January 25, 2009

“Destinations Unknown” – Mark 1:14-20 – January 25, 2009

In his book, A Mirror for Disciples, Robert C. Tannehill said, “Our lives are a rhythm of opportunities seized and ignored…but we often miss an opportunity because we are looking for the wrong thing.”

Are you looking for the wrong thing? Perhaps you are stuck. Perhaps your life is like a merry-go-round and you never seem to get anywhere. Or maybe you feel trapped, unable to pursue your dreams and you don’t feel a sense of purpose or fulfillment. Most everyone I know, including myself, has had opportunities, but we fail to seize them because of fear. We are afraid to leave the security that we have sheltered ourselves with. We live in our man-made cocoons, surrounding our lives with walls, comfort and business as usual. Any kind of change scares the heck out of us.

In my Interviewing and Counseling Class my students have an assignment where they describe their cultural context; their place of origin, heritage, and environment where they have been raised. One student said she was from a small town and she plans to live in her small town the rest of her life. She likes to “hang out” with her friends and family and enjoys the low-key atmosphere of her surroundings.

My student is just like the fishermen. Why change the course of her life? Why leave the security of familiar territory? Perhaps she has not yet heard the invitation to begin a new adventure. There is nothing wrong with living in the community in which you grew up in. However, the world is huge and some day Jesus will invite her to follow. Jesus comes to all of us at some point in our lives just as he came to the fishermen. When we accept the call to discipleship we discover a much larger world to live in and a greater purpose other than our own. We discover a greatness which makes our ordinary lives unimportant.

The fishermen that Jesus called were people very much like us. They were the middle class folks of their day with stable jobs, family and education. They had a great work ethic and nice homes to live in. But, their lives were cramped and their vision was small. Something was missing.

So, along comes Jesus and invites them to follow him. “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men,” he said. Jesus presented them with an opportunity to go on an adventure. By jumping on the bandwagon of Jesus, they would discover fulfillment and through their efforts the world would be a better place.

Jesus’ invitation was a disruption. He appeared in the midst of their workday. None of us like distractions. They are annoying. They interrupt our daily routine. We don’t like setbacks or being without. Losses set us back and create feelings of despair.

In December, 1914, Edison Industries was destroyed by a fire. The loss exceeded 2 million dollars, almost all of Thomas Edison’s work. Edison was insured for only $238 because his building was constructed of concrete and people at that time thought it would be fireproof. At 67 years of age, Edison watched his life’s work go up in flames.

The next morning, after the firefighters had brought the inferno under control, Edison surveyed the damages and his charred dreams and crushed hopes. As he surveyed the scene he said, “There is great value in losing everything. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God I can start anew.” Three weeks later, Edison produced the first phonograph.

We humans don’t deal with change and loss very well. We are attached to our stuff, our homes and our work and to lose any of those is scary. When unpredictable losses happen they knock us off balance and we live in fear. Just because life disrupts us doesn’t mean we are finished. Likewise the invitation to follow Jesus can come at any time, most likely a time when it is most inconvenient. When we have the courage and faith to heed the call from Jesus and follow we realize a sense of fulfillment and purpose.

Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” The challenge is to share in the great happiness of a new reality, a kingdom unlike anything we have ever experienced. To do that one must “repent and believe.” In other words, we have to make a change in our lives and be oriented in a new direction. Repentance requires leaving: Leaving nets, leaving parents, leaving boats, etc.

Following requires faith. The disciples had no idea where their new journey would take them. But they believed in Jesus and followed. Following Jesus does not mean we have to quit our jobs, abandon our families or even leave our hometowns. What needs to be left behind are those habits and attitudes that paralyze us and inhibit us from making changes in our lives that will enhance our faith.

What the disciples left behind was their narrow mindedness and their lack of vision for a better world. They left their stubbornness and feelings of insecurity. In other words, they left their unbelief.

Narrow mindedness prevents us from being open to new possibilities. Stubbornness is the resistance to change. Insecurity means we don’t feel safe. All these are driven by fear and the lack of assurance that God is with us. Faith on the other hand, propels us forward. Faith liberates us from those things that hold us back. Faith leads us to fulfillment and happiness.

We do know that the disciples didn’t leave their life as fishermen forever. At the end of the gospel we find them back by the Sea of Galilee, fishing once again. Also, they didn’t abandon their families and they didn’t change careers. They did, however follow, overcome their fears and leave behind those characteristics that degrade the human spirt.

E. Stanley Jones tells the story of a missionary who became lost in an African jungle. Looking around, he saw nothing but bush and a few clearings. He stumbled about until he finally came across a native hut. He asked one of the natives if he could lead him out of the jungle and back to the mission station. The native agreed to help him.

“Thank you!” exclaimed the missionary. “Which way do I go?” The native replied, “Walk.” And so they did. They hacked their way through the unmarked jungle for more than an hour. In pausing to rest, the missionary looked around and had an overwhelming sense that he was lost. All he saw was bush and a few clearings. “Are you sure this is the way?” he asked. “I don’t see any path.” The native looked and him and replied, “Bwana, in this place there is no path. I am the path” Jesus is the path, follow him and he will make you fishers of men.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio

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