Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Matthew 4:22 ESV
Jesus, the Great Disruptor
Lawyers have a name for it, of course. In numerous business contracts and bankruptcy arrangements, attorneys are fond of including the phrase “in the normal course of business” in their documents. The phrase refers to activities that are a natural part of the daily grind for businesses; for example, buying raw materials, paying employees or sending invoices to customers. In these cases, these kinds of agreements allow a company’s managers to continue doing the routine stuff without interference.
Routines are a part of human nature, whether found in our families, government, businesses or our church. If you have a dog at home, you can be sure that it has developed an accurate list of your family’s daily routines. The dog knows when you should be back from work, eat, play and sleep. It’s all mapped out in the canine brain. Both to us and our pets, the Status Quo provides a certain amount of certainty in an unpredictable world.
Jesus biographers in the New Testament tell us that Jesus was often a disrupter of the political, social and religious Status Quo in first century Palestine. He cleansed the Temple, called the Pharisees harsh names, and tripped up the scribes and lawyers with ideas that blew their comfort zones out of the water.
Jesus didn’t confine His disruption to the political and religious Establishment. This weekend at Trinity Downtown we’ll be discussing a time when Jesus radically upset the Status Quo of some blue-collar workers as they were going about their “normal course of business.” To these fisherman, Jesus’ radical Call required a radical response from them.
And Jesus continues Calling today. He invites us to come experience what it is like to follow Him. Being a Christian isn’t just a sterile exercise in following certain rules, engaging in certain rituals, or believing certain creeds. Following Jesus sometimes entails abandoning our routines so we can engage in a life-long relationship-building journey with Him. Along the way with Jesus we’ll experience joys we never anticipated and fight important battles and achieve victories which we might have otherwise sidestepped. And just like the James and John in this weekend’s Scripture reading, we are all commissioned to invite other people to follow His lead.
This weekend at Trinity Downtown come and hear what Jesus might want to say to you about your “normal course of business.” Your kids won’t want to miss our “Kingdom Quest” pre-school and student gatherings, and you’ll enjoy making new friends and learning more about your faith in our expanded array of adult bible study classes, all held at 9:30 am on Sunday.
Come learn how placing our faith and fears in the hands of Jesus can lessen our stress load and bring deep transformation in our hearts. Celebrate with us the depth of Jesus’ love for us and find out how you can live a life of significance, filled with meaning. Discover how following Jesus can help you and your family navigate around the minefields of life.
Come get a fresh jolt of spiritual energy at Trinity Downtown. It will make a tremendous difference in your life.