What Atheists Can Teach Christians

What Atheists Can Teach Christians

Matthew 4:12-23   |   1/26/2014

The Church of the Wayfarer

Norm Mowery, Pastor

          Commentary on the scripture:

          John the Baptist, Jesus’s cousin, best friend, and mentor was just arrested.

          For Jesus the time had come when He must get on with his task.

          This scripture features three dynamics of Jesus at the opening of his ministry.

          First, is the way Matthew connects Jesus to the prophetic tradition—the Hebrew Scriptures

          Next, is Jesus' initial calling of his disciples.

          The passage then concludes with a brief description of Jesus carrying out his ministry throughout Galilee.

          Carl Iverson sent the following titled, ‘Hymns for Everyone.’        

                   The Dentist's Hymn: Crown Him With Many Crowns
                   The Contractor's Hymn: The Church's One Foundation
                   The Tailor's Hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy
                   The Golfer's Hymn: There is A Green Hill Far Away
                   The Optometrist's Hymn: Open My Eyes That I Might See
                   The IRS Agent's Hymn: I Surrender All
                   The Gossip's Hymn: Pass It On
                   The Pilot's Hymn: I'll Fly Away
                   The Paramedic's Hymn: Revive Us Again
                   The Judge's Hymn: Almost Persuaded
                   The Shoe Repairer's Hymn: It Is Well With My Soul 

          Thanks, Carl!

          For the past ten years I have been a part of a men’s group that meets once a year down at Big Sur. It’s an interesting group of business professionals, community leaders and politicians.

          I will never forget that the first year I went to this group we were at Congressman Sam Farr’s property down near Lucia. It is a beautiful place high on a cliff overlooking the Pacific.

          I was being my friendly Norm self and walked up to a guy I had never met before, stuck my hand out, and said, “Hi, I’m Norm. I’m the Pastor of the Church of the Wayfarer.”

          The guy I greeted stuck out his hand and said, “Hi, I’m John (not his real name), I’m an atheist!”

          I was shocked.     

          I just stood there and thought, “Duh, OKAY, so, what do I say now!”

          I was really getting off to a good start with this group.

          I think I said, “Well it’s nice to know you anyway.”

          But then he and I sat down on the edge of a cliff and talked for a couple of hours. Since that time I have become good friends with him.

          You might be surprised to learn that many people become atheists because they are not hearing a strong message of spiritual transformation in their churches.

          In our scripture Jesus gives a strong message.

          "Repent," says Jesus, “turn your life around.”

          Jesus invites people to follow him only if they are willing to pay the price.

          People want to hear this.

          They really do.
          Especially atheists!

          Atheists don't want less Christianity.

          They want a more serious and vital version of it.

          I got this information from Larry Taunton who recently conducted a series of interviews with people who have become atheists.  He reports his discoveries in The Atlantic Magazine (June 2013).

          In his research he found that most people become atheists after spending time in church!

          In the article he quotes a college student who became an atheist,

          “Church became a mushy mix of ceremony, handholding and kumbaya.”

          "I missed my old youth pastor," he said with disgust. "He actually knew the Bible."

          So what can atheists teach us to help us create a stronger church?

          For starters, Atheists want us to be clear about the Christian message.

          Jesus certainly was.

          As he begins his ministry, the gospel of Matthew says that he goes to Capernaum, by the Sea of Galilee, precisely because he sees his mission as a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah:

          "Across the Jordan, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the shadow of death light has dawned".

          Jesus moves to Capernaum by the sea so that the people sitting in darkness can see a great light.

          He begins his ministry with a focus on replacing the shadow of death with the light of life.

          We need this light today.

          The darkness of despair still needs to be replaced by the light of clarity.

                    Ignorance enlightened by insight.

                    Addiction overcome by self-control.

                    Illness overpowered by healing.

                    Isolation eliminated by community.

          Each of us has some dark corners in our lives.

          Places where we feel hopeless,

                   sinful,

                             lost,

                                      overwhelmed and alone.

          But when the great light of Christ begins to shine, we move from darkness into a new day.

          Unfortunately, many churches fail to be clear about the Christian message. They put Christ's light under a bushel, ignoring the fact that he says, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life".

         

          Next, atheists remind us to keep Christ closely connected to real life.

          Reflecting on her experience in church, a college student in the article named Stephanie said,

          "The connection between Jesus and a person's life was not clear in the church."

          Churches must make a strong link between the life we live today and the life of Jesus.

          We each struggle with sin and Jesus' forgiveness.

          We wander in confusion and need Jesus' clarity.

