Hidden glory in the call

Mark 1:14-20 ¹⁴After John was put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. ¹⁵“The time is fulfilled,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near! Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

¹⁶As Jesus was going along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. ¹⁷Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” ¹⁸Immediately they left their nets and followed him. ¹⁹Going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat mending the nets. ²⁰Immediately Jesus called them. They left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

To all those called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:7) Amen.

It was around this time three years ago when I was sitting with my daughter, Miriam, at our island in the kitchen. We were looking back and forth from my laptop to her Chromebook. We had all kinds of tabs open as we researched different universities, their educational programs, if they offered ROTC on campus, and, if there was a WELS church or WELS campus ministry at that university.

My sister, Dawn, happened to be recruiting in our area. Dawn went to Michigan Tech in the U.P. on a basketball scholarship and received her teaching degree. But she hasn’t taught a single minute in a regular classroom. All of her teaching is on the basketball court. She is a Division 1 basketball coach at South Dakota University. When Dawn walked into the house and saw us working on college stuff, she said, “Miriam, it doesn’t matter what you get your degree in. You’re going to end up doing something completely different.”

I scolded her, “Dawn, she doesn’t need to hear that right now.”

We often live under the illusion of autonomy. We tend to think that we are the masters of our destiny - that we can control our future. But think back to when you were a kid and dreaming of what you would do one day when you were adulting. Are you anywhere in the “ballpark” of your childhood aspirations?

Some of you may be doing what you dreamed of doing when you were kids. Some of you may be doing what you planned on doing in the trades or after earning your degree. Some of you may be proving my sister right that you’re doing something completely different.

The Lord moves us around into various vocations to wherever he needs us. We make our plans. But it’s God’s plans that come to fruition.

Our lives are not our own. We may not be doing today what we planned to do when we were children. We may not be working in the occupation we went to college for. We are most definitely not serving in the Lord’s kingdom where we thought we would be serving. Because who ever thinks, “I’d like to be the President of the congregation” or “I want to be the Treasurer for life” or “be a part of the Ladies’ Guild” or “a Sunday School teacher” or “serve on this committee and then that committee”?

Imagine a young man named James. As a boy he watched his father and others in a profession that had been in the family for generations. It was his destiny. He would be in the seafood business. He would work alongside his father and brother in the Zebedee and Sons Fishing business. Probably little else in the way of other professions even crossed his mind.

Then along comes a traveling rabbi. He extends the invitation, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” James and John left their father mending the fishing nets and joined their friends, Andrew and Peter in following Jesus into a whole new way of life.  With each call ears are opened and nets are dropped. Vocations are exchanged and fishermen become fishers of men. God’s call bears fruit. Disciples are born.

The disciples follow Jesus for three years of Seminary training – on the mountain, in the synagogue, in the temple courtyard, in the upper room. They go from being followers, to disciples, to apostles.

Our lives are not our own … never have been (1 Corinthians 6:19). Just as Jesus called Andrew and Peter, James and John to lay down their nets to become his disciples, so Jesus calls us to follow and serve him in our various vocations in life. There is hidden glory in Christ’s call to faith and service.

Humanly speaking, what was special about these fishermen to cause Jesus to call them? Nothing. It was simply his grace to invite them to serve in his Kingdom.

You could ask the same question about yourself: What does God see in you that would lead him to call you to follow him? If you are honest with yourself, you have to admit there is no reason that he would have to call you. You’re not good enough; not smart enough; not perfect enough; not deserving enough to make Jesus call you. But in his grace Jesus chose you to be his disciple.

Jesus called many of you to follow him at your baptism as an infant or later on in your conversion as an adult. Through the waters of baptism and the power of his Word, Jesus made you heirs of his salvation. Then you stood before the Lord’s altar as a teenager or an adult confirming your faith, making the very serious vow to follow Jesus even to the point of death. Jesus unites you to each other through the Sacrament of Holy Communion. He announces that your sins are removed as far as the east is from the west. He equips you for service in his Kingdom with his Word that comforts, encourages and empowers.

What a great privilege and gift from your Savior! He has chosen you to follow him.

But it isn’t a call to sit in pews or watch on computers. It isn’t a call to remain comfortable wherever we are in our lives. It is a call to service. A call to action. A call to be fishers of men and women and children. A call to invite others into Christ’s Kingdom.

