Follow Me

January 21, 2018 Mark 1:14-20 Follow Me Third Sunday of Epiphany Year B Come with me, and I will teach you to catch men (people). (v. 17, TEV) Object: a fishing pole Lesson: Good morning, boys and girls. (Hold uppole.) How many of you have seen this before? (Wait for show of hands.) It's a fishing pole, isn't it? I brought it because I wanted to see how much you know about fishing. How many of you have been fishing before? (Let them respond.) What do you need for fishing? (Let them respond.) You might need a boat, the fishing pole, a hook on the end, some bait or worms, a net and lots of patience while you are waiting for the fish. What's the hardest part about fishing? (Let them respond.) For some of you it might be putting the worm on the hook. But for some of you who like to talk a lot it might be the waiting part, because usually you have to be quiet or you might scare the fish away. Why do you think people fish? (Let them respond.) Some people fish for food. They use the fish to eat. Some people fish for fun and to relax. They like to fish because it's quiet and peaceful. Sometimes they catch fish and throw them right back in the water. People fish for lots of reasons. Our lesson today is about fishing. Jesus was finding friends to help him do his work. Some of the friends were fishing. They caught fish for their everyday job. Jesus wanted these friends to stop fishing so he told them, "I will make you fishers of men (or people)." Do you think there are any lakes with people in them to catch on the hook on the end of the fishing pole? (Let them respond.) No, of course not! Did you know that another word for Jesus' friends is disciple? Do you know what the word disciple means? (Let them respond.) Disciple means learner. Jesus' friends were learners. What Jesus was going to teach them was to go fishing in a new way. They would learn by watching Jesus, just like you learn to fish by watching someone else who knows how to fish. They would not catch people with worms and hooks and fishing poles, but with love and kindness. But the one thing about fishing for fish and fishing for people that is the same is the long time of waiting. Jesus was going to teach his friends how to wait and love. As we come to church we learn how to wait and we learn how to love, too. CSS Publishing Co. Mark 1:14-20Common English Bible (CEB) Jesus’ message 14 After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee announcing God’s good news, 15 saying, “Now is the time! Here comes God’s kingdom! Change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news!” Jesus calls disciples 16 As Jesus passed alongside the Galilee Sea, he saw two brothers, Simon and Andrew, throwing fishing nets into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” he said, “and I’ll show you how to fish for people.” 18 Right away, they left their nets and followed him. 19 After going a little farther, he saw James and John, Zebedee’s sons, in their boat repairing the fishing nets. 20 At that very moment he called them. They followed him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible This story is told every year in every gospel because it is the most important part of the story. The day Jesus approached his disciples and invited them to follow me. I love the way Mark tells this story, because it comes very early in Mark’s gospel – in the first chapter. Jesus is inspired by John the Baptist in telling the people to repent. But before he can travel to tell others about the reign of God, he must create a team – a team of followers. This is the story of how he encourages his first 4 followers. The sea of Galilee is a small lake, you can see the other side. But it was a popular lake for the locals. Everyone who wanted to make a living fishing, could be found there with their boats. They would be there everyday, just doing the same thing. Jesus didn’t go the to seminary looking for followers, he went to the common people, doing a common job. He invites them to come and follow me. I always like the way Mark tells a story, because Mark does not beat around the bush – he gets to the point in just a few words. This scripture contains the whole message of the gospel in two sentences. Jesus came into Galilee announcing God’s good news. Now is the time, here comes God’s kingdom, change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news. The whole gospel message. God is near, there is hope that things will get better but in order for you to be a part of God’s kingdom you have to repent and believe. That is a message that everyone in the world can benefit from. But Jesus realized early on that he needed help, he needed others the be trained to tell the message also. He comes to them in their ordinary lives, and invites them to follow me. We should notice that different gospel-writers use a different word for "call" inasmuch as they wish to highlight a different aspect of our Lord's call. Mark uses a Greek word which has the force of "invite"; Luke, a word which has the force of "summon". Mark tells us there is a winsomeness, a courtesy, a gentleness to an invitation; Luke tells us there is an urgency, an imperative, even an ultimatum to a summons. Put together, that call by which our Lord still calls men and women into his company is a winsome invitation which is also urgent, as well as a summons which is yet gentle. Victor A. Shepherd When we invite, we often think that we have to not just ask , but we have to be responsible for the answer, and then make sure that they have a good time when they come. We are hesitant to ask people to come to church, because we are not sure if they will get anything out of it. An invitation is just that – just asking for them to try it out. How does Jesus invite his first four disciples – he