Chapel Hill United Church of Christ

Sunday Sermon

It’s Crazy to be Lazy!

January 27, 2008

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Matthew 4:12-23

By: Rev. Galen E. Russell, III

“Immediately the left their nets and [their boats] and followed him.”

Prayer: May we feel your presence, your strength, your power, your energy, O God, as we worship you and serve you. Amen.

There’s a business in Las Vegas, Nevada that is starting to increase its customer base. Because Las Vegas has sprawled out so far and the hotels and gambling casinos are so spread out, the electric motor scooter business is booming. Marcel Maritz runs a scooter rental company that caters to Las Vegas visitors. But, he says the number of able-bodied renters is growing every year. “We’re seeing more and more young people just for the fact that the Strip has gotten so big, the hotels are so large,” he says. Most of his business still comes from the elderly, or disabled, but the young and fit now make up about 5 percent of his clientele. These young folks don’t want to walk to the casinos, hotels, shopping malls, spas, bars and restaurants—not if they can ride—and if they are willing to fork over the $40 per day in rental fees in order to save their feet (http://www.homileticsonline.com/subscriber, retrieved January 25, 2008). Apparently, it’s not so crazy to be lazy in that indulgent and sloth-filled environment.

What a sharp contrast to what we read in today’s gospel reading, wouldn’t you say? Matthew describes Jesus as moving from hometown Nazareth to Capernaum by the sea. How did he get there? He probably walked. In fact, Jesus no doubt walked most of his life, except for a few times he might have been on a boat or a camel. He was down to earth, on foot, and that is the way he began his ministry.

Matthew tells us that as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he spotted Simon and Andrew fishing. It’s a pretty good bet that Jesus immediately saw that what these hard working fellows were doing was analogous to what he was doing. Catching fish was a pretty good metaphor to symbolize what Jesus wanted from Simon and Andrew. “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people,” he says to them. And, immediately they left their nets and followed him. Same thing with James and John. As soon as they heard Jesus calling after them, they dropped everything and followed him. Something within them was moved by Jesus’ words—they knew they must stop what they were doing, and get on the road with him. And, their discipleship began.

That’s how all discipleship begins—by following. You hear God’s call. Something resonates inside you. You get up and follow. It’s a deliberate decision. It’s intentionally going forward. It takes energy. Stamina. No matter what the obstacles are, no matter how old you are, no matter what the situation is, when that inner part of our lives gets moved by God’s call, God’s presence, God’s love, it is pretty near impossible to be idle. It’s difficult to be lethargic—such is the energy of God’s power. Our passion can get ignited. Our commitment to following Christ can move us so deeply that it’s crazy to be lazy if you desire to follow Jesus.

It’s like Walter Hart who joined the Cub Scouts in 1928 in Massachusetts and had earned 23 merit badges as a Boy Scout, two more than needed to qualify for his Eagle Scout badge. He was all set to receive it when World War II broke out. Going through some memorabilia last year, he found the documents and realized that he had never claimed his badge. So he got to work to get it. Even though the rules say Eagle rank cannot be earned after age 16, Scout officials say that at age 88, he is the oldest person to be awarded the Eagle Scout rank (http://www.homileticsonline.com/subscriber, retrieved January 25, 2008).

The desire to complete his Eagle badge got into Walter Hart’s inner life. His commitment moved him to action. What is to stop God’s power from working like that in us? The reality is that we stop it! We make choices in our lives that so often put other things we are interested in as higher priorities.

We can sometimes get things mixed up—making that which is not important to be more important. That’s what Paul is dealing with as he writes to that church in Corinth. The folks in those churches were interested in arguing about who belongs to whom, based on who baptized whom. The church people put their energy into the argument that divided them. The argument thwarted to power of God’s energy that can ignite their passion. Paul wants them to put their energy into the power of the cross. The message of the cross is exactly the place where the power of God is shown.

If we focus on the cross, if we choose to let the message of what Jesus did on the cross move us, our energy to serve God increases. Our stamina to go each and every day is bolstered. If we change directions, and move away from message of the cross, laziness, lethargy, spiritual stagnancy all stand a chance to take root in our lives.

The Roman aqueduct near the community of Segovia, Spain was constructed in the year A.D. 109. For 1,800 years, the aqueduct carried cool water from the mountains to the hot and thirsty city. As many as 60 generations depended on this marvel of engineering for their drinking water. Then some folks said to each other, “This aqueduct is an architectural marvel. It’s a historical treasure that ought to be preserved. We should give it a well-earned rest.” That’s exactly what they did. They diverted the water flow away from the ancient stones and channeled it through modern pipes. They put up historical markers so tourists would know who had constructed the aqueduct, and for what purpose. They celebrated the fact that their city’s water system was now modern in every way. But then, a strange thing began to happen. The aqueduct began to fall apart. The sun beating down on its dry mortar, without the constant flow of water to cool it caused it to crumble. In time, the massive structural stones threatened to fall. What 18 centuries of service had not been able to destroy, a few years of idleness nearly did (http://www.homileticsonline.com/subscriber, retrieved January 25, 2008) You see? It’s crazy to be lazy when it comes to deciding to follow God in Christ. If we are, it could start to crumble.

It is not enough to know that God has redeemed the world. It is insufficient to understand that the Holy Spirit has made all that Jesus did on the cross effectual in us. Now that we know all that, we are called to get up and follow. Decide to move from where you are in terms of your service to God. Speak about what God is doing in your life. Share with others what God has done at Chapel Hill in the last year and what we see God doing with us during this year. It’s crazy to be lazy when affirming God’s grace that falls like rain in our lives.

We don’t have to be perfect about it. We don’t have to be forceful or obnoxious about it—certainly not. We don’t have to be eloquent or remarkable about it. But, we are called to BE about it! Follow Jesus with energy, share the message that God’s grace is amazing! It is dynamic! It is relevant! It is life-saving!

So, leave the comfort of old ways. Leave your boats and your nets behind. Think, speak, and act the message of God’s love and grace with energy and passion, relying on God’s presence and power. Amen.