You want to invite others to have their sins washed away and become heirs of salvation with you. You want others to enjoy that nervous excitement standing before the Lord’s altar making their confirmation vows. You want others to go deeper into the doctrines of the Bible so they can be united with you in partaking of Holy Communion. You want others to receive the forgiveness of sins that Jesus won for them on the cross and out of the grave. You want others to receive the resurrection comfort when they grieve, the peace when they are depressed, and the encouragement to keep moving that you have received as you follow your Lord and Savior.

Jesus’ first disciples were so willing to follow Jesus because he was a different kind of king who had a different kind of Kingdom. Instead of taking from people, he gave great blessings to people. Instead of gathering a following to control, he gathered a following to set them free. He didn’t rule to take the lives of others. He came to give up his life to rescue people from sin and death. That is why the first disciples were willing to give up everything and follow Jesus.

Now what about you? Are you willing to follow this King? Jesus’ kingdom is one of freedom and forgiveness. It is a kingdom of good news – the good news of eternal salvation. Are you willing to give up your time, your money, your very lives to follow Jesus?

Have you heard of the 20/80 rule in the church? I’ve been told the 20/80 rule also applies to companies and clubs. In a typical church, 20% of the people will do 80% of the work. This is called a “rule” because this is the way it is in most churches across all denominations.

I want you to think of the blessings you’ve seen and experienced over your time at Epiphany. If we are a typical church, with 20% of the members doing 80% of the work, look at how God has blessed that 20%! Part of my role as the Pastor of Leadership and Training for Water of Life Lutheran Church is to train members to be more involved in the ministry of our new church. The Pastor of Growth and Outreach will then take the trained members and put them to work in varies ministries of the church. Our goal is to flip that rule so that 80% of our people are involved in the Lord’s ministry at Water of Life.

If God has accomplished all this with 20% involvement, imagine what God will accomplish for his Kingdom when 80% are involved!

All of you come from a wide variety of backgrounds, abilities, experiences, and degrees. God has a plan for you in service to his Kingdom. It probably isn’t something you planned for as a child or while  in college. But God always had a plan for you. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to give you peace, not disaster, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Where can you fit into serving God in his Kingdom work at Water of Life? If you are homebound, maybe you can send out cards of encouragement or pray for members and ministry. If you are in college, you can be involved in your campus ministry by going to church, attending Bible study and inviting other students to join you. If you are a teenager, you can help with our soccer camp or door canvassing. Maybe you can teach English as a second language. Play an instrument or sing for worship. Help with social media or following up on visitors. Visit those who are sick or call those in hospice care.

The list is endless. Be assured though, the chairmen and vice chairmen of our church council will be inviting all of you to serve somewhere on their various committees. There will be a lot of work to do. By the grace of God, he has supplied willing disciples to get that Kingdom work done.

Still, some of you may be saying, "You know, I have thought about that, but I don't have the courage or confidence to follow through." Well, if you're reluctant, think of Moses. He balked at being the one to lead God's people out of Egypt. "Not me, God, I can't even talk straight," was his response. "You want me to do what!?" And yet the seemingly unprepared and stammering Moses accomplished great things - all by God's grace.

God used a widow woman to prepare an upper room so he could celebrate the Passover with his disciples. He used a little boy to feed five thousand hungry people. He used a guy who ran away naked from Jesus when he was arrested to write the words of our text. He used fishermen, a tax collector, a skeptic, a doubter, and other men to change the world with his gospel!

We’ve seen Jesus’ hidden glory in the waters of his baptism and his hidden glory in plain sight of Nathanael and Andrew. Today we see Jesus’ hidden glory in his call to follow him. There is glory in that call. Only Jesus Christ, the Son of God could take children, teenagers, young adults, parents and senior citizens; people of various backgrounds, cultures and vocations; and unite them into a cohesive unit called the Holy Christian Church. Only the Savior could call sinners to faith; call timid people to courage; call proud people to humility; call selfish people to care about others; call you and me to serve him by serving those around us with his good news of salvation.

Today, and in the days ahead, pray for the wisdom to grasp the plan God has for you. I don’t want to admit it … my sister may have been right … that one time. We may have plans, but those plans change and adapt. Trust that God has a plan for you. He’s always had a plan for you. He has called you to faith. Now he is calling you to service.

Pray for the courage to step out in faith. Pray that you may always be open to God's leading. See the hidden glory as you answer Jesus’ call. Amen.

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6) Amen.