Go Fish!

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.”

~ Matthew 4:19 & Mark 1:17

When I was first called to serve at Bethel, we adopted as our theme for the year “Growing in Faith – Growing in Community.”  We began that theme with Advent in December 2007.  We didn’t rely on it very heavily through the year, but it did guide some of my preaching and teaching that year.

God has been stirring something in my heart that has made me consider mission in greater depth.  Beginning with Advent this year, I would like our theme to be Go Fish! We all know the game, but this theme has a Biblical basis as you can see from the Scripture reference above: “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.”  I hope to explore this theme through preaching and in other ways throughout our congregation over the coming year.  Part of this exploration will include answering questions like “Why do we share the message of Jesus?”  Just so we talk about this early on … our purpose is not to “go fishing” to get more people to get more money to support the budget.

So … is it crazy for a Lutheran pastor to be talking about evangelism, mission, and sharing our faith?  It certainly is easier for us to talk about other things – maybe more interesting things or more fun things.  If you go fishing, you don’t expect the fish to come to you when it is convenient for you.  If you go in the heat of the day, you are likely not going to find fish, especially top dwellers.  You pay attention to the weather, the kind of bait, and where in the water the fish you are seeking are likely to be found.  In the same way, we can’t expect people outside our church to wander in.

Recently, I attended a workshop on reaching out to young adults and another on starting a new congregation.  It’s fascinating to look at an established congregation like ours and listen to what it takes to get a new congregation going.  There is much that we take for granted and that we stop doing once we develop patterns and traditions.  I also lead a retreat for our conference clergy on missiology (“the conscious, intentional, ongoing reflection on the doing of mission.  It includes theory(ies) of mission, the study and teaching of mission, as well as the research, writing, and publication of works regarding mission” – Neely 2000, 633).

As we begin this new year in the church (Advent), I will be committing some of my time to being in the “mission field” and being in conversation with those who may never have been to church and those who have grown weary of the “institution” of the church.  We will also pray for our sister congregations in the Fairfax Conference as they too engage in mission.

In this edition of the Bell Tower, you will see opportunities to invite people: Christmas Eve services and the December 5 service where we will “claim the season for the Son.”  I invite you to pay attention to those around you and whether they have a church home.  What are their questions of faith?  Do they avoid things of faith?  Why?

Join me this year as we follow Jesus and become more aware of the needs and circumstances of those who don’t already know Him.

In Christ,

Pastor Jeff