I was once approached by a parishioner who said he was leaving the church and it was all my fault.

Worried that I may have offended him in some way, I pressed for details.

He shared that for the few years he had been attending the church the recurring themes of risk, change, and courage had hit home for him.

Hearing stories like the disciples leaving everything to follow Jesus and Peter getting up out of the boat to walk on water, had invited him to consider his own life, and a change of employment in a new city, in a new state, that would open up all sorts of bright new opportunities.

For a long time, he said he had been staying put, trying to scrape by the same way he’d always scraped by, not considering all the options, and protecting the life he’d always known.

In this Sunday’s Gospel we see Jesus’ opponents coming against him as they try to protect the life they’ve always known. They are much more willing to test, challenge, debate, argue, defend, bicker, and say no than they are to open themselves to the new possibilities that are unfolding before them.  Their tone and approach betray a fear of letting go and opening themselves to God.

They are just like us.

God rarely comes to us in the same, predictable, foreseeable, and conventional ways we prefer, but God comes in God’s own way - almost always inviting us to question our assumptions, let go of our preconceptions, and open ourselves to the new and imaginative.

In what ways are we trying too hard to stay put, scrape by the way we’ve always scraped by, and closing off the options in our lives? How might Our Lord be nudging us to new places that are beyond our comfort zones? How might we find ways to quit saying no to no?

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Reading

Flickering Pixels – Shane Hipps

Matthew – Donald Hagner

A Work of Heart – Reggie McNeal