Sermon for January 27, 2008

“Come, Follow Me,” Jesus said, “And I will make you fishers of men.”  At once Peter and Andrew left their nets and followed Him.  Jesus called James and John and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed Him”

       One of the least popular words in our society today is the word, “SACRIFICE”!  Why?  Because “SACRIFICE” often means “Giving something up or leaving something behind” which we enjoy doing even though it may not be good for us!
       Let me give you some examples.  How many of you made “New Year’s Resolutions” for this year?  How many of you have kept them as we enter into our Fourth week of the New Year?  It may be a WEIGHT issue- and we are told to “SACRIFICE” candy and sweets and chocolate and foods that we like to eat which may not be very good for us!  So we “SACRIFICE” and “give up” those foods so that we can be healthier and have our weight under control.
       Or else we “SACRIFICE” the way that we use our gift of “TIME” especially when we have responsibilities at school or at home or at work or at church and we make choices in how we use that time in the best way possible!  Or we may “SACRIFICE” luxury items in our life so that we can have the “BASICS” such as food, home or clothes especially when we compare ourselves with other people and families!
       These are often what people have in mind regarding “SACRIFICES” in our life but to tell you the truth, these are not really sacrifices in the sense that our Gospel lesson for today from Matthew 4 illustrate for us.  Instead they could be defined as “INCONVENIENCES” which can cause us some unhappiness and dissatisfaction in our life.  Instead “SACRIFICE-means LEAVING SOMETHING BEHIND COMPLETELY or GIVING UP SOMETHING COMPLETELY as it is explained and illustrated very clearly in our Gospel lesson for today – THE CALLING OF THE FIRST DISCIPLES BY JESUS”.
       Matthew 4: 12-23 records for us when Jesus called His first disciples- PETER, ANDREW, JAMES AND JOHN and we find out “WHAT THEY SACRIFICED AND LEFT BEHIND” to follow Jesus.  As we look at our text we can ask ourselves the question “WHAT HAVE WE LEFT BEHIND TO FOLLOW JESUS?”
       Peter, Andrew, James and John made a life- changing decision that paid off in the long term but did not seem to make a lot of sense in the short term in their life.  They were each successful fishermen and businessmen.  Fishing was a thriving business at the time of Jesus because fish were an important food staple in people’s diets.  You could make a very good living as a fisherman.
       So when Jesus said to the 2 sets of brothers, “FOLLOW ME!” Jesus was not calling them to leave a sport or a hobby in their lives.  Jesus was asking them to leave their careers; their livelihood, their way of making a living, even to leave their families to follow Jesus and to be His disciple!
       At first glance as the world so often judges it, Peter, Andrew, James and John  seemed to be making a big mistake and people thought they were “NUTS” or even “CRAZY”.  You might say to yourself that they “GAVE UP TOO MUCH- THEY SACRIFICED TOO MUCH” in order to be a follower and disciple of Jesus.  If God expects that from people who follow Him and especially from me, He isn’t being fair or logical!
       Let me ask you, If Jesus asked you to do the same thing, “WOULD YOU TAKE SO GREAT A RISK OR MAKE THAT KIND OF DECISION IN YOUR LIFE?”   or to personalize it, “WHAT HAVE YOU LEFT TO FOLLOW JESUS” in your life?
       I would like to be able to say that there are NOT ANY SACRIFICES necessary to being a Christian and a follower of Jesus Christ- but we know that is not the case.  Maybe the church would be more attractive to people if there were not any sacrifices involved.  But then the church and being a follower of Jesus would NOT BE FULFILLING ITS PURPOSE OF SHARING THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST with other people.  We know that Jesus Christ made the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE for us so that our sins are forgiven and so that we can be saved for eternal life in heaven!
