The Lutheran Hour
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"A Change in Plans"
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Text: Mark 1: 14-20
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Grace, mercy, and peace to each of you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
So, tell me, how has your life turned out so far? According to plans? All those things you thought would happen – or even wished would happen – have turned out just as you expected? Probably not. In fact, some things in your life may have been wonderful surprises. Others may have been quite disappointing.
You’ve had plans for your future, and it’s likely that on more than one occasion, there has been a change in plans.
Do you remember some of your hopes and dreams when you were 10 or 12 years old? Or do you remember what you thought you would be when you grew up? Some of you may have been right. But even for you, and for the rest of us, life has had some totally unexpected turns.
Imagine a young man named James. As a very young boy, he watched his father and other relatives in the profession that had been in the family for generations. He knew, from little on, that he would join the business. It was the seafood business. On a fairly large body of water that produced a good crop of fish, he would watch the fishermen with their nets and their catches of fish. And when he was old enough to join the business, he did. It was his destiny. He would be in the seafood business, and little else in the way of professions crossed his mind.
Well, so much for those plans. One day a man who had become quite well known in the region stopped by the lake, the place of employment for James, and asked James to leave his work – just walk away from it to take on a whole new profession. That’s rather dramatic. Talk about a change in plans! But the amazing thing is – he did. He simply left his father, who was named Zebedee, and his co-workers. They would carry on the seafood business, while he set out into uncharted waters, as it were, to begin a new life and work. And believe it or not, his brother named John did the same thing.
It’s the story recorded in the Gospel for this Sunday – the story of the great change in plans for James and John, and for two others who were also called by Jesus into a whole new line of work. The other two were brothers, too, just as James and John were. Their names were Simon and Andrew.
I don’t know if I could do that. “I’m really busy right now,” I might have said. “Look, I have a lot of plans for the future.” I don’t know how God prepared Simon and Andrew and James and John to make such a radical switch in their lives, but they willingly accepted the invitation of Jesus to join the cause of proclaiming the Gospel of God. I don’t know how they did it; but I know that God had a plan for them and that His plan – God’s plan – was going to be fulfilled.
Well, God has a plan for you, too. First and foremost, it’s a plan of salvation. God wants all people to be saved. That’s why he sent Jesus to become a human being, to tell people face to face of his Father’s Kingdom, to show them how much the Father loved them.
Maybe God’s plan of salvation for you has yet to be fulfilled. It’s a plan that can change all your plans in astonishing ways. God offers, through Jesus Christ, forgiveness, hope, peace, joy, and a future – an eternal future. If you have not yet received the gift of faith – that is the greatest gift you could ever receive – Jesus is still calling. He cares. He wants you to be part of His family. And He can bring about a marvelous change in plans for you!
Without the gift of faith, there’s really no plan at all for eternity – for meeting God face to face when the end comes. We could plan all we want, but there is just no way to earn heaven. We don’t deserve it. We’re lost. Only because this Jesus, who called the fishermen, took our place, went to the cross, and rose from the dead, can we gain eternal life. And only through faith in Him can we come to know His plans for us, and how meaningful they can be in our daily lives. Faith is not just about the future, faith is about the now.
Once you receive that wonderful gift of faith, you can be sure that God does have plans for you, and they may involve a change in your plans.
I have met so many Christians involved in so many pursuits who never really imagined they would be doing what they are doing. They are laborers and lawyers, athletes and architects, mechanics and medics, executives and engineers, teachers and truckers, and many others who have found ways in their work to follow Jesus and work in the Kingdom, even though these things were not necessarily part of their plans. It didn’t mean they changed their vocation or career, but God helped them find ways to accomplish His purposes through their vocations. There are doctors, nurses, builders, farmers, coaches, social workers, accountants, childcare experts, who have volunteered to help in special ways at home or in a foreign country. Many have volunteered to help churches reach out in their communities following natural disasters. There are so many ways to answer God’s call. I know some who never planned to work on a committee in their congregation, or sing in the choir, or teach Sunday school, who have discovered that God’s plans for them were rewarding plans, indeed.
