Copyright: Kerra Becker English
January 26, 2014
Isaiah 9:1-4; Matthew 4:12-23
Great Quests
Have you ever heard the call to go on a holy quest? How did it begin? Were you lost,
confused, or frightened? Were you excited and hopeful? What did you need for your journey?
Did you end up where you thought you would, or on a different path than you could have ever
imagined?
We don’t often talk about our lives this way – but I wish that we did. The ancients were
far better story-tellers than we are. We get a lot of our information in sound bites and
sensationalist drivel. Celebrity has become more important than character. And today’s stories
with depth and passion that tell of startling coincidences, danger, and adventure are marketed
toward youth, with the assumption that adults have grown out of such childish things. But I
wonder if you, like me, long for a greater tale to be told, or perhaps even wish for greater
boldness in living your own life. I wonder how our lives would be different if we imagined
ourselves as epic bards like the Vikings or superb weavers of imagination like the Celts. What if
we saw the potential for adventure in every turn of our lives? What if we saw our own lives as
heroic masterpieces, worthy of repeating from generation to generation? These stories that I long
to hear are not stories of perfection, but stories about the perils and triumphs of real life. I want
to know about the bumps along the journey. I want to imagine how frightened you were to start a
new business, or move to a new place, or raise a child under difficult circumstances. I want to be
right there with you when you tell me how the Spirit of God lit up the one true path that made
your life forever different. I want to hear every detail as a particular chapter of a particular stage
of your life nears its resolution – because I just know that in the telling a huge peaceful smile
will pass your lips and light up your eyes.
This is my dream, my hope, my greatest desire – to be a companion on the sacred quest.
That’s why I have so much admiration for the disciples who heard and answered the call to
follow Jesus. Remember that in the beginning, they weren’t called Christians, and they didn’t
belong to any one institutional model. They were best known as “followers of the Way.” Jesus,
by his very life, taught a Way of being in the world. His Way and his Message were open to
anyone who dared to listen and follow. Rather than gather his disciples from the elite and welleducated, he called out to fishermen, and to tax collectors, to a woman gathering water at the
well, and to a mother whose child was lying feverishly in bed. He enlisted ordinary people and
invited them on this journey to come closer to God.
One of my favorite quotes ever comes from a book of wisdom parables called, “ST
George and the Dragon” by Edward Hays. The dragon in this book is the spiritual guide to
George, an average guy who is commissioned from tinkering around in his garage one day to go
on a holy quest. Early on in the story the dragon tells his charge, “George, great quests begin
with great questions.” Too often our lives can become based on easy answers, the typical
formulas that help us get from point A to point B. We forget to ask the important questions.
What am I doing here? Who are my most trustworthy companions? Just what is it that I have I
said, “yes” to?
These are “discipleship” kinds of questions. Do you know who you are? Do you know
your place in the world? Do you have friends you can count on? Can you tell me about those
things you have been bold enough to say “yes” to? This text from Matthew today is a heroic tale
of saying, “Yes.” Simon and Andrew said yes, James and John said yes. I’m sure that in the
years that followed, they had to ask themselves a bunch of times about just what that “yes” was
supposed to mean. I hope that you will do the same. Does your “yes” mean that you said “yes” to
going to church, or singing in the choir, or to being on Session? Or, have you said, “Yes” to
something deeper and more meaningful in your life? What nets have you left behind? What has
the journey of your life been all about?
I can easily recount a number of times in my life that were notably transitional. I was in
the phase of wondering what’s next, of asking God for a discerning word. Then, in a moment of
clarity the stars lined up. The Spirit was present. A word of wisdom smacked me right in the face
or answering “yes” became a game-changer if not a complete life-changer. One of those in
particular happened when I was visiting a former Presbyterian pastor now running a multi-faith
spiritual center way up in the mountains of Tennessee. I called up this person when I was seeking
a word. I didn’t know what word I needed to hear, or if this person would have anything at all to
tell me. I wound my way through a number of curvy roads and braved passing a really big furry
dog on the way to his door. I sat with him in a small room with many Native American
decorations and old broken in couches and began to tell my story. I’m not sure exactly where he
connected, but one question broke through my doubts and spoke directly to my heart. He said to
me, when God called you, do you know what you say “yes” to?
I realized in that moment that I had said yes to something much more than going to
seminary, or being a pastor, or serving on any Presbytery committees, or continuing in the
Pensions program of the Presbyterian church. I said “yes” to following wherever it might be that
Christ would lead me. That was news. Good news, I think, but a little bit scary too. Here was
someone who had side-stepped the known path inviting me to consider something more
profound about following where Jesus goes. The safety nets get dropped by the shoreline. The
known professional accreditations mean little to nothing. Jesus calls fishermen and tax collectors,
the woman at the well, the mother with a sick child. There is no Committee on Ministry approval
or church attendance requirement for following Jesus. Jesus called me to the pastorate, yes, but
he also calls me to be a spiritual companion, a wife, a friend, a care-giver to children and pets in
my charge. Jesus calls me, not just to ministry, but to the very fullness of my life.
AND – Jesus calls you too. I think we in the institutional church have a bad memory for
our scripture texts. We think and we have taught that Jesus calls pastors, and elders, and deacons,
and the nominating committee. Jesus called and is still calling disciples. What have you said
“yes” to? With Jesus, it 7may not be what you expected, but I guarantee that it will be far more,
and it promises to be an adventure. Great quests begin with great questions. Always. The journey
invites us to open up the possibilities for what “yes” might mean in our lives. The stories are the
best. I have yet to meet a person committed to following Jesus who didn’t have a few good
stories to tell.
They may be strange or you may think that they aren’t very “churchy.” That’s all right by
me. I actually had to remember that my call to follow way preceded my call to a working life in
the church. Drop those nets. Say yes to Jesus – again and again. The disciples certainly lived
colorful lives, not easy lives, but rich and wonderful lives.
You are here. You’ve heard the stories. What have you said “yes” to?
Amen.