Fall Back?

"Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass." They didn't ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed." Matthew 4:19 The Message Translation

We aren't about to change the clocks anytime soon, but I have noticed how much earlier the sun seems to be setting than in the summer. Inevitably, I get wistful about the days when the sun didn't seem to set until after we went to bed. "Ah, summer where did you go - and in such a hurry?!" In fact clock-changing doesn't happen until the first Sunday in November, when we will be full-on into fall and harvest mode. But as school has begun and as we enter into a new phase of the church season, we get the sense that we are "falling back" into the rhythm of the year. This can be a good thing. But it can be dangerous, too.

I have to be careful that I don't fall back into habits that move me, my family, or my church in a direction that is unhealthy or irresponsible. This has nothing to do with taking risks, but in fact is quite the opposite. For me, my temptation is not to fall back into the things that guide me, that offer inspiration and hope, and that offer accountability and encouragement; but to fall back into procrastination, avoidance of responsibility, idling the time away, and restricting my "people time"to the ones I already know. These things don't define me--it's just what I have chosen to do when things get busy or unknown. In a sense, I fall back to bad habits, easier tasks, and things that I know. I pray that God will use what's already present within me to do something new and to reach new people in a new way. Notice, in the scripture where Jesus calls the fisherman, that he doesn't say to stop being fisherman. He says that he's going to use those skills already present in them to become fishers of people - that is, to engage more people than they currently were.

For the church, we have to be careful as a group that we collectively fall back into the challenge and considerations for the outsider that Jesus called his disciples toward, and not fall back into what is easiest for us or what is known to us. Otherwise we can no longer be called the church, but we become a social club for people who happen to believe in God. For instance, we always say that we want more young people to come to our worship services, but what are we providing for young people that they would want to step foot into our church on Sundays? Are we creating a worship space that is directed toward speaking the gospel in a way that captivates their attention? Or are we creating a space that is aimed at what those already attending prefer? Or are we even just creating a space out of habit? I am thankful to God for Cornelius expanding their vision through the monthly Community Table food pantry and Supper programs, and that Yamhill has opened up their vision for hospitality in the community, and that both Cornelius and Yamhill are beginning Sunday Schools this year. But I am certain that God is calling us to fall back into the challenge that expands our vision of who our neighbors are, and what we can do, as communities of faith, to be more fully present to our neighbors.

Where is God calling these bodies of Christians to use what's already present within us to engage with people who haven't been sought after yet? Who are those on the fringe always looking in? What else do we have to learn about Christ that moves our community out into our communities? Let us be grounded, falling back in to the challenge of Christ- but let us also recognize where we have chained ourselves, having fallen back into habitual thinking.