A husband and wife once went to see a marriage counselor. The wife tearfully related her multitude
of frustrations, all of which involved her husband's apparent indifference toward her. She went on
and on, until at last the counselor got up, went over to her and gave her a warm hug and a long
kiss. She immediately calmed down, whereupon the counselor said to the husband: "You see?
That's what she needs, at least three times a week." The husband replied: "Well, I can get her here
on Monday and Wednesday, but on Friday I go fishing."
As a former marriage therapist, I first want to reassure you that this is not a professionally
sanctioned therapeutic practice. But perhaps it illustrates that we can all too often avoid our
responsibilities and leave them for the “experts” to handle.
Today I want to talk for a few minutes about one of those God-given responsibilities that I would
guess most of us avoid at times— sharing the gospel. Isn’t it easier for us to leave it to someone
else? I know my default setting when someone mentions the “e” word—evangelism—is recalling all
of the clumsy, heavy-handed attempts well-meaning people have made that may have done more
harm than good. In fact, for that reason I’m not even sure that the word “evangelism” is necessarily
that helpful to use these days, especially to people outside the church.
Nevertheless, I’m going to go ahead and use the “e” word this morning; if for no other reason than
that it has less syllables than “sharing our faith and growing our church.” In today’s Gospel reading,
Jesus conveys pretty clearly some expectations about this for His followers. And it’s not just about
followers that are especially or naturally gifted in this area. He asks a couple of fishermen to follow
Him. And He tells them somewhat cryptically that he’s going to make them fishermen of a different
type. Jesus doesn’t say, “Come along and watch me get some new recruits.” He says, “Follow me
and I will make you fish for people.” And He asks the disciples of the disciples, all the way down to
us, to do the same.
If this makes your little tummy tighten a little, please take heart. Because sharing our faith may be a
whole lot more natural and less awkward than you may have thought. This morning I hope to
demystify the “e” word by putting this in a familiar framework. I’m also hoping that this will whet your
appetite in some small way for the adult ed series on Sharing Our Faith that will be starting in a
couple weeks at the Tuton house.
Evangelism is simply spreading the good news of Jesus. I’d like us to take a look at how we share
our faith in thought, word, and deed. That triad of thought, word and deed is familiar from our
confession, but it also works well to flip it around and capture the good things we can be doing, not
just those things we’re sorry to have done.
Now, what does “thought” have to do with evangelism? Well, plenty if we think about it. Because
inside ourselves is truly where effective evangelism begins. Our interior life is the foundation of how
our Christian faith is believed and expressed to others. So by “thought”, I mean simply the way we
steep our minds and our hearts in Christ.
This really has to do with those things called the spiritual disciplines. When we take the time on a
regular basis to study the scriptures, and reflect, meditate, pray, and simply carry on an interior
dialogue with the Lord, we really can’t help but be changed. The Holy Spirit in this way gradually
and subtly shapes us from the inside out. We slowly begin to take on the attributes of Christ, and
those with the eyes to see, begin to witness the makeover that marks all of those who allow God
room to shape us. In fact, for many this can truly be called an “extreme makeover.” When we say,
“We’re the clay and you’re the potter,” and submit ourselves to the Artist’s hands, we eventually
become a formed vessel into which God pours Himself, and from which the overflow begins to impact
the surrounding world.
This is very different than what happens when we allow ourselves to be shaped by our ever-
changing culture. It truly is a countercultural lifestyle. St. Paul was quite aware of this as he wrote
these words to the Christians in the great ancient city of Rome: “Do not conform any longer to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” When we become steeped in
God’s ways, and when we learn through practice to recognize the still, small voice of the unchanging
Holy Spirit in the midst of this frenetic world we live in, we’re renewed and empowered to do what
God wants us to do. But not only are we renewed and empowered; we’re given a sense of sweet
hope and peace that broadcasts God’s presence to the world. Something that perceptive people
notice about us.
