My final sermon as Minister to the people of Kaikorai Church, delivered Sunday 22 January 2012.
Read John 1:43-51; Mark 1:14-20
I wonder if you see what I C?
Reading these 2 passages I saw lot’s of C’s:
Call
Community
Commission
Commitment
These are 4 words that I want you to remember – along with another C-word ‘CHRIST’.
So let’s begin: CALL
These passages are all about call. The ministry of Jesus is just beginning and he is clearly on a mission – his first task, to gather others around him.
Right now I’m also going through the ‘call process’ – being called to a new church, and this is how we often think about ‘call’ – to be called to a particular task, missionary, minister, maybe teacher – nurse.
But I want you to notice something: before any of these other things happen we are all first called to simply ‘FOLLOW’
Jesus comes to these early disciples and does nothing more than invite them to ‘follow’
To follow Jesus – this is exactly the same calling that I have received and so have you.
In the context of 1st century Israel recognise that what Jesus was doing was not unique – there were others around, teachers/rabbis who did exactly the same thing.
It was expected that a rabbi would have a number of students following him – their task was simply to learn to walk in the footsteps of their teacher; to take on board his teaching, to absorb his character – to become one like their teacher.
And so it is with Jesus – come follow me is all about seeking to become like Jesus. To learn from him, to be shaped and moulded by his influence to become like him in attitude and aspirations.
You are called – are you following?
COMMUNITY
We’ve touched on this many times – it’s really important. Jesus was not calling people in isolation but into community.
In these two short passages we see Jesus taking the initiative in calling people – and as we know the full team he finally gathered was not exactly what you would describe as a dream team.
True some knew each other before – brothers, relations, work colleagues while others were from quite different backgrounds, with seemingly little in common – you might even wonder at the wisdom of putting some together: the tax collector Matthew for example seems to be a poor fit alongside of Judas the Zealot; one a collaborator with the Romans and one their sworn enemy.
But Jesus did put them together and he expected them to grow together, to work together.
Today church is in many ways similar – in general we did not choose each other; in many ways we’re an unlikely lot to be in the same team. But God has put us together; we are community – and I believe we are good for each other.
Sure sometimes we get offside with each other, I’ve pushed a few of your buttons over the years, and you’ve pushed some of mine – but all up we’ve learnt from each other, and are better for each other.
Often I know we take each other for granted – but in times of crisis and celebration in particular I’ve seen the strength of this particular community.
In my foolish moments you have corrected me, in my vulnerable ones you’ve held me, in my life and ministry you have encouraged and loved. That is community – it is precious – I pray that you value and protect this community.
COMMISSION
When Jesus invited Simon (later called Peter) and his brother Andrew to follow him he added ‘and I will make you fishers of people.”
The individual is called, the community is formed with a specific purpose in mind – simply put, it is to carry on doing the same thing Jesus has been doing: that is: to call people to follow Jesus.
Faith is NOT private – it is designed to be shared. Jesus sends us out to fish for people. Too many of us keep our faith to ourselves; we make it a Sunday thing, something that we can be quite open about within the setting of the church but beyond that and we clam up.
But those who follow are ‘commissioned’ to go to others. This is how Jesus began his ministry and you’ll know how he finished it?
Matthew 28:19 “… go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”
Disciples = followers. Go and invite others to follow me.
This is I suggest the primary purpose of the Christian life and the primary purpose of the Church.
I’ve heard it said: ‘Build it and the people will come’, as in build a flash building, and the people will be attracted to it.
And I’ve heard it said ‘pray and God will bring the people’.
Yes please do pray – but don’t spend all your time praying: Jesus said I will send you out to fish for people.
Friends we’ve got to do something, we’ve got to go out, to reach out and invite others to know the man you know: Jesus.
Back to our John reading, verse 43 and following.
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
Verse 45. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
Philip was a quick learner – no sooner had he been called than he began to call others. And note his simplicity – he has got all the answers, he doesn’t debate with Nathanael, he simply invites him to ‘come and see Jesus for himself.
You see we don’t have to have all the answers; with Philip all we are asked to do is to share what we know and invite people to ‘come and see’ for themselves.
This is the Christian life – based upon a call to Jesus, we join his community: the Church – to convey his invitation to everyone who will listen: ‘come and see’.
And all this takes commitment.
COMMITMENT to Jesus, and I believe commitment to one another – this is why I believe church membership is a good thing; because in that public act of membership we declare our commitment to Jesus and to each other. Of course words do not guarantee commitment but when we take those words seriously they do help and they are an encouragement to one another.
What does commitment entail: hanging in there even when the going is tough; recognising that it’s not just about you but about others; knowing that you’ll not always get your way but that somehow when people are truly committed to one another then God’s way will be evident in their fellowship.
It does mean being regular in meeting together. Remember this from Hebrews 10:24-25
24 … let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
It means encouraging and supporting each other.
Finally – remember it’s all about Jesus the Christ.
It is Jesus who initiates the call to us – a call that is focused on him – ‘follow me’ he says. Make me your priority in all things.
The Robin Mark song we sing says it well:
Jesus, all for Jesus,
All I am and have and ever hope to be.
All of my ambitions, hopes and plans
I surrender these into Your hands.
This is really what Jesus is inviting us to – to surrender ourselves to him; trusting him with everything, even your ambitions, hopes and plans.
Finally why is Jesus so important?
Yes he is God.
And Yes he is the perfect person.
He is the only one who can bring us into God’s fellowship.
and as we see from John’s gospel: He is the stairway to heaven.
Generations earlier Jacob had a dream (Gen 28:12), a dream in which he saw a stairway reaching to heaven, and on the stairway angels travelled to and from God.
Now Jesus says: I am that stairway – I am the path to heaven – I am the way – the one, the only one you must follow.
I hope you are seeing what I am seeing:
I see the Christ, the source of our calling; the centre of our community; the sum of the message we are commissioned to share; the object of our commitment. Jesus the Christ.
Will you follow him?
Arohanui
Ian
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