I’m Calling You
Mark 1:16-20
January 8, 2012
Most of us really enjoy the routine things in life. It helps us feel a sense of stability. And we need to have things in life that aren’t forever changing, since so much in life is changing around us. While the routine things are good, too much of the same old routine can get very old, and lead us to feel like we’re in a rut. Sometimes we want to break out of that same old routine. After all, the routine things in life are -- routine.
Let me tell you about one man who became tired of the routine things in life. His name is Larry Walters. Larry was a truck driver in Los Angeles and he had a Saturday routine. He would get out his lawn chair, drink some cold beverages, have a snack and sit in his lawn chair enjoying the sun. That was it.
Larry became tired of this routine, he decided to do something adventurous. Larry wanted to see what it looked like about 100 feet above his home. So he purchased 45 helium weather balloons and got his neighbors to help him anchor his lawn chair into the ground. This is a picture of his chair. He had milk bottles filled with water, to be used as weights.
He made some sandwiches, had his cold beverages and brought along a pellet gun so he could shoot out balloons so he could have a smooth descent. Here’s another picture of Larry on his chair and just after lift off. At the appointed time, his neighbors cut the anchor and Larry went up to 100 feet. But there was a problem . . . he didn’t stop at 100 feet. He went up . . . and he went up . . . and he went up. Larry eventually reached the height of 16,000 feet in the air. In fact, Larry traveled into the approach pattern for Los Angeles airport. Pilots reported seeing a man in a lawn chair and balloons floating in the air. All airplanes were diverted around Larry. You may wonder about his sandwiches, drinks and gun . . . Larry was too afraid to let go of the chair.
Eventually, he found the nerve to shoot out some of the balloons, but then dropped his gun, and finally he floated back to the ground, got tangled in some electrical wires, and part of Long Beach lost power. Before he was arrested, reporters asked him why he did this, his response, “well you can’t just sit there.”
Obviously, don’t try this one at home, and while I wouldn’t do this, it’s obvious that there was something stirring deep in his heart. He went about it the wrong way, but for Larry, there was more to life than just sitting in that lawn chair.*
His story led me to think about our story! No, I don’t think we’ve had anyone take that type of a balloon ride, but what kind of chair are you sitting in? Or let me ask it another, “what’s stirring in your heart? Is anything stirring in your heart?”
Too often, we’re just plain comfortable, we like sitting in our comfy chairs. We get all wrapped up and get nice and cozy and warm, and when you’re that way, who really wants to move. We’re just comfy. And there are times, when we should get nice and comfy and cozy, but when God is calling us, are we willing to get up and get going, even if we don’t know where that final destination is; or maybe we hear the call, but we’re just not willing to go.
In Mark 1, Jesus called His first disciples. Listen to this story . . .
16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.
17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets.
20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
Jesus called them, told them something really bizarre for fishermen, they wouldn’t be catching fish any longer, and what do they do? They don’t question, they don’t try to rationalize it, they just get up, drop their nets, leave their boats, leave their occupations and follow Jesus.
Think about the situation these first disciples lived in — they were under Roman persecution, they were paying high taxes, with nothing to show for it. Their money wasn’t being put aside in a 401K for retirement. The temple was demanding money and offerings, maybe they felt bored and trapped by what was going on. There was no way out. Have you ever felt that way? Maybe you feel that way right now.
You feel like your life is okay, it’s not bad. There’s nothing blatantly wrong, but you’re in a rut, and it’s in all aspects of life . . . emotionally, spiritually, intellectually and physically.
You do the same old routine things everyday, and nothing seems to get better, you feel as if you are spinning your wheels, nothing is accomplished that you want, yet you go to sleep each night exhausted. Part of the problem is getting stuck in that routine and not wanting to get out of it. After all, you know what to expect, if you change it, now you’re venturing into the disciples territory and you don’t know what will happen next.
I have two boys, who do everything in their power to procrastinate going to bed. It’s become a nightly ritual. Do you have kids that do that? It becomes a game. It doesn’t matter what time it is, they need something more, there’s one more question to ask, one more story to tell, one more drink, one more snack, one more question about what to wear, one more game to play. It’s a game, with the purpose being, to stay up later because they feel by sleeping they will miss something. Really, I think the point for them, even though they are tired, every moment needs to be savored, and if they had it their way, the day wouldn’t end.
