Matthew 9:9-26

“On The Road Again”

          VISUAL IMAGES:  Pathways and roads through various types of terrain, sometimes with a view of what lies ahead, sometimes seeing only the next few steps.  We see road signs that suggest choices to make (intersections or freeway exits).

          I once read that the average American family moves about every five years.  Those who own their home tend to stay in one place longer.  According to the US Census Bureau, homeowners move every 8.2 years while renters relocate every 2.1 years.  One in six people move each year.  Moving, whether to a new neighborhood, new city, new state, new job, may involve trauma for children and spouse, but it need not be a curse.  What makes any transition bad is not when you move but how you move.

          First, we should move only if God is calling.   The message may not come from an audible voice saying, “Go, from your country and your kindred and your father’s house” as when the Lord spoke to Abram.  But God’s call may come in a deep sense that it is time to accept new challenges, new responsibilities, and find new opportunities for growth.  Remember, God never calls us to change directions only for new monetary advantages, luxurious living, or more acquisitions.

          If we move as a way to fulfill our potential to be a blessing to others – through volunteer work, new involvement in the church, enhancing our professional life, - then we will be blessed.  However, we should not move if our only desire is to escape our current situation and the problems that go with it.  These unresolved issues and tensions in our present land have a way of packing themselves away in our luggage and moving boxes and like Pandora’s box, when opened they have a tendency to pollute the Promised Land.   So, we must move only if we are at peace with the land and the people where we now live.

          The grass is not always greener on the other side, unless we are answering God’s call to hit the road into ministry.  The disciples heard that call and moved into new lands where God could use them to be a blessing to others.  It is only by making our house a house of God that we can avoid the sickness that leads to the breakdown of home and family.  There is nothing wrong with staying put.

          But, if we do feel it is time to hit the road, we should be careful not to jump just because we are uncomfortable where we are.  Instead, we should make a move because we desire to hear God’s guidance and live in a land of promise.  If we are in touch with the God of our ancestors, we can truly be a blessing to others wherever we are.

          God may not be calling us to move from our home.  God may not be asking us to move into a new job or form of ministry.  But God, I believe, is asking us to recognize that we are on a spiritual pilgrimage.  Spiritual growth is not an option for the Christian.

          Someone once asked whether we have ever noticed how often the Bible characters changed their addresses?  The truth is, it is hard to find anyone in a serious drama with God who is not on the move.  No one ever finds God by nailing life down.  Perhaps that is because faith is always discovered along the way.

          We certainly can’t follow Jesus without moving.  And we cannot follow Jesus without leaving something behind.  Remember the call of Matthew?  As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And Matthew got up and followed him.  The call was so compelling that Matthew left his job and went with Jesus.   We cannot follow Jesus without leaving something behind.  Matthew, Peter, Andrew, James and John were asked to leave their professions.  Others were asked to leave their sin, or their wealth, or even their grief over the dead.  Jesus is always calling us to a deeper faith.  And he expects us to travel pretty light.  We are not afforded the luxury of carrying prejudice, hatred, or condemnation into the Promised Land.  We like those first disciples, must give up our sin to grow spiritually.

          Jesus’ disciples had a difficult time with traveling light.  They kept wondering when Jesus was going to establish that earthly kingdom so that they could quit being on the road.  They wanted to be settled right here and right now.  Like those disciples, we do not know exactly where Jesus is leading us. We, too, would like to know when Christ’s reign will be established totally so that we can quit being on the road.

          Remember the woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years?  She continued to seek healing until she touched the fringe of Jesus’ coat and was made well.  Jesus said, “Take heart, daughter, your faith has made you well.”  We are called upon to have a faith like that.  We are called upon to believe that through Christ we too can be made whole.  That takes faith and spiritual wisdom.  Remember the synagogue leader who came to Jesus seeking a healing for his daughter?  The companion story in the Gospel of Mark tells us his name was Jairus.  Jarius had been urged by friends and neighbors to mourn his daughter’s death.  But Jesus said to him, “Do not fear, only believe.”  According to Matthew, when Jesus got to the leader’s house, the people were already mourning.  Jesus said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but is sleeping.”  And the crowd laughed at him.  But Jesus goes into the house and takes the child by the hand and she gets up.  “Do not fear, only believe,” is what we read in Mark that Jesus had said to her father.   This is the type of faith that we are called on to embrace as we hit the road.

          In 1988, there was a competition that preceded the Winter Olympics.  It featured blind skiers trained for slope skiing.  Each was paired with a sighted skier.  Each was taught on the flats how to make left and right turns.  They became proficient.  Each was taken to a ski slope, where their sighted partner skied with them.  The directions, right, left, left, right were shouted.  As the blind obeyed the commands of the sighted, they were able to negotiate the course, and cross the finish line.  They depended totally on the sighted skiers’ words.  They had to trust their partner completely.

          Friends, this is a picture of the Christian life.  Jesus called his disciples and they took to the road headed for the Promised Land.  Along the way, they developed a greater faith and trust in God.  We are called to do the same.  Are we ready to be on the road again?

          PRAYER: Gracious God of creation, we praise you for your presence on each of our journeys.  We thank you for your mercy that encompasses every step and challenge of life.  Your hand leads us, and your grace empowers us to walk with hope.  Grant us the ability to surrender our lives more fully in obedience and trust, to make courageous choices that will allow your love to become more visible in this world.  Make us channels of healing in this community, however we are able.  May the peace and joy of Christ dwell in us fully, and may our lives reflect your care and concern for this your world.  Amen.