Luke 5:1-11 (NIV)
One day as Jesus was standing by the lake the people were crowding around him and listening to hear the word of God.
2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets.
3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
7 So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”
11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
Romans 12:3-8 (GNT)
3 And because of God's gracious gift to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you should. Instead, be modest in your thinking, and judge yourself according to the amount of faith that God has given you.
4 We have many parts in the one body, and all these parts have different functions.
5 In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in union with Christ, and we are all joined to each other as different parts of one body.
6 So we are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us. If our gift is to speak God's message, we should do it according to the faith that we have;
7 if it is to serve, we should serve; if it is to teach, we should teach;
8 if it is to encourage others, we should do so. Whoever shares with others should do it generously; whoever has authority should work hard; whoever shows kindness to others should do it cheerfully.
One day as Jesus was standing by the lake the people were crowding around him and listening to hear the word of God.
2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets.
3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
7 So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”
11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
Romans 12:3-8 (GNT)
3 And because of God's gracious gift to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you should. Instead, be modest in your thinking, and judge yourself according to the amount of faith that God has given you.
4 We have many parts in the one body, and all these parts have different functions.
5 In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in union with Christ, and we are all joined to each other as different parts of one body.
6 So we are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us. If our gift is to speak God's message, we should do it according to the faith that we have;
7 if it is to serve, we should serve; if it is to teach, we should teach;
8 if it is to encourage others, we should do so. Whoever shares with others should do it generously; whoever has authority should work hard; whoever shows kindness to others should do it cheerfully.
Disciples of Christ, Called to be The Church!
We often just look at the church as another organization within society; as just a building, a group of people, a bunch of rules and regulations, a set of beliefs. Yet, as disciples of Christ, we are anything but another organization within a world where church and religion is seen as just another choice we make. Being a disciple is more than just an outing on Sunday morning, more than a piece of jewelry worn around your neck, more than just a prayer repeated.
We are called! Maybe not like the first disciples, with Jesus waving us over and telling us to drop everything and follow him. But I like to imagine that if he did, we would go! The fact that we are all here today tells me that there is something within each and every one of us that has responded to the very same call the disciples heard: “Come and follow me”.
We may come for different reasons, we may come seeking, we may even come because we always came, we may come because we hope, or we are lost, or we want – or dream – or despair. There is something in us that responds to the call of God for our lives.
Now, I love the story of Paul’s call! It’s dramatic, it’s life changing, it’s the Cecile B deMille movie compared to a half hour sitcom.
So, a man; a Pharisee and Roman citizen by birth, has a vision on the road to Damascus, falls off his horse, and gets to talk with Jesus the Christ, whose followers he has been fanatically persecuting. He goes blind, friends take him to Damascus where he stays with some Christians – yes those very people he was busy arresting and bringing back to Jerusalem for trial – after three days his sight is restored and he goes to Arabia for awhile. When he comes back he starts preaching the Good News of Christ to everyone. Wow! OK not our particular story but this is the man who builds the assemblies of Jesus followers, the churches, outside of the Judaic-Jerusalem community welcoming Gentiles.
So when Paul writes to the church in Rome, a place he has not been to yet, he is writing from his experience with churches in Corinth and Galatia, Antioch, Philippi and Ephesus and a dozen other places. He has nurtured fledging communities and he knows the pitfalls. It’s almost as if he is giving the Romans a heads up. Watch out for this, be like this, treat each other this way. Paul
sees the difference The Way, what the early Jesus followers called the church, can make in people’s lives – and Paul is calling them – and us into a new way of being.
And it isn’t an exact replica of the Jewish assembly, although it isn’t completely new either.
It has this added dimension that we get a glimpse of, if we look at all of Paul’s letters, which are the earliest records we have of the early church. In the gospels we get the story of Jesus, but in Paul and Acts we get the story what happens after the crucifixion. We get the stories of the risen Christ, the early days, the Spirit which ignites the community and continues to work in the followers of Jesus. In Paul’s writings we get a lot of who we are as the church or at least, how specific churches faced with particular problems are to be.
So, Paul likens the church to a body, in the Romans reading we heard today and a dozen other places including in 1 Corinthians 12. We are the body of Christ in the world. And the church needs all of us. I cannot be the church in the community, but I can preach; I cannot bring the music but Maureen and Dave and Roxanna can, we need Dale and Gwen and Donna, we need Frieda and Rikki, and Cecilia and Bob and Diane and Margartia, and Ryk (I especially need Ryk), we need Barb and John and Eldon and Jack and well – everybody; especially Sandy who makes those delicious squares.
But why? Why do we need the church in the world? Why is it so important to Paul after all, he was Jewish – the chosen people of God? What was so special about the Good News that Paul would forfeit his standing in the Jerusalem Temple and community to preach this new Way that Jesus taught.
Well, besides the everyone is important whether you are a foot or a head, and “There is neither Greek nor Jew, male or female, slave or free” Paul’s message echoes that of Jesus: we are made for love, the church is designed for loving God and loving one another, and loving others and loving the guy down the street and loving our neighbour halfway around the world and loving our enemy. That’s a lot of love. And if we have a calling as Christians, as well as being called, it is a calling to love.
