January 27 Sermon:
Called to Follow
Christ’s Way
Today’s gospel reports the
beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and the theme of his preaching is summarized in a
single sentence.
Jesus began to proclaim, "Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven has come near." Matthew 4:17
The kingdom of heaven has
come near – heaven has come close to earth and God’s future is arriving.
Jesus taught us to pray “Thy
Kingdom come” and then by way of explanation to add “Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven”. Thus Jesus teaches us
that God’s kingdom comes near as God’s will is done on earth.
When we do God’s will - live
under His rule - The kingdom of heaven
has come near. Heaven is not just a
future destination, but becomes a present reality. In that sense, heaven is not so much a place
as it is the act of God ruling in lives. Something that can’t be fully realized
in this life, but yet we can have a glimpse of heaven as we seriously follow
the Lord’s way.
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In this short passage,
Matthew would also show us that the
Jesus went throughout
As He told them about the
kingdom, Jesus also demonstrated the power of the kingdom. When we pray “Thy Kingdom come”, we are not
saying we’re going to rely on our own strength to do God’s will, but rather
asking that God’s power come into us that He might bring His rule into our
lives. When we take up our tasks as
workers for the kingdom, we’re not relying only on our gifts, but also on the
power of God.
When Jesus says The kingdom of heaven has come near –
heaven has come close to earth – it also means that God’s power – his Spirit –
is available to all who would strive to do His will.
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Jesus prefaced his
announcement of the kingdom with a single word: “Repent” – turn away from
something and turn toward the Lord. In the gospel the meaning “repent” is illustrated
by the action of Peter and Andrew.
Last Sunday we saw how Peter
and Andrew had had the opportunity to meet with Jesus – to spend time listening
to his teaching.
From that point right up to
the scene in today’s gospel, you could describe Peter and Andrew as
“listeners”. And in that sense, maybe
they were like many of you. They also
heard the Master’s teachings – thought about them – maybe even put some of them
into practice. But that was it. They could listen without making a
commitment.
But today they were invited
to take the next step.
Jesus said to them, "Follow me…” Matthew 4:19
An invitation to move from
being only a “listener” to becoming a follower of Christ’s way, because
following leads to faith.
It involves saying I was
learning by listening, but now I’m going to learn by experiencing. I’ll actually put those teachings into
practice in my own life. Then I’ll see
for myself that they are true.
This is a second step in that
journey toward faith and an example of that word “repent”. Not only turning toward the Lord, but
returning to your essential and natural identity, which is the image of
God. So Peter and Andrew are no longer
first of all fishermen, but first of all followers of Jesus, disciples of
Christ. And our primary identity is
child of God and disciple of Christ.
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I want you to notice how that
call came to Peter and Andrew. They
weren’t seeking it. They weren’t looking
for greater fulfillment in life. They
were probably content with their jobs in their father’s fishing business –
which one day would be their business.
They were making a good living, and weren’t on a spiritual quest.
Then Jesus intrudes and
reaches out to them. He interrupts their
lives when calls them, inviting them to take the next step – Follow me – walk
with me – live the way I live.
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You are all here today
because in some way God has called you.
On the one hand, you chose to
come to church today. At other times,
you chose to read the Bible and ponder its meaning for you. You chose to draw near to God in prayer.
But in retrospect, as you
think about it, isn’t it the working of God’s Spirit that motivates you to make
those choices? Whether it’s coming to
church or praying or reading the Bible, aren’t they all signs that God’s Spirit
is silently working in your life?
Jesus says: You did not choose me, but I
chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit… John 15:16
Christ has chosen you and
called you, as he called Andrew and Peter long ago.
Sometimes that call may be
like a flash of insight. But more often
it happens more slowly – much more quietly - a long process of quiet leading
and coaxing. Over weeks and months – or
years and decades – you gradually realize, “Hmm, maybe God is calling me. The more I think about
Jesus and learn about him, the more I believe that he is speaking to me –
calling me to make a commitment, to make myself his own.”
Christ is still calling,
inviting. Listen and you may hear Him as
you meditate on the gospel stories and pray to know Him better. Or you may be moved by singing hymns of faith
– or simply listening to others sing. By
the power of His Spirit, Jesus has a way of getting through – by what ever
means and at whatever pace. Somehow he
finds ways to make us aware of his presence and to call us to know what we’re
being asked by him to do.
He invites us to follow. We won’t necessarily know where he is going
to lead us. And it is exactly this kind
of following that leads to faith. Because you are following Jesus without being told where he will
lead you. So you have to begin to
trust him – for example, simply trusting that he will continue to guide
you. Or trusting that if you follow his
way, it will be the better way – even thought you can’t be sure until you
actually do try his way.
So we follow that we might
come to faith – and we continue to follow so that our faith may grow – that we
may trust Him more and more.
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"Follow me, and I will make you
fish for people."
Following naturally leads to
fishing. Because
people around you will be able to see your faith in action. They can observe your behavior – how you talk
– how you treat others. In little
everyday ways, they can see your faith shining through.
There is probably a person
near you who actually wants to know about your faith. Chances are they have guessed you go to
church and they are curious.
I know a lot of you are
saying “Not me. I’m not even sure about
what I believe. How could I talk to
someone else about faith or church?”
And that answer is exactly
why you are the right person for them to talk to. Because they aren’t sure
about faith and church. They
don’t want to speak with a convinced believer who has a pat answer for every
question. And they sure don’t want
someone who would try to talk them into something.
They’d rather talk to someone
like you, who’s not out to convert them.
Maybe they’re in the same position that you once were. And if you’ve still got your doubts, why do
you go to church? If you’re not
completely sure, why do you try to follow Jesus’ teaching?
You could quote Neils
Bohr: “I’ve heard it works even for
those who don’t believe.”
But it would be better if you
openly and honestly shared whatever your response might be. Relax.
Be yourself.
Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.
As His followers, we can seek
out others and invite them to come and see - giving them the opportunity to
learn more about Jesus and His way.
The kingdom of heaven has come
near."
Jesus’ teaching is the light
that shows us the way to a better, even heavenly life. His words will enlighten us to new potential
and possibilities for our lives.
We are all invited to
discover, through following Jesus, a little bit of heaven – a place of
spirituality and beauty – and of relationships based on his teaching. Not only to enjoy that, but to work at
bringing it fruition on earth as in heaven.
Lent begins on February 6
Ash Wednesday
Service at
7:15 pm