Apprentice Jesus (sermon)
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ. I shall speak of it. You may be seated.
Mark 1:14-20
After John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
I have a call story, you have a call story, every Christian has a call story even if it’s just, only, and simply Jesus’ claim on you at your baptism. You are called. “Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ.”
Do you believe in God the Father? I believe. Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God? I believe. Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit? I believe. Big deal, James 2:19 and throughout the Gospel of Mark even the demons believe and they are not Christians! But you are Christian, and your call as a Christian is not to believe, but to DO, to live a life of love and sacrifice because of what you believe about Jesus.
What is a Christian? A Christian is someone who, because of believing certain things about Jesus of Nazareth, has promised, and earnestly endeavors, earnestly endeavors, earnestly endeavors to live the life of Jesus no matter what, even if life is the Way of the Cross and ends on a Cross. If you did not know that, know it now. If you never realized the depth of your contract with God, read the fine print and find out this morning, because you have promised, and you are committed. Listen: “Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life”*.
What is a Christian? You are a Christian, and by your life you show, day by day, hour by waking hour you show another human being, someone you may know, or you may never know - - what Jesus is like, how to be like Jesus, who Jesus is: You. You are the image of God. As a disciple, you are an Apprentice Jesus. I look at you and I see God the Son. You look in the mirror and you see Jesus, you see one who, as an Apprentice Jesus, is becoming all that Jesus is. Will you? Will you live that life? “I will, with God’s help,” you promise. But it starts, it started, at Baptism: you cannot delay, you cannot put it off by saying, “God never showed up to help me.”
I love comic strips, including lifelong favorites and old memories. In my lifetime, back in the 1940s, during World War Two we had adventure comics of American war heroes. There was Captain America. Don Winslow, US Coast Guard. Wonder Woman, who flew up and stopped the propellers of enemy airplanes (this was before jet planes). Captain Easy, US Army. And one I especially remember, Buz Sawyer, ace Navy fighter pilot, and his white-hat sailor sidekick, Roscoe Sweeney. Sweeney had a sister, Lucille Sweeney, a college football star too big, muscular, strong and tough to be tackled or stopped, knocking all defense players aside to run touchdown after touchdown.
And with Bus Sawyer and the Sweeneys there were the Squatleys, Ma and Pa Squatley and their shiftless, no-count, good-for-nothing Squatley offspring, a pigpen family of old fashioned white trash whose living conditions were lazy sloth, filth, garbage, flies and clutter. Why am I telling you this? Because one time, Sweeney, visiting the Squatleys at their home, asked why the house and yard were always such a mess. Ma Squatley explained in self-pity, “Don’t nobody never come to clean up fo’ us.” Which comes round to the baptismal question “Will you?” and your answer, “I will if God comes to help.” Father Steve preached about this a year or two ago: it’s no good saying, “God never came to help,” because at your baptism you became a Temple of the Holy Spirit: God lives in you, and strengthens his divine presence every time you hear the gospel, pray the prayers, eat the bread and sip the cup of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ; so your excuses fall flat.
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ. How, how do we follow, how are we to follow the call of Jesus Christ, to what are we called, what are we to do? Easy, incredibly easy, spelled out for you line by line in your contract with God.
From the pew rack in front of you, open your prayerbook, open to page 302, it’s different this time, page 302.
Page 302, middle of the page:
Do you renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God? I renounce them.
Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God? I renounce them.
Do you renounce the sinful desires that draw you from the love of God? I renounce them.
Do you turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as your Savior? I do.
Do you put your whole trust in his grace and love? I do.
Do you promise to follow and obey him as your Lord? I do.
Now turn to page 304, this is our Baptismal Covenant. There are three “I believe” paragraphs, but I’m not concerned about what you claim to believe, because if you didn’t believe you wouldn’t be here this morning; I’m concerned about the fine print, what you promise God you will do because of what you believe, so down on the page:
Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers? I will, with God’s help.
Will you persevere in resisting evil and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? I will, with God’s help.
Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Jesus? I will, with God’s help.
Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? I will, with God’s help.
Will you strive for justice and peace among ALL people, and respect the dignity of EVERY human being? I will, with God’s help.
You see the answers? This is what you have to do, how easy it is to become Jesus for others. This is what and how, dear people. So do it.
For God's sake, for the love of Christ, just do it.
++++++++++
Sermon in Holy Nativity Episcopal Church, Panama City, Florida, Sunday, January 21, 2018. The Rev. Tom Weller. Reprinted not pridefully but solely to keep a longstanding promise to a dear friend. TW+
* BCP page 430, The Blessing of the Marriage
Mark 1:14-20
After John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
I have a call story, you have a call story, every Christian has a call story even if it’s just, only, and simply Jesus’ claim on you at your baptism. You are called. “Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ.”