And this brings us to evangelism in word. St. Peter tells us, “Always be prepared to give an answer
to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” If you’re cultivating an
active relationship with Jesus, over time it will show. Through life’s difficulties, which are visited upon
Christians as much as anybody else, the Lord gives us the deep peace and confidence to know that
in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His
purpose.
Do you ever find that people seek you out to share their worries or ask your advice? Do people
ever ask you, “How do you do it?” Or, “How can you smile at a time like this?” If so, what a golden
opportunity! The Lord is making an opening for you to engage in one of His highest callings, which
is sharing Him with others. “Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the
reason for the hope that you have.” In today’s world, especially, I think there’s nothing more
compelling than simply and honestly telling a neighbor or friend about the One who gives you
peace.
But along with this simplicity comes a caution. When Jesus asked the young fishermen to follow Him,
this was not a superficial thing. Because as He was teaching them and training them, he made sure
that they all got as complete a picture as they could about who God is, what has gone wrong with
people, what the cure is for what’s gone wrong, the short-term costs
of following Him, and the eternal benefits. You see, sharing the gospel with someone is not a time in
which to create a misleading image of the Christian life. It’s tempting, for instance, to soft pedal the
stuff about sin in favor of a more feel-good message of God’s unconditional approval of us.
This is something that Jesus never did. He was very clear that our root problems as human beings
come from the condition of sin, and that the solution to that problem is acceptance of his authority,
of his free gift of forgiveness and salvation, and of the power He then gives us to gradually
extinguish sin in our lives.
In other words, Jesus commands us to spread the gospel, but He and His disciples insist that it be
the authentic gospel, and not one in which we improvise or fudge to make it more palatable. As a
matter of fact, I find that if I cheat in order to make the gospel more palatable people don’t really
respect it anyway. Does this mean we have to provide an exhaustive list of disclaimers each time we
share the gospel with someone? Absolutely not. Many of the harder truths will come in time as
people have walked the path for a while, and they’ll be more ready to hear them. But neither should
we make false promises to people that downplay sin or make the Christian journey look easier than
it really is.
So in evangelizing by “word” we’re called to speak the authentic gospel. What is the authentic
gospel? In a nutshell it’s this: God made humankind in His own image, to share in relationship with
Him. By our rebellion against His ways, which we call sin, we became separated from God. God
loves us so much that He provided for us the way back to relationship with Him, and that way is
Jesus Christ. We invite Jesus into our lives by faith as our Savior, and the Lord whom we follow.
When we do this He gives us His deep peace. And He guides and blesses our lives through the
scriptures, the sacraments, the Holy Spirit, and his body of followers on
this earth which we call the church. That’s basically it. That’s the good news in a nutshell!
But please listen, because this is terribly important: However much we proclaim the good news in
word, our word is weakened when we fail to evangelize by deed. That is, if we don’t generally walk
the talk, why should people believe us? How many times have you heard the criticism that
Christians are a bunch of hypocrites? This is a very common response in this time. Actually, a
friend of mine in Arizona, whenever he hears this from someone, has a reply. He says, “You’re
absolutely right. The church is full of hypocrites. And there’s always room for one more.”
This underscores how we are all, all sinners in need of Grace. Yet the scriptures are also clear that
genuine faith will produce, at least over time, genuine change in our lives. And this is where our
actions become a critical factor. The fact of the matter is, our actions may speak with a much louder
voice than our words. Gross contradictions between what we say and how we live disqualifies our
witness to an injured and distrusting world. It actually may do damage to the cause of Christ. Now
no one of us is anywhere near perfect. But a basically congruent life, a life lived transparently in
love of God and neighbor, attracts the eyes of people hungry for genuineness and love, and opens
doors to the good news of Jesus.
And again, we’re not talking about walking around with haloes, and angels singing when we enter
the room. And we’re not talking about inflexibly pushing the gospel at people who aren’t remotely
prepared to hear it. For most people we need to build the groundwork of friendship before we can
hope to influence them to try Jesus.
