The Danger of Drop-in Discipleship
If you are a cable TV or
Dish Network subscriber, have you noticed that at any given time of day
you’re likely to see the same movies on the menu — again and again?
It's no accident. There is a reason.
Network executives know that a person with a remote control in his hand
doesn’t always want to watch an entire movie, but may enjoy
“dropping in” or “stopping by” a movie just
to catch one particular scene. After watching that scene, she'll surf on
to another movie to drop in on.
I know that I have my favorite movies with my favorite scenes, and I will
"drop-in" to just watch the scene and not the whole
movie. I love the scene in Mrs. Doubtfire
where Robin Williams puts his face in the cream pie to conceal his real
identity when his probation officer walks unexpectedly into the kitchen.
I still belly laugh at the scene in the old Pink Panther movie,
Revenge of the Pink Panther when Peter Sellers dresses up in
his God-father disguise and plays the role. I'm mesmerized by the scene
towards the end of the movie Scent of a Woman when Al
Pacino makes his impassioned and colorful speech. I am drawn to the
intense scene in the little known Cry The
Beloved Country when James Earl Jones, the clergyman,
confesses to Richard Harris, the rich white landowner, that it was his son
who murdered his son. On I could go. Yes, I can tune in just
watch a favorite scene and then tune out.
What are the favorite
scenes of your favorite movies? Do you ever just put in a DVD or
Video just to watch a favorite scene? If you did, would you admit
it?
Nearly any hour of the
day, one can find movies rolling across the screen, and millions drop in
to watch for no more than 10-15 minutes max — just to catch their favorite
scene.
This all seems perfectly normal in our culture of convenience; our culture
of shrinking attention spans, video mania and instant gratification. We
say it's nothing more than a harmless habit, perhaps, when we don’t have
anything else to do like, say — READ A BOOK!
Even so, all habits, even our most “harmless” habits, have a
way of shaping our lives, imaginations and our capacity for
faithful living over the long haul. Our habits are those practices
that inevitably make us who we are. If we get used to a frequent
10-15-minute fluff break, the question is will we have the
capacity for an hour of thoughtful reflection with the one we love who
needs us at the end of the day? Or how about taking on a crises of life
and faith: loss, illness, betrayal, or even death?
Maybe, maybe not — but if your attention span is shaped to focus only in
10-15-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.
We don’t notice the effect until much later, and even then we may not see
the real reasons 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 criticism about Christians
is that too many are Sunday Christians, but not Monday Christians. Too
often we are Christians for one day of the week, while checking faith at
the door for the rest of the week. We only call upon God when it's
convenient for us or we perceive we are in trouble. Over the years
it's been my experience that far too often Lutherans, generally speaking,
are spiritually undisciplined.
Drop-in movie habits have a spiritual parallel that most of
us would rather not admit; a style of drop-in spirituality or
drop-in discipleship where we nod to God for a few quick
devotional minutes and then we’re on our way, business as usual. A little
taste of upbeat worship here, a sip of Bible reading there, not too deep
and certainly nothing that challenges our imagination, our thinking, our
values or our commitment. 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; drinking
deeply from the well of life; having a faith that can really make a
difference.
Too often our lives
look way too much like the fig tree of Jesus' parable in the gospel for
this morning. The world keeps coming to us looking for fruit that
nourishes, but often finds our tree bare and is sent away empty.
Jesus' parable also reminds us that bearing fruit is not a matter of
trying hard, but it's a matter of being nourished in the right way.
"Sir, leave it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and
put manure on it."
Religious consumerism is antithetical to a
mature life with God, growing in grace and faithful discipleship. Growing
in our relationship with God is not going to happen with just a little dip
here and a sip there. Such incursions into lukewarm discipleship
freeze-frame us in spiritual infancy, perpetually clutching our
spiritual sippy-cups. God has something much different in mind, a life
that is far deeper, richer and more fulfilling than a quick fix.
In today's Old
Testament scripture we see that the prophet Isaiah presents a very
different vision which we are invited to embrace. The power of this
passage is that God is giving a whole bunch of good stuff away, free of
charge, and it's hardly manure! The question seems to be,
"Will God have any takers?"
Listen to this: “Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters… buy
and eat… wine and milk without money and without price. 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… incline your ear,
come near to me…seek the Lord while he is to be found… return to the Lord
that He may have mercy…” .
Will God have any serious takers? What this suggests is not
drop-in-and-out discipleship, but a drop-by-and-stay-a-while
discipleship.
Look closely at this scripture. God is giving free stuff away, stuff
that can make all the difference in the world and eternity. It's free! But
also notice the imperatives:
• “Come” (v. 1). God sets the table with good things, but we
have to pull up the chair. The disciple has to respond to God’s
faithfulness by taking action.
• “Buy” (v. 1) Commit. Take the step, the leap, the plunge;
don't withhold yourself.
• “Eat” (v. 1). Partake. Experience.
Taste. Savor the goodness of God.
• “Listen” (v. 2). Pay attention. Discriminate. Be attuned
to the voice of God, and tune out competing voices — whether they be
cultural, secular or voices of entertainment and peers.
• “Hear me” (v. 3). Focus your attention so that the voice
of God can be heard. Get rid of the noise and interference that can drown
out the voice of God. Dig out the secular earwax that reduces the voice of
God to a mere muffle.
• “Seek the Lord while he may be found” (v. 6). Pursue
single-mindedly, search diligently for. Make the presence of God a
priority. Take advantage of the opportunities to walk with God while you
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, grab the
good. Turn to what is right, good and positive. Turn to God for
forgiveness and mercy.
The life that God invites us into is not a drop-in relationship
or one that involves a few minutes here and a few minutes there whenever
it happens to be convenient. Rather, the mature life of faith with God is
a life that feasts on the riches of a deep and abiding relationship with
him. 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. This kind of deep maturity
with God means spending the necessary time pursuing this relationship; the
kind of time that one would give to any pursuit that is worthy of your
full attention.
“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 and the front doors
of our homes. 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 Jesus Christ God gracious gives everything we could ever need for
purpose, hope and joy. What will we do? We will come, buy, eat,
listen, hear, forsake and turn to God who calls us to himself in Jesus
Christ?
If we do I believe we
won't even have to think about being like trees that bear fruit because we
will be so immersed in God's grace we will be able to do no other; God's
grace will burst forth through our lives.
Discipleship -
following Jesus -- through good times and bad -- at home, at work, at
play, at school.
Merely dropping in or stopping by is not enough. So "come, buy,
eat, listen, hear, forsake and turn to God."