God's Time

[0:00] Good morning. Our scripture reading this morning is from the book of Mark, chapter 1, verses 14 through 20. After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.

[0:14] The time has come, he said. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news. As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.

[0:32] Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will send you out to fish for people. At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets.

[0:48] Without delay, he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

[1:01] Somehow I always get the week where I either preach on joy or fishing. I don't know. So today our hearts and our minds are drawn to the shores of Galilee.

[1:15] As we explore that transformative encounter between Jesus and his first disciples. As it was recorded in the Gospel of Mark. So the passage that we're looking at today has been done and done and done.

[1:32] Right? If you've been in church for any amount of time, you've heard this passage read. You've heard that Jesus wants you to fish for people. Meaning that he wants you to go out in the world and bring people in.

[1:47] And maybe that idea offends you. Maybe it scares you. Or maybe you're just tired of hearing about it. In the opening verses, Jesus proudly declares, The time has come.

[2:03] The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news. This announcement is not just a historical event, but a timeless invitation.

[2:16] The kingdom of God is at hand, And Jesus invites us to participate by turning away from our old ways and embracing the good news of salvation.

[2:28] So as we spend some time together this morning, I'm going to show you some things that you might not know. And maybe you'll see this whole fishing for people thing in a new way.

[2:40] If you're offended, maybe this will help. If you're scared, it definitely should help. And if you're tired of it, Hopefully it will show you how to get excited again.

[2:55] Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the good news of God. So stop right there. Here's the first new thing.

[3:07] The Christian message is good news. One reason that we're afraid to fish for people is because we don't want to come across like that street preacher that I used to see in downtown Buffalo holding up those judgmental signs that say God hates you or God is your enemy or you're going to hell.

[3:28] But the thing is, that's not our Christian message. Mark says that Jesus came proclaiming the good news. It's not the news that God hates you.

[3:40] It's not that you're going to hell. It was good news. A message of hope and love. A message of better relationships and a better world.

[3:54] Now you might say to me, Pastor Jen, I don't know. I'm still kind of nervous to let people know that I'm a Christian. I don't want to be associated with those people, those sign waivers.

[4:05] But you know you're right. Christianity has a lot of negative baggage in our culture right now. So that means that you and I have to go and show people that the Christian message is good news.

[4:23] Before we tell people about God's love, we have to show them God's love. And that's why I love that our church is so committed to serving our community.

[4:35] We do the Feeding Hope and dinners at Niagara Falls and all of those missions that we participate throughout the year. By serving people and meeting their needs, we demonstrate that the Christian message is good news.

[4:54] And you know what? That's exactly what Jesus did. So it's good news. That's the first thing. We hear the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near.

[5:10] To the people who heard Jesus say this, this really was good news. The time has come. The time has come for God's promise.

[5:24] It was the time of the Messiah. It's the time that we've been waiting for. It's the time when God does something miraculous about the awful world that we sometimes live in.

[5:40] And the central message of Jesus is the kingdom of God has come near. And the kingdom of God is more than just going to heaven when you die. It's a quality of life that starts now.

[5:54] It's that network of relationships in your Christian community that starts now. It's a new life of meaning and purpose that starts now.

[6:07] It's the vision of the future that changes your life right now. When we go out to fish for people, we're not just selling them life insurance.

[6:21] We're inviting them to be part of a beautiful state of existence called the kingdom of God. That's the second thing. We hear the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near.

[6:38] Repent and believe in the good news. So when we take a look at the word repent, that's also associated with those street preachers. Graffiti on overpasses, hand-painted signs.

[6:52] And we think that it means weep and wail and be sorry for your sins. And yes, those emotions can certainly be part of repentance.

[7:02] But that's not what that word means. Repent actually means to change your mind. The original Greek word is metanonia.

[7:14] It means new mind. So repent and see things in a new way. It's time to wake up and see what God is doing. In the Old Testament, repent meant get your life in order so that God will do something.

[7:32] But here, now, Jesus is saying God's already doing something. The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. So wake up and see what God is doing in your life.

[7:45] Now, it's important to you as a fisher of people because we're going to see that Jesus wants you to wake up to what he's already doing in your life.

[7:56] He's already out there stirring up the fish. You just need to wake up and open your eyes to see it. It's important to the people that you're fishing for because you need to ask God to open their eyes.

