Sermon for Jan 21, 2018; Mark 1:14-20

Rev. George Miller
January 21, 2018
Mark 1:14-20

(This is a character sermon in 4 parts)

Simon:
I remember the day I answered the call to follow Jesus. I was on the sea.

I love the sea.

The waves. The sounds. The feel of the sun against your skin.

I love how the sea is always changing, never the same. It’s rough, it’s calm, it roars, it ripples.

Casting your net into the great unknown, discovering the treasures you’ll pull up- fish of all shapes and sizes.

Getting your hands dirty, coming home smelling like the water.

Ahhh…..paradise.

So when Jesus came along and invited me and my brother Andrew to leave all this behind, I struggled.

He was asking me to do the hardest thing I could think of- to leave behind what I love the most.

To leave behind the water and to enter the world of the land, to work with people and forget about the fish, the seagulls, and the shells along the shore.

The decision to follow Jesus was not an easy thing for me to do. It was a true sacrifice, and a change in my life.

But here’s the thing- by following Jesus I have become more me than me.

I am happy.

And this is what I discovered- the thing I was so afraid of losing is still there.

Not every day, but in a new way, and with new meaning.

For example, that time when Jesus was teaching all day. When evening arrived he invited us to take a boat to the other side.

A great storm arose and though we were so deathly afraid, Jesus rebuked the wind and he said to the sea “Peace! Be still.”

The winds stopped, the waters listened, and we made it to the other side…

I hold that memory very dear, and will always remember the day I decided to follow Jesus.

Andrew:
I remember the day I answered the call to follow Jesus. I was on the sea.

I hate the sea.

The waves. The sounds. The feel of the sun against your skin.

I hate how the sea is always changing, never the same. It’s rough, it’s calm, it roars, it ripples.

Casting your net into the great unknown, not knowing what you’ll get, if you’ll get anything at all.

Getting your hands dirty, coming home smelling like the water.

Ick…..hell.

So when Jesus came along and invited me and my brother Simon to leave all this behind, I said “Heck yeah!”

He was asking me to do the easiest thing I could think of- to leave behind what I hate the most.

What do I like? I love being one with the land. Put me in the woods.

Woods don’t change- you got trees, you got rocks, you got dirt.

Give me a bow and arrow, and I’m as happy as can be-

Listening to the songs of the birds, the wind through the leaves, that hush when a deer comes by, just you and that buck, eye to eye.

To leave the behind the water and be on dry land, to work with people and forget about the fish, the seagulls, and the shells along the shore-

The decision to follow Jesus was such an easy thing for me to do. It was no sacrifice at all.

But here’s the thing- by following Jesus I have become more me than me.

I am happy. Content.

And this is what I discovered- the thing I most hated is not so bad after all.

Now that I’m not on the sea every day, I can appreciate it in a new way.

For example, that time when Jesus was teaching. He was beside the sea and this huge crowd of folk gathered.

From where I stood, I could see with new eyes the way the water rolled upon the shore. How the waves created the perfect accompaniment to his words about sowing seeds and lamps under a bushel.

When evening arrived, and the sun began to set, the orange, pink and yellows that filled the sky, behind his head, giving Jesus a halo.

How he taught that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed which puts forth great branches and becomes a place for all the birds of the air...

I hold that memory very dear, and will always remember the day I decided to follow Jesus.

James:
I remember the day I answered the call to follow Jesus. I was on the sea.

Mending our nets. Well, not our nets, but our father’s nets.

My father is Zebedee and he owns a fishing business and I’m the oldest son.

I despise what I do.

As the oldest son, I’m expected to follow in my father’s footsteps and take over the family business when he’s gone, regardless if I want to or not.

I don’t want to.

I hate fishing. I hate the nets.

Casting your net into the great unknown, pulling up all kinds of fish, then having to fix and mend the nets because God forbid Dad spends any money on buying new ones.

My Dad is old skool and is all about tradition.

But I don’t care about tradition. I want to do something new. I want to do something exciting. I want to see the world and go on adventures

I want to do something in which I am more than Zebedee’s son or John’s older brother.

I hate taking instruction from my Dad and being expected to watch over my baby brother.

So when Jesus came along and asked me and my brother John to leave all this behind, I was surprised- someone was finally asking me what I wanted to do.

I was being given a choice. I could say yes, I could say no.

The decision to follow Jesus was an empowering thing for me to do. It meant taking control of my identity, and a change in my life.

By following Jesus I have become more me than me.

I am happy. Content. Active.

And this is what I discovered- I can work with my brother without being in charge of my brother.

For example, that time Jesus instructed us to go out into the villages teaching, two by two.

We were to bring nothing for the journey- no bag, no bread, no dollar bills.

Just two of us, going on adventures, town to town, meeting new folks, having new experiences, and telling them about the goodness of God.

I chose John to go with me, not because I had to, but because I wanted to.

I enjoyed getting to know him in a different way, working alongside one another, doing something new.

It was no longer about tradition, or the family business or first born/second born.

It was about being peers.

I remember the first house we entered in which John took the lead, and I could stand back and observe…

I hold that memory very dear, and will always remember the day I decided to follow Jesus.

John:
I remember the day I answered the call to follow Jesus. I was on the sea.

Mending our nets. Well, not our nets, but our father’s nets.

My father is Zebedee and he owns a fishing business and I’m the younger son.

I actually kind of like what I do; I like working with my brother and my Dad.

Here’s what I don’t like- being expected to be so serious all the time. Like catching fish and mending nets is that hard.

As the younger son, I’m not expected to follow in my father’s footsteps and take over the family business when he’s gone, regardless if I want to or not.

To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t mind taking over the family business if Dad allowed me to.

I like fishing. I don’t mind the nets.

Casting your net into the great unknown, pulling up all kinds of fish.

But do we have to fix them all the time? Like, can’t Dad spend some money on buying new ones?

Does everything have to be about work, work, work, work, work?

Know what else I don’t like?

Taking orders from my older brother James.

I like him, he’s cool. But just because he’s older than me doesn’t mean he’s smarter, or better, or my boss.

But that’s how it is. When Dad’s not telling me what to do, James is.

And it’s annoying.

Do this. Don’t do that.

Be serious. Don’t go so slow.

I want to do something in which I am more than Zebedee’s son or James’ kid brother.

So when Jesus came along and asked me and James to leave all this behind, I was like “Finally! -Someone who thinks I have a brain in my head!”

The decision to follow Jesus was a cool thing to do.

Sure, I felt bad leaving Dad behind with the help, and I was worried I’d still be stuck in my brother’s shadow.

But hey- it sounded fun.

By following Jesus I have become more me than me.

I am happy. Content. Active. Equal.

And this is what I discovered- my brother and I are actually a good team.

For example, there was that time Jesus instructed us to go out into the villages teaching, two by two.

I chose James to go with me, not because I had to, but because I wanted to.

Then there was that time we decided to work together as a team, and we approached Jesus, together, and asked that he do something for us.

We asked that we could sit with Jesus in his glory, one on his right hand, one on his left.

Jesus didn’t give us the answer we wanted, but it felt so good to work as one, and even when the other disciples got mad at us, my brother and I stayed unified, like true partners.

It was no longer about family business or first born/second born, but my brother and I as one...

I hold that memory very dear, and will always remember the day I decided to follow Jesus.

…and what about you?

Have you decided to follow Jesus?

Do you remember the day you answered the call?

Were you happy or sad, angry or glad?

Were you casting or mending, working or fixing?

Comfortable in your identity or wondering who you were?

What are the things you have given up? What are the things you have discovered?

If you were standing up here today, what would you say?

Amen and amen.