I think most churches tend to be islands. Church is treated as an entity which is separate from the world--images of hope or salvation. Church is where the sacraments are....and then mission becomes this "build it and the people will come" idea. (ie, build the right program, get the right worship, invite a friend to worship...) The idea is that if we can only get people into the church, salvation will happen.
But you can't fish on an island. You can't cast a net on dry land.
Fishing for men can't happen in the church.
And half the point of fishing is to get out of the house anyways, right?
Moreover, these models tend to put the agency of 'catching' on our side--when it's not. I find words like 'catch' or 'bait' or 'reeling in'--these are problematic where mission is concerned. But the point is the same. We just have to remember that disciples don't hold the pole. If anything, we're an extension of the line--and we need to go where God casts us.
Or maybe Jesus' point wasn't about 'catching' at all. Maybe he said that 'cause he was talking to a bunch of fisherman. Maybe he was saying that mission is now what you do. Mission is your livelihood.
No comments:
Post a Comment