The Kingdom of God is Fulfilled
Category: Epiphany
Speaker: The Rev. Shearon Sykes Wiliams
In today’s Gospel, Jesus announces, “the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near.” And as he walks along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he sees two sets of brothers who are fishermen and he calls them to join him. “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they drop what they are doing and follow him.
Have you ever wondered how it was that Simon, Andrew, James and John did that? What was it about Jesus and his message that caused them to do something as “impulsive and foolish” as leaving their livelihoods, their families and everything they knew to follow this wandering, itinerant holy man?
Jesus was a compelling figure. He spoke with authority. He had a profound sense of purpose. He held the transformative power of God. And people could see that a mile away. James and John, Simon and Andrew wanted to be a part of that. They wanted their lives to have a greater sense of purpose beyond themselves and they wanted to be a part of transforming the landscape. Leaving behind all they knew was a huge sacrifice, but what they received was so much more. They got to experience the presence of God in the person of Jesus and the fulfillment that comes from joining him in ushering in the Kingdom of God.
In Mark’s telling of the Good News, there is a great emphasis on immediacy in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus calls his first disciples in the very first chapter. And Andrew and Simon don’t even take time to think about it. They just act. James and John don’t even talk it over with their father Zebedee. They just respond. No one considers whether this is a good career move or not. They just get moving and things are revealed along the way. And Jesus doesn’t ask them if they believe in him when he calls them. He just says come.
And this theme of immediacy continues throughout the Gospel of Mark. Jesus shows up in a town with his disciples and things happen. The sick are healed. The oppressors are challenged and the oppressed are set free. When this holy man Jesus comes to a place, he brings the presence of God and amazing, impossible things happen. He makes that place holy and the people who respond to him in that place holy.
Jesus comes to us at all times and in all places, but he is especially present to us when we come together in his name in this holy place. Like James and John, Simon and Andrew, we come together to find purpose and meaning and the courage to drop our nets and follow Jesus, knowing that it will require sacrifice, but in that sacrifice we will receive far more than we ever thought possible.
That is what the Church has done throughout the ages, carrying on Jesus’ mission of bringing in the kingdom. Jesus’s call to us today is the same as it was to those Galilean fishermen. The question is how we best live out that call in our time. We have been responding to that call and issuing that call to others in this holy place for over 100 years. And God has given us a new vision of how to live out that call to discipleship in each generation. Today we are celebrating Ministry Sunday and the variety of ministries that help us live the Gospel in 2015.
And during our Annual Meeting today we heard about our capital campaign to renovate our nave and the San Jose chapel. God has given us a compelling vision. This is an historic time in our parish. The time is about to be fulfilled. We are ushering in the kingdom in a fresh, new way. Back in 1952, our forbearers decided that they needed to build the nave that we are sitting in this morning because they had far outgrown the original chapel that had been built by their forbearers in 1907. We are worshipping in this space this morning because they had the courage to take a risk to follow Jesus in doing something new and bold in their day. Today we have a chance to do something new and bold to help us follow Jesus more fully in our day and time and to give that gift to future generations.
Our worship experience is at the very heart of our life together and improving that experience for EVERYONE is the reason for our “Making A Space For All” campaign. We want to maintain the integrity of our beautiful, traditional worship space that we all love so much while making it reflect our 21st century needs and to reflect our understanding of the Gospel. “Making a Space for All” is about three things- ACCESSIBILITY, FLEXIBILITY and COMMUNITY.
First, accessibility. Right now our altar is not accessible. The altar is the main representation of God in our midst. Right now the steps exclude some people. We at Saint George’s believe that inclusion is a Gospel value, and yet our space prevents us from living out that value fully. Not everyone can join in the experience of receiving communion together. Some people are physically separated from the group. We want the placement of our altar to reflect what we believe about God. God is accessible to all. Everyone who wants to be a part of our community is welcome. And we are ALL enriched when all of us are together.
Our choir is not accessible. We want anyone who has a call to usher in the kingdom of God through song to be able to sing in the choir. Right now the steps prevent that. They create an obstacle. “Making a Space For All” is about removing obstacles. Creating a level floor that goes from the Nelson Street door all the way to the back wall with the Rose window will do that. The altar will be on a platform and moved forward so that everyone can gather around it for communion and our choir will have more room. They are currently very cramped and unable to fit everyone behind the screen on many Sundays. We literally want to make more space for them. They are also far away from the rest of the congregation. God calls us into community and we want to increase our sense of community by literally bringing everyone closer together.
We also want to have flexible seating. The Kingdom of God is never static. Jesus and his disciples moved around. They brought the kingdom with them. With flexible seating, we will have more options within our space. We will keep it just as it is now on Sunday mornings, in rows of interlocking chairs that function like pews, but we will have the possibility reconfiguring it at other times outside of Sunday mornings, such as small services and concerts.
Accessibility, flexibility and community. That is what “Making a Space for All” is all about. God has given us an inspiring, compelling vision that gives us continuity with our past and takes us into the future with joy.
Our forbearers gave us a great gift and now we are preparing to give a great gift to future generations, creating a space that will help us become better 21st century disciples, helping us to follow Christ more fully in the here and now and into the future.
“The kingdom of God is fulfilled.” It will require sacrifice, it will require stretching, it will require courage and trust that God will make this vision a reality through us. It is a bold vision and we can realize it with God’s help. I know we can. I believe it with every fiber of my being. Because God can do in us infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. When God gives us a vision, God also gives us the gifts to accomplish it. It will take all of us giving sacrificially from the resources we have to make it happen. Some can give small gifts and some can give large gifts, and all gifts are equal in the sight of God. God will take all of our gifts and create abundance.
Jesus had a vision. He cast his vision and the disciples caught it and worked with him to bring it to the world. Jesus’ vision is still being cast and we have a once in a lifetime opportunity right here and right now to make that vision a reality, putting our resources where our values are, “Making A Space For All.”
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near…Immediately he called them and they followed him.”