The Transformation Of His Call
Sermon
The Man From Galilee
Sermons and Orders of Worship for Lent and Easter
Object:
In preparation for our mission trip to Puerto Rico in the summer, several of us went there in the spring to see the camp where we would be working. When we got there we met some people from several churches in Alabama who were working at the camp that week. They shared their food with us that evening, and then after the meal we met for a time of singing and devotion. Between the meal and the devotion time I looked around some and found a bookcase. I looked at several books and found one called Who Is Jesus? I flipped through the pages and saw a chapter with the title, "Did Jesus Really Exist?" That chapter examined much of the historical records. Some of them said yes and others said no.
Later in the evening as I sat in a circle with those people I did not really know, I thought about the question in the book. We were on a large porch off the dining hall. There we were from different backgrounds on the side of a mountain in Puerto Rico among other people whose ways and language were unknown to us. Yet, something had brought all of us together. Something had caused us to be there. We had come there because of Jesus in His name to serve Him. Something about that united us and made friends of strangers. I remember thinking about the question, "Did Jesus really exist?" And I answered it in my mind, "Only Jesus could cause this to happen."
From the beginning there was always something about Jesus which drew people to Him. There was something in His manner, something about His look, something in His eyes which must have reached out and captivated people who saw Him.
One day, not long after returning to Galilee from the Jordan Valley, Jesus walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. There He saw two fishermen, Simon and Andrew. It is thought by some scholars that those two brothers had been followers of John the Baptist. If so, perhaps they were at the river when Jesus was baptized. At any rate, it is possible that Jesus knew who they were, and that they may have known something of Him. We will never know this. But Matthew does tell us that when Jesus saw the two fishermen He stopped for a moment and said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Then Matthew tells us they followed Jesus. Without hesitation they followed Jesus and became His disciples.
The three of them walked further along the northern shore of the lake until they came to other fishermen, James and John. Jesus called them also to become disciples. They made the same response as the first two, and they also followed Jesus immediately.
The lives of those fishermen were never the same. It was true of all those men and women, young people and children who came under the influence of the life of Jesus. The call of Jesus transformed them, and nothing was ever the same.
This has been true throughout the ages. Everywhere the name of Jesus has been spoken life is different, better, higher, nobler. We have found it to be true for us as well. Our lives are better because of the transforming call of Jesus.
So today, with this in mind, would you remember these things about this encounter Jesus had with the fishermen?
I.
First, Jesus saw their true talent. He knew what they were capable of doing. He saw the true talent they had. Matthew writes that when Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee He "saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen."
Why would Jesus choose fishermen to be His disciples? William Barclay, the renowned Bible scholar, wrote a book some years ago called The Mind of Jesus. He said that Jesus chose fishermen because they were "the kind of men" He needed. Fishermen had the qualities Jesus needed in His disciples. Barclay says they possessed the qualities of closeness to God, courage, patience, and wise judgment.1
So, what we have here is a carpenter turned preacher who chooses fishermen to help Him build a church and a kingdom, and fill them up with people drawn together with the great net of God's love. Jesus knew they could help Him do this, for He saw their true talent. He looked beyond what was obvious to all, that they were fishers of fish, and deeper than what was seen on the surface, rough men weathered by the sun and the wind. Jesus looked at those inner qualities, the real nature of those men, and He knew what stalwart, courageous, daring men they could become.
Of course, you see quickly now the implications of this kind of thinking. You know where I am headed with this, and you know what I am about to say. If Jesus could use their talent, He can also use ours, for He has seen us.
A man applied for a job with a transport company. During the training course the instructor said, "Suppose you are going down a mountain road and your truck is out of control. Your brakes have failed. A car is in front of you, and another truck is coming up the mountain in the other lane. What would you do?" He replied, "First thing I would do is wake up my partner, Leroy." The instructor asked, "Why would you do that?" And the man said, "Because Leroy is just an old country boy, and he's never seen a wreck like that before."
