The four readings for today are bonded in the message of God's leadership and the desire
for us to follow. Both Simon and Andrew and James and John left their nets immediately after being called by Jesus.
No one asked to have a few more minutes to finish a project or to say good-bye. They didn't ask Jesus where they
were going or how long they'd be away. They knew they had been called by Jesus and there could be no hesitation.
They actually gave up a great deal in order to follow Jesus. The customs of that time focused on community.
Itinerancy was accepted only if a person's livelihood was dependent upon traveling from place to place, such as
merchants going from country to country. Not only were they giving up their family life and community, they were
actually going to live outside the mores of the time-in order to be The Disciples of Jesus.
Picture yourselves being confronted by a street preacher with a message to repent because the kingdom of God was
coming. Furthermore, he wants you to drop what you were doing and come along-would you be likely to do it? Was
it just because Simon and Andrew and James and John were gullible? Or was it because there was something so compelling
about Jesus that they didn't even think twice about it? They had no idea of what the future would bring, but through
the person of Jesus, they were learning to feel the presence of God. It was an epiphany!
Philip Yancey, a popular theologian, feels like he has been lied to by the Hollywood films about Jesus-films where
Jesus recites his lines evenly and without emotion. Yancey sees him as the "Prozac Jesus." He further
states: "The Gospels present a man who has such charisma that people will sit three days straight, without
food, just to hear his riveting words." This is why Simon and Andrew and James and John followed Jesus.
What does it mean to be a disciple? The word "Disciple", translated from Greek, means "learner,"
an apprentice or pupil attached to a teacher or movement. These men stayed with Jesus, learning about God, learning
to teach, and learning to heal. Two thousand years later they, in the shadow of Jesus, are still making an impact
on the lives of Christians. This only holds true, though, if we, as Christians, are also disciples willing to
learn, teach, and heal. Being a Disciple is not an easy task. There are times that we must leave those things
that are familiar or to step outside of our comfort zone. We have all had that little voice in our head saying,
"help this person, be kind, do the right thing," but it is not the easiest thing to do-a Disciple follows
the little voice. Next we, like the Disciples, must leave by faith. James and John walked away from a successful
business-we know this because they had men working for them. Regardless what the call might be, as Christians,
when God calls us we go by faith-not because we think that it might be more lucrative or will put us in a more
powerful position. "Faith" is the operative word. Finally, we must lay a foundation. A man from Nazareth
had to go to Capernaum for his public ministry-from this we can learn that when one door closes, God will open
another.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian during World War II, spoke about discipleship from his personal experience,
explaining that "it was not a summons just to belief, but to action-and the first and most crucial action
is the initial step of following-after. To 'be' faithful is to 'act' faithfully; to be a follower of Jesus is
simply to act like one-to follow Jesus on the path of life. Through our baptism, God calls all of who we are-body,
soul, and mind-into a new relationship with God and with one another-a relationship that God promises will last
forever."
We can always trust God-but we must remember that He is the One in charge. He may not always come when we want
Him, but He is always right on time and when he shows up it's with supreme authority. We'll be a great deal happier
if we remember that sometimes God answers our prayers by saying, "Not yet." A man once asked God how
long a million years was to Him. God replied, "It's just like a single second of your time, my child."
So the man asked, "And what about a million dollars?" The Lord replied, "To me, it's just like
a single penny." So the man gathered himself up and said, "Well, Lord, could I have one of your pennies?"
And God said, "Certainly, my child, just a second." The timing of God is perfect. Jesus came at the
perfect time, and when he arrived, he was preaching the "kingdom of God." He was announcing His authority.
Mark teaches us an important lesson about Jesus. Jesus has the authority to call us after Him. From the very
beginning of his ministry, Jesus spoke with authority, and He is still doing it today. However, Jesus explained
at one point that "anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers,
sisters-yes, even one's own self-can't be my disciple. The stress in Mark's account falls upon the sovereign authority
in Jesus' call, and the radical obedience of Simon, Peter, James, and John. So compelling is the claim of Jesus
upon them that all prior claims lose their validity. Yet, the American Christian's experience is that it takes
every last ounce of our will-power to pull ourselves away from what we want to do and follower after Him. When
we finally leave the nets behind we follow Him around the block and then we swim right back out to the boat. One
of the reasons we fail over and over again is that we picture Philip Yancey's Prozac Jesus-the mild-mannered Jesus
who doesn't really care what we do. Although, we really do know differently. We think that if God's schedule
doesn't fit into ours, we can just do it our way. Unfortunately, I am no less guilty than anyone else. I spent
years with a little voice ringing in my head-"follow me, follow me." Instead of doing the right thing,
I justified getting a Masters in education in order to raise my income. As a single parent, I always found money
to be tight; therefore, I took on a second job for a while-and then coaching, and on and on. I always found something
to keep me from answering that call. Much like Jonah, I believe that God finally got tired of waiting, and when
a very stressful situation broke out, I turned to the church and then to seminary. It was a good lesson in listening.
From birth, God becomes active in our lives. We are granted prevenient grace and are immediately one of God's
children. However, once we are able to discern right from wrong, we are given justifying grace, but with this
must also come faith-unequivocal faith. C. S. Lewis writes: "Do you ask, 'What is faith in Him?' I answer,
the leaving of your way, your objects, your self, and the taking of His and Him; the leaving of your trust in men,
in money, in opinion, in character, in atonement itself, and doing as He tells you. I can find no words strong
enough to serve for the weight of this obedience."
According to John Wesley, in order for us to practice our faith, we must have works of piety, works of mercy, and
follow the general rules that he outlined. Works of piety include showing our love for God through prayer, Bible
reading and study, participating in the sacraments, and going to worship services. Works of mercy include showing
compassion and joining with others to work for justice. Wesley's general rules included: 1. Doing no harm, 2.
Doing all the good you can, 3. Attending to the ordinances of God (worship, communion).
Worship is an integral part of our faith journey. Worship is defined as 1. The reverent love and allegiance accorded
a deity, idol, or sacred object, 2. A set of ceremonies, prayers, or other religious forms by which this love is
expressed. We are talking about coming here to give. Yes, the sermon is an important means for spiritual insight-the
readings are the Word of God and an integral part of the service-but above all, we should be giving praise, thanks,
love to the God who taught us to love. If we give praise, thanks, and love to God, it will spill over to our neighbor,
and even to our enemy. Discipleship is not easy, but it is possible-if we only listen for the instructions.
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