I have the privilege of working with Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and have met men studying for the ministry in the Lutheran church and women studying to be deaconesses who planned for themselves other careers, and then discovered that God had a change in plans for them. Somehow, they heard the call of Jesus (and it comes in a whole variety of ways) to become full time church workers.
Whatever you are doing in your life, there may be a change in plans in store for you, too. It may be to consider becoming a full time church professional. There are many with a wide variety of backgrounds, abilities, experiences, and degrees, who are now church workers because God had a plan for them – not wholly unlike James and John and Simon and Andrew. Or, in addition to what you are already doing in life, it may be volunteering in a woman’s shelter, in a grade school, or church office. It may be teaching English as a second language. It may be doing more in your own family to seek God’s will. It may be a part-time mission assignment in a foreign country. It may be landscaping the church grounds or updating the computer system. It may be playing a musical instrument for worship services. It may be visiting the sick or becoming a foster parent. It may be dedicating yourself to honesty, integrity, and quality; knowing that whatever you may be doing can bring honor to your loving God.
Well, the list is endless – so many ways to be about the work of God’s Kingdom – so many ways that you could experience new joy and meaning as a follower of Jesus Christ – even though it may require a change in plans.
Now I know that some of you may be saying, “You know, I’m just not cut out for that,” or “I don’t have the time,” or “someone else would be much better at doing that.”
Still, you may be saying, “Now that you mention it, I have thought about that, but I just don’t have the courage and the confidence to follow through.”
Well, if you’re a little reluctant, think of Moses. Moses was reluctant too, to become the one to lead God’s people out of Egypt. “Not me, God, I can’t even talk straight,” was the response of Moses. “You want me to do what?” And yet that seemingly unprepared and stammering Moses accomplished great things. It was God’s plan. And there are so many examples in the Bible and throughout Christian history.
On of my favorite cartoons of all time shows two caterpillars making their way slowly across the ground. One , looking up, sees a butterfly winging its way through air, and says to the other caterpillar, “You’ll never get me up in one of those things!” Many have said, when it comes to the Lord’s work, “I could never do that kind of thing” – many who are now doing it very well. Don’t ever discount the changes that God can bring about in your life. You just don’t know what God may have in mind. You could fly, as it were, you could soar to new heights, experience new joys, and be a blessing in so many ways. After all, it’s all about the Kingdom of God – which is much better than any kingdom any of us could construct.
And it doesn’t matter your age. As a teenager with your vitality for the future, God has a special plan for you. As one thinking about a career, you may be ready to pursue a plan that God has for you. As one with a wealth of experience and many years of what life has taught, God simply may have been preparing you for following a new plan. As one who is retired, there may now be time to pursue a plan that you have felt God has been suggesting to you for some time. James and John and Simon and Andrew became powerful and effective workers in the Kingdom. And you can, too. There’s no better “business” than that.
Thank God for His grace. Thank God that His plans for us included a Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank God that He cares enough for us to have individual plans for each and every one of us – plans for a fulfilling life now, and plans for an eternal future.
Today, and in the days ahead, pray for the wisdom to grasp the plan God has for you. Pray for the courage to step out in faith. Pray that you may always be open to God’s leading. As God already knows, the plans He has for you are the best plans of all.
May His eternal blessing through Jesus Christ accompany you according to His plan, now and in the future. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for January 25, 2009
Topic: Christmas TreesANNOUNCER: Now, Pastor Ken Klaus responds to questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer.
KLAUS: Hello, Mark.
ANNOUNCER: Well, here we are, the last Sunday in January and, would you believe it, we’re still dealing with questions about Christmas? How about that?
KLAUS: Well, we’ve always said Christmas shouldn’t just be celebrated one day out of the year and then put away. What is our question, Mark?
ANNOUNCER: This week we have someone who says the Christmas tree is an idea that Scripture condemns.