       What are some of the “SACRIFICES” that a person makes when he or she becomes a Christian?  It may include “TIME”- how we use our time each day and on weekends- attending Church and Sunday School or Bible Class, spending time in reading the Bible or having devotions vs. doing other activities.  For some people it seems like a Major Sacrifice to spend 2-3 hours worshiping God a week  Maybe a “SACRIFICE” involves “MONEY”- how we budget our money- do we give to God first or do we give Him the leftovers- what “Sacrifices” do we make when we give God our offerings.  It may include our “WORK”- how much time we spend at work, around the house or at church.
       I read a story about a Christian missionary who spoke to a tribe of Indians about the idea of Sacrifice and consecration and dedication to Jesus Christ and how Jesus will protect you each and every day.  Soon the old Indian Chief walked forward and unwrapped his blanket from his shoulders and had his tomahawk in his hand and laid his blanket and tomahawk at the missionary’s feet and said, “INDIAN CHIEF GIVE HIS BLANKET AND TOMAHAWK TO JESUS CHRIST” and returned to his seat.
       The missionary continued to talk about “THE LOVE OF GOD” and how Jesus Christ was the greatest gift God gave to the world and the Indian Chief got up and disappeared from the meeting and came back a short time later leading his pony and said to the missionary, “INDIAN CHIEF GIVE HIS PONY TO JESUS CHRIST!”
       The missionary finished his talk by talking about the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE that Jesus Christ gave for all people on Calvary’s cross-“HIS LIFE SO THAT OTHERS MIGHT LIVE!”  The old Chief rose for the last time and walked up to the missionary as all the people were watching to see what he was going to do and with tears in his eyes and with a trembling voice of thanksgiving said, “INDIAN CHIEF GIVE HIMSELF TO JESUS CHRIST” and gave the missionary a big hug!
       This story can help to show what being a true Christian and follower of Jesus Christ truly means.  How much of our life are we giving to the Lord?  The question is not merely how much of our TIME, TOMAHAWKS, PONIES, MONEY OR BLANKETS have we placed at God’s disposal; BUT HOW MUCH OF OUR LIFE have we given to God?
       Just like Jesus called  Peter, Andrew, James and John to change their way of life- Jesus calls us out of our old life of LIVING ONLY FOR OURSELF, the selfishness of not having God and our Christian faith be our top priority and #1 in our life to live a NEW AND CHANGED LIFE lived in God’s love and in service to Him. 
       That is what Jesus expects of us and nothing less.  Out of gratitude for God’s Love in Jesus Christ, revealed to us and all people in Calvary’s cross, we are to SURRENDER ourself completely to Jesus Christ and ask Him to lead us in His truth to do His will.  And that often involves Sacrifice and giving ourselves COMPLETELY to Jesus and His will.
       God promises to provide the strength, the power, the words for us to say when we serve Him and follow Him in our lives of faith.  As “FULLY DEVOTED FOLLOWERS OF JESUS CHRIST” we are called by God to be His disciples in the world today through which we are a MIND through which Christ THINKS; a HEART through which Christ LOVES; a VOICE through which Christ SPEAKS; a HAND through which Christ HELPS AND SERVES!  The good news is that God is not as concerned about your ABILITY as He is  about your AVAILABILITY!
       All you have to do is look around, listen to the little children, the youth, the adults, the families whom God has called together here at Epiphany Lutheran to “FOLLOW HIM!”  We are God’s people gathered together to worship Him, to be strengthened in our Christian faith and to receive the forgiveness of our sins which we all so desperately need.
       I encourage you to pray for God’s blessing upon our Ministry of Service to God here at Epiphany Lutheran.  Each of us can give of our time, resources and efforts and energy to serve God in our own special way.  We may be asked to give of our time, our money for the ministry of the Gospel and it may seem like a BIG SACRIFICE, but it is worth it in the end as God promises to bless our efforts in a special way when we serve Him with Jesus Christ LEADING THE WAY!
       A simple prayer can remind us of that fact, “DEAR JESUS, YOU BE THE NEEDLE AND I WILL BE THE THREAD.  YOU GO FIRST AND I WILL FOLLOW WHEREVER YOU MAY LEAD!  Amen