says come follow me. Come be with me. The most powerful invitation included a testimony of why it is important to you to come to church. The disciples gave up their lives, because Jesus said come follow me. They saw something in that invitation for themselves. Sometimes it is not what we say, it is who we are that gets people interested. Christ’s Aroma in Our Lives A mother tells how her daughter used to work for a pizzeria, and Mom had the job of picking her up from work every evening. When her daughter would get into the car she'd smell so much like pizza that often times Mom would go back into the store and buy a pizza. When we give our lives to Christ, when we spend time with Christ and seek to live for him; when we let His love, grace and forgiveness cover us, then we'll have Christ's aroma in our lives. His love will spread and shine through us for others to see and breathe in. And when we live like that, our lives become an invitation. And when our lives are an invitation, others will be compelled to seek him and ask questions about our faith. Billy D. Strayhorn, From the Pulpit, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. Unfortunately, it seems that we have gotten out of the habit of inviting people to be a part of the kingdom. Saving the Shipwrecked On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occur there was once a crude little life-saving station. The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea, and with no thought for themselves went out day and night tirelessly searching for the lost. Some of those who were saved, and various others in the surrounding area, wanted to become associated with the station and give of their time and money and effort for the support of its work. New boats were bought and new crews trained. The little life-saving station grew. Some of the members of the life-saving station were unhappy that the building was so crude and poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of those saved from the sea. They replaced the emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in the enlarged building. Now, the life-saving station became a popular gathering place for its members, and they decorated it beautifully and furnished it exquisitely, because they used it as a sort of club. Fewer members were now interested in going to sea on lifesaving missions, so they hired life-boat crews to do this work. The life-saving motif still prevailed in this club's decoration, and there was a symbolic life-boat in the room where the club initiations were held. About this time a large ship was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boat loads of cold, wet and half-drowned people. They were dirty and sick and some of them had black skin and some had yellow skin. The beautiful new club was in chaos. So the property committee immediately had a shower house built outside the club where victims of shipwreck could be cleaned up before coming inside. At the next meeting, there was a split in the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club's life-saving activities as being unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal social life of the club. Some members insisted upon life-saving as their primary purpose and pointed out that they were still called a life-saving station. But they were finally voted down and told that if they wanted to save lives of all the various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in those waters, they could begin their own life-saving station down the coast. They did. As the years went by, the new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old. It evolved into a club, and yet another life-saving station was founded. History continued to repeat itself, and if you visit that sea coast today, you will find a number of exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown. That's a pretty graphic tale of some folks who forgot what they were supposed to be about. Sometimes I think we are like those folks. It's as if we think Jesus didn't really mean it when he said, "Go fish." We think other things he said are surely important, but not reaching out and bringing people to Jesus Christ. Mickey Anders, Go Fish I remember the two women who visited one Sunday and got very upset at this sermon on inviting others. They did not feel comfortable insisting that others come to church. Fisher's Of Men, Witnessing Most of our witnessing is likely to happen in passing moments of conversation--those occasions when we show, in relatively minor ways, who we are and to whom we belong. I think of a suburban woman who was playing tennis with her good but quite secular friends. In a conversation break between sets she began referring to something she had read that morning. It would have been easy to say, "I read something this morning ." Instead, with no attempt at piosity, she simply introduced one word: "In my devotional reading this morning." It was not a major soul-winning engagement. It was, however, a true sowing of seed. By a word, she had opened the door for some further conversation. Perhaps our greatest problem in becoming Christ's fishermen is that we are not enough in earnest to grasp the opportunities that come to us; or we are so possessed of the idea that we must say something dramatic and far reaching that we fail to say the small, immediate and potentially significant thing. To put it in the language of our lesson for the day, most of us really don't act as if we even have a call to "fish." We're out in the waters of human need every day, but we don't seem to know it. The issue is not that we should become more aggressive about sharing our faith. It is that we should be more sensitive to the needs of the world around us, and more sensitive to the subtle prodding of the