January 27, 2008 (Epiphany 3) “Invite, Befriend, Love”

Text: Matthew 4.19

“‘Follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” Christian discipleship means fishing for people. Here, in this familiar episode, Jesus asks Simon and Andrew, James and John to become his disciples—but the only explanation he gives, the only job description he offers, is this one: “I will make you fish for people.” Now perhaps he used that metaphor primarily because these were fishermen by trade, and it would make immediate sense to them. But to us two millennia later, the reality behind the metaphor remains the same: being is disciple is not merely a matter of personal faith, but it has to do with fishing for people--bringing others, that is, to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I do not think it would be overstating the case to say that discipleship, in Jesus’ mind, has everything to do with how we interact with other people. If we were to follow Jesus, along with these fledgling disciples, we would see it. Jesus, showing compassion to those in need. Jesus, welcoming and socializing with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus, speaking to those who are outcasts in society. Jesus, loving and respecting even the least in Jewish society, from children to women to Gentiles.

I don’t often listen to radio host Dr. Laura Schlesinger, but one day I had her on as I was driving. A woman called in who was really struggling with what to her was a moral dilemma. It seems she was a volunteer religious education teacher—she didn’t say what church; I hope not Lutheran! There was a child who wanted to be in her class, but she was reluctant to take him on because she disapproved of his parents’ lifestyle, and didn’t want to deal with them. “You’re wrong,” said Dr. Laura. “You absolutely must not shut out that child because you don’t want to deal with his parents. That’s the religious perspective on your problem.” “Well,” said the woman, “I appreciate your point of view, but I think my perspective is religious, as well.” “No, it’s not,” snapped Dr. Laura, who happens to be Jewish. “Your perspective is bigoted and self-centered, and it’s not what Jesus would do. You’re just plain wrong.”

Well, Dr. Laura sometimes sees things a little more clearly than may be warranted, but sometimes she is right, and in this case she certainly is. Christian discipleship is about how we interact with people, and this woman clearly hadn’t gotten the message about how Jesus would do that.

But we sometimes have trouble getting the message, as well—or we get it in the abstract, but we have a lot of trouble with the particulars. So I’d like to get specific this morning, and suggest three verbs that describe what Christian disciples might do, how we might interact with others, if we want to follow Jesus. This is a sermon, really, about how we as individual Christians can learn to become fishers of people.

The first word is, “invite.” If you are a fisher of people, you will, in word and deed, invite others to follow Christ as well. We saw a great example of that in our gospel lesson last week: Andrew came to the conclusion that Jesus was the Messiah, so he went and invited his brother Simon to come and see. It was just as simple as that.

I asked you last week to think about a friend, neighbor, co-worker, or family member who isn’t currently involved in a church. I challenged you to be praying, over the next several weeks, that God would show you an opportunity to invite that person to come to church with you—perhaps on Easter Sunday, or to one of our midweek Lenten services. How are you doing with that? Have you had that person in mind this week, and have you been asking God to show you that opportunity?

I also said last week that studies show that most people join a particular congregation because someone invited them to come. I have to say, on the other hand, that when I greet visitors, or when I talk with people in a new member class, that isn’t at the most common answer. Most of our new members describe our congregation as welcoming and friendly, but most of them also managed to stumble into our congregation on their own because they were looking for a church. We’re glad to have them, of course; but wouldn’t it be wonderful if we each could get into the habit of inviting others? An invitation to worship doesn’t have to be heavy handed pressure; it can simply be an invitation, offered with good will to someone we’ve met whose new in the community, or who seems to be searching, or who we sense could use the fellowship and inspiration of our church. When was the last time you invited a guest? If you can’t remember, then you’d better face the fact that your “fisher of people” quotient needs a little work! Fishers of people invite others.

The second word is, “befriend.” That’s a big concept, and it covers a lot of territory, but I’d like to focus on one thing. How are you, really, at befriending others here at church? Do you go out of your way to meet new people? I don’t mean just visitors, though that is important; but I’m talking about befriending and getting to know anyone whom you don’t know.

Some weeks ago I had a conversation with a man who told me he was a member of a large congregation in another city. “I think I’m going to be leaving, though,” he said. “Do you know, I’ve been a member there for more than 20 years, and I don’t think I know 12 people in the congregation.” Now you have to wonder if perhaps he ought to making a bit more of an effort. Nevertheless, his comment is also an indictment of that congregation. There is obviously room for improvement in their work as fishers of people, for this fellow is about to become the one who got away.

What would happen if, even one Sunday a month, you resolved to introduce yourself to someone at church whom you don’t know, and spend at least ten minutes chatting with them? It wouldn’t have to be someone your own age, or someone that looks like they have something in common with you. Everyone here has something in common—you’ve just been to church together! So it wouldn’t be hard—you could talk about the sermon that day, or the music; you could talk about how long they’ve been in the community. You could work really hard on remembering their name, and then make it a point to say hello to them next week. These are ways that we disciples go fishing for people: by befriending them, with warmth and sincerity. It’s a great treat, because you make a new friend! But it is also part of discipleship. Fishers of people befriend others.

The third verb is love. That’s the biggest word of all, of course, and it is one that challenges us constantly. For all the talk of Christians who love one another, the example we set for the world isn’t the greatest. I suppose it never has been! You need only read our epistle lesson this morning, about the divisions in the church at Corinth, to know that Christians don’t always treat one another they way they should.

Part of the problem is that we are different from one another. We like different things. We have different ideas. We have different needs. And so we naturally form ourselves into groupings that revolve around those ideas or needs, and we look on others with suspicion or discomfort.

But that’s not the way of Jesus. It is remarkable, really, when you consider the disciples that Jesus chose. We think of them as fishermen, but really we only know that a few of them had that trade. One was a tax collector for the Romans, one an anti-Roman zealot, at least one an intellectual of sorts, and another a mystic. They were about a diverse a group as you could find, given that they were all first century Palestinian Jewish men! Yet they became a family.

So it is with us. Look around you. Everyone isn’t the same, even externally—and if you started to probe the inside, you’d find even more differences. We don’t think alike, we don’t act alike, we don’t approach life alike—and yet in Christ, we are one. Being a fisher of people means being able to accept and love others, in spite of differences. It means loving others, with no restrictions placed, no limitations set up. It means being able to disagree without being disagreeable. It means forgiving others when they offend you, and accepting even when you cannot understand. It means making God’s house a place of prayer for all people. Fishers of people love others.

And so that’s your task, your job. To follow Jesus is to be a fisher of people—and that means we are called constantly to invite, to befriend, and love others—both within and without the family of Christ. In my files I found an interesting comment on this text—not sure who wrote it, but it’s thought-provoking: “What did it mean to fish for people? Not lying in wait to ensnare the unsuspecting, but honoring the dignity of others by doing the simple things Jesus did: spending time with their hearers and hosts by eating and drinking, listening and talking; taking the people seriously by exhorting repentance; joining them at synagogue worship. Simple acts from everyday life began to show forth the kingdom.” Inviting, befriending, loving—“simple acts from everyday life.” That is your task, O fishers of people! That is your calling!