If you’re that way, then fantastic. A number of years ago, I was on vacation with my parents in Florida, and I remember meeting two women who were in their 50's, they made an impression on me because they only wanted to sleep 4 hours per night. They said there was too much to do and live for. Isn’t that a great attitude?
But for most of us, we go to sleep a different way, it’s called crash and burn. Life is so full, sometimes of nothing, that the last thing we want to experience is more night. We just want the pillow. We want 6, 7 or even 8 hours of unconsciousness. We don’t want to think, we want silence. Sleep is a refuge for over-burdened, wounded souls.
If you’re awake it’s because you’re counting your debts, or counting your tears, or counting your mistakes, or counting something you have not completed. You’re tired and weary . . . exhausted; but you didn’t do anything different.
Maybe part of the problem comes in the calling. A calling from God to you and I. Maybe, just maybe He is calling you. Wait, not maybe, let me rephrase that, God is calling you and He wants you to follow Him, and maybe, just maybe, our tiredness and exhaustion is coming in the fact that we are running from the very One we should be running towards.
• Maybe we’re afraid of the assignment,
• Maybe we don’t think we’re qualified,
• Maybe we’ve shut God out of our hearts for so long, and we’re too busy running away, building new walls to keep God away,
• Maybe we don’t think we’re good enough,
• Maybe we’ve done so many bad things in life, called sin, that we don’t think God can use us,
• Maybe we’ve never let go of the past,
• Maybe we’re stuck on anger and bitterness
• Maybe . . . maybe . . . maybe . . .
Instead of the maybe’s . . . but change can be very, very messy and scary. But if we are willing to listen to God, to open ourselves up to Him and His call in our lives, then the messiness slowly resolves and we begin to experience Him and hear His voice, to seek His face and celebrate His presence, His grace, His hope, His love, His power, His courage, His joy, His faithfulness, His passion.
Do we move forward or stay still, even though we are not happy with the present. I am not saying that we must change everything, but look at those disciples, they took the risk to follow this man, Jesus. Their lives were dramatically changed, in fact, for many life became even more difficult, yet, they found a great joy and peace from knowing the Lord and Savior.
I read about a church in China. It’s called the Schouwang Church. Since April of last year they’ve been meeting outside. Even though it’s against their own constitution, the Chinese government have told landlords not to rent space to them for worship. So, they are worshiping outside, in the snow, in the winter! Last week, 48 attenders were arrested for attending worship. Police sit in their cars outside the homes of the pastors.
Yet, they continue to meet. How many of us would be here on a Sunday morning if we faced the same situation? These folks have accepted the call of Jesus. No matter the danger, they have said yes to Jesus.
So, folks, let me tell you right now, Jesus is calling you. He really is, but we need to stop and listen to Him. Will you get out of your routine? Will you say yes to Jesus?
How about you? Are you so stuck in routine that you want to break out of it, but you’re afraid? Afraid that you will have to make changes in your life. Well, go for it, make those changes, but only so that they bring honor and glory to God. That is key, that is a must.
So, let me ask you, what is so routine in your life, what is it that you want to change, that you want to make better?
Routine isn’t all bad — but . . .
Is your marriage routine?
Is your job performance routine?
Are your friendships superficial, in other words routine?
Is school routine?
How about your faith, is it routine?
Is your prayer life routine?
What about scripture reading, is that routine?
It becomes so easy to fill our lives up with the routine things, and we don’t break out of it.
The only way we will grow personally and truly experience the presence and power of Jesus, is when we change who we are and conform to what Jesus wants us to become. We can only do this by following Him.
When we do this, we will be more fulfilled in our lives, because our relationship with Jesus will be much more fulfilling. My friends, when Jesus Christ calls you, what are you going to do? Will you get up and follow Him or make an excuse? The choice is always yours. May we be followers and leaders in the name of Jesus, our Christ.
* From the book God Was Here and I was Out to Lunch by James Moore, pp. 17-18.
