His name is Simon, and he is a thin, fit, 27-year-old man, in perfect health.
I’m not talking about Simon Peter.
No, I’m talking about Simon Lezama.
What is so surprising about Simon Lezama is that he is riding an electric “mobility scooter” all around Las Vegas. He is taking a vacation, and because of the miles of gambling and gluttony that stretch out before him, he has decided to fork over $40 a day to rent an electric wheelchair.
Now, Simon doesn’t have to take a step. He doesn’t even have to put down his drink.
“It was all the walking,” he explained to The Associated Press (May 2007). “Now I can drink and drive, be responsible and save my feet.”
Simon, Simon — you should hear the words of Jesus, “Stand up and walk” (Matthew 9:5).
Marcel Maritz runs the scooter rental company that caters to Las Vegas visitors, and he is seeing the number of able-bodied renters 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 obese, 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.
You have to call them “Las Vegas Lazy.”
Simon Lezama provides an excellent contrast to Simon Peter in today’s passage from the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus is on the go as he begins his ministry, leaving Nazareth and making his home in Simon’s town of Capernaum, by the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:13). There Jesus hits the road — without a “mobility scooter” — and begins to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (v. 17). Everything Jesus says and does is energetic, even his announcement of the kingdom coming and breaking into the middle of human life. He insists that the kingdom of heaven is not a passive place, but is God’s active, powerful, table-turning, world-changing reign.
There’s nothing lazy about it.
As Jesus walks by the Sea of Galilee, he sees two brothers — Simon Peter and Andrew. They are working as fishermen, casting a net into the sea, and Jesus says to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people” (vv. 18-19). Notice that his initial invitation is not “listen to me,” “believe in me,” or “bow down to me” — it is “follow me.” Discipleship begins with walking … with faithful following.
Immediately they leave their nets and fall in behind him (v. 20).
Moving on down the road, Jesus sees two other brothers, James and John, who are in a boat with their father, mending their nets. He calls to them in the same way, and they leave both their boat and their father, and follow Jesus on foot (vv. 21-22).
The passage ends with Jesus striding all throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in synagogues, curing diseases, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of heaven (v. 23). Jesus is a walking spokesman for the one true God.
And how about his disciples? They have to walk as well, if they want to keep up with Jesus.
Now don’t get me wrong here. I’m not saying that people confined to wheelchairs cannot be followers of Christ. Strong legs are not a prerequisite for Christian living. Bill Luedtke, an FPC member in his 90s, often rides his motorized wheelchair to worship, and he is an awesome example of vital, active discipleship. What I am saying is that everyone is invited to respond to Jesus actively … not passively. Even those who are obese, elderly, or disabled can say an energetic “yes” when Christ calls, and fall in behind him.
To follow Jesus is to accept his invitation with passion and purpose, and to set a course in his direction. This doesn’t absolutely require the use of your legs, but it does demand the investment of your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. You cannot be “Las Vegas Lazy” as a follower of Jesus — you’ve got to put energy into this endeavor, and make your discipleship dynamic.
So let’s be more like Simon Peter than Simon Lezama. Let’s respond to the call of Christ with energetic, faithful following.
One thing I have always admired about FPC is that it is an outstanding “Great Commandment” congregation: You work hard to obey the commandment of Jesus to "love the Lord your God [and] love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39). I have felt your love deeply over the past seven years, and I’m grateful for it.
But I’m discovering that we’ve got some work to do here, beyond being a “Great Commandment” congregation. We need to work on becoming a “Great Commission” church as well. This means responding to the challenge of Jesus at the end of the Gospel of Matthew to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
The Great Commission is every bit as important as the Great Commandment. It is part of what it means to respond to the call of Christ with energetic, faithful following. It requires us to “go”!
So how do we do it? The place to begin is to invite a friend to “The Meeting Ground” here at FPC, the week of special activities that will begin on Ash Wednesday, February 6. We are a “house of prayer for all peoples,” a meeting ground for people of diverse perspectives and opinions, a place where all people can Encounter God, Experience Christ, and Express the Power of the Spirit.
