Call To Worship

Take this moment sign and space

Take my friends around

Here among us make the place

Where your love is found me

(Iona Abbey Music book pg 122)

  One: Come together, people of God, out of the gloom and shadow of a troubled world.         

All: We come with joy to the great light that God has given us in Jesus Christ.                         

One: Come to worship, people of God leaving behind the burdens of this world.             

All: We come to renew our spirits and to now our God once more. 

 Openness.  Openness is like an invitation to see beyond what is to what can be.   Openness feeds the spirit of curiosity.  Where one is the invitation to ask what can be, curiosity is the means by which we explore the idea of what might be.  To see beyond what is to what can be.  Optimism is the fuel that sustains the other two.  Optimism is hope And Paul Speaks of Hope in Romans  Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we  have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  through whom we have obtained access  to this grace in which we stand, and we  boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.   And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance,   and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,  and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

 Today we have the second call story.  Yes, it is Jesus calling Peter, James and Andrew again and it is rather different from last week.  Last weeks call story seems so much calmer and more thought out and calculated as compared to this week where it is Hey you come follow me. OK 

Now the way some theologians reconcile this same people but different story is that  They meet Jesus first (John) and then Jesus meets them on the beech. 

Regardless, The Story is one of Openness, curiosity and yes Optimism 

The disciples see something beyond what is there They are open, curious and optimistic 

They left a lot behind.  There is a small museum in Israel that houses what is known as the  “Jesus Boat”. It is a first century boat that has been recovered and restored from the Sea of Galilee. What they discovered is that there were many types of wood used in the boat and what one can surmise is that the bulk of the different woods where wood that was used in repair. This boat. The boat the boys owned was a significant investment. Not to mention the nets, the business relations they must have cultivated and all the other fishing stuff they had. And there homes, families, friends.  We are talking life altering stuff.

 They are not given time to think on if they should follow. They act. They make that yes no decision right there and then. They accept the decision and all that it would mean. They follow. They see what is beyond and trust it enough to move with it.

I wonder how many times in three years they followed Jesus and in the years following The Easter event they wondered if they had made the right choice that day on the beach. After all the disciples where only human. 

 We are only human and because of this lurking in the shadow of Openness Optimism and curiosity are doubt and fear. 

  We hesitate. We are haunted by all the same Specters of reasons why.  I’m not good enough I’m too old, too young no experience. We already do so much, my life is too busy. Excuse’s ghostly hand tugging us away covering our ears to call.  We resist. We have a perception that call is some great undertaking when it is not. 

When we  think of call we think of Jesus on the beach the boys dropping everything and walking away from it all to follow.  

That is frightening. Ok it’s not frightening, it is for me at least down right terrifying it is really almost beyond my imagination

The truth is that when God take’s control or calls us it scares us. It scares us because it may mean doing something different. It may mean changing our Sunday habits, or extra work during the week. It scares us because we may have to learn something new or worse we may have to get religious. As one theologian says. “Jesus doesn’t ask them to go out and preach. He doesn’t tell them “Come follow me and I Will teach you to have intelligent religious discussion“ . Rather his expectation for his disciples is much more active earthly, and mundane. He says to them Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” No big challenge here they were already fishermen. 

Have you ever gone fishing? For the most part you sit there for hours and nothing happens and then bang something takes your line, five minutes of excitement and it’s over. You’re back to sitting in the boat or standing on the shore.  But you are committed to what you are doing.

Jesus builds on what is already a God given gift. As the old hymn says Just as I am. No special training needed. Just Faith.  

We are like Peter James and Andrew, we are ordinary people call to do extra-ordinary work. We are called each in our lives to Teach, lead, love, plant and grow, heal and guide, and create.  We are called to be open, to curious and to trust in God, to be optimistic.   

Theologian Karl Barth thus said that the main difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is a noetic difference.  That is, Christians are not necessarily better people than

Non-Christians nor smarter. We are simply those who have heard something whereas non-Christians have not yet heard. As Isaiah says light has come into our darkness.  In the light we are able to see what is and then see what can be, to see the possibilities of what can be

 Last week we asked the question do you know were you are going to and the answer this week is the same. Yes. Beyond knowing were we are going to we need to ask do we see all the possibilities of what might be. 

 Don’t be afraid to act, Nothing is more surprising than the rise of the new within ourselves". Tillich I came across another old classic song from 1970 by John Denvor’s Follow Me 

Follow me where I go, what I do, who I know Make it part of you to be a part of me. Follow me up and down, all the way and all around,
take my hand and say you'll follow me.
   Our Call starts with openness our call is manifested in our curiosity and it is fed by the knowledge that our faith will sustain us. Knowing this God asks  “will you come and follow me if I but call your name. Will you see that I am with you and you in me”,  that we are together, that we, that you are not alone.

Offering

We give thee but thy own.   The work of the Church continues and there are three ways you can continue to support that work.   Consider using PAR, use the donate button on our Web Site or drop your gift at the Manse.   Let us make our offering and give thanks.       

  One: Praise God who from all Blessing flow

   Prayer     

 O God with the daring of the early disciples, we present our offerings in direct response to Christ’s appeal to leave all and follow. We would not with hold ourselves our devotion, our time our talents , our commitment to faithful service. May our actions and these gifts bring the gospel realm to all people Amen 

Sending Forth and Blessing.

One: In humility and with confidence go out to witness to your faith                                 

All: We depart with joy in our hearts and the intent to live by the best we know.             

One: You are supported and strengthened by God’s love and by the family of faith of which you are a part.

VU 4

God of all places present unseen

Voice in our silence song in our mist

Send us your people knowing and sure

Called to spread the word.

amen amen amen