Who knows what could happen when Jesus has seen us. When Jesus looked at the fishermen, they did not know how He would use them. But they also looked back at Jesus. When we look back at Jesus, we see the reflection of what we can become, and what He can do with what we have.
When the London preacher Charles Spurgeon was fifteen years old he was headed to church one Sunday. But the snow was so deep he could not go on. Instead he stopped in at a little Methodist church. The pastor was not able to get there, so one of the members spoke to the small congregation. He quoted the verse, "Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." He really did not have much to say, but he kept quoting the words, "Look unto me, and be ye saved." Finally, he looked at the young man and said, "Young man, look to Jesus. Look, look, look!" Charles Spurgeon wrote years later, "I looked and suddenly the cloud was gone. The darkness was rolled away and for the first time in my life I saw the sun."2
Jesus saw the fishermen and they saw Him. Jesus and the fishermen got a glimpse of their true talent.
II.
Second, Jesus said the word that transforms. He knew how to enable them to do what they were capable of doing. He knew how to transform them. Matthew writes that Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
No longer would they be fishing for fish. Now they would be fishing for people. They would use their talent for fishing and the qualities which made them fishermen to begin catching people. Jesus transformed them: "I will make you fishers of men."
Jesus spoke transforming words to many people. Later on, near the end of His life, He would finally say to Simon, "You are Peter (meaning the rock) and upon this rock I will build my church." To another He said, "Your sins are forgiven, take up your bed and go home." And, to another He said, "Go and sin no more." In so many places and to so many people Jesus spoke transforming words, "You will ... You are ..."
Those are the words He speaks to us today: "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." A part of that following means learning His way. Jesus trained the twelve for three years before they were ready. A disciple was a student. He was getting them ready. And still they were not ready. They knew they were not ready, but He was ready.
Sometimes learning is difficult.
A little boy went off for his first day at school. He was the terror of the neighborhood, and his mother knew it. She wondered how he would do. When he came in she asked him if he had cried. He said, "No, but the teacher sure did."
In the church we are in school. It is the "Jesus Training School," the "You Shall Be School," the "Be Not Conformed To This World, But Be Transformed By The Renewal Of Your Mind School." And in this training school we are being transformed.
One American leader was asked what person had the most influence on his life. He said it was a teacher he had in school who said to him, "You can do better than this." The words stayed with him all his life.
Jesus said those transforming words to the fishermen, and He transformed them.
III.
Third, Jesus set them to their task. He knew how to motivate them to enable them to do what they were capable of doing. Matthew writes that "they immediately left their nets and followed Him."
These fishermen, who would now be fishing for people, were motivated by Jesus to go with Him, be trained by Him, and allow Him to set them to their task. Even as they were learning they were beginning to serve. Jesus would send them out to preach the Good News, and He would begin to depend upon them. Already they were on their way to being not only disciples but also apostles, servants, witnesses, and representatives.
That is our calling today. That is the task at hand for us -- to be a church and to be individuals who major in discipleship. We are to be disciples, people who serve, witness, believe, hope, give, and represent Christ.
William Temple, a Christian leader earlier in this century, said, "Christ wrote no book; He left in the world as His witnesses a body of men and women on whom His spirit came."3
G. Ray Jordon, Methodist preacher from North Carolina and teacher of preachers at Emory University, wrote years ago, "The hope of civilization is that we shall be able to produce enough Christlike men to save it."4
That is the world's only hope. It was when Jesus first walked along the Sea of Galilee. It still is today.
Kenneth Wyatt became famous for his paintings of horses. He has since become better known among church people for his paintings of the disciples. When he was working on those portraits he went into a truck stop to eat. He sat down at a counter, and he and a truck driver struck up a conversation. They introduced themselves and the truck driver said, "Oh, you're the guy who paints horses." As they talked, the truck driver asked him what he was working on, and Kenneth Wyatt told him he was painting the disciples. Then he asked the truck driver if he would be willing to pose for one of those portraits. When he answered yes Kenneth Wyatt said to him, "From now on you are Thomas."