Holy Spirit. The two sensitivities are wonderfully intertwined. To be sensitive to the Holy Spirit must mean that we will be more sensitive to people and their pain; to be more sensitive to people ought to make us more open to God and his purposes. J. Ellsworth Kalas, Reading the Signs, "From Empty Nets to Full Lives," CSS Publishing Company How Do You Know You Are Called? How do we know we are called? How do we know to what we are called? An age-old question to which a wise minister and author has given us an answer worth pondering. Frederick Buechner, in his book, "Wishful Thinking," says it well. He says that a good rule for finding one's vocation is this: Our special mission in our life is usually A. That which we'd love most to do and B. It is work that the world most needs to have done. Buechner says that if we really get a kick out of our work, we have probably met requirement A, but if that work is writing TV deodorant commercials, chances are we haven't met requirement B. If our work is being a doctor in a leper colony, we probably have met requirement B, but if most of the time we are bored and depressed by doctoring, the chances are we have not only bypassed A, we probably aren't helping our patients much, either. Buechner concludes: "The place God calls us to, is the place where our deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." Brent Porterfield and Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com Jesus didn’t go to the seminary to get specially trained people, we went where the people were, he approached them in their everyday lives. And he just invited them to come and follow me. To become disciples of Christ- to do what Christ would do in your situation, to get to know God, by having a relationship with Christ. His First and Last Words to Peter Jesus lived three years with his disciples. They went everywhere together and did everything together. They ate, slept, and breathed the life of Jesus and yet it was difficult for them to make the transition in their minds from a Messiah who would be a mighty King of Jews to a Messiah that would die for the sins of mankind. But Jesus never wavered in his mission. Throughout his entire ministry among the people and his training of the disciples he held in his heart this hope: That Peter along with the rest of his disciples would lose their earthly ambitions and become feeders of sheep--fishers of men. The very first words of Jesus when he and Peter met at the waters was, "Follow me, and I will make you a fisher of men." His very last words to Peter, again down at the waters of the Sea of Galilee, and after his resurrection, were, "Feed my sheep, Follow me." From beginning to end this is the mission of the Church. Brett Blair,www.eSermons.com Are you ready to follow Jesus? Additional illustrations…… A Job and A Ministry Do you have a job in this church and this community . . . or do you have a ministry? There is a difference! + If you are doing it because no one else will, it's a job. If you're doing it to serve the Lord, it's a ministry. + If you're doing it just well enough to get by, it's a job. If you're doing it to the best of your ability, it's a ministry. + If you'll do it only so long as it doesn't interfere with other activities, it's a job. If you're committed to staying with it even when it means letting go of other things, it's a ministry. + If you quit because no one praised you or thanked you, it was a job. If you stay with it even though no one seems to notice, it's a ministry. + If you do it because someone else said that it needs to be done, it's a job. If you are doing it because you are convinced it needs to be done, it's a ministry. + It's hard to get excited about a job. It's almost impossible not to get excited about a ministry. + If your concern is success, it's a job. If your concern is faithfulness, it's a ministry. + People may say "well done" when you do your job. The Lord will say "well done" when you complete your ministry. + An average church is filled with people doing jobs. A great church is filled with people involved in ministry! + If God calls you to a ministry, for heaven's sake (literally) don't treat it like a job. If you have a job in the church, give it up and find a ministry! God doesn't want us feeling stuck in a job, but excited, fulfilled, and faithful in a specific ministry. May God bless and empower us as disciples of Jesus Christ, called to be in the ministry of this church and community. Amen. Michael D. Powell _______________________________ Call Can We See God? Some time ago I read the story of a young boy approaching his slightly older sister with a question about God. “Susie, can anybody ever really see God?” “Of course not, silly,” came the response. “God is so far up in heaven that no one can see God.” Some time later the boy approached his mother with the same nagging question, “Mom, can anybody really see God?” More gently his mother answered, “No, not really. God is a spirit and dwells in our hearts, but we can never really see God.” His mother’s answer was somewhat more satisfying, but still the boy wondered. Not long afterwards, the boy’s grandfather took him on a fishing trip, and the two had a great day together. As the day was winding down, the sun began to set with unusual splendor. The grandfather was enrapt by the beauty, and the grandson was aware of a deep peace and contentment etched upon his grandpa’s face. “Granddad,” the boy began, a bit hesitatingly. “I wasn’t going to ask anyone else, but I wonder if you can tell me the answer to something I’ve been wondering about a long time. Can anybody ever really see God?” The grandfather sat in thought for a few moments, then said simply, “Grandson, it’s getting so I can’t see anything else.” Joel D. Kline, Faith Is a Verb

