Claimed, gathered and sent

  This is the message I sent to the people of St. Timothy regarding this coming Sunday's gospel. Gospel: Mark 1:21-28 21 [ Jesus and his disciples ] went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee. Jesus was teaching in the synagogue....

This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, 1/21 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church. The text was Mark 1:14-20. There’s something fishy about today’s gospel. Are we really to believe that these four prospective disciples would instantly drop everything and follow Jesus? And this was at night, when fishing took place, to get the fish to market while they were fresh. Jesus has dropped his net to fish for disciples.  The kingdom having come near is the refrain for Jesus—where the work of God is done among the people of God, there the kingdom of God can be found. It is the heart of Jesus’ message. This phrase located the realm of God, this defining moment, and space is near. It also means that an action has now begun and is yet unfinished. Mark’s view is that the kingdom is future, but so near that it already affects the present.  When Jesus called Simon and Andrew, they were busy fishing. They were doing pretty well for themselves. After all, they had a good occupation, living right on...