Readings:
Jonah 3.1-10; Ps 62.5-12; 1 Cor 7.29-31; Mark 1.14-20
May I speak in the name of God, always creating, redeeming, sanctifying.
Have you ever heard the saying: God does not call the equipped, God equips the called?
We see it time and again in the scriptures. Noah, Moses, David, today we hear of Peter and Andrew, James and John.
We could possibly add, God calls the recalcitrant when thinking of Jonah.
And maybe, God calls the dogmatically zealous when thinking about Paul.
Last week, in John chapter 1, we heard the story of Jesus calling Philip and Nathanael. Philip is quick to respond and believe searching out Nathanael and saying, “We have found him!” But Nathanael’s response is anything but immediate. It is one of rejection. But Jesus takes that in his stride because he sees who Nathanael is and values him. It isn’t long before Nathanael announces him, “Son of God, King of Israel.”
This week, in Mark chapter 1, we hear the story of calling two sets of brothers who are fishers. Peter and Anthony, nets mid-air as they make their next throw, turn their backs as the nets fall on the water and they follow Jesus.
James and John are called as soon as Jesus sees them and they respond by jumping out of their Father’s boat where they were working mending the nets, leaving their Father Zebedee, leaving the nets, boats, and hired hands.
At this point, they don’t so much as wonder, “what have I got to offer?” But we might see these men and wonder that ourselves… why would Jesus call these people? They’re just fishers.
But God does not call the equipped, God equips the called.
Jesus says to Peter and Andrew: “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”
But our translation omits an important word which translates, “to become.”
So Mark reports Jesus as saying: “Follow me and I will make you to become fishers of people.”
Ah! There it is. The equipping.
It’s not that they didn’t already have some skills, but that now they will be transformed, and the disciples will be equipped to move into a new area. And it starts with following.
Jonah was called – he ran.
Nineveh was called – they responded immediately.
Paul was called.
The Corinthian community were called.
What are they, what are we called into?
Mark 1.15, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
Think about it…
Kairos, God’s time…
Kingdom of God has come near…
Repent…
Believe.
Do we?
Do you believe the Kingdom of God is near? Sometimes, looking at what is going on in the world it can be hard to believe.
Look at how God is at work in the stories we have today.
Think about Jonah and Nineveh… they’re enemies.
Think about Paul’s role before he became an evangelist… he was the enemy of the church.
Think about the significance of a Greek name among all those Hebrew one this morning. There is no Hebrew equivalent for ‘Andrew.’ Romans and Greeks before them are Israel’s enemies.
And yet, God calls them all.
Because God calls us all. Without discrimination.
How would you feel if you were sent to the capital city of your enemies and were told to warn them of their destruction? I don’t know about you, but I would need a big dose of courage from God in order to fulfil that brief.
How would you feel if they ignored you or persecuted you? I’d imagine there might be some tingling of a feeling of smug vindication that you were right. But what if a whole city who are the epitome of all that is wrong in the world, are your literal enemies, repented? Visibly and wholeheartedly, all encompassing – including all animals? What if they repented in such a way and you had delivered God’s message begrudgingly? I reckon there might be a feeling of dissatisfaction because maybe deep down you don’t want them saved. And maybe we might sulk and sit in the dirt like Jonah does.
But the story of Jonah is not just the story of the repentance of Nineveh. In fact, the repentance of Nineveh is the side issue, as huge as it is. The story of Jonah is about the repentance of Jonah, and it ends with us waiting for a reply to God’s question of Jonah whether God should care about a city such as Nineveh which has 120,000 people and many animals. But Jonah knows who God is, knows God’s character. In chapter 4, verse 2 he says, “I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing.”
Does it sometimes make us angry that this is the God we serve?
Does it sometimes make us angry that God doesn’t play the same game we as humans play?
How would you feel if someone who was responsible for the execution of many of your fellow Christians in your own town and surrounding areas, suddenly arrives with a clear and enthusiastic understanding of who Jesus is, and starts evangelising you? Becomes the most prolific church planter to date? Would it be hard to rejoice with them? Especially when that person begins to invite people into the fold that, to date, have only been welcome with very strict provisos? Proselytes existed, Jewish converts existed, but it was strictly governed. Now Paul comes along after persecuting Jesus followers and throws the doors wide open and lets everyone in!
Now, these are big stories. Not many of us are called to such things. They are our hero stories. (Or maybe our anti-hero stories.)
But what about people like Lydia of Thyatira? Acts 16, 14-15, 40.
She was a Gentile, already someone who followed the Jewish teachings and was converted to follow Jesus when she heard Paul speak. She and her household were baptised and she began a house-church. She simply worked within her sphere of influence in her town and her role as a merchant. She was called and she was equipped and she was efficacious.
Andrew, Peter, James, and John, were not called because they had all their ducks in a row. We know that they don’t get everything together even after Jesus’ death and resurrection.
They are called because they love God.
Then they are equipped.
It is important, however, not to imagine that we do nothing until we’re definite about our call and just sit around waiting. We move towards God always, in whatever way we can.
The skills that Andrew, Peter, James and John had as fishers do not go to waste. They know they need patience. They know they need to prepare for their fishing expeditions. They know there is work to do when they get back, the need to mend their nets. These are skills that do not disappear, instead they are built upon and put to new use.
Another example of this is of David. We had the story of David verses Goliath recently in our midweek gathering. David’s skills as shepherd are the skills he required to defeat Goliath. They are not the skills of a warrior. In fact, when he puts on Saul’s armour, he looks ridiculous! So, in the knowledge that God is with him, he faces the biggest threat to Israel just as he is. A young boy of ruddy complexion with a few smooth stones and a slingshot in his hand.
You are called, just as you are.
You are called, just as you are.
As we look ahead to things like our General Meeting next month maybe you are feeling called to a position in the church leadership. Each year the positions become vacant and we look for those who might be called to take up a role in shaping the ministry for the year. Is God calling you to such a role?
Maybe you are being called to take up a leadership role in worship? There are many ways in which you can do this: being a Liturgical Assistant, a Server, a Reader, Intercessor, Musician, Welcomer.
Remember, you do not need to be already equipped for these roles, we will join in with you and with God to equip you!
I pray that we all are filled with the confidence and courage of God’s Holy Spirit that we may respond to wherever God is calling us.
Amen.