“CALLING ORDINARY PEOPLE”

MATTHEW 4: 12-23

[12 ] Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee.

[13 ] And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,

[14 ] so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

                [15 ] “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

                                the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

                [16 ] the people dwelling in darkness

                                have seen a great light,

                and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,

                                on them a light has dawned.”

 [17 ] From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

[18 ] While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

[19 ] And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

[20 ] Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

[21 ] And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.

[22 ] Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

[23 ] And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

Okay, I have to ask. Have you had enough of winter yet? Tired of putting on everything article of clothing you own just to go to the mail box, or take the trash out or walk the dog.

I know it’s possible that some of us might admit we love snow especially back when we were dreaming of a white Christmas. I know some of us are skiers and snowboard enthusiast and dance with joy when we hear forecasts of blizzards and snowstorms coming this way.

For others though, the crunching sounds of frozen ice popping beneath the wheels of our car as we pull out of the driveway each morning is, well, shall I say, getting rather old!

To make matters even worse, Christmas credit cards bills and heating bills seem to be arriving daily. Here we are in the middle of January, three weeks after the celebration of Christmas and Epiphany finding ourselves back to living our ordinary lives; going to work everyday, taking care of the kids, grocery shopping, preparing meals, cleaning dishes, and washing and drying never ending piles of laundry. You know what I mean, ordinary.

Although the word ordinary my conger up feelings of the humdrum, commonplace or sameness of life, the Church uses the term in a different sense. Today for example, the third Sunday after Epiphany, is also the third Sunday of Ordinary Time, the time during the year when the church is not engaged in any of the preparations or celebrations centered on the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. Although the Church’s term “ordinary” is related to ordinal to convey numbers and counting, the everyday sense of the word is helpful for us in thinking about the weeks referred to as “Ordinary Time.”

During these weeks, thirty-four in total, we are encouraged to take the time to reflect on the teachings of Jesus and consider what the incarnation of the Word in Christ means in our everyday lives. It is an opportunity to take the time to have the words of scripture seep into our hearts. Church tradition helps us in our ponderings by providing us with a visual reminder of the significance of this time by displaying the color green that you see hanging from the pulpit and lectern this morning. The color is symbolic of spiritual growth, reminding us of our new life as followers of Jesus. And this excitement for new life in Christ can be heard in the words from today’s scripture:

…the People dwelling in darkness have seen a great light,

and those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.

The echoes of hope as proclaimed by Isaiah in expectation of the coming of the Messiah are found here. The prophet’s words, incorporated in Matthew’s text, speak to us of a past time of darkness when the northern territories of Zebulon and Naphtali in Galilee were occupied by Israel’s enemy, the Assyrians.

Seven-hundred-years later the experience of a similar darkness is familiar to people living in the shadow of death, or in the harsh realities of life under the oppressive Roman Empire. By referring to Isaiah’s words, Matthew is testifying that Jesus’ ministry stands in line with God’s purpose as revealed through the Old Testament prophets. Jesus is the one bringing God’s promise of light, hope and saving presence to humankind dwelling in darkness.

It may be hard for us to grasp the pure joy of these words Matthew takes from the prophet. It may be easier to wrap our hearts and minds around the emotional and spiritual significance of this passage by asking ourselves if we have ever experienced a dark night of the soul or a physical darkness so oppressive it totally frightened and unnerved us.

A story that comes to mind, and one that many of us witnessed, occurred this past October. For nearly twenty-four hours the world stopped to watch as thirty- three men were pulled from the darkness of a Chilean mine after being trapped four miles under ground for over two months. The BBC reported that after a camera was lowered down, when the men were first discovered alive, “They got close to the camera and we could see their eyes, their joy.”

This is the same joy we witnessed as each man stepped out of the rescue capsule that brought them to the surface to the light and into the arms of their loved ones.  It is the same joy the fifty-six year old grandfather Omar Reygadas felt when he too stepped from capsule, and immediately fell to his knees in gratitude and prayer while lifting his Bible above his head.

The miners’ miraculous experience of hope, of being pulled into the light from darkness and despair, is the kind of joy Matthew is talking about and it is what Jesus does during his ministry. He brings joy to the hearts of people that have been locked up in fear and darkness. He brings the light of hope. And, it is in this hope that we begin to discover what it is that we are meant to do. Actively Participate in Kingdom of God.

And, we learn too, that participation is not a mysterious thing. The kingdom of God is built by ordinary people like you and me. As Jesus walks beside the Sea of Galilee, he calls ordinary fishermen to follow him. At a time when the custom was for highly educated and trained students or disciples to seek out a Rabbi under whose teachings or yoke they wanted to study, instead we find Jesus reaching out and choosing his disciples.

He doesn’t pick the brightest biblical scholars or most educated scribes or the greatest experts in religious things. He chooses people like you and me, everyday, regular, ordinary people to entrust the extraordinary responsibility of bringing forth the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

In this scripture we learn that it is not only that we believe in God, which of course we do, but it is that God believes in us. Jesus loved, believed in and had confidence in the abilities of ordinary fishermen who changed the course of human history.  And God believes in us. God trusts that you and I together can continue to build the Kingdom.

Still the fishing metaphor as a theme for calling people to participate in the reign of God can be difficult for some of us to relate to. For centuries the Church has lifted up the visual symbol of fishing to encourage the sharing of the Good News of the Gospels taken from Jesus’ words, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people” At a time when fishing was part of everyday life in Galilee, most people in ancient times could easily identify with the image.  

But, recently I had a conversation with a friend who said she didn’t understand the idea of fishing for people. She related it to the one and only time she actually went fishing when she was a child. What she remembered most was how long it took to actually catch a fish, “You know, she said, I’m not a big fan of fishing. I simply don’t have that kind of time to sit and fish for fish, never mind for people. What is an over worked and overwhelmed single mother with two small kids supposed to do to participate in the Kingdom of God?”

It may be that some of us have asked a similar question. It is then we understand how extraordinary our ordinary lives are. Like Simon, Andrew, James and John we are meant to be part of God’s plan to bring light to a dark world wherever we happen to be. Jesus’ call says to us, “Follow me and I will guide you to help people to know they are loved.

The overworked and overwhelmed single parent may hear it as “Follow me and I will guide you to reach out to help you to be a nurturer of your children.”

Doctors and nurses may hear it as, “Follow me and I will guide you to reach out to help people to heal.”

The teacher may hear it as, “Follow me and I will guide you to reach out to help children realize their own potential.”

The caregiver may hear it as, “Follow me and I will guide you to reach out to help others find comfort.”

The sports enthusiast may hear it as, “Follow me and I will guide you to reach out to help others find time to relax and play.”

And the lawyer may hear, “Follow me and I will guide you to reach out to help search for justice.”

Sisters and brothers, you and I are meant to be part of God’s divine plan to bring hope and meaning to a dark world. The good news is we can do this exactly where we are. Each of you with your unique gifts and talents are designed to bring the light of God to a corner of the world that only you can reach. Each of us in our ordinary lives has the opportunity to bring the light of God’s love to others and make a difference in the world.

Somewhere, someday, you will come across the person that only you, in all of God’s creation, can reach with the love of God. Jesus asks, “Follow me.” Are you available to participate in the building of the Kingdom? To live your ordinary life reaching out to others in the light of God’s extraordinary love, hope, mercy, grace, justice, generosity, kindness, peace, beauty and joy. People of God it is what we are meant to do.

Katherine Pinkham

January 23, 2011