The Call we Walk

 

Sermon 1-24 – 21

Grace to you and peace from God our creator and from our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

I grew up on a dairy farm in rural Wisconsin, where my sibling and I learned from a very early age to pay attention to where we walked. In fact, on the door to the barn hung a funny sign that warned, “Don’t follow in my footsteps – I think I stepped in something!” You know exactly what I’m talking about. If you are walking around a farm for any length of time, most likely you will get SOMETHING on your shoes. It goes with the territory.

No unlike farm life, fishing life gets messy too. Jesus was not strolling along a pristine beach dotted with tiki bars. I imagine, fresh from his baptism, he strode along that beach with purpose – dodging some fish guts here and there, weaving his way through the bustle of business, on a mission: to confirm the members of his administration’s inner circle. The moment was at hand: John the Baptist had been arrested, and Jesus needed a “few good men.”

Simon, Andrew, James, and John were certainly not theologians, great communicators, knowledgeable, powerful, wealthy, or even literate. After all, where did Jesus find them?... At the wharf, slogging through a day’s work at the family business.

But if it were not for these ordinary, flawed, people, WE would not be here, listening to Mark tell the story of Jesus to us now. WE are here because of everyone who mentored us in the faith before us fished for people…. Who fished for people… who fished for people… who eventually caught US. … so that we may be CALLED by Jesus to follow him too, and fish for people ourselves. No bait and fishing pole required!

In the Jesus administration, it doesn't matter what school we attended or how much money we make or what our children amount to. We don’t have to fill out an application showing how many committees we've served, how many years we've faithfully taught Sunday school, been in youth group, or sang in the choir, though these are all worthwhile things. To be called by Jesus, to work in his administration, you only need one thing on your resume: being a child of God. Which, by the way, you already are, by virtue of your baptism.

Whether you are young like Samuel, stubborn like Jonah, eloquent like Paul, thoughtful like Mary, brave like Moses and Miriam, faithful like Mary Magdalene, eager like Peter, curious like Philip…. We are all ages, genders, backgrounds, abilities….  And Jesus has a place for you here…  among his students. And he has called you for a reason…. to follow him and learn how to fish for people.

Well, a more accurate translation of what Jesus says here is actually “I will make you BECOME fishers for people.” We aren’t instantly good at it. It’s still hard, especially at first, and we of course can’t get good at it unless we PRACTICE. This doesn’t mean get out the boat and the fishing tackle, obviously. But are there skills, interests, talents, relationships, motivations, and passions that we already possess that we can use, to share our faith and help connect people to the Kingdom of God?

If we are truly to follow in the footsteps of Jesus though, I think that we must walk exactly where Jesus walked, even it takes us to places and to people we perhaps would rather not go to, and step into thing we would rather not step in. Jesus walked with people who were on the margins, who were neck deep in dealing with the muck of the world… forging relationships…. Treating all people with dignity and respect. 

This will probably mean getting a little messy, stepping into places that might leave a mark on us, slogging through some muck with people, entering into the mess of what it means to be human with one another. After all, this is exactly what Jesus did – stepped into the mess with us.

Jesus walked where we walked, so that we may walk with others who are in desperate need of a companion right now. This is the walk which we are called to. We walk without stopping until we all get to Justice, Mercy, and Freedom. Even if we step in things like Fear, Misunderstanding, Rejection, and the Unknown. We follow in Jesus footsteps, and we have to be willing to go where that takes us, even if we don’t feel ready or prepared to go there. 

We aren’t sure what we may be facing. Poet Laurate Amanda Gorman shared this week, “…We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour, but within it, we found the power to author a new chapter…“

Much like the disciples could not have known what they would face as they dropped their nets to follow Jesus. It turns out they stepped into … some very big footprints. Theirs was a big job, and it wasn’t easy, and they failed many times. We face a difficult hour too, in more ways than we can even name.

We may not feel up to the task, but as we heed the call of Jesus, we pray. We pray along with the Reverend Dr. William Barber II as he preached Thursday – we ask our Lord to “Grant us wisdom for the facing of this hour until love and justice are never rejected” …  because we know that God will provide for us.

As we heed Jesus’ call, we pray for the wisdom and courage necessary to keep walking “until the poor are lifted, the sick are healed, children are protected, and civil rights and human rights never neglected” because with us, God abides with us.

As we heed the call of Jesus, we will keep walking in the light of God, and we aren’t going to stop, until we arrive at Justice.

The time is now. The kingdom is at hand. We are ready Get your boots on, let’s go. Thanks be to God. Amen.