January 27, 2008
Laity Sunday
Richard L. Cote

Called to Follow

For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Richard Cote; I’ve been a member of the church for about 8 years.  When I was first asked to do a sermon, my initial reaction was “Are you sure you want ME to do a sermon?” But after I reviewed the reading, I thought why not, what’s the worst that can happen? At the very least I’ve been given an opportunity to share with all of you what this reading means to me.

How many of you have really spent some time thinking about today’s scripture reading. I know for myself, I’ve probably read those verses several dozens of times, but never really thought about them.  Having to give a sermon gets you thinking in a different way and I would suggest that if you really want to get intimate with a bible verse, write a sermon on it, even if it’s just for yourself.

So let me put today’s reading in context:

- Jesus has just come out of the wilderness after forty days and nights
- John the Baptist has been arrested
- And Jesus has moved from Nazareth to Capernum, near Galilee, which is about 30 miles hike.

Now picture it in your mind, Jesus is walking down the road presumably next to the Sea of Galilee and comes across a couple of fishermen and says to them “Follow me and I will make you fishers of people”, and IMMEDIATELY they drop their nets and follow him.

Then Jesus comes upon two brothers who where with their father and says to them “Follow me” and again we are told that they IMMEDIATELY left their nets to follow Jesus.

Do you get the feeling that we are missing an important part of this story?  I mean the question begs to be asked “Why did perfect strangers leave their careers and family to follow THIS man?  What was the attraction?

I think to find the answer; we must look below the surface.  We have been given Jesus’ mission statement. We are told that “from that time Jesus began to proclaim ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near”.  And at the surface it would seem that we are being asked to feel regret for our past actions and to make a change in our life, because the kingdom has come near.  However if we look at the Greek text, the word for repent or repentance is Metanoia. As Reverend Pat stated a couple of weeks ago, the meaning of Metanoia goes far beyond simply recognizing our faults and changing our actions to avoid future pitfalls. The meaning of this word actually varies depending on the context of its use. One of the meanings is to denote changing one's mind, in the sense of embracing thoughts beyond its present limitations or thought patterns.

 Now, looked at it from that point of view, I see Jesus proclaiming “Listen, forget about the old way of thinking, open your mind and see that the kingdom of heaven is near, not that it is a place to go to, but a state of being that can be experienced NOW!  Now hold that thought we’ll get back to it in a minute.

So back to the story, perhaps, there was a bit more dialogue than just the “Follow me” bit.  One possibility is that Jesus is walking down the road, checking out the area and comes across Simon and Andrew, two brothers that were fishing and strikes up a conversation with them. I can envision the conversation gravitating towards the topic of the Roman occupation, maybe some religious issues involving the high priests and Pharisees. As these brothers are talking with Jesus, he begins to share his thoughts on the topics.  Maybe some new ideas are presented concerning how there’s another way to approach the political and religious issues of the day. How? Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.  Open your mind to new ways of thinking, to new possibilities. Maybe be a part of the solution instead of complaining about the problem.  “But how can we make a difference, we are simple fishermen?” they say. To which Jesus states, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of people.”

Remember this is my interpretation.

Well, whatever the conversation, there has been a paradigm shift in these two brothers, so much so that they are willing to give up their careers as fishermen to follow the person whom they’ve just met. And what happens next? He sees two more brothers in their boat with their father mending nets and the same thing happens. They too leave their father and their career to follow Jesus.

So what IS the call to follow?  I think it’s an invitation to SERVE others freely.  And we see that message time and time again throughout the Gospels. AND… in the statement, FOLLOW ME and I will make you fishers of PEOPLE, there is the invitation to use your CURRENT talents to serve others.

I’d like to share with you a quote by Leo Buscaglia that I think sums up what that call to follow is, he said:

“Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.”

I believe that part of our calling in life is to determine what our GIFTS are and then to use those gifts to help and to serve the community in which we live…without strings attached and in so doing, we serve God.

Imagine what our world would be like if every one of us used our gifts to serve society: a world that truly cared for each other.  And in fact we ask for this every time we say the Lords prayer “…Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven…” We ask for heaven on earth, and Jesus has told us how to get it... “Follow Me”!

And we are ALL called to follow! Is it simple? Yes. Is it easy…not always?

For me being part of THIS community has made is it somewhat easy to follow that calling because of the many opportunities to use my gifts to serve others.

The Habitat for Humanity mission gives me the opportunity to serve the community while using my building skills. The Contemporary service and Peace Cafe have both given me the opportunity to use my technical abilities to serve others. The OWL program, teaching Sunday School, being a member of the Christen Education committee, participating in Apple Harvest, working on several of the church plays, even standing here in front of you giving this sermon have all given me opportunities to serve the community while using my gifts.  This Church offers endless opportunities to serve.

Even in my work, I have found ways to use my gifts to serve others. I work in the area of Industrial Safety. Through product training and problem solving, I get to contribute to workers safety around the world.

So how does all of this relate to today’s reading and message? Simple. We hear the words, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven has come near” and “follow me and I will make you fishers of people” But perhaps we need to hear the unspoken message.

Open your hearts and minds to a new way of thinking. Use the gifts and talents that you have been given to serve your community and thereby God and your reward will be the kingdom of heaven, now, on earth.

So, Are you willing to drop your nets and follow?

Amen