“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” 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. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.” Mark 1:14-20

“There are any number of distinct ways that we can follow Jesus. And, indeed, follow him immediately – here and now, in the world and time in which we live. What seems at the heart of the matter is that we can follow Jesus in all of these different situations and circumstances precisely by trying to imitate him – by trying, that is, to treat others with the same regard, love and patience that he did, including all manner of people but especially those who were overlooked by society. This, I think, is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian: to try to live and treat others as Jesus did, embracing the values of inclusiveness, love, forgiveness, and healing that he radiated in word and deed.

…we are invited into and promised a secure place in the Christian community only (by) the grace of God, apart from any effort or merit on our own. And yet at the same time I think the day-to-day benefit we experience from being included in the Christian community is affected dramatically by whether or not we try to live into the identity we have been given. God will always treat us a beloved child, yet whether we act like a beloved child of God – and receive the joy of acting like one – depends greatly on whether we try to follow Jesus and live into the gift of that identity.” David Lose, “…in the meantime”, January 19, 2015, Following Jesus Today)

Jesus says “Follow me” and we think to ourselves “I AM” – we think our lives are models of faith and devotion. And still we hear these words “Follow Me” and we have to wonder: “Is Jesus calling me?  What is he calling me to do?”

Do you find it hard NOT to answer a ringing phone? Even with call blocking apps and automatic caller ID, it is still hard to NOT answer my phone when it rings. There is something about that sound that it compels us to answer that call. Now, are we just as compelled to answer Jesus when he calls? When it comes to being disciples of Jesus, and when it comes to seeking out people to join us in worship and service, we often find ourselves scratching our heads trying to find ways to bring people into our midst. In our gospel lesson my friends, Jesus is calling us – calling us to go fishing with him – to go fishing FOR him. My friends, are we answering that call?

Anyone who fishes knows that fishing takes time and patience, fishing takes knowing the territory and knowing the conditions. The same is true for fishing for people. The radical nature of this text is that Jesus took ordinary fisherman and told them that everything was about to change – everything they knew or thought they knew about fishing, about family relationships, and about life would have to change. They would have to rethink how to fish – and not just for the perfect catch – but for all kinds of people: the imperfect as well as the perfect, the smelly as well as the well-groomed, the colorful and the plain. Jesus wants to teach us, and then to have us teach others how to catch people in the net of G-d’s love, mercy and grace. 

Pastor Dave