Sermon for January 26, 2020 Epiphany 3 A House of Prayer Lutheran Church

Matt 4:12-23; 1 Cor 1:10-18

I lived 13 years in the mountains and valleys of central Pennsylvania; that’s where my wife Beth Ann and I started out as pastors. I learned that one of the big days of the year there is the second Saturday in April--the opening day of trout season. I also learned that Pennsylvania has more streams per square mile than any other state in the union. And you could see that fact coming to life on the opening day of trout season. Driving around, you’d see cars parked in all kinds of random places where you would never see them at any other time of the year. Why? Because there was a spot nearby to go fishing!

Some people just liked to go for the chance to get outside after a long winter, or to cook breakfast over an open fire and sip coffee from a thermos all morning. Most people tried throwing a line in the water and testing their luck, but the people who really knew what they were doing--they would always catch a trout. Me? I always caught a lot!--a lot of tree branches, rocks, and other people’s lines! I don’t remember ever catching a trout on opening day.

So if Jesus had appeared in Pennsylvania looking for fishermen to be his disciples, I probably would have been first in line. I mean, I would have to have better luck fishing for people than I ever did fishing for trout! But what about Peter and Andrew--those brothers by the Sea of Galilee? What about James and John? I mean, these guys were professionals. They knew how to catch fish. They knew how to care for their equipment, how to mend their nets, how to sail, and work hard, and work together. This was their livelihood and their vocation.

So it’s really kind of amazing that when Jesus told them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people” that they actually left their nets--even left their father--and followed him. We often focus on how amazing their faith was, to go off and follow Jesus, and learn first hand about Jesus’ ministry. And it is pretty amazing--what an example to try to live up to, right!?

But I think there is more to the story than that. Just look at what comes before Jesus calls the fishermen to follow. We learn that John the Baptist had been arrested--the religious and political authorities were starting to see him as a threat to their power and privileges. So Jesus flees John’s wilderness outpost and goes back to Galilee. But notice he doesn’t go to Nazareth where he had grown up. He goes to Capernaum, a bigger town nearby, on the Sea of Galilee--a place where more Gentiles lived. Jesus knew now was the time to start expanding his message to a wider audience.

And we learn in today’s gospel the basic message Jesus preached in Capernaum: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.” He started preaching this before he called any disciples--the preaching came first--so the fishermen would have had the chance to hear Jesus’ message before he asked them to follow. They already had a chance to talk about it--to pray about it--maybe even get some encouragement from their parents or friends to find out more about Jesus. The point is, they didn’t start following Jesus “cold”. They already had a sense of who Jesus was, and they wanted to learn more.

That’s a good reminder for all of us. For us, who’ve been baptized into Christ and are his modern-day disciples--we have a chance every week; every day even, to talk about the message of Jesus--to think on it; to pray about it; to ask God to show us where each of us, in our own small way, fits into the bigger picture of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Probably most of us don’t start following Jesus “cold”--instead we are introduced to him; and over time we learn who he is; over the course of weeks and months and years, we start experiencing growth in our life in Christ, and we figure out, over time, the purpose God has for each of us in this life--how we can serve God, and help other people in Jesus’ name. And how God helps us, and even sends other people to serve us in Jesus’ name.

That’s why Jesus’ “opening day of fishing season” message is always a good one to come back to: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.” But what does it mean, exactly? Because the word “repent” can have different shades of meaning depending on the situation.

Commonly, we use it to mean “turn away from sin, and receive forgiveness and new life in Christ.” And that is a good reminder to examine our lives--and ask “how have I treated other people? Do I need to do better? Do I need to make amends?” Asking those questions honestly? That can be a humbling experience. But in being humble of heart--that’s where we find the power of Christ on the cross at work--how he stoops down into our weakness and failures, in order to fill us with his grace; gives us a new start; raises us to new life.

“Repent” can also have the sense of changing your way of thinking--to gain a new mindset, a new way of seeing the world--through the mind of Christ. So in the world today, a “new mindset”--given to us by the Holy Spirit as we take on a cross-shaped, self-emptying way of life for the sake of others--can help us through many of the challenges we find in modern life.

A few examples: Some people feel isolated or alienated from others. Through the mindset of Christ we can build a caring and inclusive community. Some people have a fear of those who are different from them in some way. Through the mindset of Christ, we can recognize that every person is a precious child of God, made in God’s image, and filled with God-given dignity. We can get to know our neighbors who we might regard as “different” in some way and discover with the mindset of Christ, there’s no need to be afraid.

Some people suffer from mental illness or physical limitations. Through the mindset of Christ we can learn more about the special challenges they face on a daily basis, and learn what kind of support they or their families need.

There are, of course, more challenges in the world than these; more sources of division; more situations that cry out for God’s help and healing. The key for finding a way through them--because we can’t run away from them; they’re not just gonna go away--is living from our connection with Jesus Christ--and to keep growing in that connection with Jesus--for example, by serving other people, by reflecting on God’s Word, by praying and meditating and allowing Jesus to have full access to our lives. Not by withdrawing from our regular lives, but right in the midst of our regular lives. We serve Jesus, most of the time, right in the middle of regular life.

We can be like Peter and Andrew, and James and John--you see, after they became disciples, they were still fishermen. Yes they accompanied Jesus on his travels, and learned from him, but Capernaum was their home. And whenever they came back home, they’d do some more fishing. They didn’t give up their day jobs. They followed Jesus in the middle of regular life. But by following Jesus, they gained a new mindset, a new way of seeing the world through the mindset of Christ. It didn’t make them perfect, or take all their problems away. But it did give them greater compassion, a greater connection to God, a great ability to make a difference in the world.

The same thing is possible for us, too, as we put our faith in Jesus, and open our hearts to the Holy Spirit forming us into the people God has always meant for us to be. Amen.