Called Suddenly to Serve Written by Joel John (Dallas, TX )
Called Suddenly to Serve
First Sunday after the Feast of Theophany
Gospel of St. Matthew 4:12-22
All glory and honor be to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Gospel reading for this week comes to us from the Gospel according to St. Matthew 4:12-22.
A week after reading about the Theophany, we read about Christ beginning His ministry. Before He begins to travel and speak about the glory of God, He first gathers a group of fisherman, Andrew the first called, his brother Peter, and the sons of Zebedee James and John. A question that many people may ask is why did Christ seek out simple fisherman? Why didn’t He seek religious leaders that He could have deep, theological discussions with? Christ’s choice of disciples is reflective of His ministry. These fishermen were simple and uneducated but the beauty and the truly important thing to take away from this passage is how these disciples decide to join Christ. They literally drop what they are doing, Matthew 4:20, “They immediately left their nets and followed Him” and 4:22 "and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him,” and start following Him. Although they had heard of the Christ’s teachings from John the Baptist, they had no idea who He was, and yet as soon as the grace of God was before them, they heeded His call and began following.
This is also reminds us of how other figures like Paul and Matthew were called by God suddenly to serve, and they didn’t hesitate, but were rather changed by being in front of the grace of God. We are all called to devote our lives to the service and glorification of God, and every Sunday when we enter the Holy Sanctuary we come before his grace and should be moved by it. I was once told that all Christians are called to a ministry and that ministry is our lives, and as such, everyday when we leave our homes, we should carry the Holy Spirit in our hearts. No matter what you do, whether you are a student, or working, or even if you’re just figuring out what you are supposed to do, you can do it in a way so that others can see the Holy Spirit in you.
Another thing to look at in the passage is the immediacy of how they left. It reminds us of how we are told 1 Thessalonians 5:2, "For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night." Time is a concept that is beyond God, and one that we as human beings often get caught up in. We feel like we have all the time in the world and often push things off until tomorrow, but as we see here, the best time to do something great, to allow the Holy Spirit to move in you, to make a difference in the lives of others is not tomorrow, its not a week from now, its not when things are less busy. The best time follow Christ is now. Take the lives of the disciples and the early apostles of the church as an example that our lives can be radically changed, and no matter your past, we have all been called to follow Christ. I pray that these words maybe an inspiration for those that read them and that the Holy Spirit might be moved in them.
Author's Information:
Name: Joel John
Area: Dallas, TX