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First Parish
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Catch The Spirit |
Linda B. Hirst
Scripture: Luke 5:1-11
My son and I were driving past the church at the Beach
the other day - Union Congregational Church - and I looked at their sign which
I always
do to see what cute little saying it has on it - I’ve
never been good at cute little saying which is why you won’t see me outside
making them up
for our church sign.
That’s Rich’s job. So we were
driving by the church looking at the sign which said, “Persevere. Fish on.”
And I
admit to being a little puzzled by the sign - didn’t
quite get it - sometimes that happens - so I said out loud...just to myself
really,
because sometimes talking out loud helps us
understands things better – I said... Persevere. Fish on.
What does that mean?
And my son, whom I didn’t think was listening, because
being 15 why would he, said to me, “Fish on.
The disciples were fisherman. They’re
supposed to fish for people. Get it.”
And then he rolled his eyes as only a 15 year old can do and my first
thought was, “Why you little...”
but then my next thought was, “He knows. He knows the
story. All those years of bringing him
to church, some of his own free will, some of it
not, all those years in Sunday school, confirmation
and youth group - are paying off. He
knows the story.
And we drove off together in silence, my son, secretly
annoyed with his mother who apparently does not know the story of Jesus calling
his
disciples, and me, secretly pleased because he does.
I share that with you this morning because it’s Rally
Day and we’ve just sent a bunch of kids off to Sunday School with some great
teachers
which this church has been doing for years now - raise
your hand if your had a child or your children have gone to go to Sunday School
here - and
we do this because we all want our children to know
the stories, the great old stories, we all want our children to have faith - we
all want
for them and for ourselves and people we know and love
- to have faith, to know God’s goodness and mercy and love and forgiveness, to
know the
strength and courage of faith, to know the joy of
faith and the adventure that comes from being disciples of Christ. And while we can’t
give anyone faith - that alone is a gift of God - we
can provide a place and opportunities and people to help it grow.
So without further ado, I’m going to read to you this morning
from the gospel of Luke, the story of Jesus calling his first disciples.
I have a friend named
and says things like....”wouldn’t it be fun if we...”
and then you can in the blank with pretty much anything. With my friend
a mission trip to Orland
(wouldn’t it be fun if we, she said)
With my friend
foundation with five teenagers from
frightening and amazing things I’ve ever done.
My friend
wasn’t. Seven
and and half hours later we finished 2770th out of 3000 people - that’s 30th
from the end, all the food they promised us would
be at the end of the race was gone by the time we got
there and I was sore for a month, my pride wounded beyond repair. I vowed never to walk
another marathon again.
And then
breast cancer?” This time she was right.
you’ll have fun once you do it, and then proceeds to
knock down every obstacle and excuse you come up with - and believe me, I come
up with a
lot - because there is adventure up ahead and she
wants you to experience it.
I love my friend
important, a more faith-filled person.
I think this stems from our common roots in a
Methodist home-repair ministry we worked with 20 years ago.
We worked in neighboring counties in
warmer, safer, drier.
Every day we’d sweat in the hot
trailers filled with 3/4” sheetrock and 90 lb. rolled
roofing. We’d get up at the crack of
dawn to run to the lumber yard to get 2x6’s for floor
joists, we’d run back to lead devotions with the youth
groups at the school before they went off to work, and during the day we’d
visit the
work sites, deliver supplies, encourage the kids by
saying things like:
That’s o.k., you can barely notice that hole in the
wall... a little joint compound and tape and it’ll be fixed in no time - and my, you did
get a lot of paint on you, did you get any on the
wall. Good for you!
In the evening we’d sing songs and play games, have
meaningful discussions, and if we were
lucky... around
we were lucky. It was exhausting. And we loved it. By the end of the summer we
were hooked - we couldn’t wait to go back.
It just so happened... that very summer... the
Methodists from
The idea being that faith - if it is truly going to
stick - has to be “caught”. And after my summer in
made sense.
