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9/3/2017
Bearing the Cross
Matthew 16:21-28
Grace and Peace to You from God our Father and from our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. May the words of my mouth and the ears of our hearts be open to the word of God this day. Amen.
This weekend is Labor Day weekend. A time to stop and give thanks for the contributions that workers have made for the betterment of their communities, states and nation. This weekend we remember all the occupations and jobs that we have had over the years. If you looked at the board in the narthex, those are just some of the jobs the Sunday morning members listed as having. It is a wide range of jobs and titles, from sales to owners, to teachers to doctors and everything else in between. Everyone here has had jobs they have done, some you went to school for, some you got training in, some you got paid for and some jobs you did you weren’t paid for by money. But they were all jobs that were performed by you using your given abilities and skills. Not everyone can be a teacher or a doctor or a custodian or a farmer. Each person uses the skills, time, talents, they are given to fulfill their work. And we give thanks this day for all the millions of people in this country that have fulfilled their work calling so that our nation and communities can continue to operate well.
But there is another calling that we all share. You might have been a nurse – but you have another calling also. You may be a teacher – but you have another calling also. You may be a farmer – but you have another calling. You might be anything under heaven, but you also have a special calling as a follower of Christ. Each of us is called to be a witness of the Lord.
Now I know that there are some that would argue that point. We use the term “Called” to usually refer to people going into ministry. “When did you receive the Call from God?” “When did you accept your calling?” “When did you first feel called.” Even in Seminary you have to be able to define that understanding of your Call. Back when I went to Seminary you had to go before an Endorsement panel half way through your first year. The endorsement panel was made up of Two pastor’s from your home Synod and Two professors from the Seminary, and you met with them for an hour or more and answered questions and talked. Then they decided (those 4 people) if you would be endorsed to continue on in Seminary or be dismissed and rejected from the seminary. So with that power of rejection or acceptance, you can imagine the pressure seminarians felt when going into those rooms to talk. I went into my room with the two pastors from Maryland, that I didn’t know and two professors from the Gettysburg Seminary. One professor was my advisor Nelson Strobert, who I had met twice before in short five minutes talks. And the other professor was Rev. Dr. Gerhard Krodel, a very intimidating German Professor of New Testament. He was well respect, for his scholarly knowledge, was accredited for finding and discovering many lost and forgotten early Christian Manuscripts, he wrote ten published books and many other articles and pamphlets, was Dean of three different seminaries including Gettysburg. And so I sat across the table from this man, I felt like a very inexperienced first year student scared for my future. Then he asked me that question – what does it mean to be “Called”. I can not tell you what I said, but apparently what ever it was it didn’t agree with him. I know I had been talking a little bit, when he slapped his hand down on the table very loudly and said WRONG – in a very German tone. He then asked me if a Brick Layer could be “Called” – I said Yes. And He slammed his hand down on the table again and said “Wrong”. Then he went on to lecture me for what felt like twenty minutes but was probably only 15 on the understanding of the definition of being “Called”. I was smart enough even back then to realize I could never persuade him so I just stopped talking and nodded with everything he kept saying. And somehow I got endorsed.
But to this day I still disagree with him about the understanding of “Calling”. He would say only Ministers can be “Called” while other occupations are a vocation of choice. But what I was trying to get at – that I realized he didn’t want to hear me say – was that all people can be “Called”. Brick layers are called to be Witnesses for God, even as thy lay the bricks and build the walls and homes, and businesses, they are witnesses of God. A Nurse, a teacher, a doctor, a farmer, a sales person, a baker, a lifeguard, a computer programming nerd, a homemaker, all can be great at their occupations – but at the same time they are “Called” to be a witness for Christ in the world. You can be a nurse who shows her faith of love and devotion. You can be a baker who witnesses about Jesus Christ in what you say or do. You can be a business owner, a secretary, a regional director and a soldier and still witness about Jesus.
In fact looking at our Gospel reading that is the implication given to the followers of Christ, each are “Called” to pick up their cross and follow witnessing to the faith they have. Just look at the person of Peter. Peter is a fisherman, brother to a fisherman, friends with fishermen, Son probably of fishermen. He lived in a city on the banks of the Sea of Galilee. Probably had a family and a home to take care of, since we know Jesus visited there at least one time. He knew how to make and retie nets, how to cast and reel in the nets that were thrown to catch the fish. He knew the feel of the sea and the smell of a boat filled with wet fish. And to this man, Jesus calls and says come follow me and I will make you a fisher of people. He follows and sees the miracles, hears the sermons, witnesses the kingdom of God being revealed right before him. He stood on the mount of Transfiguration and wanted to hold on to that epiphany moment of glory. But even as Christ comes down the mountain and turns his face to Jerusalem, Peter the fisherman is the one who says he will go with Jesus and die with him.
And we know how that turned out. On the day of Jesus’ arrest and beating, Peter is so troubled by what he witnesses that when confronted not once, not twice, but three times – he denies knowing Jesus – only to hear the prediction come true and to run away in shame.
But even in the pain and the sorrow of the loss of Jesus, Peter is the one that runs to the grave along with John to see what the women were talking about. And not knowing what to make of all this news, the heart of Peter is revealed, because in the confusion and grief and bewilderment, Peter is the one who says that he is going Fishing. Back fishing in the job he knows, in that comfort of what is familiar, along with many of the other disciples, there he is given a new once more to see Jesus coming to them in the morning light on the seashore. And they listen to Jesus and cast the nets one more time, catching so many fish that the small boat is about to sink. Peter is the one who pulls that large net of fish in and eats with Christ reaffirming his love for Christ, not once, not twice, but three times. And Christ sends him forth to feed his sheep, to teach the word, to share the message.
And as the church is born when the wind comes blowing down on the disciples, Peter is the one who speaks up and declares that this is the power of Christ, of God. And shares the message, becoming the fisher of people, and three thousand are converted that day,
But did fishing ever leave Peter, I would say not, It was who he was, he was still a fisherman, friends of fishermen, relative of fishermen. It was his calling to be a Fisherman who witnessed in how he lived, in what he did, and how he spoke, he witnessed in his life to the power of Jesus Christ. He picked up the cross and followed, bearing the Calling he was made to witness to the People.
We have the same calling- called to witness. In whatever occupation, wherever we are, in whomever we meet. We are to pick up the cross and show it in our lives. Through our work, through who we are. Whatever we are –we are Christians. Amen.
May the Peace and grace of God be with you this day and throughout the week to come.