[8:11] Have them see that he is alive, he is good, and he is at work in our world. So we haven't even gotten to the part about fishing, and I've already taught you three new things.

[8:25] The Christian message is good news. It's not those hate-filled signs. That we're inviting people to be part of the kingdom of God, which is a beautiful state of existence that is going on right now.

[8:39] And repent means to wake up. And that's what we need to pray for when we pray for friends and family and strangers who are not in that relationship with God.

[8:52] So now comes fishing. 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.

[9:04] And it's interesting that Mark points out casting a net for they were fishermen. It's redundant. Why else would they be casting a net into a lake?

[9:17] It's like saying he saw them selling shoes and they were shoe salesmen. Or he saw them repairing a roof for they were roofers. Or he saw them preaching so they were pastors.

[9:29] The fact that Mark points out the obvious must mean he wants us to know that these people were fishermen. But why? It's because he wants us to understand that Jesus called the ordinary everyday people.

[9:47] Those first disciples were not highly educated, seminary-trained religious professionals. They were ordinary people, just like all of us.

[9:57] As Jesus walks along the Sea of Galilee, he encounters Simon and Andrew, James and John, who diligently engage in their work as fishermen.

[10:09] Jesus extends a simple yet radical invitation. Come follow me and I will send you out to fish for people. And responding to that call, those ordinary individuals became part of an extraordinary journey with Christ.

[10:29] What strikes us is the immediate response of those fishermen. Without hesitation, they left their nets, their livelihoods, and their family to follow Jesus.

[10:40] They didn't say, hold on, just a minute, gotta fix this. This teaches us the essence of discipleship.

[10:51] A willingness to let go of the familiar and step into the unknown. Trusting that Christ's call is worth any sacrifice. So again, I ask you, did you notice that none of them said, hold on, Jesus, I have to finish mending this net?

[11:08] I have to go tell my family I'm leaving? Oh, let me go pack my stuff. They didn't finish the day or wait for a more convenient time.

[11:20] Mark says immediately they left their nets. The Holy Spirit stirred up faith in their hearts and gave them the willingness to follow Jesus without hesitation, without pause.

[11:35] When you were brought to faith and called to be a disciple of Jesus, you were called to be a full-time disciple. Jesus doesn't ask for part-time disciples.

[11:47] He doesn't want us to wait for a more opportune time until that discipleship fits into our schedule. I've heard people say that they'll focus on their faith and discipleship when they reach a certain point in their life.

[12:03] Spiritual life and discipleship are urgent matters and nothing should hinder our response. We are called to set aside anything that keeps us from urgently following Jesus' call.

[12:17] That immediacy of the disciples' response challenges us. When Jesus calls, do we respond promptly or hesitate and cling to our comfort zones?

[12:30] The kingdom of God demands a dual response. Repentance from our old ways and a deepening faith in the good news of Jesus Christ.

[12:43] Following Christ may require leaving behind our metaphorical nets, the things we rely on for security. So are you willing to let go and trust Jesus completely?

[13:00] Look at what Jesus wants those ordinary people to do. Follow me and I will make you fish for people. To follow Jesus is to fish for people.

[13:15] Fishing is a family business. If you're in Jesus' family, we're going to fish. And notice this is before Jesus taught these guys anything. They're newbies.

[13:26] They're wet behind the ears. But from the very beginning, Jesus says, Let's go fishing. Because followers fish.

[13:39] Now that excites me, but it also scares me to death. It excites me because the possibility of changed lives, improved relationships, and people finding a new life in Christ.

[13:52] And it scares me because talking about Jesus out there is hard. I have no problem doing it here. In here, I'm safe.

[14:03] And I could preach all day, and I'm sure most of you would not want to have that. But out there, where people make fun of Christians, and people reject Christians, and people have all of these horrible ideas about Christians, that scares me.

[14:22] And I'm guessing if it scares me, it probably scares you too. So here's another thing that I want to show you. It's verse 17, but it's from a different version.

[14:34] It's the New Living Translation. Jesus called out to them, Come follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people. See that?

[14:46] Jesus says, I'll show you how. If I sit close to Jesus, He'll show me how to fish. I remember when I was little, my dad used to take us fishing, and he showed me how to put the worm on the hook.

[15:00] Not my favorite job. Watch the bobber, and set the hook once I got a bite. It was a good time sitting there, building our relationship as we fished.

