January 21, 204
Indianola Presbyterian Church, Columbus
"Hands full of Shells" Sermon by Rev. Trip Porch
I want to invite you, for a moment, to place yourself on the lakeshore of this story. Close your eyes if its helpful.
Picture yourself there with your feet in the sand, with the waves splashing up on the shore behind you. Its early morning and the sky is beginning to brighten as the sun begins to rise. You hear the familiar sound of your family’s boat rocking gently onto the shore as you rhythmically and methodically hold a net in your hand, folding it as you get ready to go out onto the water to fish. ..As you have done as far back as you can remember, as your family has done everyday as a far back as you can remember, as your ancestors have done as far back as you can remember.
This way of life is in your bones, and there is so much that is good about it. It is more than just a job, or even a vocation, this is your life, this is who you are, this is all you know, your friends are here, your family is here, your identity is here. This is safe, this is comfortable, this is known, this is home.
Okay, you can open your eyes if you had them closed.
I wanted to place you here to this place and this frame of mind because honestly, every time I read this passage, I have a hard time understanding how the disciples could so quickly, in just five verses, make the decision to leave everything behind. How could they all that they know behind… leave their family, their friends, their income.
How could they leave this craft that they are good at, that they spent years honing in order to try and do something completely different? Something completely foreign to them, something a bit risky, something new?
Its a difficult thing for me to imagine in this text, but its also something that people do all the time. Deciding not to take up the family business but be the first in your family to go to college, A retiree starting deciding to spend all their free time volunteering and discovering a passion they never knew before, a 20 year employee quitting their job to start a new business, a student decided to pause education to care for a sick family member…
It is a more common story than I would imagine. But the truth is people don’t come to an all encompassing life decision lightly. You don’t change everything you know for no reason. You only make a decision like this because everything in you is telling you that this is the right thing. You only decide to drop your nets and leave your life behind in order to follow because what you are choosing is better than what you currently know. And thats not to say what you currently know is bad, In fact, sometimes its the abundance of good things in our life that keep us from being able to follow our true calling, and make it all the more hard to let go.
The author and former pastor Rob Bell shared a story that I absolutely love that will sound familiar to Session, but I want to share with you….
He says: My family and I were at the beach on vacation, we were walking along the ocean, my boys are running around ahead of us, behind us, bent over finding all of these shells. Only they weren't really full shells; they were almost like fragments and little pieces of shells—like tiny pieces of shell shrapnel. But still full of color, and beautiful in their own right.
So we're walking along, and I look up ahead, and I see something floating in the water. I think, 'Is that it?' It is. We all look out, and floating offshore about 30 feet is a huge dry and intact starfish, just bobbing there peacefully in the water. As a family, we stop, and we're just watching it.
One of my boys gets this look in his eyes like, 'That starfish is mine.' So he charges into the water, gets partway in, turns, and runs back up onto the beach.
We're all like, ‘There’s your starfish; go get it, go get it.' He turns around, runs back into the water, gets even farther out this time, but stops, and comes back up onto the beach. He's getting more and more agitated and anxious, and we're all like, 'What's the problem? Go get it; it's right there; you can get it.' So he charges back, goes even farther into the water this time, and at the last minute turns around, runs back up onto the beach. He's getting more and more frustrated and more and more anxious. We're all saying to him, 'What's the problem? Just get it; why can't you get it?' He says, 'I can't do it.' We say, 'Why?' He says, 'Because my hands are filled with shells.'
Church, too often, I think this is us. Us as individuals and us as a church community. Unable to follow because we cling so tightly to our nets, unable to pursue our true calling because it is so hard to let go of what is familiar and comfortable and good, unable to run out and grab the starfish we so desperately want because our hands are full of shells and we don’t know how to let go of them.
May Christ continue to approach us on the lakeshores of our life and keep inviting us to follow. May God continue to place the starfish right there before us as a clear reminder of our calling towards a better more life-giving way. And May we practice letting go of that which is keeping us from our true calling. May we drop our shells, so that our hands are free to reach out for what is truly what God wants for us.
