Sermon Epiphany 3, 21st Jan 2024

Last week, we remembered - through the calling of Philip and Nathanael - that God finds us, NOT the other way around.

Today, it is Saint Mark’s gospel that reminds us of the courageous, inspirational response of those people who first responded to the call from The Messiah.

We don’t know what there was about Jesus that led Simon, Andrew, James, John, and others to leave their homes and families to follow Jesus. Whatever, there was something remarkably compelling about Jesus that caused these and others to follow Him into an uncertain future.

The astonishing feature of the story is that they followed Jesus with no idea of where it would lead. <PAUSE>

We know very little of the background of any of the disciples whom Jesus calls. The four in today’s story were fishermen. Matthew was a tax collector (Matthew 9:9). What had the other seven done before Jesus found them and entered their lives? We don’t know.

As far as we can tell, the twelve persons Jesus called to be his companions were ordinary men. As far as we can tell, Jesus didn’t do background checks to determine IQ levels, financial acumen, professional skills, or temple education. He picked people probably much like you and me. Furthermore, his disciples were anything but perfect. Many times they misunderstood him. Many times they disagreed and argued. They often hesitated to follow him. Judas betrayed him and Peter denied him.

But eleven of these would be the persons who would continue Jesus’ work on earth after he left — ordinary people, like you and me. They were found, called, and they responded.

As far as we know, every one of the disciples was found and called personally by Jesus.

We believe that God calls each one of us. God not only calls us to follow Jesus, but also calls us into the fields and careers of our lives. We often speak of “God’s call” too narrowly, as if God “calls” people only into ordained ministry. That is true: God does call people to be pastors and church workers. But God’s call is not limited to clergy. God calls every single one of us.

In the Middle Ages the clergy was considered a higher status of Christian than laypersons. They had their own regimen of frequent daily worship that laypersons didn’t have. They had church rules to follow, which laypersons didn’t have. They usually lived in communities — monasteries and convents — unlike laypersons.

The Reformation eliminated those distinctions between clergy and laity by affirming that God calls everybody. The word for this call to everyone is “vocation,” from the Latin vocatio, “calling.”Everyone has vocations (note I use the plural here) in life, in how society functions. Every job that works to build up and maintain society is a calling — teacher, insurance salesman, car mechanic, politician, etc. We also have callings within family structures — mother, father, aunt, uncle, child, etc. We serve God in these family callings as well.

So, in some sense, in whatever we do, wherever we are, in some way, EVERY Christian is called to be a “fisher of people”.

Called to help bring people that sit in darkness and show them the great light that is Christ. Jesus is calling His followers to be light bearers into a world of ever-increasing secularism.

Okay, so that’s the great challenge to us … but, how do we get there? What's required if we answer this calling?

Well, listen again to this inspirational gospel story … “at once they left their nets and followed Him “. Now if you’re a Galilean fishermen in the first century your net symbolises your livelihood, your professionalism, your connection to the economic world, your security. If you took a Galilean fisherman's net away you were taking away his very existence … BUT … they WILLINGLY “leave their nets”.

It means they left their preoccupation with, their priority of, money, livelihood and financial security. They let go of that AND PLACED THEIR FAITH, THEIR HOPE, THEIR TRUST, THEIR PRIORITY - FIRST AND FOREMOST IN JESUS. <PAUSE>

It’s like they were saying … I’m abandoning ship! I’m abandoning my independence because I'm now going to get into Christ’s boat. I'm going to do what He wants. I'm going to go where He leads me. I'm going to answer His call and follow Him. <PAUSE>

God’s call is always into an uncertain future. When we enter into our callings we have no idea how it will all end up. We choose our careers and jobs hoping that we can use the gifts and talents God has given us. We answer God’s call hoping to spread the great good news of Christ with the world … but … BUT … there are no guarantees. <PAUSE>

WOW … challenging stuff again this week? Leave your own nets! Leave your own boat! As scary as these great moves to re-prioritise our lives are … well … no, no … let’s not see them that way. Let’s see them rather as an invitation to freedom. To a freedom that turns away from chasing all the earthly stuff and talking about all this worldly stuff AHEAD to talking about Christ … and … TRULY trust in, and follow, the Christ who will NEVER stop loving us, NEVER stop feeding us, NEVER stop protecting us, and NEVER stop providing for us.

It’s the freedom that allows each and every one of us to be FULLY free to be the fishers of people that Jesus needs … and when fishing for people … to God will be the glory.

I runga e te Ingoa o te Atua, te Matua, te Tama me te Wairua Tapu.
In the name of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit <AMINE>