Loving God, your promise is never that life will be easy, but that you will provide all that is needed for the journey.  Grant each of us the eyes to see and the ears to hear your call, and empower us by your Spirit for life in your service; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    Hearing and answering God’s call is never easy – even when you happen to be the Son of God.  Right from the very beginning in the gospel of Mark, the identity and mission of Jesus are laid out for us.  He is identified at his baptism as God’s Beloved Son, and God is well pleased with him (Mk. 1:11).  And then, Jesus’ main message is laid out in one brief sentence: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mk. 1:15).

    Then, in the chapters that follow, Jesus heals people, calls people to come and follow, performs miracles, tells parables, and teaches the people about the kingdom of God.  However, when he comes home to Nazareth, even Jesus is surprised.

    The people there are absolutely unable to see past the Jesus that they think they know.  He grew up there, and he learned how to be a carpenter.  How is it that he now thinks that he can teach?  They know his mother and father and sisters and brothers, who are quite ordinary people.  Why would Jesus be any different?  And so they simply cannot get past their own pre-conceived notions.

    It doesn’t seem to matter that Jesus has been doing some pretty amazing things in other towns and villages.  Their eyes are closed and their ears are shut.  And so Jesus was not able to do any deed of power there (“except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them”).  “And he was amazed at their unbelief” (Mk. 6:5-6).

    However, the number one rule when answering God’s call seems to be “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”  Jesus moves on to other villages and towns that are ready to hear the good news.  And then he starts to send out his disciples as witnesses to the kingdom of God in their midst.  As he does so, he knows that there will also be places that will not welcome them.  And so he instructs them simply to shake the dust off their feet and move on to the next town.

    I am reminded of Michael Harvey, who asks, “How many ‘no’s’ are you willing to take for Jesus?”  He says this when talking about simply inviting people to come to church with you.  He says this knowing that some people will say no.  So how many no’s are you willing to hear in order to get to that one yes?

    For most of us, I don’t think we like the thought of having to be this persistent.  We would like to see an immediate response - get a positive result - see evidence right from the start of God at work.  And yet, God has been this persistent, and more, with us.

    God has been persistent in calling us to repent and to believe in the good news.  God has been persistent in sending one prophet after another, one messenger after another, and in sending God’s own Son.  God has been persistent in knocking on the door of our hearts, hoping that some day soon we will hear and answer.

    This same persistence on God’s part was evident in the stories that I heard from women who had been called into ordained ministry in Cameroon.  In several cases, just like in my own story, these women said no to God’s call for several years before finally saying yes.  In other cases, I heard stories of what we might call mystical experiences – things that happened that left no doubt in their minds that God was calling them to be pastors.

    However, God’s call did not necessarily translate into acceptance by others.  Just as Jesus was not accepted in his hometown and his disciples were not accepted in every town and village, so each of these women was accepted as pastor by some, but not others.  Each one faces challenges in her respective ministry, and yet there is no doubt about God’s call or about the joys that they are still able to experience in ministry.

    This brings us to John the Baptist, whom one might think experienced very little joy in his calling.  We heard all about his birth back in December and how it was announced by an angel, with his mission all laid out even before he was born.  He was the forerunner of the Messiah, the one who would prepare the way.  He urged the people to repent and to be baptized and to wash away their sins.  He also did not shrink back from telling people like King Herod that it was not appropriate for him to marry his brother’s wife.  And for speaking the truth, he was arrested and tossed into prison.

    Yet, even though John’s end was a gruesome death, we hear echoes of joy in his ministry.  His father Zechariah in his prophetic song talks about how John will give God’s people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins (Lk. 1:77).  This is indeed good news!  At the same time, we hear about John’s joy in the gospel of John, as he talks about Jesus as the bridegroom.  He calls himself the friend of the bridegroom and talks about rejoicing at the sound of the bridegroom’s voice.  He also talks about how his “joy has been fulfilled” (Jn. 3:29).

    Yes - hearing and answering God’s call is never easy, and yet God continues to work through people just like you and me.  In fact, God does some pretty amazing things in spite of people’s opposition or apathy.  Just as Jesus continued to heal people and to share God’s love and mercy, so his disciples were also able to heal people and cast out demons.  This was in spite of those who didn’t believe and didn’t welcome them.

    Today, as well, God continues to use ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.  God continues to heal people – not because there are people with special powers, but because there are people who faithfully pray and who allow the power of the Holy Spirit to work through them.  God continues to change hearts and lives, often using people just like you and me to help others to hear the good news.
Hearing and answering God’s call is never easy, but where God guides, God provides, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Epiphany 4 (NL 2)                                Mark 6:1-29
January 31, 2016
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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