So, in all that we do as the church, whether it is reading reports at the Annual Meeting or discussing the budget, having a UCW meeting or the building committee is at work upgrading and keeping our building in good repair and safe, all the behind the scenes work and just being here on Sunday and all that you do during the week: It’s all about love.
We are called in love by a loving God to be love in the world. Jesus’ life and death and resurrection show us exactly what love looked like for him. He used his whole being for love, so when Paul says: “You are the body of Christ” we understand that love not only defines the church; it defines who we are.
We are the people with the responsibility of carrying the message and living out Jesus’ message: “ Love God and love your neighbour as yourself”.
We are people of The Way, we are followers of Christ, we are called as disciples of Jesus. We are the Church.
May it be so. Amen
We often just look at the church as another organization within society; as just a building, a group of people, a bunch of rules and regulations, a set of beliefs. Yet, as disciples of Christ, we are anything but another organization within a world where church and religion is seen as just another choice we make. Being a disciple is more than just an outing on Sunday morning, more than a piece of jewelry worn around your neck, more than just a prayer repeated.
We are called! Maybe not like the first disciples, with Jesus waving us over and telling us to drop everything and follow him. But I like to imagine that if he did, we would go! The fact that we are all here today tells me that there is something within each and every one of us that has responded to the very same call the disciples heard: “Come and follow me”.
We may come for different reasons, we may come seeking, we may even come because we always came, we may come because we hope, or we are lost, or we want – or dream – or despair. There is something in us that responds to the call of God for our lives.
Now, I love the story of Paul’s call! It’s dramatic, it’s life changing, it’s the Cecile B deMille movie compared to a half hour sitcom.
So, a man; a Pharisee and Roman citizen by birth, has a vision on the road to Damascus, falls off his horse, and gets to talk with Jesus the Christ, whose followers he has been fanatically persecuting. He goes blind, friends take him to Damascus where he stays with some Christians – yes those very people he was busy arresting and bringing back to Jerusalem for trial – after three days his sight is restored and he goes to Arabia for awhile. When he comes back he starts preaching the Good News of Christ to everyone. Wow! OK not our particular story but this is the man who builds the assemblies of Jesus followers, the churches, outside of the Judaic-Jerusalem community welcoming Gentiles.
So when Paul writes to the church in Rome, a place he has not been to yet, he is writing from his experience with churches in Corinth and Galatia, Antioch, Philippi and Ephesus and a dozen other places. He has nurtured fledging communities and he knows the pitfalls. It’s almost as if he is giving the Romans a heads up. Watch out for this, be like this, treat each other this way. Paul
sees the difference The Way, what the early Jesus followers called the church, can make in people’s lives – and Paul is calling them – and us into a new way of being.
And it isn’t an exact replica of the Jewish assembly, although it isn’t completely new either.
It has this added dimension that we get a glimpse of, if we look at all of Paul’s letters, which are the earliest records we have of the early church. In the gospels we get the story of Jesus, but in Paul and Acts we get the story what happens after the crucifixion. We get the stories of the risen Christ, the early days, the Spirit which ignites the community and continues to work in the followers of Jesus. In Paul’s writings we get a lot of who we are as the church or at least, how specific churches faced with particular problems are to be.
So, Paul likens the church to a body, in the Romans reading we heard today and a dozen other places including in 1 Corinthians 12. We are the body of Christ in the world. And the church needs all of us. I cannot be the church in the community, but I can preach; I cannot bring the music but Maureen and Dave and Roxanna can, we need Dale and Gwen and Donna, we need Frieda and Rikki, and Cecilia and Bob and Diane and Margartia, and Ryk (I especially need Ryk), we need Barb and John and Eldon and Jack and well – everybody; especially Sandy who makes those delicious squares.
But why? Why do we need the church in the world? Why is it so important to Paul after all, he was Jewish – the chosen people of God? What was so special about the Good News that Paul would forfeit his standing in the Jerusalem Temple and community to preach this new Way that Jesus taught.
Well, besides the everyone is important whether you are a foot or a head, and “There is neither Greek nor Jew, male or female, slave or free” Paul’s message echoes that of Jesus: we are made for love, the church is designed for loving God and loving one another, and loving others and loving the guy down the street and loving our neighbour halfway around the world and loving our enemy. That’s a lot of love. And if we have a calling as Christians, as well as being called, it is a calling to love.
So, in all that we do as the church, whether it is reading reports at the Annual Meeting or discussing the budget, having a UCW meeting or the building committee is at work upgrading and keeping our building in good repair and safe, all the behind the scenes work and just being here on Sunday and all that you do during the week: It’s all about love.
We are called in love by a loving God to be love in the world. Jesus’ life and death and resurrection show us exactly what love looked like for him. He used his whole being for love, so when Paul says: “You are the body of Christ” we understand that love not only defines the church; it defines who we are.
We are the people with the responsibility of carrying the message and living out Jesus’ message: “ Love God and love your neighbour as yourself”.
We are people of The Way, we are followers of Christ, we are called as disciples of Jesus. We are the Church.
May it be so. Amen
