Follow Me! Mark 1:14-20

 

    My memories of Christian Formation take me back to the 4^th grade.  I had been in church since my mom was allowed to take me out as an infant.  I have memories prior to 4^th grade.  I remember faking passing out in the second grade and scaring O’nelia Whitaker my Sunday school teacher to death because I wanted my grandmother and knew if I were sick, they would go get her.  I remember the little chairs with bunny rabbit backs and Bible school cookies and red Kool-Aid.  I remember my 3^rd grade Sunday School teacher, Jerry Pagett and him being the first teacher to ask us to pray out loud.  But the 4^th grade was when I really remember beginning to learn things like the books of the Bible and who the 12 disciples were.   Edna Frady and Charlene Noland were my teachers and Edna always made sure there was a song to teach us what she wanted us to learn.  There were prizes too for knowing the books of the Bible, for memorizing our verse for the week, and for knowing the 12 disciples. 

 

There were 12 Disciples Jesus called to help him, Simon, Peter Andrew and his brother John.  Phillip, Thomas Matthew James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon, Judas and Bartholomew

 

He has called us too. He has called us too. We are his disciples; I am one and you. 

He has called us too; He has called us too.  We are his disciples; we his work must do.

 

I am so thankful for these memories that flooded my heart and soul this week as I prepared for this sermon.  The memories of the foundation of my faith.  The memories of my own calling by Jesus to follow him.  For me that call was a call to professional Christian ministry.  That call was lit in my heart and my life in that little rock church on the hill in Asheville.  It was rekindled when I was already a social worker and was asked by Rev. Nancy Sehested to preach for her one Sunday in the small church I attended in Clyde NC.  It was nurtured more at Longs Chapel Untied Methodist Church where my Sunday School class saw the gifts God had given me for ministry and encouraged me to further nurture that call on my life.  The nurturing I received from Long’s chapel took root and fruit was born from that nurturing when Long’s United Methodist supported my candidacy for ordination and has continued to grow as I went to Seminary, and then have served the South Macon Charge and now here.  For me, the calling that God put on my life was to preach and teach the good news of the Kingdom of God, proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is on earth as it is in heaven.  The calling God put on my life was to walk with people on their life journey breathing God’s story into their lives in the critical moments of life such as marriage and bringing new life into this world as well as during times of sickness and death.  For me God’s calling is to spread the news that God is love and to spread that love into my circle of influence.  For me God’s calling is to lead others to see the oppressed of this world with the eyes of God and to seek justice for those who are oppressed or living on the margins. 

            Answering this call meant sacrifice.  It meant leaving a 20-year career that was stable and comfortable.  It meant spending less time with my family as I went to seminary.  It meant being willing to move away from the comforts of home. 

 

            What about you?  What has God called you to do.  For most people God’s calling is not into professional ministry yet as the little song suggests, we are all called to be God’s disciples and do God’s work.  Scripture tells us that we are each given gifts.  Those gifts are different for each of us.  One of my favorite quotes is from Fredrick Buchner who states that “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”  Where do your talents and gifts meet a need in the world?  That is where God is calling you. 

God’s calling is exactly where our scriptures take us this morning.  Listen to the words of the Gospel of Mark this morning from Mark Chapter 1 verse 14-20.

¹⁴ Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news^[a] of God,^[b] 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near;^[c] repent, and believe in the good news.”^[d]

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

¹⁶ As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” ¹⁸ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. ¹⁹ As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. ²⁰ Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

 

This story picks up after Jesus’ Baptism and after the spirit has driven him into the wilderness where he is tempted by Satan for 40 days and he overcomes those temptations.  He now enters back into society with this victory and begins his ministry after John the Baptist is arrested.  Mark doesn’t give us any details about that arrest but just says after he was arrested Jesus left and went to Galilee where he began preaching and proclaiming that “the time is fulfilled.”  What Jesus is referring to is the prophecy of Isaiah.  Isaiah chapter 9 reads: 

 

But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

^2 [b] The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
    on them light has shined.

