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EPIPHANY 3B 2015

Mark 1: 14-20

Some of you football fans will remember when Bo Schembechler was the coach of the Michigan Wolverines. It's said that Schembechler used to work his new players especially hard to determine immediately whether they were winners or quitters. He even hung a sign above the locker room door which said, "Those Who Stay Will Be Champions." Of course, not everyone stayed. Arriving one morning, the coach looked up at the sign, as he did every morning. Underneath the words "Those Who Stay Will Be Champions" someone had written, "And those who quit will be doctors, lawyers, and captains of industry." Whether we’re talking about sports or teaching, investment banking, or even the priesthood, not everyone has what it takes to be a champion, regardless of the field or profession. And not everyone was called to be numbered among the original disciples of Jesus.

After John was put in prison, Jesus returned to the relative safety of Galilee, and there he proceeded to proclaim the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Jesus.

It is very difficult to discern anything special about these first disciples that Jesus called except their willingness to serve. Author and radio host Chris Fabry said it well: "If it were me, I would not have been down by the water looking for followers. If I were me looking for disciples, I would have first chosen a terrific singer who could bring in the crowds. Then I would have looked for someone with connections to the political establishment. Choosing followers is a strategic matter. You can't waste your choices. As a matter of fact, I probably would have hired a head hunter to get things started. Jesus did the exact opposite. He chose two ordinary fishermen. I would have made a great motivational speech using flip charts. Jesus didn't try to wow anybody. He simply said, 'Come, follow me, and I will make you fish for people.'"

You and I are too savvy to choose the kind of men Jesus chose. They weren't scholars. They weren’t community leaders. They were ordinary fishermen, just struggling to earn a living and feed their families. But, when Jesus called them, there had to have been something so powerful, so magnetic about his demeanor, that they left everything and followed him.

That's no small feat. Jesus calls many, but only a few heed his summons. In most churches — and in this regard I am very pleased to say that All Angels is NOT typical – only about twenty percent of the congregation is really involved in the life of the parish. Another twenty percent are fairly faithful in worship, but can't truly be counted on for anything else. Another twenty percent are sporadic Christmas and Easter folk. And finally there are the forty percent who are of the hatched, matched and dispatched variety. That is, they are to be found in church only when they are baptized, married and finally buried — hatched , matched and dispatched — but otherwise they couldn't be much more nominal in their connection to the church. Unlike many churches, time and again I see your faithful stewardship of the Gospel expressed through your offering of time, talent, and treasure.

A while back there was an interesting article in National Geographic about the men of the Mbuti tribe of central Africa, also known as Pygmies. These diminutive people have a unique way of making music and reinforcing social bonds. The musical pipes which the men whittle out of wood are only able to play a single note. One man may make a pipe that can play an A flat; another may whittle a pipe that plays a D, another F sharp. Because each man can only play one note, all the men must work together to create music. If one man is missing from the group, the music is noticeably deficient, lacking in the harmony and richness which otherwise is evident when all are playing together.

Isn’t that a magnificent metaphor for the church! Imagine that every member of our community had a flute which played just one note, and the only way we could make music would be if every member showed up and did his or her part.

Let’s face it, when we strip away all the myths and stories, the simple fact is there wasn't anything special about these first disciples except that when Jesus said, "Follow me," that’s exactly what they did, no ifs , ands, or buts. Having said that, we must acknowledge that being around Jesus turned them into very special people. That shouldn’t be surprising, should it? After all, Jesus has been turning people's lives around for over twenty centuries now.

I know not everyone here this morning agreed with the actions of George W. Bush while he president, but I think it is difficult to doubt his sincerity when he talks about his faith. As a young man, even after his marriage and the birth of his daughters, Bush did not take his responsibilities as a husband and father very seriously. Alcohol seems to have played a major role in his reckless lifestyle. Although Laura’s threat to leave him may have been the catalyst, Bush credits his religious faith as the source of the strength that enabled him to turn his life around. It's a story that's been told time and time again.

As most of you know, Chuck Colson was at one time a major power player in Washington politics; indeed he was known as one of Nixon's most enthusiastic "hatchet men," described as a man of few principles. You know also that while serving time in prison for his Watergate role, Colson came to embrace a religious faith that shaped the remainder of his life. After his release, Colson founded a ministry to prisoners. When Colson returned to visit the Delaware prison where he had served his time, dozens of prisoners stood outside the chapel and held up signs saying, "Jesus Sets the Prisoners Free!" Hundreds of inmates packed the chapel that morning to hear Colson share the good news of Jesus Christ. Very few people are special by the world’s standards, but our faith turns us into special people. All we have to do is say, "yes."

Here's what we need to understand: it can happen to us if we will but let Jesus into our life. That's the rub, isn't it? "If we will let him . . .” We’re not like Peter and Andrew, James and John. We're better educated. More sophisticated. We live in nice homes. We’ve had good careers. Drive nice cars. And we are pretty content with our circumstances just like as are. We're at a stage in life where we’re not too sure about making any decision if it means committing more of our time or more of our resources. We are like the majority of Christians; we want to be a follower of Jesus but we want to do it from a distance. We will stay in our boats, pay lip service to the Gospel and leave it to others to cast aside their nets and follow Jesus.

A while back, The Week magazine carried an amusing description of the funeral for a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan. When mourners arrived at the funeral home, they found the recently deceased man propped up in his favorite armchair in black-and- gold pajamas, a beer and a pack of cigarettes at his side, while a 70 inch high-definition TV played a continuous loop of Steelers highlights. The man’s friends and relatives agreed it was a perfect tribute. "I couldn't stop crying after looking at the Steelers blanket in his lap," the man’s sister said. "It was just like he was at home."

We live in a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to be a fanatic about football, but not about your faith. If you were dressed at your funeral according to where you put your priorities, how would you be dressed? As a sports fan? A parent? A Republican or a Democrat? Would there be any artifacts that would speak of your faith?

Before the French imposed national boundaries on the people of Laos and Vietnam, the local rulers had reached an accord on taxation in the porous border areas. They divided the citizens into two groups depending on how they lived. Those who ate short-grain rice, built their houses on stilts, and decorated them with Indian-style serpents were considered Laotians. On the other hand, those who ate long-grain rice, built their houses on the ground, and decorated them with Chinese-style dragons were considered Vietnamese. The exact location of a person's home was not what determined his or her nationality. Instead, each person belonged to the kingdom whose cultural values he or she exhibited. If you lived one way, you were Laotian. If you lived another, you were Vietnamese.

Whose cultural values does your life exhibit? The kingdom of this world or the kingdom of God? Christ is calling you to a different kind of life. He is calling you to be a special kind of person. He is calling you to live the kingdom life—a life lived following in his footsteps. Will you heed his call when he says, "Follow me"?

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