“The Call” (Matt 4:12-22)

Here I Am, Lord

When was the first time you felt God’s love? Reflecting on my spiritual journey, I realize that God’s grace always surrounded me. When I was young, I suffered from various diseases, including serious ear infection, chronic indigestion, asthma, and arthritis. God healed me from those diseases. So I came to know God as Healer. But it was in my 7^th grade when I felt God and his love profoundly for the first time. I was attending a youth summer camp. That year the speaker was my grandfather. He shared his faith story with us, then preached the good news of Jesus Christ. How he came and died in our place to give us new life. So I repented my sin and invited Jesus to be my personal God and Savior. During the last service, he did an altar call. That night I said “Yes” to the invitation and decided to go all in for Christ.

Peter’s Call Story

Today’s scripture is about how Jesus calls Peter and the other first disciples. Here we need to remember that this is not the first encounter between Peter and Jesus. John’s gospel helps to fill in some of the background. Two disciples of John the Baptist, Andrew and John, left him to become disciples of Jesus. Then Andrew brought his brother Simon to Jesus. As soon as Jesus saw Simon, he said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Peter (Rock)” (John 1:42). Since then, Peter accompanied Jesus. He went to the wedding at Cana with Jesus, where he observed the first miracle. He continued to follow Jesus for about a year. He still had his family, he still had his fishing job. And now Jesus came to Peter and demanded his all, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” Immediately Peter left everything and followed him – from loosely following to going all in.

Since then, Peter went through so many ups and downs. At one time Peter was the first to boldly get out of the boat and walk on water by faith, but in a few seconds, he was doubting and terrified by the strong wind and sank. Peter was the first to confess the divine nature of Jesus. He rightly said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” But, in a few minutes, he rebuked Jesus when Jesus began to explain that Christ must suffer and die, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” Peter was the first to draw a sword to defend his Master in the garden, but within a few hours, he denied his Lord three times.

Peter’s spiritual journey curve is so inconsistent, but God’s grace curve in his life is so stable. It sustains him and empowers him to live out his new name, his new identity in Christ – man of Rock. As we know, in the New Testament we have two letters written by Peter. They were written about thirty years after these earlier events of his life. In the letters Peter is solid and steady like a rock. He is no longer easily moved. He does not fluctuate. He is stable, resilient, strong, and consistent. Even in the midst of severe persecution he stands firm and encourages other fellow believers. In 1 Peter 4:12-13 he said, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (NIV). Simon Peter has matured. He is no longer a man of many moods.

My Call Story

Since my encounter with God in the 7^th grade, God continued to shape my calling. In particular, for me personally, the years in college were transforming years in terms of discerning the call. God pruned the path that I thought was the best – working at UN. Instead, I sensed that I was called to ministry in the most unexpected time and place – while I was in Thailand as an exchange student. But the most defining moment was when I was teaching the youth group. I was teaching 10^th and 11^th graders. Some of them were from dysfunctional families. I began to meet with them during the week as well as Sundays, starting a “Vision Study Club” to help with their academic work and teach God’s word. By the grace of God they started to discover the goals of their lives and eventually entered their chosen colleges. As I saw them change, I said to myself, “I want to do this for life.” That year I took my students to the summer camp. There was a prayer time after the message. While I was praying for each of my students, I heard the inner voice saying, “I want you.”

Recently, my daughter Lydia asked me, “Why do you keep doing what you are doing?” because she has heard and seen so many challenges in ministry. My answer was, “Because it is a calling.” Actually, I asked the same question to my father about 20 years ago. At that time the new church was being built. In the midst of it he had to deal with so many problems – divisions, gossip, false accusations, etc. So finally, one day I said to him, “Dad, why don’t we just move on?” I can still vividly remember his answer. He said, “If we moved now, the church will be falling apart. If we had to move, let’s move when the church is united and thriving.” He continued to serve that church for 30 years and retired at that church last year. Why? Because it’s a calling.

Your Call Story

How about your call story? Many of us in this room are already Christians, Jesus’ disciples. But like Peter, Jesus is calling us to new ministries, new possibilities, deeper commitment this year 2023. He continues to shape our calling.

Our calling, whatever it is, is sacred. Our calling, whatever it is, is ultimately to fish for people – to bring people to Christ by loving them with agape love. This is an honorable as well as challenging calling. We need to stay in touch with people, but at the same time, to stay the course. What does it look like to love people with agape love? For me personally, I find encouragement in the life of Mother Teressa, who said,

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

The one who calls us is faithful and he will do it (1 Th 5:24). We are called not to be successful, but to be faithful. Wherever we are in our spiritual journey, may we be found faithful and trustworthy stewards. May we go all in for Christ:

No more waste… Employ what God has given you in doing good… Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can. (Wesley’s Sermon “On the Use of Money”).