Sunday Homily - January 26, 2020 - "Come, follow me!"

Jesus Calls the Fishermen Icon

I.

His name was "Pappa."
 His actual name was Harold Brown, more specifically,
  but to the ones he cared for,
   he was simply known as "Pappa Brown."

In the 1960s,
 Pappa Brown was a pastor in the town of Covington, Louisiana,
  and one day,
   Pappa Brown was called by Jesus
    to do something foolish.

He heard the voice of Jesus calling him
 to start a children's orphanage.

Except, there was one tiny little logistical problem:
 he had no building,
  no money,
   and no space in his family's home
    to do anything that even looks like orphanage work.

But Harold Brown did have one thing:
 an unshakable faith in God to provide.

So Harold started praying.
 Praying every day,
  almost hourly,
   and asked Jesus to provide, if this is what he needed to be doing.

And then Harold did something extraordinary.

He took what little extra money that he had,
 and bought some baling wire, wooden stakes, and took his level with him,
  went out to where the property was that he believed Jesus had called him
   to build that orphanage upon,
    and marked out the dimensions of the building that he thought he would need
     to provide an orphanage for children.

And he would go out to that spot and pray,
 pray for Jesus to provide.

Harold didn't go out and fund raise,
 he didn't start calling people up asking for money,
  he didn't do a capital campaign or advertise to anyone about the orphanage plan,
   he just prayed in faith that Jesus had called him to do this very thing.

Suddenly,
 God started answering Harold's prayer.

Someone, out of their own prayer,
 felt called by Jesus to give a large donation to Harold
  in order to start,
  you guessed it,
   an orphanage in Covington, Louisiana.

Then, a building contractor offered their services to Harold,
 a civil engineer pitched in of their own time,
  and the first building of what we now know as Fairhaven Orphanage
   was completed completely by the grace of God
    and was provided for by God,
     all because a simple man of faith heard Jesus calling him
      and left what he was doing
       and followed him.

[below is a news story about Fairhaven Orphanage from the mid 1980s:
     http://ladigitalmedia.org/video_v2/asset-detail/LSWI-0813-02_Fairhaven]

Pappa Brown, over the years of his life,
 opened his home to foster children,
  and by the time that Pappa Brown went to be with the Lord,
   Fairhaven had not only thrived under Jesus's provision,
    but they even started another orphanage in Romania
     and sent supplies of food and clothing to the Romanian poor
      in huge truck loads
       that were completely provided by God.

And it all started because of a man's simple faith in Jesus,
 and the willing response to when Jesus called him
  to do something a little bit foolish
   for the sake of the Gospel of Christ
    and the care of kids who needed a home.

II.

And, you know, Jesus has been calling people to follow him
 for quite a while now.

Jesus tends to call those who the world sees as unqualified,
 unintelligent,
  foolish,
   for the sake of his Church.

And none were more unqualified,
 unintelligent,
  and perhaps even foolish,
   than the first disciples that Jesus called.

Simon Peter and his brother Andrew are sitting by the side of the Sea of Galillee,
 getting their catch of fish for the day for their families
  and to sell at the markets.

And here comes Jesus Christ,
 who looks at them and says something quite strange:
  "Follow me, and I'll make you fish for people!"
   Or, if you are like me and can't hear this verse outside of the King James Version,
    "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men!"

Except, there were a few tiny logistical problems:
 who is going to provide for their families?
  Why leave their only work that they have ever known
   to follow this extraordinary person who has come by the sea?

We won't really ever know the answer this side of eternity, friends,
 but perhaps it was a simple faith in God that drew these men
  to follow Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

And then, as they are moving along the seashore,
 another family of fish catchers were on the horizon,
  this time it was actually a family business:
   the Zebedee family.

Mr. Zebedee was out fishing with his boys,
 James and John,
  and they were in the middle of fixing their nets.

And Jesus,
 with Simon Peter and Andrew following,
  happen across this family business,
   and Jesus Christ calls out again,
    "Come, and follow me."

And logistical problems aside, friends,
 wouldn't you know it,
  James and John followed Jesus.

And then something extraordinary happened.

Jesus,
 followed by his band of fishermen disciples,
  began to teach people
   and heal people
    and proclaim the Kingdom of God
     while these astonished disciples saw the very power of God unfold
      in front of their wide-eyed stares.

In following Jesus and his simple invitation,
 boy had they gotten themselves into something special.

But it would never have happened if it wasn't for a simple faith
 and a simple following of Jesus
  when he called to them.

III.

I tend to think to myself sometimes,
 "Would I have followed Jesus if he called me like that?"

But, friends, for us here today who have come to worship and pray,
 you HAVE been called by Jesus
  and you HAVE followed him into this very place today.

Especially for you who have been baptized into Jesus Christ,
 you especially have been called by Jesus to follow him,
  despite the logistical concerns
    and despite how foolish it might seem to some people.

For us who have taken up our Cross to follow Jesus Our Lord,
 who called us first,
  we now are asked to respond more deeply to the call of Jesus Christ
   and to follow as best as we can into the extraordinary ministries
    that we are all called to.

Pappa Brown was not someone that you would ever expect a lot out of,
 but what Pappa Brown had is the same simple faith
  that Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John had.
   Because when Jesus called Pappa Brown into the orphanage business,
    Pappa Brown left what he was up to,
     and followed Jesus into the ministry that God had planned for him.

Friends in Christ,
 that same call has been given,
  is given,
   and will ever be given
    to you who have been called by Jesus into particular ministry of the Gospel.

Jesus calls you EVERY DAY.

Perhaps Jesus is calling you to pick up the phone
 and call that one person that has been laid on your heart by the Holy Spirit.

Maybe Jesus is calling you to donate of your time, energy, and money to the local ministries
 that serve our neediest neighbors in Searcy, Arkansas.

Maybe Jesus is calling you to start something new,
 a new ministry for the glory of God and the service of our needy brothers and sisters.

Maybe Jesus is calling you into foster care for children who don't just need homes,
 but foster moms and dads that really care for them
  and really want the best for them.

Maybe Jesus is calling you into adoption of one of the many babies
 who have no mommas or daddys in Arkansas.

And for you who are thinking about the logistics,
 "Well, I don't have room,
   I don't have the resources,
    I don't think I can do this,"
     remember: if Jesus calls you,
      the logistics will be taken care of.

Pray and ask where Jesus is calling you today, friends.
 Because you never know when he will stop by
  and launch you into an extraordinary ministry
   that you could never have dreamed of if you had tried.

In the name of the +Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.