always read the Harper's Index, even if I don't get to the rest of the magazine
    • And I've learned that particular rhythms in my routines minimize stress.
    • But, even still I hear J Alfred Prufrock in my head - do I really want to measure my life out in teaspoons?
    • And as people who keep our routine, we build infrastructures of routine... just imagine if we changed the time of church on SUnday,
  • The anesthetizing comfort of routine can, in fact, limit our visibility to what is occurring around us, and it takes a certain jarring to awaken us out of that peaceful stupor.
  • In our gospel today, we see how that jarring takes place with a Jesus who is forever gathering.
    • These gathering moments result kinetically from outside events: forcing everyone off a more worn path and onto a new one.
      • In Matthew's telling (as well as Mark's telling), the advent of Jesus' ministry is the arrest of John, which we learn was mostly a game of power and seduction amongst the Roman authorities of the day - there was no real good reason as to why John would be arrested.
      • This motivates Jesus to begin his ministry of change - repent (change your mind), because something new is coming. The current regime will not last, God is coming.
      • That kinetic move - the arrest of John to proclaim that the powers of the day will not last - creates another reaction with these first disciples
        • Simon Peter and Andrew were doing their work, along with James and John, and Jesus gives them a chance to get out of their routine - to come with him.
        • There is no hesitation, no intervening time - they are on their way with Jesus.
  • When Jesus gathers us - a calling that we are meant to follow - it will require an immediate move out of our routines.
    • And here lies the person of faith's dilemma: we either stay within our teaspoon measured life because of its convenience, or we miss out on the things beyond.
    • And the things beyond will be revolutionary, life-changing, aspirational... but will come at some cost, as the intertia will always drag us down.
    • And if it happens with individuals, what happens when it's a group? We see what happen with 13 people... what happens with a church?
    • And at times, we can delude ourselves to a belief that so long as we keep Jesus' call to gather just out of reach we will always believe we're headed towards a goal, when really, all we're doing is setting our rhythms
    • But here's the reality - Jesus is not going to stop here, nor ever. Next week we hear the beatitudes - a reminder of the upside-downness of God's commonwealth... those who put John in jail for pleasure are put on notice. His ministry will be one of constant kinetic action to redefine society.
    • However, Jesus also does not stop asking us if we're ready to gather with him. To drop our varying nets and follow. Are we ready to be those people and go where he goes?