Sermon preached on Sunday 25th January at the Covenant Service, at St John the Baptist Church, Granborough

By Rev Petra Elsmore

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Bible Readings

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: one of you says, ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I follow Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Cephas’; still another, ‘I follow Christ.’

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptised in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I did not baptise any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptised in my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptised the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptised anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the gospel – not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

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Matthew 4:12-23

 

12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali – 14 to fulfil what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

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‘Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
   the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
   Galilee of the Gentiles –

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the people living in darkness
   have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
   a light has dawned.’

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and illness among the people.

 

SERMON

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I wonder how many of you watched the latest series of The Traitors? I have to admit, Guy and I watched it with real interest — and like many others, we found it hugely entertaining. We loved the drama, the twists and turns, the missions, and of course the cliffhangers.

Just think what it must be like to be in that group of contestants. If you’re a Faithful, you’re always wondering who you can trust and who might be lying to you. But in some ways, it’s not that different for the Traitors either. Yes, they know who is who in the game, but can they really trust everyone? Can they even trust each other? 

And in this series, the traitors, Rachel and Steve, they played their game exceptionally well. They promised to stick together, to back each other up, and not to vote for one another. Yes they struggled at times trying to keep the promise and it added a bit of drama to the finale —but they managed to stick with each other and it paid off. They won, and they shared the prize.

Today we hold our Covenant service; at its heart, this service is about trust and commitment. Unlike the shifting alliances we see on television, God’s covenant with us is not based on strategy or self-interest and it does not depend on our performance in missions, it is wholly based and rooted in God’s unconditional love for us and in his invitation to trust our lives to him.

 

So, whom do we trust?

 

The Traitors make gripping television because it mirrors something deeply human. We all live with the question of trust. Whom do we listen to? Who shapes our decisions? Whom do we go to for advice? With whom do we share our worries? Who can we rely on?

 

Our Gospel reading talks about the beginning of Jesus’s public ministry

in Galilee. Jesus walks along the shore and he sees ordinary working people — fishermen, they are most likely tired from long night works, but they carry on focused on their work, and into this Jesus speaks simple words:

 

“Come, follow me.”

 

It is hard to imagine how this scene would play in today’s world. What would  it take for someone leave their livelihood, their security? Would there be a contract to sign, some kind of plan, some itinerary for the anticipated journey, a detailed explanation, some insurance? People are willing to leave their jobs if they are offered promotion, some kind of reward perhaps. But no, nothing like that here, just an invitation — and a call to trust.

 

And Matthew tells us:

“At once they left their nets and followed him.”

Immediately. Without delay. Was it reckless of them? After all they entrusted their future to a man they barely knew.

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Why?

 

Because something in Jesus’ voice, and in his presence communicates that he is someone who is worthy of their trust. And they left their nets behind, nets that represented their security and income, their livelihood on which their families depended, something that gave them their identity, a place within a community, something that bound them to a life which was familiar and in that sense safe and yet, when Jesus said, “Come and follow me,” they left all of that behind and stepped into the unknown to join him. 

 

When we pray the Covenant Prayer later in the service, we will be saying words that are deeply challenging:

 

I am no longer my own but yours.

Put me to what you will,

rank me with whom you will;

put me to doing,

put me to suffering;

let me be employed for you

or laid aside for you…..

 

These words are not very comfortable, they may not feel easy to say and they are definitely words which require a great amount of trust because they all describe of letting go of our own control and trusting God instead.

 

Can you imagine saying to God:

God, I trust you more than I trust myself, more than I trust what I have learn and what I know, I trust you more than the things I own and what I have made and work for, I trust you more that I trust my own control over my life?

 

We live in the world where we are constantly exposed to opinions on what is normal, what is safe or successful, or sensible, what is best for us. We live in the world where we are encouraged to believe that being in control, holding on to power is the best way towards a successful life. We live in the world where we are make to believe that success and happiness is at our reach as long as we try hard enough, when we perform at our best abilities, when we put our needs first. Not so different from the rules of the Traitors game, really.

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And it is into the mix of such voices that Jesus speaks clearly and simply: “Come and follow me.” 

Most of us have heard this call and responded to it, otherwise we wouldn’t be here today. But today’s Covenant service is a reminder that Jesus’s call is with us daily, it’s not something that we hear once and leave behind. His invitation means that, as we live our lives, we hear his voice spoken to us again and again and it reassures us that we do not have to follow the crowd, comfort, fear, uncertainty or ambition. The words he speaks to us are with us always as an invitation to trust.

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Trust is not just about believing Jesus exists. It is about deciding who gets the authority over the direction of our lives, it’s about deciding whom we put our trust in, day in and day out when we navigate our way through the ups and downs of our lives. It’s about deciding where we stand when we feel secure and comfortable as well as when we feel afraid.

 

Today as we say the Covenant prayer, we, just like the fishermen, are asked to put our complete trust in God, to offer ourselves and our lives completely to him, trusting that in the covenant he invites us in, we will live a fruitful and fulfilled lives, but in order to do so, first we need to let go of our nets.

 

Let me be exalted for you

or brought low for you;

let me be full,

let me be empty,

let me have all things,

let me have nothing;

I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things

to your pleasure and disposal.

 

Can we say that?

Did you know that over 300 000 people applied to be on the last series of the Traitors? Imagine, if you by some chance got a call to participate in the new series of The Traitors, would you be tempted to go on a show? After all the contestants often say, it was the best experience of their lives. And it might indeed be lots of fun, and I am sure that those who participate learn a valuable lesson. 

 

But however entertaining The Traitors can be, it brings into focus the difference between what the world offers and the unique call of God on our lives. A call into God’s covenant, a relationship that is not based on manipulation, where there are no hidden agendas, it is not about self-protection and self interest  — instead it is a relationship which is built on faithfulness and trust, it is about truth, and unconditional love, love that never changes.

When the fishermen followed Jesus, they let go of the nets which represented their security, comfort and the well known and predictable life.

 

As we prepare to say the Covenant prayer, let me ask you:

 

What nets are you still holding onto?

 

What feels safer than putting your trust in God?

What control do you struggle to release?

In which area of your life God is asking you to trust him more?

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When we trust Jesus with our lives, we discover that the One who calls us is also the One who walks alongside us and sustains us throughout our life.

 

So as we later speak the words of the covenant prayer, may we step forward in faith and trust in God, who loves us unconditionally and is faithful to us always.

 

 

Amen.