May it be so, Amen.
WE GATHER IN AWE AND PRAISE
PRELUDE “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus” Janice Knapp Perry
INTROIT “Sing and Rejoice” Emma Lou Diemer
Sing and rejoice this Sabbath day, the Lord is with us!
Give thanks and praise this Sabbath day, the Lord is with us!
Sing and rejoice this Sabbath day!
WELCOME Rev. Trip Porch
One: This is the day that the Lord has made
All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it
*CALL TO WORSHIP Written by Joanna Harader
One: Jesus calls us towards a better way to praise and prayer, to song and
silence;
All: Jesus calls us to worship.
One: Jesus calls us towards a better way to hearing and healing, to service
and solidarity;
All: Jesus calls us to love.
One: Jesus calls us to advocacy and action, to protest and provision;
Jesus calls us to justice. Let us heed the call of Christ.
All: Let us worship together with joy.
*HYMN 157 “I Danced in the Morning” LORD OF THE DANCE
*PRAYER OF CONFESSION Bob Concitis
Great God, Jesus awakened the disciples to a new life-changing purpose that caused them to drop it all and follow him. You call us here from our everyday work in this very busy world. What are we dropping to follow you?
Oh, Wanderer of seashores and sidewalks, forgive our tight grip on that which we hold so dear, and continue to invite us to sail out of our smug harbors into the uncharted waters of faith. Help us to wander off from our predictable paths to follow You into the unpredictable footsteps of the kingdom; and leave the comfort of our homes and accompany You into the uncomfortable neighborhoods we usually avoid.
*ASSURANCE OF PARDON
*CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE “Lord, Have Mercy” LAND OF REST
*PASSING OF THE PEACE
One: The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all,
All: And also with you.
WE LISTEN FOR GOD’S WORD
ANTHEM “The Road Home” Stephen Paulus
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
SCRIPTURE: Mark 1:14-20 MSG
After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee preaching the Message of God: “Time’s up! God’s kingdom is here. Change your life and believe the Message.”
Passing along the beach of Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew net-fishing. Fishing was their regular work. Jesus said to them, “Come with me. I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.” They didn’t ask questions. They dropped their nets and followed.
A dozen yards or so down the beach, he saw the brothers James and John, Zebedee’s sons. They were in the boat, mending their fishnets. Right off, he made the same offer. Immediately, they left their father Zebedee, the boat, and the hired hands, and followed.
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE Sharon Renkes
SERMON Rev. Trip Porch
WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD
*HYMN 721 “Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore” PESCADOR DE HOMBRES
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE followed by The Lord’s Prayer (on screen)
TIME OF OFFERING online giving is available at indianolapres.org/give
OFFERTORY “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” Helen Howarth Lemmel
*OFFERTORY RESPONSE “God, We Honor You” ABUNDANT BLESSINGS
*PRAYER OF DEDICATION
Gracious God, all of our lives are a gift from you. As we reflect on your call to follow, we begin to let go of all that we cling to and dedicate our lives to you. May we continue to share our talents and resources for the work of your kingdom. May our collective efforts be a testament to your love, spreading kindness and compassion to all those we encounter. Amen.
*HYMN 307 “God of Grace and God of Glory” CWM RHONDDA
TIME OF COMMUNITY SHARING
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
CHORAL RESPONSE “Hold Us Ever in Your Keeping” Gary Matheny
Hold us ever in your keeping, comfort us in pain and strife,
Constant hope and faith renewing, Lead us to a nobler life.
Grant, O Lord your richest blessing: Send your servants forth in peace.
POSTLUDE “I Believe in Christ” John Longhurst, arr. Brett Fisher
Acknowledgments: Unless otherwise indicated, all texts and music are printed and broadcast under OneLicense.net license #A-702452