St. Paul provides us with a more natural, attainable picture of a Christian lifestyle which the seeker
may find attractive. He writes to the Christians in Thessalonica: “Now about brotherly love we do not
need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other… Yet we urge
you, brothers, to do so more and more. Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own
business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect
of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”
Minding our business, working for a living, leading a quiet life, loving those whom God places in our
lives. This simple lifestyle speaks volumes when we stay aware of the people God places in our
lives. You see, minding our own business doesn’t mean ignoring those around us. In fact, to be an
effective presence for Christ, it’s important to be scanning our surroundings often to find ways we
can love our neighbor and spread through deed the gospel of Jesus. It means sharing small
kindnesses. It means spending the energy to listen to people. To be there for them and learn
about them. To enter into their world. Because what we hear, may one day help us more effectively
to spread the good news. If we can step into others’ worlds for a while, and listen to their
perspectives, this often will create opportunities not only to gain a friendship, but also to share the
most precious treasure in this life—the gospel of Jesus Christ.
John Stott sees this attentiveness to others as analogous to what God has done for us in the
Incarnation. In the Incarnation God spanned the gap between himself and us by entering our world.
Stott writes, “Christians and non-Christians are often widely separated from one another by social
subcultures and lifestyles, as well as by different values, beliefs and moral standards. Only an
incarnation can span these divides, for an incarnation means entering other people’s worlds.
Entering their thought-world, and the world of their alienation, loneliness and pain.”
It’s not magic. It doesn’t take any superhuman ability. But if we’re simply willing to be there for
others and display a lifestyle that corresponds with what we believe as Christians, God is only too
eager to use us in a powerful and satisfying way fishing for people.
I hope these little points take some of the mystery and anxiety out of the “e” word. My prayer is that
each of us may effectively embody the good news of Christ in thought, word, and deed. May we
spend time getting to know our Lord and His ways better and better. May we be faithful in
proclaiming the authentic words of life he gave to us. And, as He continues to form us in His
likeness, may we live the lives he wants us to live to draw others to His saving grace. Amen.
of frustrations, all of which involved her husband's apparent indifference toward her. She went on
and on, until at last the counselor got up, went over to her and gave her a warm hug and a long
kiss. She immediately calmed down, whereupon the counselor said to the husband: "You see?
That's what she needs, at least three times a week." The husband replied: "Well, I can get her here
on Monday and Wednesday, but on Friday I go fishing."
As a former marriage therapist, I first want to reassure you that this is not a professionally
sanctioned therapeutic practice. But perhaps it illustrates that we can all too often avoid our
responsibilities and leave them for the “experts” to handle.
Today I want to talk for a few minutes about one of those God-given responsibilities that I would
guess most of us avoid at times— sharing the gospel. Isn’t it easier for us to leave it to someone
else? I know my default setting when someone mentions the “e” word—evangelism—is recalling all
of the clumsy, heavy-handed attempts well-meaning people have made that may have done more
harm than good. In fact, for that reason I’m not even sure that the word “evangelism” is necessarily
that helpful to use these days, especially to people outside the church.
Nevertheless, I’m going to go ahead and use the “e” word this morning; if for no other reason than
that it has less syllables than “sharing our faith and growing our church.” In today’s Gospel reading,
Jesus conveys pretty clearly some expectations about this for His followers. And it’s not just about
followers that are especially or naturally gifted in this area. He asks a couple of fishermen to follow
Him. And He tells them somewhat cryptically that he’s going to make them fishermen of a different
type. Jesus doesn’t say, “Come along and watch me get some new recruits.” He says, “Follow me
and I will make you fish for people.” And He asks the disciples of the disciples, all the way down to
us, to do the same.
If this makes your little tummy tighten a little, please take heart. Because sharing our faith may be a
whole lot more natural and less awkward than you may have thought. This morning I hope to
demystify the “e” word by putting this in a familiar framework. I’m also hoping that this will whet your
appetite in some small way for the adult ed series on Sharing Our Faith that will be starting in a
couple weeks at the Tuton house.
