Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 71; Isaiah 9:1-4; Matthew 4:12-23; 1 Corinthians 1:10-17; Psalm 134
One of the classes I took in seminary was a sociology of religion course that helped us look at the life of faith communities in new ways. This process of looking at church life from an entirely different perspective brought many new insights to me. One of which was this: lots of progressive communities look at the rise of mega-churches over the last twenty-five years and conclude that these communities have experience growth because they offer a very conservative prescriptive theology. In other words, they are popular because they tell you what to think. The sociologist said something different in his analysis. He said they are popular because they have a sense of clarity about who they are. That sense clarity – not their particular brand of theology - is what fuels their growth. So what’s this got to do with today’s scriptures? Well, in today’s reading from Matthew, we have one of the call stories that tell us how Peter, Andrew, James and John responded immediately to Jesus’ call to follow him. And most folks are completely baffled about how these individuals could make such a momentous, life-changing decision so quickly. I think it was possible for the men to make their decisions because when you encounter this Jesus, you gain a sense of clarity and perspective that actually makes your decisions much easier. Just as a sense of clarity of mission and purpose can help an institution like a church grow, so too can that sense of clarity help an individual grow in his or her relationship with the God. If you are wrestling with a major life decision that you have been trying to make on your own, I would encourage you to quiet yourself and listen for the ways in which God is calling you. Then see if your decision becomes a little easier. Til next time…
One of the classes I took in seminary was a sociology of religion course that helped us look at the life of faith communities in new ways. This process of looking at church life from an entirely different perspective brought many new insights to me. One of which was this: lots of progressive communities look at the rise of mega-churches over the last twenty-five years and conclude that these communities have experience growth because they offer a very conservative prescriptive theology. In other words, they are popular because they tell you what to think. The sociologist said something different in his analysis. He said they are popular because they have a sense of clarity about who they are. That sense clarity – not their particular brand of theology - is what fuels their growth. So what’s this got to do with today’s scriptures? Well, in today’s reading from Matthew, we have one of the call stories that tell us how Peter, Andrew, James and John responded immediately to Jesus’ call to follow him. And most folks are completely baffled about how these individuals could make such a momentous, life-changing decision so quickly. I think it was possible for the men to make their decisions because when you encounter this Jesus, you gain a sense of clarity and perspective that actually makes your decisions much easier. Just as a sense of clarity of mission and purpose can help an institution like a church grow, so too can that sense of clarity help an individual grow in his or her relationship with the God. If you are wrestling with a major life decision that you have been trying to make on your own, I would encourage you to quiet yourself and listen for the ways in which God is calling you. Then see if your decision becomes a little easier. Til next time…
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