BAIK
Matthew 4:18-25
Iowa Starr

Did you hear about the student who was walking around campus with a big button on his shirt that said. BAIK.  Do you know what it means?  Well someone stopped him and asked.  He said, “it means, Boy, am I Confused!”      What’s wrong with that?

When the passerby pointed out that same thing to the student, he said. “It just goes to show you exactly how confused I am!”

We do live in confusing times, and there are days when it’s hard to know just exactly what we should do, or who we should follow.  Perhaps you’re here because you’re searching to know.

And here, in our gospel reading for the day, Jesus says. “Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, when he saw two brothers; “Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.  ‘Come, follow me.”  Jesus said, ‘ and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.  Apparently, those two fishers had a pretty good clue that Jesus was going to be able to move them out of this state of confusion and put them on the right track.

This story has always seemed so amazing to me.  It’s hard to fathom how someone might just quit their job and walk away from their life without looking back and not regret the move 24 hours later.  In the back of my mind I’ve always wondered how many people Jesus said these words to who did NOT leave their nets and would NOT follow him before he approached these two.    But that doesn’t really matter, because the Gospel isn’t about what happens when you say “no, don’t bother me.” to Jesus. or “no, I can’t.”  or “no,  everyone will think I’m crazy if I do that for you.”  The Bible is about what happens when we are finally brave enough, willing enough, receptive enough to say “Yes” to Jesus.

There was an article in Christian Century, written by Dallas Wallace called “How to be a Disciple.  I wanted to talk with you a moment about it, because I think it relates to the notion of saying “Yes” to Jesus, and rising up and following.   I think he does a good job of helping me get beyond the “Boy am I Konfused” state of mind I can find myself in when I say to God, “Ok - I’m consider following you, but I don’t know what that it means TO follow you! “ 

He says when we become followers of Jesus, it doesn’t necessarily mean that our lives are devoted to doing specifically religious things 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.     Instead, he says, “I am learning from Jesus to live my life, as HE would live my life if HE were in my shoes.  I’m not necessarily learning to do everything he did, but I AM learning how to do everything I do in the manner in which he did all that he did.  I am learning from Jesus Christ how to live my life, my whole life, my real life.

No matter what your occupation might be, we learn from Jesus how to live inside of that world and be Christ-like.  Maybe you’re a Mom, or a Rocket Scientist, an Engineer, a Secretary, a Manager, a Student, a Volunteer, a Friend.  The question for we followers is “how would Jesus live this life of mine?”  How? 

And that leads me to a second question.  “What is so important in that net, which keeps us from following Jesus right now, or otherwise?” 
There was an article in the news on Thursday that God has really laid on my heart.   Let me read a bit of it to you....

**Enron Executive Death ruled Suicide**  A former Enron Corp. Executive (J Clifford Baxter) found shot to death in his car in an apparent suicide had reportedly challenged the company’s accounting practices for almost a year before it plunged into bankruptcy.... 
Even thought Baxter had questioned Enron’s accounting practices, he still faced questions in the investigation and was named in a shareholder lawsuit....
The article also says that he left behind a wife and two young children.  (source:   Yahoo News:  Jan 26, 2002)


Gosh, it’s so sad when something like this happens.  And, unfortunately it has happened before.  When I was in my 20’s, one of the medical physician's in Independence took his life.  What this story reminds me is that sometimes that *something* in our net can become so important to us, so big in our minds, that it can claim our life.  In this case, it literally did that.

We all recognize the following are broad presumptions, but let me say them any way, because I believe, Whatever happened at this man’s work became so big that it took his life.   It totally eclipsed his belief that his kids needed him no matter what, or that his wife and family would stand by him, whatever he had done.  Somehow, he forgot the story of the thief that hung on the cross beside Jesus and asked to be remembered.  Jesus said to that man, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”   He forgot that no matter what, God forgives. 
And offers us new life. 

Is something in your net that keeps you at the shore instead of on the path following Jesus’ footsteps?  Every now and then, God will tell us its time to re-evaluate and re-orient. I think I understand this a bit from when I was lying flat on my back last August.  Not that I had dark thoughts, but, I realized how much my identity is wrapped up into my job.  How hard it is for ME to feel like I am NOT being productive, or successful.  How humbling it was to need someone else to carry on for me. 

The fact is, my job is a job.  I love being a Pastor, I feel called to ministry, I hope and pray that my work has made a difference.  But, God doesn’t love me BECAUSE I’m a pastor.  God love’s me because I’m CAROL.     My first responsibility is to my personal relationship with God.   And, doing what God is asking me to do.

Jesus calls us to follow him.  Therefore, the BIGGEST thing in our life isn’t our job, or where we live, or the stuff we surround our standing or ourselves with, with the public, or the success of our work.  The BIGGEST thing in our lives needs to be our relationship with Jesus Christ.  When our eyes are focused on that Cross.   When we’re yearning to hear God’s voice and respond to God’s call.   Then the rest of it all WILL fall in place. 

I don’t mean that life will be rosy, I don’t even mean that we’ll leave that state of confusion behind and never experience questions or doubts or setbacks again.   I just mean that when our relationship with Christ comes first...then we can stand any storm.  God promises that the future holds a promise that is greater and grander and more beautiful than anything we might ever acquire for ourselves.  And remember: “Dark (and confusing) moments are just short corridors leading to sunlit rooms.”

Let us pray...