Evangelism is simply spreading the good news of Jesus. I’d like us to take a look at how we share
our faith in thought, word, and deed. That triad of thought, word and deed is familiar from our
confession, but it also works well to flip it around and capture the good things we can be doing, not
just those things we’re sorry to have done.
Now, what does “thought” have to do with evangelism? Well, plenty if we think about it. Because
inside ourselves is truly where effective evangelism begins. Our interior life is the foundation of how
our Christian faith is believed and expressed to others. So by “thought”, I mean simply the way we
steep our minds and our hearts in Christ.
This really has to do with those things called the spiritual disciplines. When we take the time on a
regular basis to study the scriptures, and reflect, meditate, pray, and simply carry on an interior
dialogue with the Lord, we really can’t help but be changed. The Holy Spirit in this way gradually
and subtly shapes us from the inside out. We slowly begin to take on the attributes of Christ, and
those with the eyes to see, begin to witness the makeover that marks all of those who allow God
room to shape us. In fact, for many this can truly be called an “extreme makeover.” When we say,
“We’re the clay and you’re the potter,” and submit ourselves to the Artist’s hands, we eventually
become a formed vessel into which God pours Himself, and from which the overflow begins to impact
the surrounding world.
This is very different than what happens when we allow ourselves to be shaped by our ever-
changing culture. It truly is a countercultural lifestyle. St. Paul was quite aware of this as he wrote
these words to the Christians in the great ancient city of Rome: “Do not conform any longer to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” When we become steeped in
God’s ways, and when we learn through practice to recognize the still, small voice of the unchanging
Holy Spirit in the midst of this frenetic world we live in, we’re renewed and empowered to do what
God wants us to do. But not only are we renewed and empowered; we’re given a sense of sweet
hope and peace that broadcasts God’s presence to the world. Something that perceptive people
notice about us.
And this brings us to evangelism in word. St. Peter tells us, “Always be prepared to give an answer
to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” If you’re cultivating an
active relationship with Jesus, over time it will show. Through life’s difficulties, which are visited upon
Christians as much as anybody else, the Lord gives us the deep peace and confidence to know that
in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His
purpose.
Do you ever find that people seek you out to share their worries or ask your advice? Do people
ever ask you, “How do you do it?” Or, “How can you smile at a time like this?” If so, what a golden
opportunity! The Lord is making an opening for you to engage in one of His highest callings, which
is sharing Him with others. “Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the
reason for the hope that you have.” In today’s world, especially, I think there’s nothing more
compelling than simply and honestly telling a neighbor or friend about the One who gives you
peace.
But along with this simplicity comes a caution. When Jesus asked the young fishermen to follow Him,
this was not a superficial thing. Because as He was teaching them and training them, he made sure
that they all got as complete a picture as they could about who God is, what has gone wrong with
people, what the cure is for what’s gone wrong, the short-term costs
of following Him, and the eternal benefits. You see, sharing the gospel with someone is not a time in
which to create a misleading image of the Christian life. It’s tempting, for instance, to soft pedal the
stuff about sin in favor of a more feel-good message of God’s unconditional approval of us.
This is something that Jesus never did. He was very clear that our root problems as human beings
come from the condition of sin, and that the solution to that problem is acceptance of his authority,
of his free gift of forgiveness and salvation, and of the power He then gives us to gradually
extinguish sin in our lives.
In other words, Jesus commands us to spread the gospel, but He and His disciples insist that it be
the authentic gospel, and not one in which we improvise or fudge to make it more palatable. As a
matter of fact, I find that if I cheat in order to make the gospel more palatable people don’t really
respect it anyway. Does this mean we have to provide an exhaustive list of disclaimers each time we
share the gospel with someone? Absolutely not. Many of the harder truths will come in time as
people have walked the path for a while, and they’ll be more ready to hear them. But neither should
we make false promises to people that downplay sin or make the Christian journey look easier than
it really is.
