The Rev. Joseph Peters-Mathews is the vicar of St. Hilda St. Patrick. The sermon for Sunday, January 24th, was based on the below manuscript. The text for the sermon was Mark 1.14-20.
Today the lectionary gives us
the kernel, the core truth,
of Mark’s gospel.
Not only do we hear it,
we hear it in
extremely Marcan style.
Everything is “and immediately.”
Mark wants us to know
that this is important,
and we have to get to the point.
He writes with sharp, specific details,
inviting us to see:
the names, the people;
boats and nets;
hired hands;
casting nets
and mending them.
This is the story of simple fisherfolk,
two sets of brothers,
who encounter the transformative power of Jesus
and leave everything behind
to follow him.
Jesus says,
“The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God has come near;
repent, and believe in the good news…
Follow me,
and I will make you
fish for people.”
These men are so compelled —
by Jesus’ authority,
by the promise of God’s reign,
by the Spirit of God with him,
that immediately they begin to follow him.
On the one hand,
that sounds terrifying.
What about the people left behind?
Leaving everything to follow Jesus,
what about food?
Shelter?
What about the person
killed by the Tacoma police last night
and the ongoing systemic racism
that needs addressing?
When will we be vaccinated enough
to be together again?
How many more people
have to die from this plague?
In this season after the Epiphany,
we’re hearing call stories,
as we are in a time historically
about evangelism
and sharing the Good News of Jesus the Resurrected Christ.
How do we give it all up
and follow Jesus?
How can we give it all up
and follow Jesus?
How can we notice everything that’s going on around us
and let it all go
to follow Jesus?
We all have what the Collect for Guidance
on page 100 in the Prayer Book
refers to as
“the cares and occupations of this world.”
Are we even asking ourselves,
Can I follow Jesus with that devotion?
or perhaps
Do I even want to follow Jesus with that devotion?
That’s nothing short of what Jesus asks,
when we promise at our baptisms
to put our whole trust in Jesus’ grace and love —
amidst all the cares and occupations
of our lives.
William Plachger points out that
if we start following Jesus with that utter abandon,
or at least try to,
we need not forget the cares and occupations
of our lives.
Plachar says,
“What Jesus is beginning
is the transformation of this world.
That is why those in charge of this world
as it was
ended up killing him.”
As Jesus calls these first four disciples
and goes through Galilee with a simple message,
Mark tells us everything we need to know
about Jesus the Messiah
“the kingdom of God has come near;
repent, and believe in the good news.”
Believe in the good news!
The Kingdom of God
has come near!
Following Jesus
doesn’t require forgetting
the cares and occupations of this world,
but letting them be subsumed
into Jesus’ grace and love.
Believing the Good News
is knowing that
where Jesus is,
there is the kingdom of God,
for Jesus is king.
Lamar Williamson says about these four,
“They hear—really hear—his word.
The call of the four, then,
not only prepares for the further preaching
of the Kingdom of God;
it exemplifies that kingdom
in human experience.
These men are not called to save the world
by their heroic performance,
but rather in their subordination to Jesus
to bear witness to him.”
Jesus’ call to us,
is the same as the call to these four:
Repent, and believe the good news.
The Kingdom of God has come near.
What does that mean?
It means looking for and noticing,
all good gifts from God.
It means paying attention to
when we’re stirred up
beyond our typical human selfishness,
seeing light in the darkness,
Jesus triumphing over sin and death
even as we’re surrounded by it.
That feeling you may have gotten on Wednesday,
when Amanda Gorman read her poem?
The Kingdom of God
has come near.
The tears on your cheeks
as baptismal candidates are presented
or betrothed make their wedding vows?
The Kingdom of God
has come near.
Accountability for police officers in Texas
with an indictment
and preliminary appearances
for those who stormed the Capitol?
The Kingdom of God
has come near.
Williamson concludes about this passage,
“Jesus calls his hearers
to believe the good news
that the Kingdom of God is arriving.
Where Jesus Christ is,
there the rule, power, and Kingdom of God
is actively at work.”
Jesus doesn’t tell these men
to forget everything.
He tells them to follow him.
Jesus calls us
not to forget everything
and only look for him to make things better.
But to see
that he is making things better.
Jesus calls us to follow him,
and in following him
make his reign manifest
and fish for people.
We are not called to save the world
by our heroic performance,
but rather in our subordination to Jesus
to bear witness to him.
To repent of what we’ve done.
To know that anything we try to do for God and good
we’ve tried to do knowing
that we have God’s help.
Jesus calls his hearers
to believe the good news
that the Kingdom of God is arriving.
Where Jesus Christ is,
there the rule, power, and Kingdom of God
is actively at work. Amen.