3B Epiphany                                       Mark 1:14-20                                    January 25, 2009

On this third Sunday after Epiphany we are presented with the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.
We have been told that John the baptizer has been arrested and Jesus is stepping into the limelight after his time in the wilderness.
And he wastes no time.
Much like a newly inaugurated president is quick to launch into the first 100 days, Jesus steps up and proclaims: “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe the good news.” (V.15)
Or, to use the translation found in The Message:
“Times up! God’s kingdom is here. Change your life and believe the Message.” (1.)

That’s it!
No prolonged review of God’s activity through out history.
No cosmic fireworks.
No pomp and circumstance.
No halo hovering over his head. 
No angelic choir belting out hymns of praise while doing a fly by at top speed.

Instead a sermon shorter than all of the opening prayers at the inauguration this past week! 
In these nineteen words, Jesus gives us the “most compact and compressed statement of the gospel expressed anywhere in the New Testament.” (2)
Don’t you wish all sermons were that short and to the point?

And what does it mean?
What does it mean, “the kingdom of God has come near”? 
Well, in an effort to keep it as simple and short as Jesus’ sermon—I would say that it means that if God is at the center of your life, if you place your complete trust in God’s grace and guidance every morning when you get up, and at the risk of sounding cliché-ish you find yourself asking the question, “What Would Jesus Do?” when faced with moral and ethical questions and dilemmas—well, chances are—you are either near the kingdom of God or the seed has been planted in your life.

And what about Jesus reference to “repenting and believing the good news? “
Suffice it to say, repenting is more than simply feeling bad about something you might have done or did not do. Repenting is much, much more.
Repenting involves making changes.
It means turning around and rather than charting your own course—following Jesus path.
In other words it has nothing to do with moping around but rather in means moving in a new direction.
And that leads to the part about believing the good news. 

I sometimes get the impression that folks think that believing simply involves a warm fuzzy kind of feeling in their hearts, a sense that that they now have some sort of divine spark within them, to warm them on a cold wintry night.
I want to suggest that belief always involves action on our part.
Belief is not what we hang onto, but belief is the divine spark that compels us to act, to move, to take laps of faith—much like the four disciples in our reading this morning who left their nets; boats, hired servants, and family to follow Jesus.

I know I have told this story before and I will probably tell it again—but here goes…
Once upon a time there was a world famous tightrope walker.
He was so famous that he would tour around the world demonstrating his tight rope walking antics to the amazement and fascination of crowds everywhere.
On one occasion the tight ropewalker set up his demonstration over Niagara Falls.
The line stretched from the U.S. side to the Canadian side.
As a part of this show he would walk back and forth over the roaring waters of the falls.
People were thrilled.

At one point he grabbed a wheelbarrow and pushed it across from one side to another.
On the way back he asked the crowd if they believed he could return to the other side with a 50-pound bag of sand in the wheelbarrow.
The crowd crowded that yes they believed that he could do that.
So, sure enough he did.
Back on the other side the asked the crowd if they believed he could do it again with 100 pounds of sand. Once again the crowd replied with an enthusiastic “Yes”. And sure enough he did.
Now he raised the stakes…did they believe that he could put a person in the wheelbarrow and cross over and back? The crowd, all caught up in the excitement responded with an even more enthusiastic, “Yes, we believe you can!” and at this point he looked at the crowd and asked for a volunteer to climb n the wheelbarrow.
The crowd was silent. Not a word.

To believe the good news is to get in Jesus’ wheelbarrow. To believe is to entrust your entire life to Jesus, to allow him to guide, shape and transform your life.
There are lots of people who claim to believe in God.
And saying that you believe is a good place to start, but discipleship to Jesus Christ invites us to entrust our lives to Jesus, it invites us to get in the proverbial wheelbarrow and allow Christ to be center of our universe, the captain of your ship, the wind beneath your wings, in other words—your Lord and Savior.

In just 19 words, Jesus says all that really needs to be said: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near, repent and believe in the good news.”

Those nineteen words must have struck a chord because the next thing Jesus does is continue his walk down the beach of the Sea of Galilee and invites Simon, Andrew, James and John to come and follow him.

