"Go Fish"

For those not familiar with an Anglican Service; there are four Scripture Readings before the Sermon. The Scripture Readings for this day were: Jonah 3: 1-5,10; Psalm 62:6-14; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 and Mark 1:14-20.

Todays Gospel begins by marking the transition from Johns ministry (P) to that of Jesus.

As is typical of Mark, he accomplishes this with a minimal number of words.
He simply states, "After John was arrested, Jesus came..."

This verse closes the door on John the Baptizer and opens the door on Jesus Galilean ministry.

At first glance, Jesus mission does not appear all that different (P) from Johns
He, too, emphasizes the word "Repent," but Jesus gives a different reason altogether.

John said to repent as a way of preparing for the coming Messiah.

Jesus says to repent (P) for the Kingdom of God has come near. The waiting (P) is over.

God has begun a new call in the world. The fullness of time has arrived.

In verse 17, Jesus makes clear the meaning of his call to believe the gospel when he says, (P) "Follow me and I will make you fish for people."

We are given no background information regarding the quick response of the disciples.

We are not told if the Simon, Andrew, James and John had previously heard Jesus preach (P) if they were primed to make this life changing decision.

We are only told that Jesus saw them and called out to them, (P) "Follow me."

And what happened? (Pause) They responded.

These men seemed to understand this call to be an invitation to become disciples of Jesus.

Regardless of their understanding or lack of it, (P) these men made a radical and immediate decision (P) that changed their lives forever.

They left their daily work, (P) dropping their nets (P) abandoning their established livelihoods.

The text makes it clear that James and John walked away from their family ties.

We cannot help but be amazed and impressed with the immediate and radical commitment that Jesus inspired in these fishermen.

How can we as the church duplicate that "drop-everything kind of discipleship?"

(Slow) Jesus does not call any of us (P) to a casual discipleship.

As Dietrich Bonhoeffer pointed out in his book, The Cost of Discipleship, Jesus does not call us to cheap grace.

He calls us (P) to costly discipleship.

In a way (P) there is a paradox of our faith.

On the one hand, grace is free (Slow) and cost us nothing. We cannot earn it.

But on the other hand, (Slow) it costs us everything.

Our Lord expects us to commit (Slow) all that we are (P) and all that we have.

One theologian has called it a paradox between (P) "absolute gift and yet absolute demand."

Maybe we are too quick to hear the absolute gift, and fail to hear (P) the absolute demand.

We want the grace (P) yet too often ignore the costly discipleship.

The men in our Gospel text immediately knew that Jesus did not invite them to become spectators.

Rather he wanted them to join him in proclaiming the Good News.

That the Kingdom of God is at hand.

He makes this clear when he says, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. To fish for people."

Jesus used wonderful terminology to make this kind of discipleship clear to them.

He picked up on the images of their own vocation.

"I will make you fish for people.