 

For a child has been born for us,
    a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
    and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ His authority shall grow continually,
    and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
    He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

 

This is the time that Jesus says has been fulfilled.  Jesus, here in the Galilean land is the light in the darkness, he is the kingdom of God come near.  It has arrived with him. He calls the people to repent or to turn toward that Kingdom, to grasp onto it and trust in it.  Then he goes along the shore and begins calling people to join this way to Kingdom living.  The gospel of John tells us that Jesus had already met Peter and Andrew.  Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist who had declared Jesus as the lamb of God.  He and another of John’s disciples had followed Jesus asking him where he was staying. They called him Rabbi, meaning teacher.    Jesus had invited them to come and see and they went and they spent the day with him.  In the time Andrew spent with Jesus that day he was able to see that Jesus was more than a Rabbi, He was the Messiah.  He was the promised one.  The first thing he had done was to go and get his brother Simon and bring him to Jesus.  Jesus named Simon, Peter.  Now, as Mark tells the story we find Andrew in Simon in their boat fishing.  This was their career and Jesus come to the lakeshore and he calls out to them and Says “come, follow me and I will make you fishers of people.”  He then calls James and John the sons of Zebedee, who were mending their nets.  All of these men immediately stopped what they were doing and followed Jesus. 

 

There are several things we learn from this story. 

 

First, we learn that Jesus intends for his kingdom to be a communal kingdom where we have partners in the journey.  It is not meant to be a solo endeavor.  He goes out and begins gathering companions for the journey. 

 

Second, we learn that in the Kingdom of God we are transformed and we are called to transform the lives of others through the introduction of the love of Christ into their lives.

 

This story also tells us how we are supposed to respond to God’s call and what it means to respond to God’s call.  Each of the men that were called in this story left immediately to follow Jesus.  They left their careers.  They left family.  I am not saying this is what God calls all of us to do but I do believe that when we say yes to God’s call, we are saying no to something else.   When I knew that God was calling me into full time ministry, I knew that meant that I was going to have to leave a comfortable career that was stable for, uncertainty.  I was only 10 years away from retirement and just 5 away from being able to take early retirement. When I got my first appointment, I took a 20,000 a year pay cut.  So, when we decide to follow Jesus there is something we will be giving up.  What would you have to give up to take your next step in your faith journey?  What is it that God is calling you to do.

 

As I said earlier Fredrick Buechner states that God’s call is where your passions meet the worlds needs.  What is the world needing that your gifts could assist with.  Think about what it is that you are passionate about or that you are very skilled at.  Luke Lackman knows a bit about tax preparation and volunteers his time helping people at the senior center prepare their taxes.  Sarah Hammet takes her passion for animals and volunteers extensively for the humane society.  Gerald and Stanlena Allen are business owners who pour the love of God into their employees and their customers.  Dawn Allen has been given the gift of meeting people where they are and loving them for who they are and she pours that love into the residents of McAlpine.  We have school teachers who have the opportunity to pour God’s love into their students, going the extra mile every day.  I could go on and on about the ways I see God at work in each of your lives. 

 

Jesus came into Galilee announcing that God’s reign was here.  All of Jesus ministry was spent showing us what it meant to be part of God’s Kingdom.  Our alliance above all other alliances is to the Kingdom of God.  To know how to follow Jesus, we, like Peter, Andrew, James and John, must become students of Jesus.  We must learn all there is to know about his life and his actions.  We must learn how to listen for his voice and discern what it is he is calling us individually and as a church to do.  Jesus presence in Galilee sent a strong message to the Jewish people that God’s love and kingdom are for all.  We must learn how to live that inclusive nature of God’s love out in our own communities. 

 

This week, with your newsletter, you will be receiving a brochure about all the Discipleship opportunities we will be offering this year to lean into these things.  Perhaps your next step is to commit to one or all of these opportunities to gather with your church family to learn how to walk with Jesus, how to listen for God’s call, how to immerse yourself in Bible Study and Prayer and how to be faithful and inclusive. 

 

Jesus is standing at the shore and calling out to you this morning.  Come, follow me and transform lives.  How do you answer that call this morning.  Will you recommit to following Jesus today.  Will you turn toward God and God’s Kingdom and trust in God and God’s Kingdom.  I have decided to follow Jesus, how about you?