WATCHWORD:
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. 41 Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah”. 42 Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”). 43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.” 44 Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown. 45 Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46 “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.47 As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.” 48 “How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.” 49 Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus asked him, “Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.”
Meditation:
By Our Love
I have been reading from CS Lewis’s book, Miracles, and the thought occurred to me that when we read the Gospels, and understand the witness statements that the disciples have made, we are reading the stories that common ordinary men made after they had witnessed uncommon and extraordinary events.
We all know, I’m sure, that the disciples were not selected because of their deep theological training, or their intellect and wit. These were young man, probably in their mid to late 20s or early 30s, some were individuals, some were brothers. Most of them were born and raised in small towns in Northern Galilee. Most were from families whose livelihood was based on fishing. In truth, there was nothing special about them, except that they were touched by God.
That got me thinking about a movie I watched 30 years or more ago, The Shoes of the Fisherman. The movie was based on a novel by Morris West, which tells the story of a man, suddenly freed after 20 years in a Siberian labor camp, who is sent to Rome by the Premier of the Soviet Union. Following an unusual set of circumstances, he is made a Cardinal, and, with the death of Pope Pius XIII, he becomes Pope Kiril.
The plot line follows Mark Twain’s Prince and the Pauper, with Pope Kiril, disguised as an ordinary man, experiencing the life of his people. What he sees changes him. He vows to make changes in his thinking and in the policies and actions in the Roman Church; which meets strenuous objection from the church hierarchy.
Boy, all that got me thinking about a story I could write, which I might call “The Shoes of the Christian”, or not. Think about it this — Ordinary men, called by Jesus, and become extraordinary, even blessed, messengers of God’s plan. A Pope witnesses the life conditions of his people and then takes on changes to the Church despite a recalcitrant hierarchy. Or, a prince becomes better for experiencing pauper-hood.
Seriously, there is something to that. You cannot accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and not be changed by that commitment. I don’t think it’s possible to remain as you were. I know there are a lot of good people out there who act like they’re following Christ teachings. People with a strong sense of compassion, service and generosity but who disavow Christ.
A few days ago, I was coming back from Fort Wayne and I followed a car that carried the sign of the fish, you know the little icon of a fish outline. It appeared to be a declaration that “I am a Christian”. I thought at the time, are they trying to convince me, following them? Probably not. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that sign, I’ve seen that around quite a bit. But then I had this little song going around in my head, “they will know we are Christians by our love”.
If we had known the disciples, personally, what do you suppose we would’ve noticed about their lives changing through their contact with Jesus? I think we would have seen somethings. In fact, we have our own answer to that one. We probably would have noticed changes that we saw in ourselves when we committed to being a follower of Christ. Changes that said, “I am a Christian”, not in words but in so many non-verbals.
With all my heart, I believe that you cannot accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior without it changing you and the way you think and the way you live and the way you give. That New You, you will wear all the way into eternity. So be it.
Bulletin Board:
We are one in the Spirit
We are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit
We are one in the Lord
And we pray that all unity
May one day be restored
And they’ll know we are Christians
By our love, By our love
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians
By our love
Closing Prayer:
Holy Spirit, You are God. I praise you because you are holy, and I thank you for dwelling in my heart. Thank you for working in my life. You guided me into salvation, renewed my dead spirit, and you opened my eyes to the Truth. Thank you.
Help me to see you more clearly – to recognize your movement in my life. Make me more sensitive to you so I can follow you more closely. Still, I know that I am selfish and rebellious. I need you to help me be obedient when I recognize your leading. I need you.
I ask you for your help and comfort today. You know my pain and anxieties very well. Thank you for praying over me. Help me to rest in your comfort today.
Help me to walk in you, the Spirit of God. Grow good fruit in my life. You are the one who produces these in me: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I cannot live out these things on my own; I need you.
Amen