I do not know what happened after that, who the truck driver was, or what this might have meant to him. But can you imagine what it might mean to you to hear the words, "From now on you are a disciple"?
Those words transformed the fishermen. And those words have transformed us as well. May all of us continue in the transformation as we give our lives to Him who said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
____________
1. William Barclay, The Mind of Jesus (Harper & Row Publishers: New York and Evanston, 1960), p. 65.
2. Walter L. Underwood, The Contemporary Twelve (Abingdon Press: Nashville, 1984), p. 48.
3. Elton Trueblood, The Incendiary Fellowship (Harper & Row Publishers: New York, Evanston, and London, 1967), p. 78.
4. G. Ray Jordon, The Emerging Revival (Abingdon-Cokesbury: New York and Nashville, 1946), p. 139.
Morning Prayer
Lent 2
O God, our creator, sustainer, redeemer and friend, who has blessed us all our days with good gifts too numerous even to begin to list, accept the worship and praise and thanksgiving we offer to Thee.
On these Sundays, O God, as we follow Jesus on the way of the cross, help us to remember He still calls us to meet Him there. And remind us that our lives are transformed as we give up all to follow Him.
Father, for all of Thy goodness, for the bounty of Thy hand, we thank Thee. And we seek to be blessed by Thee in even greater ways. Give us a greater strength of purpose, a larger vision, a greater hope and faith that will see us through.
Help us, Father, to be like Thy Son. Help us to be brave, strong, kind, loving, merciful, understanding, and patient. And help other people to be patient with us, for sometimes we try even Thy patience.
Bless the work, the mission, and ministry of this church. Enable us to be all Thou hast called us to become. Help us to dream great dreams and to attempt great deeds for Thee and the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Bless the great people of the world and all who suffer. Bless the great people of Jerusalem and give them Thy peace.
Be with those of our own church family and our various communities who are sick and who suffer in any way. Bring comfort and help to them all.
Hear these our prayers today, for we make them in the name of Thy well-beloved Son, who still leads us to pray. Amen.
Children's Message
Lent 2
Only A Phone Call Away
Good morning. I'm so glad to see you today. And I'm so glad you have come to church.
I want to show you a telephone today. Actually we call this a cell phone. With this phone you can call anyone in the world from anywhere in the world. You can use this phone in your car, which is what many people do with these phones.
I remember seeing a television commercial one time which had this line in it: "only a phone call away." Anybody anywhere is only a phone call away.
A phone call can change your life. Maybe someone calls and says, "It's a boy!" or "It's a girl!" Maybe they call and say, "I have a prize for you!" Maybe they call and say, "Come to my party."
Long ago Jesus called some people and it changed their lives. It happened many times. He did not call them on the phone, of course. But He spoke to them and asked them to follow Him. The Bible says He called them, meaning He asked them to be His disciples. And they agreed to go with Him, to follow Him. They did become His disciples. That changed their lives.
He still calls us to follow Him. He wants us to believe in Him, to love Him, to follow Him, to be His disciples still today.
When we say yes to Jesus it changes our lives forever. It makes our lives better than they would ever be any other way. To live with Jesus and for Jesus is the best kind of living. So, I hope you will say yes to Jesus. It will make your life all you want it to be. Thanks for being with us today.
May we pray. O God, we thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ, and that He has called us to follow Him. We pray in His name. Amen.
Discussion Questions
Lent 2
1. Ask someone to begin the session with a prayer.
2. Have someone read Matthew 4:18-22.
3. Having asked them ahead of time, let members of the group share various sections of the chapter.
4. How did Jesus call His followers?
5. What was He calling them to do?
6. What did this mean to them?
7. What has the call of Jesus meant in your life?
8. How do we continue to hear His call?
9. Ask each person to reflect quietly about answering the call of Jesus today. Then, pray together the Lord's Prayer with the leader giving the benediction.