Come to the Party

October 12, 2014 Matthew 22:1-14 18th Sunday after Pentecost Year A Come to the Party Text Illustration: Five brothers were walking along a road when they saw a sign: “party tonight!” It announced. “Free food, drink, music, dance.” And best of all, at the bottom it said, “hosted in person by The King.” The first brother read the poster and said, “I’m not interested.” I’m going to stay home and eat leftovers and go to bed early. This is as close to the King as I ever want to be.” The other four were excited to go, and spent the rest of the day choosing their best clothes and getting cleaned up and talking about what it was going to be like. The appointed time came and they set out together. As they neared the hall they could already hear the music pouring out of the windows, and they could see the smiles on people’s faces as they walked in. It was a glorious sight, and they could feel the excitement. The second brother stopped and sat down on the curb. “This is close enough,” he said. “I can sort of hear the music and I can see the people going in. This is pretty good, I don’t want to go any further because I’m not sure what I’ll find. And maybe I’ll get a glimpse of the King going in.” The three remaining walked into the hall together, and the sight was amazing. The smells were incredible, the food unbelievable, the music was supreme. They sat and feasted and enjoyed the party, and could see the King at the head table feasting and laughing and radiating joy. As they finished the meal, the tables were cleared away to make room for the dance floor. The third brother got up and said, “I’ve had enough. My belly is full, I enjoyed the meal, I’m leaving before I have to really join in the party. I got to see the King, this is close enough for me.” As the last two sat there, they saw a beautiful woman walking across the dance floor straight towards them. As she got closer they recognized her as the daughter of the King, who had been seated beside Him at the head table throughout the meal. She approached the two and reached out her hands to them both and said, “Come and dance! My Father saw you and wants you to come and join He and I and the others in dancing for joy!!” One brother looked down at his feet. “No, thanks. This is close enough. Besides, I don’t know how to dance.” “Just let go, I’ll teach you!” said the Daughter of the King. “No,” he replied, I might get embarrassed. This is close enough.” And he got up and left. The last brother also bowed his head. “I’m not worthy. I’m not good enough to dance with the King, and besides, I don’t know how to dance either. I’m afraid He will send me away, or I’ll get it wrong and look silly.” He paused, and looked up into the eyes of the daughter of the King. She repeated the invitation, “Just let go, I’ll teach you!” She reached her hand a little closer, and though his was shaking, he reached up and took her hand. Her faced came alive with a smile, he saw joy in her face, he felt life and boldness and love and exuberance come flooding into him and with joy he followed her across the dance floor to the King, who embraced him like a long lost son and then took both of them by the hand. And then they all danced. That story describes a lot of how we go to church, and more importantly how we manage our relationship with God. God extends the invitation to all people to come to the party. We are all excited about the party, but we don’t all show up. Sometimes we think that just being invited us enough excitement, we don’t even bother to show up. And then there are those who think being near the party is enough for them. And them some of us come to the party, but are determined not to do anything. That is me – I don’t like to dance at parties I will come and sit around and talk about people, but not dance. Some are invited to dance and still say no. Only those who are willing to dance with God, come to know the true joy of God. when was the last time God invited your to dance? And how did you respond? How far were you willing to go? And when did you decide that it was time to sit down? Today I am going to do something a little different, because I want our sermon time to be interactive. I don’t want to be long because I want us to think about our invitiation to dance, and to respond to God’s invitiation. I want us to have time for our new member celebration, but I also want us to remember that the celebration is for all of us. As they take their vows, it is our chance to remember our vows, and to think about what God is calling us to do to get involved in the building of the kingdom of God When I went to the church of the resurrection, in one of our workshops I was struck by one instructor, who said there there is a difference between us saying that we want to grow as a church, and that we are growing. It is a decision, just like coming to the party. Either we are going to stand outside of the party – or we re going to decide to come in and have fun. But growth starts with our relationship with God, and how much fun we want to have to the party. I think that this celebration is a sign that God has invited us and all that we have to do is come. 1266 Record Banquets The largest recorded banquet was given by President Loubet of France to every one of the 22,000 mayors in France in 1900. Indoor banquets, however, is topped by the 10,158-guest, $15-a-plate extravaganza in support of Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago in 1971. Living with God in our lives is a big feast. When we become a part of God’s family, there are thousands of people who are able to come. Some who don’t know that they have been invited. We wont see all of them present here – it would be good if we could get a hundred, and them 200 to come and party with