And since that summer in 1984 I’ve seen this proven
time and time again. You send a bunch of
kids away on a mission trip - some a little
reluctantly - they’re a little nervous, they don’t
know what they’re getting into and then something happens to them during the
week...
they’re surrounded by all these other kids doing the same thing, they’re singing and
talking and doing new things - putting their faith
into action - and before you know it, before they know
it, they’re having a great time.
And when it’s time to come home there are hugs and
tears and when we reach
their parents, all they can talk about is how they
can’t wait for next year’s trip. They’ve
“caught the spirit.” In two weeks you will see the
slide show on what has come to be known as
catch the spirit, then too.
I’ve seen it happen during a fun-filled and boisterous
week of
hearts out - singing songs like Joy to the World and
Every move I make I make in you, You are my way Jesus - and Amazing Grace, how
sweet the
Sound, Amazing Love, now flowing down - or when at the
end of the week they turn to their parents and say, “I wish we could have
Vacation
Which let me tell you right now is a lovely idea but
it’s never going to happen. And we know, as they listen to their VBS songs over
and over
again in the car on the way home, much to their
parents delight, that they’ve caught the spirit.
I’ve seen it happen to adults on mission trips as well
- just ask any of those who went to Buffalo this year - Anne, Kathy, Randy,
Nancy,
Linda, Chick, Mike, Rich or myself, and I’ve seen it
happen in bible studies - where faith is shared and lived among a group of
women and men
- and I’ve seen it happen in worship when the Holy
Spirit is doing it’s thing and people leave to face the world renewed and
changed by God’s Word and God’s ways.
When I was a teenager I “caught the spirit” from our
ministers, our youth group and the mission trips we went on . I caught it from my
Sunday School teachers - those men and women who made
church school fun, and even though I don’t remember a whole that I learned from
them, I
remember them and how good and safe and special they
made us feel. And I got it from the
ladies who snuck us the good cookies off the grown up
table at coffee hour when they thought no one else was
looking, and we got it from my youth group advisors - just regular folks like
you and me
who took time out of their busy lives to share their
faith and enthusiasm and their love of God with a bunch of kids.
And I think the disciples “caught the spirit” that day
from Jesus when he showed up that day on the shores of
something about him - maybe it was in the way he
taught the crowds on the beach - proclaiming the good news of the
would hear, maybe it was in the way he helped them
catch more fish than they could handle, or maybe it was in the way he invited
them to come
along and announced to them, “don’t be afraid, soon you’ll be doing what
I’m doing, soon you’ll be catching people”.
Soon, they’d be
helping others catch the spirit, too.
Jesus knew, as did those Methodists in
it with us in the way they live, the things they say
and do, who they are, and we find ourselves wanting to be just like them -
people of God,
disciples of Christ and members of the church.
Which brings me back to my friend
from her parents who took her to the Methodist church
as a girl in her hometown of
others ever since.
She does this by how she lives, by seeing the potential and possible in
every situation instead of the impossible.
She does it in how she deals with conflict and
tragedy; trusting that when all is said and done everything really will be
o.k. She does it by
laughing...a lot...especially at those things that
tend to frustrate us and make us crazy if we let them.
And she does it by believing that God has blessed her
richly with this life she has and with God’s help, she’s going to make the most
of it and
share it with those around her. And in all these things I see
alone is contagious.
Which is why when I’m with her I can’t help but catch the spirit she
has, and my faith has grown and continues to grow
because of it.
I don’t know what adventures lay ahead for me and my
friend
be fun if we...” and I will pretend to drag my feet
and throw up an obstacle or two, but secretly I will be looking forward to
whatever she
has in store for us - another marathon....a week long
building project with Habitat for Humanity - Who knows. But I do know, whatever we end
up doing, my life will be enriched because of it. Because that’s what happens when you have a
friend like
be to God for friends, for people like that. May we be those people, too?
Let us pray:
Gracious God, in the day and weeks ahead, give us what
we need, we pray, to be your faithful servants, faithful disciples, faithful
members of the church.
May we live our lives, live our faith in such a way as to inspire,
encourage, comfort those around us.