Presented January 26, 2020 by Rev. Jesse Larson
Based on Matthew 4:12-23 (Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee)
It’s amazing to me that—in just a few short verses with few details—we are introduced to the very first disciples who decided to dedicate their lives to following Jesus. By doing so, they kick-started the sharing of the Good News … something that has been going on now for over 2,000 years!
We are here now, in this place, because of them and every other person of faith who took a stand for love. The more I reflect about today’s text, the more I stand in awe of these early disciples. How daring they were! How faithful they were! How foolish they were! They remind me of hippies, hopping on a VW bus with a bunch of other hairy dudes in sandals, not really sure of where they’ll end up. But their faith and willingness to take risks laid the foundation of our discipleship in Christ, and we stand to learn a lot from them.
Some years ago, a book entitled The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People became quite popular. Like many self-help works, it offers some useful practices we can use in our daily lives. So as we begin a new year and a new decade, I’ve composed a list of the seven habits of highly effective “disciples.”
Here’s what I came up with:
Habit 1: When something really speaks to you, listen!
Something very special must have transpired along the Sea of Galilee for Peter and Andrew and James and John to immediately drop their nets and follow Jesus. What Jesus represented or what he had to say to them must have been so compelling that these men just had to follow their hearts and learn more from him. Maybe the disciples weren’t very thrilled about being fishermen or perhaps they just longed for something else, but when Jesus offered that they could become “fishers of people” these men became very committed to their new work.
If God has set something upon your heart—maybe an intense passion for a certain type of work or a deep desire to be in a certain place, you should investigate this calling. So, make it a habit to try to listen for how God may be speaking to you.
Habit 2: Welcome everyone!
You may have noticed that I brought a few friends with me today. These folks are the large family of my girlfriend, Rowena. I met Rowena shortly after moving to California and I was then quickly introduced to her family. I was overwhelmed by how warmly welcomed I was into their clan. I have since witnessed that anyone who is brought home is instantly welcomed by them; they always make room at the table without question. This is the same way the disciples behaved; each town they visited added more and more to their number. There is not one story of anyone being rejected or turned away. Rather, men, women, children, Jews and gentiles, tax collectors, prostitutes—every one is welcome in Christ’s movement of love.
We Christians are never in the business of building walls to separate. We tear down walls and we keep building bigger and bigger bridges and tables to bring everyone into the light of God’s love!
Habit 3: Share in meaningful conversations.
The four Gospels don’t give us the impression that the disciples spent their time discussing the weather or swapping hummus recipes. The disciples got down to the real nitty-gritty—they discussed topics like justice and mercy, wealth and poverty, hopes and fears. Significant conversations shape what we believe and they lead to big decisions\
Find people you trust and talk about what really matters. Life doesn’t suddenly get peachy when you become a follower of Jesus or are “born-again.” Your faith will ebb and flow, but the more you learn—through conversations, reflection, and life experiences, both good and bad—you’ll acquire more insights about the nature of life and of God.
Habit 4: Meet new people and visit new places.
Jesus and his disciples were always on the road, healing and teaching, feeding people physically and spiritually, and sharing the message of love and forgiveness. Their experiences on the road brought about much growth for the disciples. In Capernaum, they learned that gentiles were a part of God’s plan, as Jesus healed the servant of a Roman centurion. The “Samaritan woman at the well” taught the disciples that a foreigner of a distained religion could possess incredible faith in Jesus. In their journeys and encounters with outcastes and other ways of being, Jesus and the disciples challenged the status quo and expanded their comfort zones. By doing so, their world was enlarged as were their minds.
If we do the same as the disciples—meeting folks with different opinions and traveling to unfamiliar places—we open our minds and hearts to grow by leaps and bounds.
Habit 5: Don’t dwell on your failures.
Our faith is all about forgiveness … and that includes forgiving ourselves. Many of us can easily relate to the disciples because they were very human. They made a lot of mistakes. The disciples arrogantly argued among themselves who was the greatest. When Jesus was arrested, all the disciples went into hiding, and only the women stood by Jesus during his time of trial. Surely, they must have felt so ashamed of their mistakes, but they didn’t give up. After Christ’s death and resurrection, the disciples carried on the work of love, spreading the Good News far and wide.
We, too, would be wise to forgive others and own our mistakes, learn from them and then move on. After all, we’ve been forgiven, so let’s get back to the tasks at hand.
Habit 6: Find ways every day to demonstrate love in a hurting world.
This is one of the most important habits we can develop. Most theologians summarize our faith in three words: God is love. That’s what it’s all about! Like us, the disciples were drawn to Jesus because of his undying love for all people and because of his hopeful message of his saving grace for all. They also learned early on that Jesus was asking for help in his ministry.
No matter what gifts we have been given, we all have the capacity to love. We can show love in small and big ways. Random acts of kindness are acts of love as is changing our nation’s laws to be more fair and merciful. Every day presents opportunities to feed the hungry, visit the imprisoned, cloth the naked, care for the sick—without stipulations. We don’t have to worry about judging people, or about only doing our part when a certain political party is in charge. No! The message of the life-changing power of love is very clear and the disciples took hold of this message. We should, too!
Habit 7: Through it all, keep the faith.
Through many intense situations, the disciples held fast to their faith. Their hopes were dashed as Jesus was put to death and their own lives were threatened. But then Jesus appeared to them, encouraged them, and told them to keep on loving and giving hope to all they meet. And this is exactly what they did. They pushed past their disappointment and clung to the hope of a better life—in this world and the next. The disciples all went on to spread the gospel message and minister to humanity.
We know that our faith will be challenged, too. We lose people we love. We might lose our job or some friends may never speak to us again. We might get into serious trouble. We have the choice to give up and toss our faith away. Or we can choose to keep believing in Jesus Christ and the fact that, “all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to God’s purpose.”
In closing, remember that habits are formed only when we practice them repeatedly, over and over again. Indeed, faith is a muscle that is meant to be strengthened every day.
Give these habits a try—I know most of you all ready do. The good news is that many habits are tough to break. Thanks be to God! Amen.