Do you believe in God the Father? I believe. Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God? I believe. Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit? I believe. Big deal, James 2:19 and throughout the Gospel of Mark even the demons believe and they are not Christians! But you are Christian, and your call as a Christian is not to believe, but to DO, to live a life of love and sacrifice because of what you believe about Jesus.
What is a Christian? A Christian is someone who, because of believing certain things about Jesus of Nazareth, has promised, and earnestly endeavors, earnestly endeavors, earnestly endeavors to live the life of Jesus no matter what, even if life is the Way of the Cross and ends on a Cross. If you did not know that, know it now. If you never realized the depth of your contract with God, read the fine print and find out this morning, because you have promised, and you are committed. Listen: “Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life”*.
What is a Christian? You are a Christian, and by your life you show, day by day, hour by waking hour you show another human being, someone you may know, or you may never know - - what Jesus is like, how to be like Jesus, who Jesus is: You. You are the image of God. As a disciple, you are an Apprentice Jesus. I look at you and I see God the Son. You look in the mirror and you see Jesus, you see one who, as an Apprentice Jesus, is becoming all that Jesus is. Will you? Will you live that life? “I will, with God’s help,” you promise. But it starts, it started, at Baptism: you cannot delay, you cannot put it off by saying, “God never showed up to help me.”
I love comic strips, including lifelong favorites and old memories. In my lifetime, back in the 1940s, during World War Two we had adventure comics of American war heroes. There was Captain America. Don Winslow, US Coast Guard. Wonder Woman, who flew up and stopped the propellers of enemy airplanes (this was before jet planes). Captain Easy, US Army. And one I especially remember, Buz Sawyer, ace Navy fighter pilot, and his white-hat sailor sidekick, Roscoe Sweeney. Sweeney had a sister, Lucille Sweeney, a college football star too big, muscular, strong and tough to be tackled or stopped, knocking all defense players aside to run touchdown after touchdown.
And with Bus Sawyer and the Sweeneys there were the Squatleys, Ma and Pa Squatley and their shiftless, no-count, good-for-nothing Squatley offspring, a pigpen family of old fashioned white trash whose living conditions were lazy sloth, filth, garbage, flies and clutter. Why am I telling you this? Because one time, Sweeney, visiting the Squatleys at their home, asked why the house and yard were always such a mess. Ma Squatley explained in self-pity, “Don’t nobody never come to clean up fo’ us.” Which comes round to the baptismal question “Will you?” and your answer, “I will if God comes to help.” Father Steve preached about this a year or two ago: it’s no good saying, “God never came to help,” because at your baptism you became a Temple of the Holy Spirit: God lives in you, and strengthens his divine presence every time you hear the gospel, pray the prayers, eat the bread and sip the cup of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ; so your excuses fall flat.
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ. How, how do we follow, how are we to follow the call of Jesus Christ, to what are we called, what are we to do? Easy, incredibly easy, spelled out for you line by line in your contract with God.
From the pew rack in front of you, open your prayerbook, open to page 302, it’s different this time, page 302.
Page 302, middle of the page:
Do you renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God? I renounce them.
Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God? I renounce them.
Do you renounce the sinful desires that draw you from the love of God? I renounce them.
Do you turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as your Savior? I do.
Do you put your whole trust in his grace and love? I do.
Do you promise to follow and obey him as your Lord? I do.
Now turn to page 304, this is our Baptismal Covenant. There are three “I believe” paragraphs, but I’m not concerned about what you claim to believe, because if you didn’t believe you wouldn’t be here this morning; I’m concerned about the fine print, what you promise God you will do because of what you believe, so down on the page:
Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers? I will, with God’s help.
Will you persevere in resisting evil and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? I will, with God’s help.
Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Jesus? I will, with God’s help.
Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? I will, with God’s help.
Will you strive for justice and peace among ALL people, and respect the dignity of EVERY human being? I will, with God’s help.
You see the answers? This is what you have to do, how easy it is to become Jesus for others. This is what and how, dear people. So do it.
For God's sake, for the love of Christ, just do it.
++++++++++
Sermon in Holy Nativity Episcopal Church, Panama City, Florida, Sunday, January 21, 2018. The Rev. Tom Weller. Reprinted not pridefully but solely to keep a longstanding promise to a dear friend. TW+
* BCP page 430, The Blessing of the Marriage