So in evangelizing by “word” we’re called to speak the authentic gospel. What is the authentic
gospel? In a nutshell it’s this: God made humankind in His own image, to share in relationship with
Him. By our rebellion against His ways, which we call sin, we became separated from God. God
loves us so much that He provided for us the way back to relationship with Him, and that way is
Jesus Christ. We invite Jesus into our lives by faith as our Savior, and the Lord whom we follow.
When we do this He gives us His deep peace. And He guides and blesses our lives through the
scriptures, the sacraments, the Holy Spirit, and his body of followers on
this earth which we call the church. That’s basically it. That’s the good news in a nutshell!
But please listen, because this is terribly important: However much we proclaim the good news in
word, our word is weakened when we fail to evangelize by deed. That is, if we don’t generally walk
the talk, why should people believe us? How many times have you heard the criticism that
Christians are a bunch of hypocrites? This is a very common response in this time. Actually, a
friend of mine in Arizona, whenever he hears this from someone, has a reply. He says, “You’re
absolutely right. The church is full of hypocrites. And there’s always room for one more.”
This underscores how we are all, all sinners in need of Grace. Yet the scriptures are also clear that
genuine faith will produce, at least over time, genuine change in our lives. And this is where our
actions become a critical factor. The fact of the matter is, our actions may speak with a much louder
voice than our words. Gross contradictions between what we say and how we live disqualifies our
witness to an injured and distrusting world. It actually may do damage to the cause of Christ. Now
no one of us is anywhere near perfect. But a basically congruent life, a life lived transparently in
love of God and neighbor, attracts the eyes of people hungry for genuineness and love, and opens
doors to the good news of Jesus.
And again, we’re not talking about walking around with haloes, and angels singing when we enter
the room. And we’re not talking about inflexibly pushing the gospel at people who aren’t remotely
prepared to hear it. For most people we need to build the groundwork of friendship before we can
hope to influence them to try Jesus.
St. Paul provides us with a more natural, attainable picture of a Christian lifestyle which the seeker
may find attractive. He writes to the Christians in Thessalonica: “Now about brotherly love we do not
need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other… Yet we urge
you, brothers, to do so more and more. Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own
business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect
of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”
Minding our business, working for a living, leading a quiet life, loving those whom God places in our
lives. This simple lifestyle speaks volumes when we stay aware of the people God places in our
lives. You see, minding our own business doesn’t mean ignoring those around us. In fact, to be an
effective presence for Christ, it’s important to be scanning our surroundings often to find ways we
can love our neighbor and spread through deed the gospel of Jesus. It means sharing small
kindnesses. It means spending the energy to listen to people. To be there for them and learn
about them. To enter into their world. Because what we hear, may one day help us more effectively
to spread the good news. If we can step into others’ worlds for a while, and listen to their
perspectives, this often will create opportunities not only to gain a friendship, but also to share the
most precious treasure in this life—the gospel of Jesus Christ.
John Stott sees this attentiveness to others as analogous to what God has done for us in the
Incarnation. In the Incarnation God spanned the gap between himself and us by entering our world.
Stott writes, “Christians and non-Christians are often widely separated from one another by social
subcultures and lifestyles, as well as by different values, beliefs and moral standards. Only an
incarnation can span these divides, for an incarnation means entering other people’s worlds.
Entering their thought-world, and the world of their alienation, loneliness and pain.”
It’s not magic. It doesn’t take any superhuman ability. But if we’re simply willing to be there for
others and display a lifestyle that corresponds with what we believe as Christians, God is only too
eager to use us in a powerful and satisfying way fishing for people.
I hope these little points take some of the mystery and anxiety out of the “e” word. My prayer is that
each of us may effectively embody the good news of Christ in thought, word, and deed. May we
spend time getting to know our Lord and His ways better and better. May we be faithful in
proclaiming the authentic words of life he gave to us. And, as He continues to form us in His
likeness, may we live the lives he wants us to live to draw others to His saving grace. Amen.
Fishing for People
(Matthew 4:12-23)
(Matthew 4:12-23)
January 27, 2008
Fr. Dan Tuton
Fr. Dan Tuton