Sunday 10 November 2024 Third before Advent
You Are Called
Jonah 3:1-5, 10, Hebrews 9:24-28, Mark 1:14-20
Context: a Eucharist in a rural parish in Cornwall – congregation mixed in tradition and age
Aim: to remind us of our call as followers of Christ, and to prompt our response
At this point in the Lectionary, it is easy to feel bored with ‘Ordinary Time’! Perhaps we are yearning for the meat of Advent readings, and the opportunities of Christmas worship. But before we launch into that, we can take this moment to remind ourselves of our incredible calling to follow Jesus Christ. When we immerse ourselves in the ‘now and not yet’ of Advent and the atmospheric gatherings of Christmas where we will welcome our wider community, we can remember that each one of us is called by Jesus.
WHO YOU GONNA CALL?!
In the ordinariness of daily work, Simon, Andrew, James and John encountered Jesus Christ. When they are first set up, most new initiatives or projects will seek to choose the most experienced and qualified people to take the movement forward. Just look at any voluntary or paid-role advert, and it will underline the desire to attract someone who will catch the organisation’s vision, bringing qualities which will enhance, and drive things forward. When Jesus began to preach the Kingdom of God, he appeared to call whoever was in front of him. The reality is that Jesus Christ calls each one of us. So many of the folk in our churches, and beyond our church walls, believe that calling only applies to people with special roles, or good hearts, or attractive qualities. But in calling four, rough round the edges, fishermen, Jesus makes it clear that the Kingdom of God really is for whoever will say ‘Yes!’.
CALLED TO WHAT EXACTLY?
It is amazing how long we can sit in pews at church and still feel unsure what ‘the Good News’ is. The Gospel passage begins with ‘Repent and believe the Good News. The Good News is an invitation to follow Jesus; to live life here on earth, and beyond, with Jesus.
When Peter, Andrew, James and John left their nets to follow Jesus, something compelled them to leave behind what they knew and join a mission of drawing others to the One who had called to them. In typical Markan style, there is no detail, no explanation, just the bare bones of the event.
It would be understandable if the reader/listener was frustrated with the lack of detail, but there are two things worth contemplating; firstly, the whole of chapter 1 of Mark is particularly fast paced; almost like an overview of what is to come in the rest of the Gospel. When we read the account of the call of these first disciples in the context of the whole chapter, we get the broad picture of what Jesus’ ministry is to be, and therefore The Way we are called to join. Secondly, leaving out detail somehow enables us to journey deeper into the narrative with our curiosity and questioning. What caused the disciples to get up and follow Jesus? What did they give up? What did they gain? And in return, we can ask those questions of ourselves as well.
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The response we are asked to give is to follow Jesus: to simply show up.
Have you ever walked with someone who seems more intent on reaching the end than the walk itself? If you route march a walk through a park or countryside you will inevitably miss out on the tiny, beautiful gifts of nature - butterflies, birds, flowers. If you walk for the sake of the walk, you are more likely to notice these enriching gifts. So, it is with our Christian life. If we power on with the ‘doing’ as a sort of tick list, we miss the gentle journey of growing in faith.
Hebrews reminds us that Jesus Christ has already done the work needed to overcome sin and death. Mark’s Gospel models to us that our response is to say ‘yes’; to simply show up. And this invitation is not only for now, but for eternal life with God. What’s your response?
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