{"id":3619,"date":"2024-01-22T16:49:52","date_gmt":"2024-01-22T16:49:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.firstpresvaldosta.org\/?p=3619"},"modified":"2024-01-22T16:49:52","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T16:49:52","slug":"net-of-refuge-and-strength","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.firstpresvaldosta.org\/index.php\/2024\/01\/22\/net-of-refuge-and-strength\/","title":{"rendered":"Net of Refuge and Strength"},"content":{"rendered":"

Net of Refuge and Strength<\/span>
\nPsalm 62:5-12 and Mark 1:14-20<\/span>
\nJanuary 21, 2024<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure like me, you have begun something new at some point in your life that you were a bit nervous about beginning.\u00a0 Maybe it was a new job, or moving to a new location, or beginning a new journey to a place you had not been before.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Whatever, your \u201cnew\u201d venture may have been, it probably came with a bit of excitement of what the future would hold, and at the same time, it came with apprehension of what if it doesn\u2019t go well, or what if I cannot do the job, or what if I move, and I don\u2019t like it there.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whatever your \u201cnew\u201d venture may have been, there are surely no sure outcomes for the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure this was the same feelings the disciples were experiencing that morning they were called by Jesus to follow him.<\/span><\/p>\n

As we enter our scripture today with Jesus having just been tempted in the wilderness by Satan, Mark gets right to the heart of the matter, noting that after John has been arrested, Jesus realizes the time has come for him to continue spreading the good news.<\/span><\/p>\n

Knowing that John has been arrested, there is a certain danger and urgency to the story as we can just imagine Jesus walking along the roads of Galilee proclaiming the kingdom of God has come near.\u00a0 \u201cNow is the time to repent and believe good news,\u201d he says to the people, many of who were Gentiles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus moves away from the political and historical roots of Jerusalem that are steeped in the law to an area where the people are oppressed and burdened by excessive taxes.\u00a0 It is here that he brings news of something new.\u00a0 It is here he finds people waiting to hear good news.\u00a0 He\u2019s not talking about the things of old, the laws of Moses, but rather a new message.\u00a0 God is doing something new at this critical time, and bringing people together so that his plan can be fulfilled.<\/span><\/p>\n

This good news, this new change that the faithful people had been hoping would come to them has now come near.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus tells us there are two things we need to do in order to receive it.\u00a0 We must repent and believe.<\/span><\/p>\n

We always hear we need to repent of our sins, and I want us to think a little more about what repent means.\u00a0 The good news requires that when we repent we actually change our way of thinking, we change our attitude so that we can focus on loving God and loving our neighbors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe you have experienced a time when you have been caught up in something, and at the time you couldn\u2019t see it any other way, and later after the fact, maybe years after, you see things differently in hindsight.\u00a0 You can\u2019t necessarily go back and change what has happened in the past; however, you can certainly change your thinking and your attitude in the present.\u00a0 This is repenting.<\/span><\/p>\n

God doesn\u2019t want us to stay stuck in the mire, rather we can change our thinking and move forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

The next step is to believe that God will keep his promise to bring you into his kingdom.\u00a0 We believe by trusting God.\u00a0 Every time we say the Lord\u2019s Prayer, we say, \u201cour kingdom come,\u201d and do we believe that it is real?\u00a0 Do we believe that God is our Kingdom come?\u00a0 And do we believe it is here on earth as it is in heaven?<\/span><\/p>\n

Martin Luther explained the Lord\u2019s Prayer in his Small Catechism<\/em> saying that God\u2019s kingdom comes to us \u201cwhenever our heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit\u2019s grace, we believe God\u2019s Holy Word, and live godly lives here in this time and hereafter in eternity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

God is with us now and will be with us in eternity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just imagine what the scene would have been like the morning Jesus was walking the shoreline in Galilee.\u00a0 There were probably hundreds of boats along the shore preparing their ships for a day of fishing, and then Jesus comes to them, and says, \u201cFollow me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mark doesn\u2019t tell us, yet I\u2019m sure there were many who did not follow Jesus, many that were not willing to change their way of thinking or their attitude.\u00a0 Many that didn\u2019t have faith to trust in the hope of the good news.\u00a0 Many that were too busy to stop and listen.<\/span><\/p>\n