[15:11] And that's what Jesus wants to do with you. He wants to hang out with you and teach you how to fish, just like my dad did. Jesus says, come follow me, and I will show you how to fish.

[15:28] That takes a lot of pressure off of us. But it gets even better. When we read the English Standard Version, it's a stricter translation from that original Greek.

[15:38] And Jesus says to them, Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men. The original Greek words carry this idea that Jesus will turn us into something, like when the fairy godmother turned the pumpkin into a coach.

[15:57] Jesus is going to take us wherever we are, whatever we do, whatever we are good at. He's going to use our personality, our relationships, our position in life.

[16:09] He will take all of that and use it to reach people. You, each one of you, are uniquely positioned to reach somebody.

[16:23] There are people in your life who, if I went to them and said, Hey, why don't you come down to church? They would say, Jen, get out of my face. But you, because of who you are, because of your unique positions, your relationships, you can reach that person.

[16:44] It starts with you showing them the message of Christianity is good news. And it continues as you build the relationship and they experience the kingdom of God that's in you.

[16:59] And then, as you continue to pray, the day finally comes when that person wakes up and sees that God is alive and at work in the world.

[17:09] And then, by the power of the Holy Spirit, that person turns to God and finds new life. Jesus says, If you follow me, I will show you how to do all that.

[17:29] Even better, if you follow me, I will make you become the kind of person who does that. So it's time to wake up.

[17:42] You'll see that God has already been stirring the water and there are fish in your life who are ready for you to catch them. Please pray with me.

[17:59] Lord Jesus, the one and only Christ, you called many people from many walks of life to leave their own ways and follow you, to be your disciples and to prize people as something to seek, find, and restore.

[18:20] Jesus, the one true leader of every church, we choose to stand as one church, your church, and to lift our focus from our differences and divides.

[18:32] We will leave our own ways and follow you together, support each other as we seek to be your disciples and work together to focus on fishing once more.

[18:44] for we must act justly, love, mercy, and walk humbly together before you and each other for the sake of our worship of you, our love for each other, and the future and freedom of all those.

[19:02] God, we ask for your Spirit's help with this for we are quick to focus on ourselves, our labels, our differences, rather than the same nets in our hands the same leader before us.

[19:17] Christ, have mercy in your precious name which unites us all. Amen. So we have a few announcements before we finish up. We want to thank, and the trustees especially want to thank, whoever made an anonymous donation to have our carpets cleaned.

[19:34] That being said, after the nine o'clock service, we need some help to start getting the chairs stacked up back there. And then you were invited to either stay and listen to me preach again or to have coffee to help finish after the 11 o'clock service if you are able to.

[19:51] We also will need volunteers Thursday at 7 to move chairs back, and if you can do that, please see Phil, who is the new chair of our trustees, Phil Tavernier.

[20:02] So if you are able to do that, please let him know and stay and help move all of these chairs. Confirmation, we'll be meeting today for the first time.

[20:12] We are in room three, which is to the right of the couch room, so we're very excited about that. And if you came last year to the Red Blazers concert, they are coming back on Friday, February 9th.

[20:25] The concert is at 7, and then we will be having dessert after. There's no dinner, so that will be going up shortly, or you can call the office to make your reservations. It's $10 for tickets for that, so we hope to see you there.

[20:40] Our benediction today is a response. So are you listening? God is doing a new thing. Will you join in? Yes, we will follow.

[20:53] Listen. Did you miss it? God calls us again to build the kingdom of heaven. Will you join in? Yes, we will be builders of the kingdom.

[21:04] Wait. Did you catch that? Again, God calls us to declare the good news to those in need. Will you join in? Yes, we will declare the good news without our voices and without our mouths.

[21:19] And still God calls. God never quits calling us to live and to give abundant life. Will you join in? Yes, we will join with God sharing the grace this gift of abundant life and with the world.

[21:36] May we respond to God's loving and persistent call with a loving and persistent yes. A yes for us, a yes for our neighbors, and a yes for our world to be transformed by the good news that God's kingdom has come near.

[21:54] Amen. So as the disciples walked with Christ so long ago, walk with Christ with your hearts and spirits. Feel the power of the Holy Spirit guiding your path, knowing the love of God which is poured out for you, and rejoice.

[22:11] So go in peace and love today, and may God's peace go with you today and always. Amen.