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We don’t have cable TV in our home. So far we haven’t been reported for child neglect for keeping our teenagers from having access to 100 channels. So I had to do some research into cable TV for this sermon. Apparently, at any given time of day you’re likely to see the same movies on the menu again and again. Lethal Weapon (1, 2 or 3). Beverly Hills Cop. Pretty Woman. Miss Congeniality. And so on. There’s a reason for this. Network execs know that people with a remote control in their hand don’t always want to watch an entire movie, but enjoy "dropping in" or "stopping by" a movie just to catch one particular scene. After watching that scene, they’ll surf on to another movie to drop in on. For example, some will drop in on Lethal Weapon just to see the scene where Danny Glover’s character is hot-wired to a commode with a bomb strapped to the tank, and see him and Mel Gibson flying through the window with the toilet seat wrapped around Glover’s neck. Nearly any hour of the day, one can find these movies and others rolling across the screen, and millions drop in to watch no more than 15 minutes — just to catch their favorite scene. It seems perfectly normal in a culture of convenience and shrinking attention spans. A harmless habit, perhaps, when we don’t have anything else to do like, say — READ A BOOK! Still, all habits, even the most "harmless" ones, have a way of shaping our lives, including our imagination and our capacity for faithful living over the long haul. Our habits are those practices that will make us who we are. Do you know the length of your attention span? Studies indicate that the average adult attention span is 6 minutes. That's why TV shows have commercial breaks about every 6 minutes. If your attention span is shaped to take pleasure in 6-minute gulps it’s less likely that you will be able to give your full attention to anyone or anything, including God, for more than a few minutes. That is the subtle way that habits work in our lives — we don’t notice the effect until much later, and even then we may miss the reason for our actions. Here’s the kicker: Too often we approach discipleship as something we can "drop in" on, or "stop by" whenever we feel like it. In fact, the common complaint about Christians is that too many are Sunday Christians, but not Monday Christians. Christians for one day of the week, while checking their faith at the door for the rest of the week. And we also walk out of church exchanging the Bible for the TV guide at home. Here’s what one poet wrote about this subject. On the table side by side; The Holy Bible and the TV Guide. One is well worn but cherished with pride, (Not the Bible, but the TV Guide). One is used daily to help folk decide, No! It isn't the Bible, it's the TV Guide. As pages are turned, what shall we see? Oh, what does it matter, turn on the TV. Then confusion reigns, they can't all agree On what they shall watch on the old TV. So they open the book in which they confide (No, not the Bible, it's the TV Guide). The Word of God is seldom read, Maybe a verse e'er they fall into bed. Exhausted and sleepy and tired as can be, Not from reading the Bible; from watching TV. So, then back to the table, side by side, Is the Holy Bible and the TV Guide. No time for prayer, no time for the Word; The plan of salvation is seldom heard. Forgiveness of sin so full and free Is found in the Bible, not on TV! In the house Of Mr. & Mrs. Spouse He and she Would watch TV, And never a word Between them was spoken Until the day The set was broken, Then, "How do you do?" Said He to She. I don't believe we've met. Spouse is my name. What's yours?" he asked. "Why, mine's the same!" Said She to He. "Do you suppose we could be...?" But the set came suddenly right about And they never did find out. I am here to confess that I spend more time in front of my TV than reading my Bible. I am chief among TV sinners. Part of my justification is that I’m an introvert and require time alone to recharge my batteries. But I could spend that time reading or exercising. Sometimes I do. But most of the time I don’t. What’s wrong with me? I am a drop-in disciple of Jesus. I look to God for a few quick devotional minutes and then I’m on my way, business as usual. A little taste of upbeat worship here, a sip of Bible reading there, not too deep and nothing that challenges our imagination. It’s a momentary feeling of satisfaction, just like a little movie viewing of our favorite scenes. But if that’s all we ever have time for in our lives with God, then it’s a false comfort; a habit that will keep us from going deeper with God and drinking deeply from the well of life. Growing in our relationship with God is not going to happen with just a little dip here and a sip there. God has something much different in mind, a life that is far deeper, richer and more fulfilling than a quick fix. The prophet Isaiah presents a different vision in which we are invited to embrace the abundant life in the presence of God: "Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! … Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food" (55:1-2). What this suggests is not drop-in or drop-out discipleship, but a drop-by and stay-by discipleship. Notice the imperatives of the text. • "Come" (v. 1). God sets the table, but we have to pull up the chair. The disciple has to respond to God’s faithfulness by taking action of her own. • "Buy" (v. 1). Or buy into. Commit. Take the step, the leap, the plunge. • "Eat" (v. 1). Partake. Experience. Taste. Savor the goodness of God. • "Listen" (v. 2). Pay attention. Be attuned to the voice of God, and tune out competing voices — whether cultural, secular or the voice of entertainment and peers. • "Hear me" (v. 3). Get rid of the noise and interference that can drown out the voice of God. Dig out the spiritual earwax that reduces the voice of God to a muffle. • "Seek the LORD while he may be found" (v. 6). Pursue single-mindedly. Make the presence of God a priority. Take advantage of the opportunities to walk with God while you still have them. • "Forsake" (v. 7). Abandon whatever doesn’t work for your relationship with God. Decide what is holding you back, and let these things go. • "Return to" (v. 7). After letting go of the bad, turn to what is right, good and positive. Turn to God for forgiveness and mercy. Isaiah seems to acknowledge that most of this is counterintuitive. It’s not how the world tells us we should live. That’s why we are reminded in verses 8-9 that the way we live life is to be based on a different paradigm. It’s a way of life that most will not understand: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways." This is the heart of it. If we order our lives according to conventional wisdom, then none of this is going to make sense. But if we "come" and "buy" into a higher reasoning, a different way of doing business, a divine wisdom, we will align our lives with the divine purpose. The life that God invites us into is not a drop-in relationship or one that involves a few minutes here and there whenever it happens to be convenient. Rather, the mature life of faith with God is one that feasts on the riches of a deep and abiding relationship with God. It is not a fast-food religion that God wants. No, the prophet tells us it is much more like a long, sumptuous dinner, lingering over the meal, savoring the taste, enjoying the conversation. "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?" Indeed, Isaiah’s question should be hung as a banner over the entrance to our malls and our places of work. The poet Mary Oliver asks a similar question, "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" In the northern Portuguese town of Sobrado, a lady has a dog name Preta. Preta leaves her owner's home every Sunday morning at 5:00 a.m. and walks 16 miles to a Roman Catholic church in time to take her usual place next to the altar for mass. The dog stands and sits whenever worshippers do the same. She usually walks back home, though some of the parishioners will give her a ride. What is interesting is that that church attendance has grown because many people attend just to see the faithful dog. Not the faithful God - the faithful dog. Go figure. Living as a disciple of Jesus Christ this coming week is not about being entertained. It’s about being faithful to God. It’s about reading your Bible this week. It’s about doing acts of justice and compassion. It’s about making time to hang out with the only One who has the power to give you what you truly desire from your one wild and precious life! |
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03.14.04 - Drop-in Discipleship (Isaiah 55:1-9)