These four in our scripture, however, dropped their nets.\u00a0 They welcomed the invitation from Jesus to fish for people, and like we would have been venturing into a new experience, they probably followed with both excitement and apprehension.<\/span><\/p>\n

These four:\u00a0 Simon, Andrew, James and John, put down their nets that needed mending.\u00a0 They put down their old way of doing things, and picked up the new net Jesus was offering.\u00a0 A new net of refuge and strength.\u00a0 A new hope and a new promise of a life of love with God.<\/span><\/p>\n

How many times do we not follow Jesus?\u00a0 How many times do we not pick up the gift that God has given us to share with someone else?<\/span><\/p>\n

In following Jesus, the disciples are called into action to fish for people.\u00a0 As witnessed by John the Baptist, and later by Jesus and the disciples, fishing for people is not always a safe proposition, although when we are reconciled with God, we want to share that message with others.\u00a0 We want to share that love with others.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fishing for people is not limited to those you may consider to have special gifts like pastors and missionaries, but to all as members of the body of Christ as instruments of peace, love, and hope.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus equipped the disciples with a new net.\u00a0 One that was good and strong, and instructed them \u00a0to throw out their nets to all people, both far and wide, to catch anyone who was willing to serve the kingdom of God.\u00a0 They fished with faith, trusting that their prayer and action would fill their net.<\/span><\/p>\n

The future is as uncertain for us as it was for the disciples.\u00a0 We don\u2019t know what the future holds for us in our personal lives, in our church, or in our community.\u00a0 We don\u2019t know if others will continue to be welcoming, or if we will be met with resistance.<\/span><\/p>\n

What we do know, is that the future is in God\u2019s hands, not ours.\u00a0 Our challenge is to recognize that God is working for good in our lives, now and in the future, and we can respond positively.\u00a0 We can have faith and trust God.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you have ever fished, you know that it takes a lot of patience and skill.\u00a0 Sometimes you have to move from one place to another until you find the fish.\u00a0 Sometimes you hit a snag, and you lose your hook, so you have to rethink and restring your pole.\u00a0 Sometimes you have to reach for a stronger pole, the same way the disciples reached for a stronger net.<\/span><\/p>\n

The question is have we picked up the new net, the one that is our refuge and strength?\u00a0 Like the disciples, Jesus wants us to draw together a community of people who sees the value of the kingdom of God, and who are willing to work for human dignity, peace, justice, freedom and the salvation of all.<\/span><\/p>\n

The net is our refuge and strength, and it is big enough for all.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(Silent Reflection)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Net of Refuge and Strength Psalm 62:5-12 and Mark 1:14-20 January 21, 2024   I\u2019m sure like me, you have begun something new at some point in your life that you were a bit nervous about beginning.\u00a0 Maybe it was a new job, or moving to a new location, or beginning a new journey to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nNet of Refuge and Strength - First Presbyterian Church Valdosta<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.firstpresvaldosta.org\/index.php\/2024\/01\/22\/net-of-refuge-and-strength\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Net of Refuge and Strength\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Net of Refuge and Strength Psalm 62:5-12 and Mark 1:14-20 January 21, 2024   I\u2019m sure like me, you have begun something new at some point in your life that you were a bit nervous about beginning.\u00a0 Maybe it was a new job, or moving to a new location, or beginning a new journey to […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.firstpresvaldosta.org\/index.php\/2024\/01\/22\/net-of-refuge-and-strength\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"First Presbyterian Church Valdosta\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-22T16:49:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.firstpresvaldosta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Fishing-net-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"FirstPresValdosta\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"FirstPresValdosta\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.firstpresvaldosta.org\/index.php\/2024\/01\/22\/net-of-refuge-and-strength\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.firstpresvaldosta.org\/index.php\/2024\/01\/22\/net-of-refuge-and-strength\/\",\"name\":\"Net of Refuge and Strength - 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