The Reading
Matthew 4:12-23
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.”
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.
The Sermon
"Repent
for the kingdom of heaven has come near."
This is
a reoccurring theme in Jesus' teaching and we spend a lot of time
talking about the kingdom of heaven in bible study. We have a whole
range of beliefs about the kingdom of heaven. Some say the kingdom
of heaven is right here. Others think in terms of the end of times
and judgment day. Still others think of it as simply heaven and when
you die that is where you hopefully go.
The
thing is, we spend very little time talking about repentance. To
repent is a very humbling thing and it makes us uncomfortable. The
word repent is a translation of a Greek word that can also mean to
think after or to think again. We say words of repentance in the
confession at the end of the prayers of the people. When we ask God
to forgive us our sins, do we have regrets for what we have done with
a commitment to change? If that prayer of confession is just words
you recite, the prayer is meaningless. If you are speaking from the
heart, God hears and God forgives.
This is
a new year and with it comes new year resolutions. We reflect on
our lives and make decisions about how we can run our life a little
better. It might be to stop doing something or start doing
something. This is already the fourth week in January and maybe you
have made resolutions and broken a few already.
Repentance
and resolutions are really about behavior. When I was a teacher I
ran something called a BASS room. It stood for behavior and social
skills. I didn't name it. Someone else did. I taught students who
were frequently getting in trouble for their behavior. That meant I
had a lot of interaction with other teachers, social workers,
psychologists and the principal.
When
students would get in trouble I would have them fill out something
called a ripple chart. At the top of chart the student would write
out whatever he or she had done. From there would be an outline or
list of the people who were affected by that behavior.
For
instance, if a student started cursing at his teacher during class
we would look at the consequences of that act. For instance, the
teacher might get angry. The teacher might lose respect from other
students in the class. The students might get angry and lose
respect for the offending student. The teacher might not be able to
teach the classroom as well because of the disruption. The principal
would take action against the student for his lack of respect. The
parents would be called and told the student was suspended. The
parent might have to take time off work to visit the principle and
take the student home. The parents would be disappointed. I can go
on and on.
There
is a ripple effect with everything we do. What we do can have a
positive effect or a negative effect or both. Lets say you make a
condescending remark toward a friend in front of a group of people.
What would be the effect? Depending upon what was said, the friend
might have his or her feelings hurt. The friend might be embarrassed
because he or she was made to look bad in front of others. What you
said may have changed your relationship.
My
point is that we are all connected and the things we do impacts
others. It may be time for us to think again, to repent and leave
behind our former lives. Like Andrew, Peter, James and John maybe we
should let go of what we are doing and follow Jesus.
Amen
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