Order Of Worship
11:00 a.m.
Second Sunday In Lent
WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD
Prelude
Chiming the Hour
Introit
Greeting
Leader: Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord,
People: That He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths.
Hymn of Praise
"All Hail The Power Of Jesus' Name"
Affirmation of Faith
The Apostles' Creed
Welcome and Sharing
Children's Message
"Only A Phone Call Away"
WE TURN TO GOD IN PRAYER
Joys and Concerns
Morning Prayer and the Lord's Prayer
WE GIVE TO GOD
Prayer of Dedication
Offertory
Doxology
WE HEAR GOD'S WORD
Hymn of Preparation
"Make Me A Captive, Lord"
Anthem
Reading of the Scriptures
Matthew 4:18-22
Leader: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
The Message
"The Transformation Of His Call"
WE RESPOND TO GOD
The Invitation to Christian Discipleship
Hymn of Invitation
"When I Survey The Wondrous Cross"
Benediction
Congregational Response
WE DEPART TO SERVE GOD
Postlude
Later in the evening as I sat in a circle with those people I did not really know, I thought about the question in the book. We were on a large porch off the dining hall. There we were from different backgrounds on the side of a mountain in Puerto Rico among other people whose ways and language were unknown to us. Yet, something had brought all of us together. Something had caused us to be there. We had come there because of Jesus in His name to serve Him. Something about that united us and made friends of strangers. I remember thinking about the question, "Did Jesus really exist?" And I answered it in my mind, "Only Jesus could cause this to happen."
From the beginning there was always something about Jesus which drew people to Him. There was something in His manner, something about His look, something in His eyes which must have reached out and captivated people who saw Him.
One day, not long after returning to Galilee from the Jordan Valley, Jesus walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. There He saw two fishermen, Simon and Andrew. It is thought by some scholars that those two brothers had been followers of John the Baptist. If so, perhaps they were at the river when Jesus was baptized. At any rate, it is possible that Jesus knew who they were, and that they may have known something of Him. We will never know this. But Matthew does tell us that when Jesus saw the two fishermen He stopped for a moment and said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Then Matthew tells us they followed Jesus. Without hesitation they followed Jesus and became His disciples.
The three of them walked further along the northern shore of the lake until they came to other fishermen, James and John. Jesus called them also to become disciples. They made the same response as the first two, and they also followed Jesus immediately.
The lives of those fishermen were never the same. It was true of all those men and women, young people and children who came under the influence of the life of Jesus. The call of Jesus transformed them, and nothing was ever the same.
This has been true throughout the ages. Everywhere the name of Jesus has been spoken life is different, better, higher, nobler. We have found it to be true for us as well. Our lives are better because of the transforming call of Jesus.
So today, with this in mind, would you remember these things about this encounter Jesus had with the fishermen?
I.
First, Jesus saw their true talent. He knew what they were capable of doing. He saw the true talent they had. Matthew writes that when Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee He "saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen."
Why would Jesus choose fishermen to be His disciples? William Barclay, the renowned Bible scholar, wrote a book some years ago called The Mind of Jesus. He said that Jesus chose fishermen because they were "the kind of men" He needed. Fishermen had the qualities Jesus needed in His disciples. Barclay says they possessed the qualities of closeness to God, courage, patience, and wise judgment.1
So, what we have here is a carpenter turned preacher who chooses fishermen to help Him build a church and a kingdom, and fill them up with people drawn together with the great net of God's love. Jesus knew they could help Him do this, for He saw their true talent. He looked beyond what was obvious to all, that they were fishers of fish, and deeper than what was seen on the surface, rough men weathered by the sun and the wind. Jesus looked at those inner qualities, the real nature of those men, and He knew what stalwart, courageous, daring men they could become.
