Will You Come and Follow Me?
with Rev. Barbara Gorsky
January 21, 2024
The Scripture
Psalm 62:5-12
Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
9 Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in extortion
or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.
11 One thing God has spoken,
two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
12 and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
according to what they have done.”
Mark 1:14-20
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 near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
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.
Read the Full Text
The time has come for Jesus to begin his ministry. John the Baptist the one who proclaimed the coming of the Lord, the one who had prepared the way for Jesus…was now in prison. As John had already predicted, the time of his own ministry was coming to an end and now Jesus is ready to begin his own ministry. And in this beginning of Jesus’ ministry, we must not forget it is a fulfillment of a prophesy that has long been anticipated. A prophesy filled with hope and also change.
The people have been waiting, waiting for the light of God to break into the world! They have been waiting for their lives to be changed, for their eyes to be opened, waiting for their hearts that are often been discouraged to be set on fire. They are waiting to know more fully who this God is who they have worshiped for years, their God who seems far away. They yearn to know God in a more intimate way and yet at this place and time they can’t even anticipate what this will mean. We can’t forget these people were not strangers to a life of faith. They knew God, the One who was called Yahweh, the God of Moses of Isaac of Jacob, the God of the Israelites who brought them out of Egypt to the land of milk and honey. They remembered the stories, told over and over again. But something new is about to happen.
Finish reading
Scripture says Jesus went into Galilee proclaiming the good news of God.
Jesus says, “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” What is this message of “good news”? This is not a question answered immediately, the “good news” will be revealed to those who encounter Jesus day by day, over time they will discovery just who he by his very actions and words. Jesus is calling out to his people to turn back to God, pay attention to what God is doing in and through him. Jesus is providing this immediate revelation of who God is and we witness what this “experiencing” Jesus means to the men fishing along the Sea of Galilee. Jesus says, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” And what do they do? They immediately leave their nets and followed him. Now I can’t begin to think I know what those men were thinking or feeling but it’s pretty remarkable to think that the very presence of Jesus moved them to a point where they simply followed him. For some of us it might have taken weeks or months to make this kind of decision. Perhaps these soon to be disciples were a bit surprised and caught off guard, but what happened, what happened inside of them that were able to make such a significant decision instantly? They left their life work, their source of income with this immediate desire to follow Jesus. I would like to think that something stirred within their hearts, something happened that propelled them forward without even looking back. Mine you there was not a sermon involved in this lfe changing decision, there was not a reading of the Torah…the mere presence of Jesus was all that was needed.
Jesus was the “good news” for these men that became good news for the whole community, and good news for the world! How does this invitation “will you come and follow me” speak to us today? And along with this question is a related question, where is the “good news” for you and me? Is there even a voice to listen too? I have my own experience of “following” what I believe is God’s plan and it’s not about a voice speaking for rather about the Holy Spirit putting into motion a series of events that led me to make an important decision. When I started here as your “bridge” interim associate, I truly thought it is time for me to perhaps end my ministry life (well not completely because as Pastor Laura has already told me multiple times, we are forever ministers, and she’s right.) But in reality, I was tired and couldn’t even think of a place to serve that would revitalize my sense of call and I have heard retiring isn’t so bad, maybe play more golf. I couldn’t even envision that the Holy Spirit would work in my life the way she has to bring me to where I am today, here with you for more than a few months.
You must know without a doubt that the Holy Spirit has been at work from the very beginning, she has been at work in me to even apply for this position. Every fabric of my being propelled me forward with both obvious and subtle working parts all pointing the way to here, here at First Pres of Arlington Heights. Were you surprised to hear the announcement about me? I know what I said when I started, “I’m not going to apply to the full-time position.” I know what you heard, there is no way I will even think about working full-time again and I really, really felt that was true. No way! Well, if you were surprised, you are no more surprised than me! How did this happen? My family is celebrating this “calling” and yes, it is a calling for me even though it is not an installed position. Yes, my family is celebrating because they see this change in me, this joy. My friends are celebrating because they also see something in me that has changed. They see that joy, energy and enthusiasm has returned. I have personally experienced the “good news” of the Holy Spirit working in my life. There was no way I could say “no” to this calling, no way I could say “good-bye”, I am done. No way!
That is my story to share with you. But my story is connected to other people’s stories. There is the IAPNC, the interviews, the questions, the praying, the discerning. The session’s thoughtful assessment and approval. And you and your warm welcome. My response to the invitation was not made in isolation. God has broken into my life! And this is not the only time God has worked powerfully in my life, there have been many life-changing encounters that have changed my course, opened doors, moved me to do new things, challenged me, sometimes in scary ways, but always, always pulling me forward.
What about you! Have you heard the invitation, “will you come and follow me?” Only you can answer that question for the invitation is always on-going. Oprah Winfred is quoted as saying this, “I believe there’s a calling for all of us. I know that every human being his value and purpose. The real work of our lives is to become aware. And awakened. To answer the call.” Sometimes it is so subtle and sometimes greatly obvious, but God is always breaking into this world and into our lives. And if you are like me, it does take a growing awareness that there is a powerful force outside ourselves that is at work in our lives. How could I be surprised that the Spirit led me here? Yet I was.
This I believe. I believe that I am here for a reason, and the reason I am here is connected to you and where the Holy Spirit is leading all of us together. What is ahead for us is not a one person job, it will take all of us. It will take all of us learning to listen and follow, all of us working together, bringing our differences, our similarities, our gifts, our insights, our failures, our successes, bringing everything we have together to discover just where we are to go.
We don’t have to prepare, to be ready, we don’t have to have our life in order…. we just need to follow. The disciples became changed men in following Jesus and we will be changed too. Following Oprah’s wise words with my own addition: we just need to become aware, let ourselves be awakened to the presence of the Holy Spirit. And answer the call! Amen