KLAUS: Now is this coming from a listener, or was it said to a listener?
ANNOUNCER: It was said to them. A visitor to the house saw the Christmas tree and said the Bible condemns Christmas trees.
KLAUS: Really? And did they also happen to share where in the Bible that condemnation is found?
ANNOUNCER: They did. You’ll find that in Jeremiah chapter 10, verses 1-4.
KLAUS: And what does that passage say?
ANNOUNCER: It reads: “Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: ‘Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move.'”
KLAUS: Well, what do you know about that?
ANNOUNCER: You have to agree, certain parts of that sound like they could be talking about a Christmas tree.
KLAUS: And would you care identify those parts?
ANNOUNCER: Well, let’s see. Where it says they cut trees from the forest… and they decorate it with silver and gold… and then they fasten the tree so it’s not movable.
KLAUS: OK. Let’s deal with this. If I remember correctly, Jeremiah began his ministry somewhere around 625 years before Jesus was born.
ANNOUNCER: OK.
KLAUS: And how many heathen nations were putting up Christmas trees about 600 years before Jesus was born?
ANNOUNCER: I would feel pretty safe in saying, “Absolutely none.”
KLAUS: I think you get the point for today. “None” would be the correct answer. So, was Jeremiah speaking about Christmas trees?
ANNOUNCER: Not likely.
KLAUS: In fairness, it was the practice of some ancient cultures to decorate their homes with evergreen branches around the end of December, but that’s not what the prophet was talking about here.
ANNOUNCER: Could he have been describing the way in which a craftsman would fashion an idol out of wood?
KLAUS: I’m thinking that in saying that, you would be exactly right. The ancient prophets are filled with amusement at the foolishness of the heathen nations. They talk about making a clay god and if that clay god doesn’t work out for you, you smash it and start over. Psalm 135 talks about idols made of “silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.” In describing those idols, the writer comments, “They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them!”
ANNOUNCER: So then, it’s idolatry that the prophet Jeremiah is condemning here.
KLAUS: Yes. That’s a practice that the Lord would want His people in every generation to avoid.
ANNOUNCER: I agree. Well, is there anything else you could say on this subject of Christmas trees, or Christmas “idolatrees” I guess they’d be?
KLAUS: Well, you know, in that passage we quoted it speaks about silver and gold decorations. I wonder if the person who said, “Thou shalt not put up a Christmas tree!” also said, “Thou shalt not wear gold jewelry; or silver bracelets, or earrings.”
ANNOUNCER: We did have a question like that not so long ago. But suppose someone felt it was wrong, for whatever reason, to put up a Christmas tree?
KLAUS: You mean their conscience told them it was wrong?
ANNOUNCER: Right.
KLAUS: Then, by all means they should avoid putting up a tree. On the other hand, they can’t take their feelings and try to make a rule out of such a thing for all people. In short, the Bible neither commands nor forbids Christmas trees.
ANNOUNCER: So, in light of all of this, then, it would be OK if I went ahead and put up a Christmas tree next year?
KLAUS: As your conscience allows.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. 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
“Gradual for Epiphany Season” by Paul Bunjes & Henry Gerike. From Magnificat by the Concordia Seminary Chorus (© 1994 Concordia Seminary Chorus)
“How Clear Is Our Vocation, Lord” by Fred Pratt Green & C.H.H. Parry. From Sing With All the Saints by the Children’s Choirs of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church (© 2006 St. Paul’s Lutheran Church) text © 1982 Hope Publishing
“Rise, My Soul, to Watch and Pray” (public domain)
“O Be Joyful, Earth and Sky” by Jan Bender & Henry Gerike. From Magnificat by the Concordia Seminary Chorus (© 1994 Concordia Seminary Chorus)
“Oh, That I Had a Thousand Voices” arr. by John Behnke. From For All Seasons, vol. 2 by John Behnke (© 2001 John A. Behnke) Augsburg Fortress
“Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice” arr. by Chris Loemker. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC