Drop your nets

Yesterday I preached at Westminster Thurber Retirement Community.  They are without a chaplain right now and Larry, who teaches the Bible study with me, asked me to help out.  I had previously preached there in November.  I preached twice - at 2:30 for the people in the care center and at 3:30 for the general community.

The lectionary text was Mark 1: 14-20 and the calling of the disciples.  I used a sermon that I had used in the past, but tailored it to this community and find I am thinking about it still.  When Jesus called the fishermen to "follow me" they "dropped their nets" and went with him.  Their nets represented their identity, their living, their security.  

I talked about how, as seniors, we have all dropped a lot of nets along the way.  We have retired which is challenging because so often that has been our identity and our purpose.  And the people who live in a retirement community, like me at this point in my life, have also sold their homes and given away a lot of "stuff" that had memories and meaning in order to live somewhere new.  As I pondered the text, I knew that that is hardly the end of dropping nets.

I found myself thinking about Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development with Generativity verses Stagnation being one we go through.  When we are generative we are making commitments to other people, mentoring, caring for the next generation.  Stagnation is placing self concern above all else and not being involved with others or the world.  It really is getting stuck.   What I know is that it is easy to get comfortable with the status quo and not try any new things.  Keep reading the same kind of books, being with the same kind of people, doing what I always do.  (Yes!  I am always preaching to myself.)

My life with John has led me into new interests - like football of all things.  I can't believe that this year i will actually know and care who is going to be in the Super Bowl.  But I know that more is coming and more is needed in terms of my being "generative" or really, fully alive.  Dropping the nets is the beginning, but the next thing needs to be taking a risk and being open  - not just to the next interest - but the next opportunity to serve others and essentially follow Jesus. 

It is easy to preach it - now I need to do it.