The Lutheran Hour

"In a Minute"

#73-19
Presented on The Lutheran Hour on January 22, 2006
Speaker: Rev. Ken Klaus
Copyright 2025 Lutheran Hour Ministries

Text: Mark 1: 17-18

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! The risen Savior calls; let every ear attend the heavenly sound. You doubting souls, dismiss your fear; hope smiles reviving round. You sinners, come, its Mercy’s voice; the gracious call obey; Mercy invites to heavenly joys, how can you yet delay? Dear Savior, draw reluctant hearts; to Thee let sinners fly and take the bliss Thy love imparts to drink and never die.

I’ve always wanted to write a sermon on procrastination, but… well… the truth is… I’ve been putting it off, until now. So, for all you procrastinators out there, here is a message just for you. Now don’t turn the dial to another station; don’t push the scan or seek buttons; don’t say, “Well, I’ve known a few procrastinators in my time, but what he’s going to say surely won’t apply to me.” Just be patient. I’m pretty confident that what I’m going to say will speak to most of you. I’m confident because most of us are procrastinators. Some of us are one-of-a-kind, government approved, grade A, Olympic gold medal procrastinators.

You’re a first class procrastinator if you don’t rake your leaves in the fall because you know those leaves will probably blow into your neighbor’s yard, and if they don’t, in five or six years, they’ll break down into good compost. You’re a good procrastinator if you don’t shovel your sidewalks because spring is coming and you don’t set your clocks back one hour in the fall because of daylight savings time. “Why should I bother?” you say to yourself, “In six months, when the clocks are set forward, the problem will go away. Between now and then, I’m going to be an hour early for everything.” Primo procrastinators are the kind of folks who listen to the same CD play again… and again… and again, because it’s too much work to get up and change the disc; they’re the folks who have brand new shirts in their chest of drawers because they never get around to removing the pins, plastic, and cardboard those shirts came wrapped in; they’re the kind of folks who never untie their shoe laces, preferring to wrench their feet into, and out of, the shoe; they’re the kind of… well, I’m sure I could come up with other examples, but I’ll do that later.

Of course, most of us haven’t elevated procrastination to this high an art form. Most of us are regular run-of-the-mill putters-offer. We believe, if you fold and stuff trash just right, the garbage pail will not reach critical mass until sometime tomorrow late afternoon. Average procrastinators wait until 10:30 on April 15th before they think seriously about their taxes. They wait until the pain is really bad in their right rear molar before they make an appointment with the dentist, which they will cancel twice because they’re pretty sure the hurt seems to be going away. To put off going to the mall, procrastinating guys can live for decades with the old, plaid flannel lumber-jack shirt they inherited from their grandfather. When their wives say, “This thing is a disgrace,” with hurt face and fallen countenance, they reply, “It’s a family heirloom.” They’re not fooling anybody. Their wives know, and they know… it’s procrastination.

Now I don’t want you to think that procrastination is limited to secular society. It’s not. The church has more than its share of serious procrastinators. I’ve seen church members who put off coming to church so long that when they did show up they couldn’t find the sanctuary. I’ve seen church procrastinators who were away so long that when they ask, “What happened to the kid who used to make paper airplanes out of the worship folder?” they’re told, “He’s the congregation’s chairman.” More than once I’ve watched a church procrastinator head for their favorite pew and not be able to remember what side of the church it was on. I could go on about people who procrastinate about church… but I think I’ll work on that part of the message later.

Let me just say to those of you who want to be a member of a church as long as you don’t have to go to church, or support the church… I’ve heard most of your excuses. May I share with you the time is coming when you won’t be able to procrastinate any longer. You will go to church, no matter what the thermometer reads; no matter whether it’s raining, snowing, or the wind is blowing. There will come a time when you will go to church and the minister will preach a great sermon about the love of God which comes in Jesus Christ; but you won’t hear his words; there will be beautiful music played, but your soul will not soar at the melody; there will come a time when those in church will say heartfelt prayers, but your heart won’t be touched; your friends and family will be around, but you won’t sit with them. You will go no matter how much work you have to do at home or in the office or on the farm. You will go… someday. But that service will not be for you. Funerals are for the living, not for those who are dead. My friend, if you’ve forgotten the Savior and your love for Him has grown cold, this is the day the Lord has made; this is the day He would become reunited with you, the child He sent His Son to save.

