January 24, 2021
“Immediately They Left Their Nets”
Jonah 3:1-5
Mark 1:14-20
A farmer awoke one morning and looked out his window only to find that overnight a field of daffodils had sprung up about his home. “How beautiful!” he exclaimed. “I should like to stay and wander among the flowers, but I have to plow the north wheat field today.” When he returned that evening, the daffodils had withered and died.
The next day the farmer saw two small sparrows perched on the branch outside his window. Their feathers were smooth and dark, and their song soared joyfully about him. “”What beautiful!” he sighed. “I will come and listen after I’ve milked the cows.” But when he had returned, the birds had flown away.
The following day, the farmer awoke and heard the clatter of hooves on his front drive. He looked out the window and saw a great white stallion dancing and cavorting in the sunlight, inviting him to ride through the fields. “You are the most beautiful horse I have ever seen,” he said. “I will return to ride off with you as soon as I have mended the south fence.” When he returned, the stallion was gone.
Each morning for many years, the farmer witnessed some new wonder outside his window. But there was a farm to care for and he never found time to stop and share in these miracles.
Would you like me to cut to the chase with this sermon and give you the key word for me, for today’s message…the word is “immediately”…that means now, not waiting for another hour, day or time. It means to follow now.
Just next week, we will have our Annual Report. For most of us it means two things. Do we have people for our Committees and do we have money? I can save you all a lot of time. The answer to both is…Yes. We look OK and can move forward.
The grand question is for what are we as a church being called. Our mission is much larger than just filling committees and securing the bottom line.
Here is my little story. It is when I started to realize that this church-stuff; this following-Jesus stuff was something that was important in my life. It hinges on the hymn which we have sung…even the title influenced me..”Jesus Calls Us, o’er the Tumult.”
Jesus calls us, o’er the tumult of our life’s wild, restless sea; day by day His sweet voice soundeth, saying “Christian follow me.”
I learned several things here. This was the first time I had probably been cognizant of the word, “tumult” and I liked it. Tumult defined for me, what the world actually was like…”noisy commotion” as one definition has it. Even in Lima, or especially in Lima, the world of a little boy was full of noisy commotion. The trains, traffic and factories. I liked the image that Jesus calls us over and above that noisy commotion. Jesus is there amidst the noisy commotion.
But the most significant verse to me is the second part of verse 4…
“Jesus calls in cares and pleasures,
Christian, love me more than these.”
In other words, when Jesus and the world come up against one another…put Jesus first.
That’s the wonderful dilemma that we Christians, that we members of Dublin Community Church have. When DO we allow the world to take precedence over our following of Jesus and when to we say “no” to everything else and “yes” to Jesus? And when do we understand the difference?
I struggle with what we as Christians say and do. How could Christians justify slavery and then repudiate it? How could Christians justify keeping women in secondary rolls in leadership and then repudiate it…or not? How could Christians put more faith in a gun than in speaking to our enemies? How could Christians put more faith in a dollar than in the words of Jesus?
I do not know. But I do know this. Our understanding of Christianity moves and evolves just as much as our understanding of secular government moves and evolves. I realize that some of our friends and relatives say that the word of God never changes. It is and always has been the same and will remain the same. No, it changes. We from the European stock would still be heathens and the followers of Jesus would be saying, “that is what God ordains.”
Every individual, every committee here at DCC has a bit different idea as to what we should be about and how we go about it. I am at odds those churches that declare there is only one way to go about their mission as a church. But after years of being a pastor, here are a couple things that are central to all that I do in my work and all that we should do as a church.
- Praise God and give thanks for the son, Jesus the Christ.
- Open the doors wide to all who walk through them and all who walk by them.
- Work diligently with those of other faiths. Work diligently with those of no religion.
- Lighten up…enjoy the moment…praise God, sing, dance and laugh
That is why I offer the opening story…we get too serious and forget that we are called first to love God and then others as ourselves. It is through the second command that we fulfill the first. This church, Dublin Community Church is called. It has been called for 200 years to minister to this community.
I think the key is this word…”immediately”. Jesus called and the disciples followed…immediately. We are called daily and weekly to reaffirm our love of Christ and our love or our brothers and sisters through the work that we do.
And…If I see a stallion cavorting in the meadow…I am going to put aside everything and go ride him. Which is no small feat for this city boy. Amen