Mark doesn’t’ tell us why Jesus chose these four—just that he did.
And Mark doesn’t really give us any indication as to why they responded to readily—just that they did.
And neither does Mark give us any indication as to why these particular four men were called.
I don’t know -- is there something about fishermen that makes them particularly good at this sort of thing that Jesus was calling them to?
I would suppose a certain degree of patience might be helpful, as well as an inclination to work long, hard hours.  But do you really want to call the sort of men who are prone to exaggerate and stretch the truth when it comes to the fish they catch?

We may never know the rational for Jesus calling these otherwise ordinary and seemingly unremarkable men to be the core of his ministry.
And yet, by the transforming power and presence of Christ these four men, along with the others who would also follow became extraordinary as they turned the world upside down—or perhaps better put—upside right. And yet we know they did not do it alone.
They did by the grace of Gods.
But they did it!
Today their names are known all over the world—not because they are great but because the Lord they served is great!

And that leads me to the question I want you to ponder this week—what has God called you to do?

And before you dismiss this question too quickly, allow me to clear up one of the great misconceptions concern God’s calling of people.
Despite what you might have heard, God is not restricted to calling just pastors, or youth leaders, or missionaries to distant lands—God has been calling people to a great many different callings.
God calls people to every vocation under the sun—to teach, to practice medicine, to care for the youngest and the oldest and most vulnerable in society.
God can and has called people to be civil servants and community organizers, to serve their native lands, to speak out when society is off track.
God calls people to be poets, musicians, and artists in an effort to communicate the beauty and grace of God.
God calls us to be peacemakers and ambassadors of good will and hospitality.
God calls us to be who people choose hope over fear, who build up rather than tear down. 
God calls us to be faith filled parents nurturing the lives and the faith of children and God calls us to be faithful spouses and friends. 
Martin Luther reinforced this sentiment when he said, “People who quietly do their jobs, tend their children, run the farms, fix shoes, cut hair and teach the children are the glue that holds the world together.” He also said, “A dairymaid can milk cows to the glory of God.”
This was his way of saying that the Lord can call us to any number of callings.
The Lord can call us to be a butcher or baker or candlestick maker—as long as we understand our work as a means of giving God glory.

So what has God called you to?
I would like for you to consider that question this week. Think about it.
Pray about it.
Ponder it.
Talk to others about it.

But here is yet another question:
What has God called this congregation to?
To what is Zion Lutheran Church in Milaca, MN called?
What particular mission does God have for this congregation?
I ask this for two reasons.
The first is because today is our annual meeting and we will review the past year and make some decisions that will guide us in the year to come.

And secondly because I believe it is important for every community of faith to give thoughtful reflection and discernment to the question of where God might be leading us.
I believe every congregation needs to take stock of its presence and purpose within the community we reside. And I believe that any congregation that either rests on the laurels of its past or buys into the mantra of “That’s the way we have always done it” is doomed to mere maintenance ministry at best.

So where do imagine God might be leading us as a congregation?
How might God be inviting us to a greater degree of discipleship?
If God were to encourage us to think and act outside the box—what might that look like?
Are there people in this community who would benefit from us stepping up and taking a leap of faith into uncharted waters?
As Lutherans our history is based on a reformation and a reforming spirit—going places where others have dared not go.
What might that look like in this day and age and in this particular community?

So—here’s your assignment for the week: What has God called you to?
Is God calling you to step up and invest yourself in some new faith venture?
Is God calling you to open your Bibles and delve deeper into His Word?
Maybe particiapte in Bible Study or start a Bible study with a few friends?
Is God’s Spirit nudging you to invite a friend or co-worker or family member to worship in the hopes that they too might hear the good news and grow in God’s grace?

And what’s the other question? Where might God be leading this congregation in the year ahead?
What new faith initiatives might we be looking to undertake to the glory of God?
How might we do a better job of living out our calling as children of God and servants of Christ?

Ponder these questions.
Pray over them.
Talk to one another.

Jesus said: “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe the good news.” Who knew that nineteen words, a single sentence could stir up so many questions and inspire such reflection? And just maybe---maybe, a few more people will find themselves climbing into Jesus’ wheelbarrow!

And all of God’s people said—Amen!

Pastor Stephen P. Blenkush
Zion Lutheran Church
Milaca, MN

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