Be a “First Responder” to God’s Call (Mark 1:14-20)
Rev. John Westfall
01/21/24

Grace, peace, and mercy to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

There is a story about a doctor who was an avid fisherman. While out fishing one day he received a call that one of his patients was ready to give birth. He hurried to meet her at the hospital in order to deliver the baby. With his fishing equipment in hand, he took off. Everything went well. After the baby was born, he grabbed his fishing scale and weighed the baby … and announced that the mother had delivered a healthy 21 lb. 12 oz. baby girl.

There’s also a story about a strange kind of fisherman. He was well prepared to go fishing. He had a variety of poles, nets, bait, and even had a nice boat. He had read books on fishing and made a habit of watching fishing shows on TV. He knew what the sport of fishing was all about. He had a problem, however. He never caught any fish. Why? He never went fishing. You see he had all of the knowledge and all of the equipment, but he never got near the water. He never got into the boat. He never left the dock.

In today’s gospel text we hear about fishing. Even though we hear about Jesus calling Simon and Andrew, two fishermen … two brothers to follow him, follow him to be “fishers of men.” God wants us to answer His call by thanking Him and glorifying Him by going “fishing.” Not for fish, but for men. He has prepared us through His Word and through the work of the Holy Spirit and has called us to be Jesus’ disciples. We are to respond, then, to God’s call

So, just as Jesus called the Galileans (we heard about Phillip and Nathanael last week…Simon and Andrew today, along with James and John) those many years ago, we are called as His disciples to follow Him and be committed to spreading the Good News of Jesus as our Lord and Savior and to understand the importance of Jesus’ ministry – His message of repentance and forgiveness.

People were told in Jesus’ day, of course, that they were sinners. There was evil all around. They would lie, deceive, get angry, slander, cheat, gossip, and so on. Fortunately, that behavior no longer exists, right? Well, we know it does happen. We know it is happening all around us. It would only make sense that since there are more people in the world today, there is more sin. We all continue to sin in thought, word, and deed. We are no better today. We break God’s Law, and we deserve His punishment, so we need to repent and be forgiven. And that’s the Good News; we know we are.

We understand as believers that Jesus has delivered us from sin. Through His blood that was shed on the cross, He washed away our sins. Through our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are forgiven and are promised eternal life. So, we must “repent and believe” as Jesus proclaimed to the Galileans that we hear about in today’s gospel from Mark 1.

We must then follow Jesus being dedicated and committed to sharing His message of salvation. Share His message NOT just when it’s convenient, not just when it fits into our busy schedule, and not just when we do not have anything else to do. Our commitment to the Lord must be our top priority. Yes, we must follow Him like Simon, Andrew, James, and John … no questions … no hesitation … with conviction.

Next, we might ask, “Are we prepared?” We ARE prepared, as we mentioned earlier, through God’s blessings, the gifts He has prepared us with. He’s also prepared us through our baptism, through His word, through worship, and through partaking of Jesus’ body and blood in the Lord’s Supper. And we are called and continue to grow in our relationship with the Lord through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Commitment in today’s world can be difficult. We live in a world where commitment to anything is diminishing in many different areas of life. People seem to be too busy serving themselves and serving the desires of a secular world, and so they put their service to the Lord and service to others on the “back burner.”

As Christians, when we commit, we need to give it our all … in heart, mind, and soul … put our faith in action. Share the Good News whenever the opportunity arises. Reach out to others, sharing what we have to give. We need to recruit others into the fold. Again, be “fishers of men.” Just like when Jesus called Simon and Andrew, James and John to be His followers, His disciples; we need to continue to be welcoming to strangers, to reach out to others – be first responders to the call.

There’s an old story about St. Peter, who showed a man a scene in hell. There’s a great banquet going on with great food. However, all the people there are equipped with long spoons to reach the food, but they can’t get the spoon to their mouths. Next, St. Peter showed the man a scene in heaven. There’s a great banquet going on with great food there as well. They were using the same type of long spoons. What was the difference? Instead of the people trying unsuccessfully to reach the end of the spoon to feed themselves, they were reaching out across the table in order to feed one another.

Yes, a committed Christian needs to be prepared. He or she needs to stay in the true Word. We need to be devoted to what it means to confess and to be forgiven, understanding what the Good News of Jesus means in our lives and showing it to others. So, today and always, let’s remember to be “fishers of men,” so others through the work of the Holy Spirit may come to know what Jesus has done for them through His suffering, death, and resurrection. Let’s always “Thank the Lord and sing His praise; tell everyone what He has done. Let all who seek the Lord rejoice and proudly bear His name. He recalls His promises and leads His people forth in joy with shouts of thanksgiving. Alleluia, alleluia.”

Let’s remember, today and always, to respond to the call. Amen.