us Jesus liked to party – Jesus especially liked to go to weddings. Because there was always a lot of good food, good music and an opportunity to dance. One king, took pride in his musicans. So he asked to question of them, what instrument was the most beautiful sounding. And the orchestra started to brag about their insturments, of course the clarinet is the best, and the strings spoke up, and the organist talks about all of the beautiful instruments. The drums thought they had to most compelling sound. Even the cymbal player thought his instrument was the best. The king would not choose between them. But he said wait until the party, and I will tell you what the sweetest sound of the party is. The party came, and the instruments were so nervous about being the best, no body played. There was silence, no chatter, no dancing, nothing. Until it was time to eat – the cymbal player led the procession – and the plates started to come our. There was rattling of bowls and dishing, the swoosh of the water, the clanging of silverware. And then the king announces, when you re hungry, the sweetest sound is the sound of a feast being prepared. When you are hungry, it is not the band that you listen for it is the sound of food coming to the table that is the sweetest sound of all. When we are hungry in our soul – the sound of god preparing our feast of joy and fulfillment is the greatest sound of God – How hungry are you in your soul? I invite those who are joining the church to come…… Perhaps you have heard of the family that moved into the neighborhood and the little country church decided to reach out to the family. When they arrived at the doorstep the members of the church were surprised to find that the family had 12 kids and were for the most part poor. They invited the family to services and said goodbye. Later that week the church responded to their need. They delivered a package to the family and said, "We want you to know that you and your entire family are welcome at our church anytime. We have bought you these gifts and we want you to feel comfortable and at ease in our congregation. We hope you can use these," and they left. The family opened the package to find 14 suits of clothing, beautiful clothes for every member of the family. Sunday came and the congregation waited for the family, and they waited. The family never showed. Wondering what could have possibly happened, after lunch the members of the church returned to the home and found the family just getting back, all dressed in their new clothes. "We don't mean to be nosey but we would like to know what happened. We had hoped to see you this morning in church," the leader of the church inquired. The father spoke up. He said, "Well, we got up this morning intending to come. And we sure do appreciate your invitation. But after we showered, shaved, and dressed, why we looked so proper we went to the Episcopal Church." God doesn’t care what we wear on the outside, it is the inside our soul that God wants to see. Children’s Sermon…… Invited To A Feast by King Duncan Passage: Matthew 22:1-14 • Lectionary: Proper 23 Item 5 of 10 | Back to Results Object: envelope that is addressed, a postage stamp (don't put stamp on envelope yet) Good morning, boys and girls. I want you to pretend with me for a moment. Let's pretend I'm going to have a really big party, and I wanted to invite you. How would I send you the invitation? That's right, I'd mail you the letter. Okay, here's my envelope, and I've got your address on it, and I'm all ready to send it out, right? Can I send the invitation out like this? No, I can't. You know why not? It doesn't have a stamp on it. The post office won't deliver mail that doesn't have a stamp on it. (Affix your stamp to the envelope) That stamp shows that you've paid for the mail. After you put the stamp on, then the post office will deliver the invitation. Our Bible story today is about a very special invitation. God invites us all to be a part of His kingdom. He invites us all, every last one of us, to follow Him and live the life He's planned for us. And He put a very special postage stamp on that invitation: Jesus! I bet you never thought of Jesus as a postage stamp, did you? Well, Jesus came to earth to deliver God's invitation to us. He wanted to tell us that God loves us, and God wants us to be a part of His family. And just like a postage stamp shows us that the piece of mail has already been paid for, Jesus tells us that He's already paid for our sins, so there's nothing standing between us and God. So let's pray and tell God that we accept His invitation; we want to be a part of His family. Collected Sermons, King Duncan, Dynamic Preaching, 2005, 0-000-0000-20 Extra illustration Text Illustration: THE MICROSCOPE AND THE BIBLE Many years ago, while on a visit to America, a wealthy Chinese businessman was fascinated by a powerful microscope. Looking through its lens to study crystals and the petals of flowers, he was amazed at their beauty and detail. So he decided to purchase one of these devices and take it back to China. He thoroughly enjoyed using it until one day he examined some rice he was planning to eat for dinner. Much to his dismay, he discovered that tiny living creatures were crawling in it. Since he was especially fond of this staple food in his daily diet, he wondered what to do. Finally he concluded that there was only one way out of his dilemma -- he would destroy the instrument that caused him to discover the distasteful fact! So he smashed the microscope to pieces. "How foolish!" you say. But many people do the same thing with the Word of God. They read it and would like to get rid of it because it reveals their evil nature. (From a sermon by Billy Bevan, Making Light of God’s Call, 5/26/2011)