Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today

You have loved us
And you love us still
Wonderfully
Wholly
And it heals us
And fills us with joy

We love too
Because we are people
Made to love
And because we have known your love
And sometimes our love heals
Though sometimes it is incomplete
Help us along, Lord
Teach us to love well

Sometimes we try to love
With our barbs and hooks
Teach us the way
Of gentleness
Sometimes we try to love
With fears and resentments
Teach us the way
Of forgiveness
Sometimes we try to love
With demands and control
Teach us the way
Of patience

Teach us discernment Lord
So we may know
Who to love
And how to love them
Well
Teach us to know the difference
Between sacrificial giving
And a pitiful side quest
When everyone gets lost
Teach us to know the difference
Between our calling to love
And our need to heal and grow

You have loved us
And you love us still
Wonderfully
Wholly
And it heals us
And fills us with joy
Keep us close in this
Let us be a part
Of the work
Of love
In this world
Healing
Making us whole
Making all things new
Thank you
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Mark 1:14-20

Intro: Before we drop into these verses,

I want to remind you why we are here in the book of Mark,
– that is to follow Jesus in order to renew our love for him
• Jesus made a disturbing prediction re: his followers
“And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold” (Mt. 24:12)
◦ later, in the Book of Revelation,
◦ Jesus told the church in Ephesus,
“I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had a first” (Rev. 2:4)
• this is what we want to avoid, or else it’s a correction we need to make
– Mark’s story is an invitation to come close to Jesus
• the person he was to his followers back then,
◦ is the same person he is to us today

Jesus began his ministry after John the Baptist was arrested
Now 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 hear; repent, and believe in the good news” Mark 1:14-15

Mark has us moving with Jesus into his public ministry after John is imprisoned
– it is characteristic of someone who introduces us to Jesus, that they walk with us for awhile
• but in time, we continue to walk with Jesus on our own (there is not need to fear this)
◦ if your dad taught you to ride a bike running next to you,
◦ after you’ve acquired the skill to ride, you no longer need him right there
• so it is with our early mentors, and others along the way
◦ God’s goal is that eventually we have our own unique relationship with Jesus
◦ and not be dependent on others for our own progress
– Jesus and John the Baptist were not in competition with each other
• it was more like a relay race
• only, Jesus works within us in ways John could not

Jesus not only brought a message, he was the good news
– he brought the realm of God into our world
• we need to know what he meant when he said,
“the kingdom of God has come near”
◦ had God’s realm come near in time or space?
◦ regarding “time” – he said“The time is fulfilled”
• how near was God’s kingdom in space?
◦ the same word occurs near the end of Mark
◦ Jesus is in the garden, about to be arrested
“The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. Look, my betrayer is at hand” – then Judas arrived “immediately, while he was still speaking” (Mk. 14:42-43)
– the kingdom of God arrived with Jesus
• how do we prepare ourselves for this? How do we experience the realm of God, here and now?
“repent, and believe in the good news”
◦ repent is an interior change – it is to think and feel differently
◦ it is to become different – our “new self” (Ep. 4:21-24)
• a change occurs within us
“Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life” (Pr. 4:23)
◦ our perceptions, outlook, evaluations, motives, and basically our entire “self”
◦ this is not an instant change – it is ongoing

This next scene is easy for me to imagine
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” 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 Mark 1:16-20

Many times I’ve walked the shore of Galilee
– more than once, by myself early in the morning
• it’s like most any other lake you’ve seen
◦ thirteen miles north to south; seven miles west to east
◦ surrounded mostly by low mountains
• years ago I visited Israel with two friends
◦ we stayed in a youth hostel near Capernaum
◦ one morning we passed two guys casting a net near the shore
(it seemed so “biblical”)
– I imagine Jesus enjoying a calm moment in solitude
• small ripples lapping the shore – he’s in no hurry
◦ he squints his eyes, looking eastward across the lake
◦ there are already two or three fishing boats on water
• perhaps he moves in awareness of the realm of God in which he lives
◦ he has been inviting others to share what he has – the kingdom of God
◦ hoping they will choose to know and experience God in this way

I admit, it was easy to take walks with Jesus when there by the water’s edge
– there were none of the stresses of daily life here at home
• I could look in any direction, and the geography of the Bible was right there
◦ so were all the stories
◦ it felt like I was inside the Scriptures
• but we can take walks with Jesus right where we live
◦ especially if we pay attention to hills, sky, and sea
◦ and get out there before or in between chores, meetings, conversations, and all the other distractions

When Jesus passed near Simon and Andrew, they were “casting a net”
– I wonder if that is when he knew they were to be his
• if maybe he had a vision of heaven dropping a net into our world
• when Matthew reports Jesus’ parables, the last one he mentions is this:
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad” (Mt. 13:47-50)
– Jesus invited Simon and Andrew to join him; he offered them a different life
• Follow me – not “My program,” my philosophy, my publication, but “me” – this is personal
◦ I think it’s significant he chose “non-professionals” – average day-workers;
◦ not affiliated with any of the religious classes (cf. Acts 4:13)
• not like those already indoctrinated into a rigid theology

In following Jesus, they would become his “disciples”
– Mark doesn’t use the title “disciples” until the next chapter
• one meaning of disciple is “student”
◦ one under the discipline of a teacher, and being educated in a discipline
• but disciple has a relational significance as well
– today many identify as Christians, but apparently without being disciples
• it is doubtful that they read or study scripture
◦ when quoting it, they twist it, partly because they don’t know its biblical context
• their cherished beliefs interfere with, and impede their spiritual education

A little further along the lake, Jesus saw James and John
– Jesus always goes “a little further” to reach the next person or community
(cf. see verses 35-39 in this same chapter)
• we’re not given a backstory for their instant response to Jesus – had they even seen him before now?
• was Jesus so compelling that they felt driven to accept his offer?
◦ Mark doesn’t explain why they would immediately leave everything to follow him
– Jesus has recruited the first four members of his team

Conclusion: I think it might be a good idea to take a breath

Set aside anything on your lap – and clear your mind
Maybe close your eyes and feel your body breathing
Our Lord Jesus is near
He tells you, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near.
Follow Me and I will make you all that My Father wants you to be;
your true self, influencing others to join you in the realm of God”
He asks, “Will you follow me? Today? Tomorrow? Always?”

Take a moment and consider your answer