The call to follow...
The other day I spoke at Syndal Baptist as part of UNOH's Wild Ones set. That's about getting around to a few churches in Oz and sharing the radical message of Jesus as well as promoting Surrender 06:Wild adventures with Jesus. Anyway I spoke on the passage from Mark chapter 2, the calling of Levi. This passage always hits me that following Jesus has consequences. Jesus comes and invites Levi to follow him, not when Levi is in a prayer meeting, not when he's singing praise songs, not when he's having his quiet time (there's nothing wrong with any of those things) but rather Jesus comes and invites Levi to follow him when he is doing his everyday stuff. For Levi this is collecting taxes, can't think of anything less "spiritual" can you? But further Levi is collecting taxes as a Jew from the Jews on behalf of the foreign invader, the Romans.If I was a Jew I don't reckon I would be too pleased with giving my money to a foreign oppressive power, and I definately wouldn't be too pleased with the man who took my money, in this case Levi. But Jesus invites Levi to follow him and be one of his disciples to change the world, not real smart thinking on Jesus part, I reckon. Bit Jesus ways are not my ways, he constantly calls those we least expect to partner with him in order to bring about his purposes.
And Jesus calls him in the middle of the everyday. After I shared this the other night I had several chats with people who were encouraged to think outside the square of how Jesus calls us. See I reckon he invites us to follow him constantly, and most of the time it is in the everyday, when we're with our family, down the street, at the footy club, in the line waiting those extra few minutes at the shops, when we're confronted or go past those around us in need. What does his invitation look like to follow him in those situation?
I reckon we often get caught up in the fact that we have to create a "spiritual" environement to hear from God, but Jesus shows us different, you can be collecting taxes, mending your nets, out fishing or walking in your neighborhood when the invitation to step out and follow comes. What does it look like for you today? Jesus give us your ears and eyes to see and hear you in the midst of life.
2 Comments:
Hi Barro,
I really appreciate the reminder about Jesus in the everyday. You see, back working in ministry I felt like I was always sitting with God and christians, but I think my prayers were often prayers I should pray, worthy, proper prayers. Now that I change nappies on 16 toddlers a day while working as a pre-nursery teacher in a brittish school in shanghai, I know exactly what to pray - usually "Lord help me, make it ok. It's in your hands, I have to let go because I know I can't do it". And day in, day out, God does more than I think he will. He soothes screaming kids, gives me insight as to why they are behaving out of character, and I think, gives me all the hugs and physical affection I miss from my Mum and my friends in melbourne, via the cuddles of beautiful little kids in my class. God, while I was desperately trying to be a cool, emerging church chick was elusive and hard to relate to, the God of the children is close, simple and patiently loving. That's the God I was longing to find anyway.
thanks guys,
like many of life's lessons, need constant reminding of this one,
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