          We take actions grounded in ignorance—as individuals and communities—and need Jesus' insights.

          Taunton says that "the church exists to proclaim the teachings of its founder, Jesus Christ, and their relevance to the world.”  

          Stephanie did not see that connection so she saw little incentive to stay in the church and became an atheist.

          We will continue to lose young people unless we proclaim the message of Christ, and allow his light to shine on every aspect of human life.

          Atheists teach us to offer thoughtful answers to life's difficult questions.

          The students interviewed said that they went to church hoping to

                   find answers to the great questions of the day,

                             as well as guidance about ethics,

                                      purpose and personal significance.

          What did they find?

          Church services that were often shallow and irrelevant.

          As Ben, an engineering student said in the article, "I really started to get bored with church."

          We must not shy away from offering solid answers to difficult questions, from evolution to human sexuality if we want to stay connected to the serious minded Christians around us.

          Atheists push us to take the Bible seriously and invite people to follow Jesus. Without exception, the former church-attenders interviewed by Taunton expressed respect for Christians who embrace biblical teaching.

          They may not believe the words of the Bible themselves, but they admire people who are authentic and who act on their beliefs.

          Jesus certainly did this when he called his first disciples along the banks of the Sea of Galilee. He sees two fishermen, the brothers Simon Peter and Andrew, casting their net into the sea.

          Jesus says to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." Immediately they leave their nets and follow him.

          Jesus is bold enough to walk up to two complete strangers and challenge them to follow him in a life of discipleship.

          He cannot control their response,

                    but he believes in what he is doing and is willing to act on his beliefs.

          They sense that he is so authentic and committed to his mission that they drop their nets and follow him.

          Matthew tells us that Jesus sees two other brothers, James and John, in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He calls them, and immediately they leave the boat and their father and follow Jesus.

          So Jesus is now four for four in terms of succeeding in getting people to follow him.

          The passage ends with Matthew telling us that "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom".

          Jesus is entirely consistent in word and deed.

          He teaches and preaches about the kingdom of God, and then shows that this kingdom is coming by curing disease and sickness among the people.

          His authenticity inspires people to follow him,

                   and then his disciples recruit others to follow as well.

          Unfortunately, we're failing to invite people to follow Jesus with this same kind of enthusiasm. Atheists are critical of this. As one student said, "I really can't consider a person as a good Christian if he isn't trying to convert me."

          To me that is surprising coming from a person who probably doesn't want to be converted.

          Even if the conversion of atheists is not our specific focus, we should certainly be willing to share our excitement about being a follower of Jesus.

          And why shouldn't we be excited?

          - Jesus shows us the truth of God like no other person who has ever lived.
          - Jesus brings the kingdom of heaven into the very middle of human life.
          - Jesus teaches us how to love the Lord and love our neighbors as ourselves.
          - Jesus demonstrates how to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.

          Why shouldn't we be excited?

          A religious woman upon waking up each morning would open her front door stand on the porch and scream, "Praise the Lord."
          This infuriated her atheist neighbor who would always make sure to counter back, "there is no Lord."
          One morning the atheist neighbor overheard his neighbor praying for food.       Thinking it would be funny, he went and bought her all sorts of groceries and left them on her porch.
          The next morning the lady screamed, "Praise the Lord, who gave me this food."

          The neighbor, laughing so hard he could barely get the words out, screamed "it wasn't the Lord, it was me."
          The lady without missing a beat screamed, "Praise the Lord for not only giving me food but making the atheist pay for it!!"

          The atheists of the world can show us how to be loyal disciples—people who follow Jesus faithfully and invite others to do the same.

          We can each be clearer about the Christian mission and message.

          We can make efforts to connect Christ more closely to real life.

          We can offer more thoughtful answers to life's difficult questions.

          And we can take the Bible seriously and invite others to follow Jesus.

          The light of Christ has come into our lives, and we should never hide it from others.

          Jesus has called each of us to follow him, and to "fish for people" as well.         We are being complacent if we don't share our excitement about Jesus and the life of discipleship with others. At least that's what the atheists tell us.
                                                                                                                         Prayer
          Jesus, we claim to be your followers and we say that we are your disciples.                          Are we really living as you would have us live?
                   Give us boldness to share your truth.
                   Give us hearts that are willing to turn from our own desires to follow      yours.
                   Give us courage to love our enemies.
                   Give us faith that triumphs doubt.
                   If we are truly your followers,

                             truly your disciples,

                             please show us what that really means

                             and let us not be afraid to live it out. Amen.