Well, today, is a sermon about procrastination. I’ve wanted to preach it for a long time… but… well, I just never got around to it before now. Would have put it off longer, but I couldn’t. Why? Because of the passage from God’s inspired Word which is being read in many churches today. Here are those words from the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark: “… Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed Him.” The “them” in that sentence refers to the fishermen Andrew and his brother, Simon. Jesus said to Simon and Andrew, “Follow Me”… and immediately they left their nets and followed Him. No procrastination there. The text is clear. You can’t interpret it any other way: “Immediately they left what they were doing and followed Him.”

I can’t believe the things that Simon and Andrew didn’t do when they walked away from their livelihood. It’s amazing! They didn’t turn in their two week notice. They didn’t sit down with their lawyer and redo their wills. They didn’t shut off the gas and water at the house, they didn’t cancel their subscriptions to newspapers and magazines; they didn’t rush home and do laundry. They didn’t take out an ad in the Capernaum Daily News to sell their boats or their houses. They didn’t go to the Post Office and fill out a card to have their mail forwarded. They didn’t ask their friends up to join them for a farewell party. These fellows acted so differently than most of the people I know. They left what they were doing and followed Jesus. They didn’t ask Him about a retirement, medical, or dental plan. They didn’t even ask where they were going; how long they were going; why they were going; and a million other questions that you and I would have to know before we made such a move. There’s not even any indication that either of them went and talked to any of their family members. They just went and followed Jesus.

Would you have done what they did? Think about that for a minute. Suppose somebody walked by your place of work or stopped by at your home and said, “Follow me.” What would you do? Would you go? How long would you procrastinate before you gave your answer? What are the million reasons that you would think up to postpone taking any action? Of course you might say, “Well, if it were Jesus stopping by, I would go.” Maybe. But understand, these brothers didn’t know half the things about Jesus that you know today. They didn’t know He was the Son of God who had been born into this world to seek and save the lost. They hadn’t seen all of Jesus’ powerful miracles, nor had they been witnesses of the compassion which He had for the most unlovable and unaccepted members of society. They hadn’t heard Him speak Godly words of grace that cut like a knife through humanity’s hypocrisy. They couldn’t have realized that they would see God’s Son change their eternity, and that they would be entrusted with the sharing of the message of salvation which would turn the world upside down; that would bring hope and heaven to those whose destiny would otherwise have been horror and hell. They would not have been able to guess that Jesus would be loved by many and despised by more. In the three years that they walked with Him, they would see things, wonderful things.

But they would also, almost be witnesses of His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. I say almost, because they missed those moments when their Savior asked them to stay awake with Him and pray. They fell asleep as the sins of the world, as your sins, and mine, as every small and great transgression that we have ever committed in thought, word, and deed, was laid upon Him. They missed that part where Jesus, God’s own, all-powerful Son, was driven into the dirt by the sheer weight of our wrongdoing. They slept as He suffered and sweat, as it were, great drops of blood. But they were awake to see His arrest. They saw, as one of their own approached the Lord, and betrayed Him with a kiss. Some of them were there as He was unfairly tried. One of them would watch as Jesus, was condemned to die on Calvary’s cruel cross. They had no way to know that the journey which began so quickly on the shore of the Sea of Galilee would allow them to see the Savior die.

I wonder if they would have left their boat and nets so quickly if they had known they would see those things. I’m certain that if Jesus’ story had ended at Calvary’s crest they might well have declined Jesus’ invitation; they might have procrastinated and postponed following Him. But Jesus invitation to follow Him did not end upon a cross, nor in a borrowed tomb. These men, ignorant men, had been called to be God’s men. They had been called to follow Jesus and see the rest of God’s great story of grace. On resurrection Sunday, they ran to their Savior’s empty grave and saw powerful, positive proof that the Christ’s work was complete and He had conquered. Peering into the empty darkness of Joseph of Arimathea’s borrowed tomb, they saw Jesus had severed the bonds of sin which had held humanity since the fall; they saw that Satan’s shackles had been split asunder and death would no longer have the final victory over our bodies or souls.

That day when Peter and Andrew immediately left their nets to follow Jesus, they had no idea of the things they would see. They had no idea that Jesus would come to them in a locked and bolted room; that a resurrected Christ would invite them to be sure of that resurrection. “Touch Me,” He would say. “Touch the nail holes in My hands; see the scar of the spear in My side. Believe, and tell the world the power of God’s grace that rescues, restores, and redeems. Tell those who are troubled that in Me there is peace; let the lonely know in Me they have a Friend; let the guilty know that in Me there is pardon. Invite the world to join you… call them away from their pains, their hurts, Invite them to join with you in following Me.”

