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Sunday, January 23, 2011

Third Sunday after Epiphany
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Denver, Colorado
Pastor Dena Williams

Today’s Gospel story takes us back to our Old Testament

lesson for today. In our reading from Isaiah, God promises to
bless the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.

Here in Matthew, the prophecy from Isaiah is fulfilled. This

Gospel writer was Jewish. We often find references to the
Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible in Matthew, as we do
today.

The Holy Gospel according to the Community of St.

Matthew in the 4th Chapter Glory to you, O Lord

Now when Jesus* heard that John had been arrested, he

withdrew to Galilee.

He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the

lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,

so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah

might be fulfilled:

‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea,

across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

there the people who sat in darkness have seen a great

light,

and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death,
light has dawned.’

From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the

kingdom of heaven has come near.’*
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As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,

Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother,

casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen.

And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for
people.’

Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son

of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father
Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.

Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed
him.

The Word of the Lord Praise to you, O Christ

Vocation

In last week’s story from the Gospel of John,

John the Baptist is alive and well and free.
He is baptizing and teaching.
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Upon hearing John the Baptist’s enthusiastic

recommendation. Andrew and Simon Peter decide to follow
Jesus.
That was our story last Sunday from the Gospel of John.

In our story for today from the Gospel of Matthew

Jesus’ call to his disciples takes place differently than in
John’s Gospel.
The story unfolds in a way that allows for the prophecy from
Isaiah,
the promise of blessing for the land of Zebulun and the land
of Naphtali,
to be fulfilled.

Our story begins with some difficult news.

For our friend, John the Baptist,
the John who baptized Jesus,
the one who proclaimed him to be the Lamb of God,
the news is not good.
“Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested . . .”
Jesus’ call to John the Baptist led to arrest, imprisonment,
and, ultimately, death.
God’s call to John the Baptist was intrusive, disruptive,
dangerous, and deadly.

In the very wake of the arrest of John,

Jesus moves from Nazareth to Zebulun and Naphtali.
Wonder if he anticipated arrest and imprisonment?

As he walks by the Sea of Gallilee, Jesus calls to the

fishermen:
Simon, Andrew, James, and the other John.
He beckons and calls to them:
“Follow me.”
They immediately leave their nets to follow Jesus.
They leave their father in the boat,
their families, their communities, their livelihood.
They leave all to follow Jesus.
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For Simon and Andrew, for James and this other John,
for these disciples,
God’s call to follow Jesus was intrusive, disruptive,
dangerous, and ultimately deadly.

God’s call . . .

Martin Luther had a word for God’s call—vocation.

God calls us to vocation.
Luther described the work we do on behalf of God’s
Kingdom,
as our vocation.
It might be work at home or in the world or in our community
of faith.
Whenever we work to share God’s love,
we are fulfilling our vocation
as we build the Kingdom of God.

A 20th Century theologian,

a man named Frederick Buechner,
describes vocation this way:
We find our vocation in the place where the world’s deep
need meets our deep joy.
He writes that if you are in India serving the poorest of the
poor on the streets of Calcutta,
but you really despise your work,
you have not found your vocation.
If, on the other hand,
you write deodorant commercials for television,
even if you love your work,
you probably have not found your vocation.
Our vocation is where the world’s deep need meets our deep
joy.

Is it possible that God’s call,

our vocation,
can be intrusive, disruptive, dangerous, even deadly
and bring us deep joy at the same time?
Did John the Baptist’s call bring him deep joy?
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Did Andrew, Simon, James, and the other John find deep joy
in their call?

What about my call?

My call to serve as a parish pastor?
It is certainly at times intrusive and disruptive.
It has, on occasion, been a bit dangerous.
Deadly?!
Well, not so far!
Unless there’s something I’m not aware of!
Something you want to tell me . . .

Does my call bring me deep joy?
Yes, it does.
Does it bring me deep joy every day,
all the time?
No, it does not.
Although, I want to say, my call to Good Shepherd brings me
more constant joy than any call I’ve ever had!
Thank you for that!
I wonder, then if I have found my call, my vocation?
Does the world’s deep need meet my deep joy?
Well, yes, much of the time, it does.

What about you?

I am fortunate that what I do for a living is also my vocation.
That’s not always the case.
I’ve known people who did what they did for a living,
but found their vocation elsewhere.
There was the parishioner who made extruded PVC pipe.
Now that meets a need in the world,
but his job did not give him particular joy.
He found his vocation elsewhere—
at home as a husband and father,
and at church where he mowed the lawn and shoveled the
walks and kept the boiler working for his congregation.
He found his vocation in the work he did out of love, as a
part of his community of faith
and in his home as a parent and spouse.
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Or, sometimes, our jobs are only one of our vocations.

We, for example, have several nurses in our congregation.
They would probably describe their work as their vocation—
the place where the world’s deep need meets their deep joy.
They would also describe, I think, some other activities as
vocation—
serving as lector, usher, or musician at church,
helping with church projects,
supporting and encouraging others in the congregation,
all of the ways they answer God’s call in this congregation
are also vocation for them.
These are ways that they share God’s love as they seek to
build God’s Kingdom.

Are you still looking for your vocation?

Retired folks, what is your vocation at this time in your life?
Do you have one?
Are you wondering how you will know when you find it?
Well, I don’t have all the answers to these questions.
Your call is something that needs to be worked out between
you and God.
But, I can give you a couple of clues, I think.
Ask these questions:
Is your call intrusive and disruptive at times? Does it cost
you?
God’s call, our vocation, generally costs us.
It often takes us to places we might be afraid to go,
asks us to take risks we might not think we want to take—
to try something new,
to develop a new skill,
to seek a new relationship
or renew an old relationship,
to give generously of ourselves, our time and energy, our
resources.
God’s call to us to share God’s love,
to build God’s Kingdom,
our vocation is intrusive and disruptive.
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There’s another clue.

Does your call meet the world’s deep need AND bring you
deep joy?
How can it be true that our call,
the ways we share God’s love and build God’s Kingdom,
how can it be true that our vocation is intrusive and
disruptive AND brings us joy?

A Story

Once there was a country priest

who served a parish in a small rural European town.
The church in the parish was tiny,
but neat and well cared for.
The people, though, wanted to be a part of something
bigger,
something grander.
So when they heard of plans for a new cathedral to be built
in the nearest big city,
they collected some money and asked their priest
to take it to the builders of the cathedral.
They sent the priest off one Sunday,
after church,
to go to the city, deliver the money,
and visit the building site.
The priest traveled for several days,
finally arriving in the city.
He delivered the money to the Bishop
and got directions to the site for the new cathedral.
As he approached the site,
he saw many people working.
There were workers digging the foundation,
others laying bricks,
some framing doorways.
The priest approached a brick layer and asked what he was
doing.
“Well, it’s pretty obvious isn’t it? I’m laying bricks.”
The priest moved on and spoke with a man wielding a
shovel.
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“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m digging a hole.”
Then the priest noticed an old woman with a broom.
She was carefully sweeping up debris that had collected
around the building site.
He walked over to where she was standing and asked:
“What are you doing?”
The old woman paused in her sweeping and looked up at the
rising structure,
“Who me? Why I’m building a cathedral.”

How will you answer God’s call to share God’s love,

to build God’s Kingdom,
what is your vocation?
What will intrude and disrupt,
meet the world’s deep need,
and bring you deep joy?
Whatever it is,
remember . . .
you are building the Kingdom of God. Amen
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Vocation