Sermon Title: “Called
to Adventure”
Sermon Text: Matthew 4:12-23
Sermon Date:
Jesus Begins
to Preach
12
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to
15 "Land of
Zebulun and
the Way of the Sea, beyond the
16 the people
living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow
of death
a light has dawned." [a]
17 From that time
on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come
near."
Jesus Calls
His First Disciples
18 As
Jesus was walking beside the
21 Going on from
there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.
They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus
called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and
followed him.
Jesus Heals
the Sick
23
Jesus went throughout
MESSAGE
The call came clearly and
loudly. “Go and preach!” The problem was two-fold. She was nine years old at the time and she
was Catholic.
Her mother had told her she could be
anything she wanted – a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher, but well, not everything….she
couldn’t do that one particular thing.
Preaching for Catholics was left to the priests and all of them were
male. However the call did not go away.
The call was so strong that when
pets of friends passed away, she was right there to do their funerals. She visited people in the parish and offered
them consolation. She even healed one
woman of her swollen ankle. At least
that what the woman believed because “she” had prayed for her and the swelling went
away. Still the pastorate was not available
to her.
Then she decided to take matters
into her own hands. She didn’t just go
to her local priest, she went to the top.
But alas, the Pope wouldn’t make an exception in her case and it turned
out that her priest was upset she had bypassed him. After all, he could have told her that she
couldn’t be called to the priesthood.
But Krista wasn’t willing to be
deterred and she eventually left the Catholic church and became a Quaker and
later became a pastor.
Krista’s story is from Philip
Gulley’s last book “Almost Friends” in his Harmony series. (By the way, Phil will be speaking as part of
the Religious Arts Festival on February 15 at
But back to Krista, her story is
really a composite of many women I know.
They were called to ministry only to be told that those doors were not
open to them. But when the call is
strong, it stays strong and women over time have found ways to use their gifts
and their voice to be priests and pastors.
Krista, Andrew and Peter were called
to an adventure with Jesus. This week,
however, the lectionary readings tell us a slightly different story about the
beginning of that adventure.
This time Andrew and Peter are
fishermen and Jesus calls them from their work to follow him. In John’s Gospel, the brothers are disciples
of John the Baptizer and they follow Jesus.
Either way, the adventure has begun.
John Purdy calls Christianity “a
workingman’s religion.” Immediately
after Jesus called the first four (all fishermen) they took off and went to
work.
And Purdy goes on to make a
pronouncement: “And where the church has prospered it has,
in some measure, remained a workingman and workingwoman's movement. It has kept
tightly linked Jesus' pronouncement of the impending
After
all, where would the church be without you?
I don’t mean that to be a flip statement. The church could not function without the lay
people, you who are sitting out there.
The decisions could be made by the priest or pastor, but it would
reflect only the views and beliefs of the one, not the many. Work could be hired out but then how
would you use your gifts to serve God?
Please
believe that when you offer your gifts to the church, you offer your gifts to
God.
·
When
you collect the offering, you are not just collecting the offering to pay the
church’s bills, you are receiving the offering of the people as they sacrifice
to God. If you are counting, you are
counting for God, not just
·
When you
take care of children in the nursery or teach, you aren’t just babysitting but
you are investing in the lives of the children and parents. You are also connecting with these little
ones and they will remember you forever.
·
When
you serve on one of the church’s ministry teams, you are working to bring a
worship service to life, a program that challenges us, working on a building
that always needs repair, and a ministry where visitors are visited. And those are just a few.
·
If you
are on the diaconate, you are showing God that God can use you to provide
leadership or write checks. You are
examples to the rest of us by allowing God to use you.
·
If you
work on the “Baked Goods Distribution” or Jubilee Christmas you are caring for
the least of these
·
If you
are teaching a class or leading a bible study, you are using your gift of
teaching to engage others as they grow in Christ.
·
If you
are singing in the choir, you are using your gift to praise God through music,
and lifting others up too.
·
If you
are playing an instrument or leading the choir, you are using your gifts, not
just doing a job. Your talents and gifts
are used to glorify God.
·
If you
are involved in our ministry to the
·
If you
open and close up the building each Sunday, you are opening and closing it for
God and God’s people.
·
If you
work on our carry-in dinners or provide for families in mourning, you are
feeding our souls as well as our bellies.
·
If you
help decorate the church for holidays, you are showing God and everyone who
enters here that God’s house is worthy of decorations too.
·
If you
are part of the prayer chain, know that the power of prayer works…through
you. Thank you so much for your
commitment to pray for the needs of the people here and in our lives.
·
If you
represent First Baptist at LUM or serve on the board of the Baptist Student
Foundation or Church Women United or anything else, we are appreciative of what
and how you do it.
I know I have not covered everything that
goes on here, but I really tried. A lot
happens here at First Baptist and if you are not involved in one of these
places, I really urge to become involved.
You see, Andrew and Peter were not called because they had extraordinary
talents or abilities. They were
uneducated fishermen. The only
difference between them and the guy who had boat across the marina was that
they said “yes” when called to adventure.
They said “yes.”
And so can you. If you are not involved in any of the things
I mentioned, think and pray about your own call to adventure.
If you are involved but aren’t feeling
challenged, maybe you are ready for a new adventure. Pray about that.
But if you think that God is not interested
in your personal adventure, think again.
Ken Gaub’s ministry was to help people who
were hurting. He was a traveling
missionary in the
His story is that he was drained and
discouraged and wondering if he needed to look at another line of work. That is what was happening in the 1970s when Ken, wife Barb and their children were
driving their two ministry buses along 1-75 just south of
Then one of his sons suggested they stop
for pizza. So Ken pulled off at the next
exit, thinking, “God, what I need here is a sign.”
Deciding he wasn’t hungry, Ken stayed
outside while everyone else went into the pizza parlor. He walked around wondering if his exhaustion
was a sign of permanent burnout. Then
the ringing of a phone interrupted his concentration. He realized it was coming from a pay phone
near the Dairy Queen. Ten rings, fifteen
rings. Finally he walked over to answer
it.
After he said “Hello,” a voice said, “Long
distance for Ken Gaub.” (This is a true
story, folks!)
He raved a bit – “This can’t be true. You’re crazy” when he realized he was being
rude and finally he accepted the call.
Al the time he was wondering who was playing a trick on him. Candid Camera? His kids?
Remember this is the 70s, long before cell phones so this wouldn’t have
been as easy a trick to pull off.
Finally he said, “Operator, I’m Ken Gaub.”
And she put the call through.
“Mr. Gaub, I’m Millie from
“What can I do for you, Millie?” Ken is blown away now, you realize.
She began to cry and Ken waited for her to
regain control. Finally she told him
that she was ready to commit suicide and while writing a note to leave behind,
began to pray. She told God she really
didn’t want to do this then she remembered seeing Ken on television and these
numbers appeared in her mind. She wrote
them down and called…all the while Ken was praying for wisdom to help her.
Then she said that she was surprised she
actually found him and wondered if he was in his office in
He had prayed for answer and got just what
he needed – a renewed sense of purpose, a glimpse of the value of his work, an
electrifying awareness of God’s concern for each of his children – an encounter
that could only be pulled off by a loving Creator.
When his wife climbed back into the bus
Ken exclaimed with joy, “Honey, you won’t believe this! God knows where I am!
(Chicken
Soup for the Christian Soul, p. 166)
If you
think you don’t make a difference to God, think again. If he can find Ken in a parking lot in