When Peter and Andrew walked away from their boats that day, they did not know just how far their journey with the Savior would take them. But there is no indication that either of them ever regretted having gone. History says, after many miles, and many years, they were both crucified. Peter, because he felt unworthy to die the same death as had his Savior, was, at his request, crucified upside down. Andrew’s cross was in the shape of an X. Still during the years between Jesus’ crucifixion and their own, they shared the Savior wherever they could, whenever they could, with whomever they could, and as often as they could. Fishers of men, they cast their nets in all kinds of waters, and by the Holy Spirit’s power, brought in a great catch of souls that knew that they too had been saved by the Christ.

Peter and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed Jesus. That’s what the Bible says. Did they have any regrets? I guess there’s no way of knowing, is there. Well, it wasn’t so long after Jesus asked these fishermen to follow Him that someone else said that he, too, was willing to go with Jesus. But this man didn’t leave everything immediately. He procrastinated; he asked for permission to go to a relative’s funeral before he joined the band of disciples. “Let me first bury my father,” that’s what he said. And Jesus said, “Follow Me now, let the dead bury their dead.” Does that sound cold to you? It might… at least until you understand that the people of the mid-east customarily bury their dead on the same day they die. What the man was probably saying is this: “Jesus, I’m ready to follow You, but my father is pretty old, and not in the best of health. It looks like he’s going to pass away soon. I think it’s best if I wait around until after the services are conducted and the estate is settled, and I make sure everyone is provided for, and nobody has to worry about anything and, and…” That man was a powerful procrastinator. The Holy Spirit was knocking on the door of his heart and that man kept the door bolted and shut tight. What a shame. When Jesus got into the boat and sailed across the Sea of Galilee, the procrastinator was left behind. There’s nothing in the Bible that gives an indication that he ever got that close to Jesus again. We can only hope that someday he stopped procrastinating.

Which is also my hope for you. Now, what I feel is more than a hope; it’s a prayer. I’m concerned for so many of you who are hearing my voice today, who have been putting the Savior off. Maybe you’re saying to Him, “In a minute,” or “In a month,” or maybe you’re saying, “never.” I don’t know why you would say that, why you would put off the Savior’s salvation, but you are. Listen, I don’t know what people have told you about Jesus and Christianity. I do know that people procrastinate on the things they don’t want to do; that they don’t like to do; that they’re afraid of doing. Teens that love a band don’t procrastinate in buying tickets. NASCAR fans don’t procrastinate on seeing a race on the oval track. Movie lovers will gladly stand in line to see their favorite star.

Why would you procrastinate when it comes to Jesus and the forgiveness He died to win for you? I can only believe the answer is based on a pretty strange and twisted idea of what it means to be a Christian. That’s why I want to tell you, as simply as I can, a small part of what it means to follow the Savior. Being a Christian means that when you’ve done something wrong, you don’t have to despair… Jesus forgives you; and His Holy Spirit changes you so that sin need no longer overwhelm you. Being a Christian means that when you’re alone, you still have a Friend by your side; a Friend who cares; a Friend who understands; a Friend who can help. Being a Christian means that there is a joy in this day, and hope for all your days to come. And, when the end of days arrives for you, or a fellow believer, being a Christian means that you will not find yourself looking into an unknown void; a black bit of oblivion. Being a Christian means that you will live, your fellow believers will live; that you will, in God’s good time, be forever united in a world where there is no more sadness… no more sorrow… no more shame.

So, that’s the sermon on procrastination. Except for the final story. I usually tell a final story… but you know, I kept putting it off and didn’t find one. That’s why I have to tell you a story which has been around for a long time. The fable, and that’s all it is, a fable, begins in hell with Satan convening his marketing executives to discuss the topic: “How To Stop People From Believing in Jesus.” The first demon said, “I suggest we tell people that there is no God, no devil, no heaven and hell.” To that suggestion Satan said, “Fool, no one will believe you.” Then another demon, shrewder and softer said, “Let us tell them that there is a god and an afterlife, and anything they believe, as long as they are sincere, is acceptable.” To him, Satan said, “Some will believe, but not many. They will know that there is only one Savior who can build the bridge between heaven and hell.” Finally, the third demon suggested, “I think it best if we tell them that the Bible is true, that there is a God and devil, a heaven and a hell… but they have plenty of time to be saved. I will tell them, ‘Wait until tomorrow.'” That suggestion Satan accepted, and history records the success of the concept. But it does not have to be. Today the Savior calls, let every ear attend the heavenly sound, you doubting souls, dismiss your fear… Will you immediately be led to come and follow Him? Call us at The Lutheran Hour . Amen.

LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for January 22, 2006
Guest: Dr. Paul Maier

ANNOUNCER: Stay with us now to hear about recent archaeological discoveries that relate to people and places mentioned in the Bible. I’m Mark Eischer and we’ll be talking with author and historian, Dr. Paul Maier. Dr. Maier, there have been four recent announcements of archaeological discoveries that relate to people and places we read about in the Bible. The first one I heard about is from Jerusalem and an Israeli archaeologist says she’s uncovered what she believes to be King David’s palace. If this is true, would that be significant?

MAIER: Well, it certainly is, Mark, because there is a whole group around called the Biblical Minimalists who are madly trying to divorce any external evidence that relates to the Bible from the Bible and once again this shows that the spade, I think, is the Bible’s best friend. In this case, we have David showing up first of all in stone in an inscription in Tel Dan in northern Israel, and now evidence of David’s palace in Jerusalem. It’s all welcome news, and it doesn’t surprise me at all.

ANNOUNCER: Why is that?

MAIER: Well, simply because I think the Scriptural record is quite accurate historically. And David is not an invented figure; nor Solomon, or Saul, or anybody like that. They’re real people. The Biblical Minimalists, as they are called, say that David, if he ever existed, was just a small hilltop chieftain in southern Judea, and this, of course, is simply false.

ANNOUNCER: Is this something that King David built or would this have been in existence already at the time he came to the throne?

MAIER: Oh, no. King David built this palace simply because he’s the one who conquered Jerusalem from the Jebusites around 1000 B.C. And so the city of Jerusalem wasn’t even in Hebrew hands at that time — until David conquered it.

ANNOUNCER: Let’s talk about another recent find, one that I think you’ve said is a much stronger, or perhaps a better representation of something that we find in Scripture and that relates to the Pool of Siloam.

MAIER: Oh, yes, that was an exciting find.

ANNOUNCER: What exactly did they find and what makes so exciting for you as a historian?

MAIER: Well, first of all, the traditional Pool of Siloam in Jerusalem is at the western end of the Hezekiah’s tunnel, its called. And, in fact, that thing still exists and you can walk through it today. It is the only site, I think, in the Holy Land that looks exactly the same today as it did 2000 years ago in Jesus’ day. Now today you can still see the tunnel, as a matter of fact there is an inscription at the western end, and it flows into the Pool of Siloam today. But every time I went there I was always disappointed at the size of the thing. It just didn’t seem adequate for the settings of the famous healing by Jesus of the blind man in John chapter 9. Well, it was recently discovered now that the original Pool of Siloam is much larger and it is further south from the present Pool of Siloam which came in Byzantine times.

ANNOUNCER: How did they go about discovering this? Were there some records that they indicated or was this an accidental find?

MAIER: It’s an accidental find, I believe. They were simply exploring at Silwan — that’s how Siloam shows up today in Arabic, Silwan — which is at the southeastern corner of the old city of Jerusalem. And there they discovered the edge of it and then dug further. As I say, only about 20% of it has been dug.

ANNOUNCER: And this, does the scale or the size of this recent discovery square better with what we read about in Scripture?

MAIER: Well it certainly does. And so there is no question but that once again the topographical, geographical details confirm the Biblical record beautifully. And, you know, geography itself is, I think, one of the Bible’s best friends because I could debate the representatives of any other world religious system and I wouldn’t have to get beyond the geography simply because the Old and New Testaments are so full of place names, most of which are identifiable today. Now you can’t do that with the holy books of other world religious systems. There you find the place names invented.

ANNOUNCER: Join us next week for more of our discussion with Dr. Paul Maier concerning recent archaeological discoveries. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.

Music selections for this program:

“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC

“The Savior Calls, Let Every Ear” arranged by Kenneth Kosche. Used by permission

“Come, Follow Me, Said Christ the Lord”arranged by Henry Gerike. Used by permission

“The Savior Calls, Let Every Ear” arranged by Chris Loemker. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC

“Allegro from Concerto in b minor” by Johann Gottfried Walther. From Richard Heschke at the Hradetzky in Red Bank by Richard Heschke (© 1993 Arkay Records)