| Psalm 130 Jeremiah 3:21-4:2 1 Corinthians 7:17-23 Mark 1:14-20 |
When Sherry, my stepdaughter, was in High School she made tee shirts for everyone in the family for Christmas. I loved mine so much that I decided to have it framed instead of wearing it. It now hangs on the wall in my office. This morning I brought it out so that all of you could see it. In the drawing Sherry captured two of the things that I love to do most in life - fishing and being a disciple or priest for Jesus Christ.
The picture of the fisherman is very pastoral or peaceful. It appears as if he might even be catching a cat nap as he sits with pole in hand on the tranquil waters of a lake. It is a very inviting scene.
The scene from the Gospel of Mark that we have just heard this morning is almost as inviting, but in a different way. Jesus begins his public ministry after Herod has arrested John the Baptist and placed him in a dungeon. He begins with the familiar call of John the Baptist to repent because the kingdom of God is near. As I heard Marilou read this passage I could feel the excitement that Mark must have been feeling as he wrote his Gospel.
It is an excitement that I really don’t feel when I look at the picture. In the picture there is no action. The picture and the quote, "I will make you fishers of men," from the Gospel of Mark contradict one another. While a sense of inner peace can be gained by accepting Jesus Christ and becoming one of his disciples, to follow Jesus it not to drift about aimlessly not caring if you catch any fish or not.
The New Testament is full of action. The Wednesday Bible Study Group is studying the Acts of the Apostles. I am sure that they would all agree with me that the story of the early church did not find the disciples relaxing in a boat on the Sea of Galilee casually throwing there nets into the water to catch fish. Nor do we find the disciples wandering through the streets of Jerusalem or other towns waiting for people to come to them inquiring about Jesus. What we find in the Acts of the Apostles are men and women excited and eager to tell about Jesus. At times it is almost as if they can’t shut up.
As we read the story of Jesus and his disciples it can all seem so simple. Take our reading from Mark this morning. Jesus is walking on the seashore of the Sea of Galilee and sees two brothers, Simon, better known to us a Peter, and Andrew, fishing. He calls to them, "Follow me and I will make you fish for people." It says, "And immediately they left their nets and followed him." There is no hesitation on the part of Simon and Andrew. They just drop what they are doing and follow.
To emphasize this response to Jesus, Mark states that as Jesus went on a little farther down the beach he saw two other brothers, James and John. He called to them as well and they also dropped what they were doing and followed.
When we read of the activity of the disciples in the Acts of the Apostles we find stories like Peter preaching on the day of Pentecost to a crowd that was so moved by what he said that the disciples ended up baptizing them – all three thousand of them. Now that must have been some sermon!
Last Sunday Cam Clark asked for help in trying to get a couple that he knows to come to church. My response was a bit on the sarcastic side. It was because Cam and Anne are responsible for bringing two couples into our parish in the past year and a half. He must be doing something right in order to get that kind of a response.
For Cam, and all of you, there is no magical method to invite or get people to come to church, or to want to become followers of Jesus Christ.
Try as hard as we can, we cannot force someone to accept Jesus Christ until they are ready. I believe that is the message on another occasion when Jesus encountered some other would be disciples. The story is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Jesus invites some men who express an interest in becoming his disciples to "Come and follow (him)," and they come up with excuses why they cannot do it right away. This passage bothers many people because Jesus is essentially telling them, if you can’t come right now then forget it. I believe that there is an explanation for Jesus’ terseness toward
them. He has a mission to accomplish in a relatively short period of time and he doesn’t have the time to nurse these would be followers. He is recruiting the future leaders of the church and needs those who are willing to give total commitment to him.
But times have changed. Yes, there should be a sense of urgency about spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. But we have more time to do it in than Jesus did. I do not believe that we are called to ignore those who come up with excuses of why they do not want to come to church with us. We need to relate to them – each in our own way – that we have something that they need.
But that is only true if we really believe that we do have something. How do you explain to someone who is content with their life that they need Jesus and a church home? Maybe its not so much in trying to explain how much they need Jesus – that can often turn people off. Maybe its trying to express in our own words how much Jesus means to us – how much its means to go to St. Philip’s on a Sunday morning and focus not on ourselves but on God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
I sensed frustration and pain in Cam’s comment last Sunday about being unable to get his friends to just come and try us out. Cam and many of you have indeed become Philips, who as we heard last week invited his friend to "Come and see." That is what we are to be about, sharing what we have received.
"Follow me and I will make you fish for people." This invitation was not just given to the disciples. It is an invitation that has been given to all of us. We as Christians, followers of Jesus Christ, his disciples, need to hear the call to action. Drop the fishing pole, get out of the boat, and share with others the good news of God in Jesus Christ.