You can see the schedule for The Meeting Ground in today’s bulletin, and in the postcard that was mailed to your home last week. These activities have broad appeal, and should be of interest to church members and friends alike. So don’t be shy about bringing a friend to one or more of these events. This can be the first step in becoming a “Great Commission” church.
We’re going to have to be creative if we want to practice vital, active discipleship. We’re also going to have to be honest, with ourselves and with others. This is especially important as we reach out to young adults in their 20s and 30s. One congregation that is doing this successfully is in Minneapolis, and it is called Spirit Garage — the “church with the really big door.” Its pastor for five years was Pamela Fickensher, a woman who learned an important lesson about ministry there: It is important to show your scars.
Now one thing you need to know about Pamela is that she is passionate about mountain biking. As a result, she knows a lot about falling down and getting up again. One summer she hardly ever wore shorts because her legs were so nicked up with scabs and scrapes. But still, she was proud of those scars, because they meant that she was “out there.”
The lesson from this kind of dynamic discipleship is that scars create authentic community. Faithful followers of Christ push their limits, and they are honest with each other when they fall down and bang themselves up. “To a lot of people,” says Pamela, “being authentic means that our brokenness is evident. There is no smooth polish or veneer put on our failings as individuals or as a community.”
Active disciples fall down, and get back up. They fall down, and get back up. They acquire some scars in the process, but as they show those scars they grow closer together. I’ve acquired some scars …
- as I’ve gotten banged up on construction sites, working with the Midlife Men in Honduras.
- as I’ve failed to finish training runs, preparing for the Marine Corps Marathon with our FPC team.
- as I’ve been stumped by tough questions in the Basic Bible class, perplexed by tricky issues in counseling sessions, or confused about how to deal with conflict in the life of the church.
All of these stumbles cause scars, but these failures don’t have to be destructive. If we are all honest about our brokenness, then our scars can actually strengthen us as a community. Active disciples fall down, but then they get back up. They show each other their scars, and grow closer together.
This kind of honesty is going to be essential if we are going to dig into the challenge that Jesus lays before his disciples: “Follow me,” says Jesus, “and I will make you fish for people” (v. 19).
When we follow Jesus, we fish for people — not with hooks, not with nets, not with anything tricky or manipulative. Instead, we attract people with the magnetic power of God’s work in our lives. When people see what God has been doing for us, they are naturally going to want to walk along with us, following Jesus.
This requires a bit of a stretch for many of us, because we are not accustomed to talking about God’s work in our lives. But we need to do this, because personal experience is what catches people. It is essential for us to talk about how and where God is at work in our lives, whenever we speak about the Christian faith. Think of Simon Peter, a few chapters later in Matthew, stepping out of the boat and walking toward Jesus on the water. He became frightened by the strong wind and began to sink, and it looked like he was going to go under until Jesus reached out and saved him (14:28-33). What a story. What an example of God’s power. No doubt Simon Peter told that story again and again throughout his life.
Remember: Personal experience is what catches people. If they don’t see us walking with Jesus, then they are not going to be inspired to follow Jesus themselves. Think about where you have sensed God in your own life, in a time of crisis or a moment of incredible joy. Think about where Jesus has reached out to you in a worship service, in a small group discussion, in a prayer in a hospital room, in a mission project in the community. People want to hear your story, your personal experience — and when they do, they are going to want to walk along with you.
The challenge for each of us is to hit the road — doing mission, falling down, getting up, sinking, being saved, and then being willing to tell our stories to others. That’s what it means to follow Jesus, and that’s what will attract others to be active disciples along with us.
Las Vegas laziness is not going to get us anywhere. It’s time to stand up and walk. Amen.
Sources:
Hennessey, Kathleen. “Vegas visitors are indulging in exercise avoidance.” USA TODAY, May 25-28, 2007. 2A.
Fickensher, Pamela. “Off-road ministry.” Christian Century, March 6, 2007, 21.