Repent, Believe, Follow

            A couple of years ago I decided to finally plant a vegetable garden. I had grown up with gardens my father had planted, and wanted to continue the tradition. I always enjoyed eating fresh vegetables, and wanted to be able to grow and share my own produce.

            So, I decided, contrary to my usual way of doing things, to go slowly and start small. I decided to plant tomatoes, zucchinis, carrots, and green beans. As the summer progressed, it was so exciting to watch the vegetables grow and ripen, and to begin to eat and share them when they were ready. The only problem was the green beans. I don’t remember what variety I chose, but every time I went out to the garden, the vines just stood there, empty. I figured that I had gotten a bum batch of seeds or done something wrong.

            After consuming most of the other vegetables and pretty much giving up on the beans, I went out to the yard after a couple of weeks had passed and discovered some VERY LARGE beans. The vines were loaded down with the large green beans I’ve ever seen. I was so excited, I couldn’t believe it. They felt like an unexpected Christmas gift. I ran in the house and got a big bowl to collect them. That night I steamed the beans and set them alongside the main course at dinner, but low and behold when we bit into them they tasted awful. I had unknowingly let them sit on the vine too long and they were overly ripe — past their prime. I had missed the critical moment in which they were ready.

            In today’s exceedingly short Gospel reading Jesus says, “the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” He says these words to Simon and Andrew as well as James and John as they are going about their everyday work as fishermen.

            It seems pretty amazing that they followed Jesus on the spot. While I do think that it was pretty bold and risky to follow Jesus into an uncertain future, I don’t think Jesus’ invitation was extended in a vacuum. I imagine that the fishermen who followed Jesus had known him for a long time, and were probably part of what we would call his “relational network.” While each of the disciples was chosen and personally called by Jesus, I think this was done after years of getting to know them, and endless conversations. Jesus is probably calling into action people who already have a relationship with him and have heard him teaching.

            When Jesus invites these future students to join him, there is a sense of urgency in his words and voice, “the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” I hear these words and think, “the time is ripe; don’t miss this moment.” If you miss this opening who knows if it will ever come again.” Jesus is not just saying these few words as a matter of fact statement, he is proclaiming them. He is saying God is with us, God is near, the time is right for the fulfillment of what God has promised.

            Jesus’ call of engagement to his friends and future students has three components: repent, believe, and follow. Let’s unpack each of these words and try to understand what Jesus is saying to his disciples and to us.

            Repent. Repent means “turn around,” in fact it means turn 180 degrees away from whatever is keeping you from God and God’s love. Don’t just change your beliefs and world view, change your behavior. Begin to act as if God is truly near and everyone around you is created by and precious to God. Begin to treat the earth as God’s possession, not yours. Live for God and others instead of just yourself, and take time to examine your heart with a flash light so you can see clearly what is blocking God’s love and your ability to love others.

            Believe. Believe that the “good news “ of God’s reign or revolution is present in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Believe that God exists, and that God desires abundant life and a hopeful future for all people.

            Follow. Decide to trust God and take a huge leap of faith. Thankfully you are not alone in this, God will take the leap with you and walk with you every step of the way. Take risks, make yourself vulnerable, find God in places and people you never thought possible. Make changes in your life and daily habits and practices so they are aligned with what you say you believe.

            Repent. Believe. Follow. These three things are not easy to do. In fact they are pretty difficult let alone impossible things to do without God’s power, grace, and help. And yet, what if the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus really does matter and really did turn everything as we know it on its head? And what if the Kingdom has come near and the time is ripe for the people of St. Matthew’s to move to a whole new level in their desire to go deeper spiritually?

            I believe that there are moments of time like the one in today’s Gospel in which there are openings, moments of ripeness or readiness, and these moments must be named and seized. I believe that these moments come from the movement of the Holy Spirit and from years of preparation, learning, and discerning or wondering together about what God is up to.

            Today’s Gospel really resonated with me because I feel like we are moving to a whole new level spiritually at St. Matthew’s — and this movement excites me! These are some of the things I am seeing and hearing: amazing, honest, vulnerable conversations with one another about how we live as followers of Jesus in daily life amidst a host of challenges; a desire to move outside the building and walk alongside neighbors who are struggling in ways that are life-giving for all involved. This does not mean riding in on a white horse with all the answers, but listening to others, asking what they want and need, and sitting with them in their pain and vulnerability. Meeting God in these same neighbors, whether they are Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, or of no professed faith at all. I also see us recognizing that each of our primary ministries takes place in daily life — in our roles as family members, neighbors, co-workers, and volunteers. Our time here together on Sunday morning and evening is then not only time to thank God for the gift of life and love, but also to encourage and build up one another for our work in the week ahead.

            As we continue to grow, and many exciting conversations in which the Holy Spirit is moving are taking place simultaneously, we need to find ways to share our most important insights and learnings with one another. We need more feedback loops so the key learnings that others are having about what God is up to in their lives and in the world can be shared with others. And to remain an agile church that is open to change and new ways of doing and seeing things, we must continually share our learnings with one another — learnings arising from “failures” as well as from “successes.”

            In 2015, having reflected on our history as we celebrated the 125th anniversary of our faith community and the 100th anniversary of our building, we are now ready to look forward and continue to identify and participate in the future God is bringing forth. What sort of future is God inviting us into? What will this future require of each of us? Are we willing to repent, to believe, and to follow? Jesus tells us, “the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”