Of course, you see quickly now the implications of this kind of thinking. You know where I am headed with this, and you know what I am about to say. If Jesus could use their talent, He can also use ours, for He has seen us.
A man applied for a job with a transport company. During the training course the instructor said, "Suppose you are going down a mountain road and your truck is out of control. Your brakes have failed. A car is in front of you, and another truck is coming up the mountain in the other lane. What would you do?" He replied, "First thing I would do is wake up my partner, Leroy." The instructor asked, "Why would you do that?" And the man said, "Because Leroy is just an old country boy, and he's never seen a wreck like that before."
Who knows what could happen when Jesus has seen us. When Jesus looked at the fishermen, they did not know how He would use them. But they also looked back at Jesus. When we look back at Jesus, we see the reflection of what we can become, and what He can do with what we have.
When the London preacher Charles Spurgeon was fifteen years old he was headed to church one Sunday. But the snow was so deep he could not go on. Instead he stopped in at a little Methodist church. The pastor was not able to get there, so one of the members spoke to the small congregation. He quoted the verse, "Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." He really did not have much to say, but he kept quoting the words, "Look unto me, and be ye saved." Finally, he looked at the young man and said, "Young man, look to Jesus. Look, look, look!" Charles Spurgeon wrote years later, "I looked and suddenly the cloud was gone. The darkness was rolled away and for the first time in my life I saw the sun."2
Jesus saw the fishermen and they saw Him. Jesus and the fishermen got a glimpse of their true talent.
II.
Second, Jesus said the word that transforms. He knew how to enable them to do what they were capable of doing. He knew how to transform them. Matthew writes that Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
No longer would they be fishing for fish. Now they would be fishing for people. They would use their talent for fishing and the qualities which made them fishermen to begin catching people. Jesus transformed them: "I will make you fishers of men."
Jesus spoke transforming words to many people. Later on, near the end of His life, He would finally say to Simon, "You are Peter (meaning the rock) and upon this rock I will build my church." To another He said, "Your sins are forgiven, take up your bed and go home." And, to another He said, "Go and sin no more." In so many places and to so many people Jesus spoke transforming words, "You will ... You are ..."
Those are the words He speaks to us today: "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." A part of that following means learning His way. Jesus trained the twelve for three years before they were ready. A disciple was a student. He was getting them ready. And still they were not ready. They knew they were not ready, but He was ready.
Sometimes learning is difficult.
A little boy went off for his first day at school. He was the terror of the neighborhood, and his mother knew it. She wondered how he would do. When he came in she asked him if he had cried. He said, "No, but the teacher sure did."
In the church we are in school. It is the "Jesus Training School," the "You Shall Be School," the "Be Not Conformed To This World, But Be Transformed By The Renewal Of Your Mind School." And in this training school we are being transformed.
One American leader was asked what person had the most influence on his life. He said it was a teacher he had in school who said to him, "You can do better than this." The words stayed with him all his life.
Jesus said those transforming words to the fishermen, and He transformed them.
III.
Third, Jesus set them to their task. He knew how to motivate them to enable them to do what they were capable of doing. Matthew writes that "they immediately left their nets and followed Him."
These fishermen, who would now be fishing for people, were motivated by Jesus to go with Him, be trained by Him, and allow Him to set them to their task. Even as they were learning they were beginning to serve. Jesus would send them out to preach the Good News, and He would begin to depend upon them. Already they were on their way to being not only disciples but also apostles, servants, witnesses, and representatives.
That is our calling today. That is the task at hand for us -- to be a church and to be individuals who major in discipleship. We are to be disciples, people who serve, witness, believe, hope, give, and represent Christ.
William Temple, a Christian leader earlier in this century, said, "Christ wrote no book; He left in the world as His witnesses a body of men and women on whom His spirit came."3
G. Ray Jordon, Methodist preacher from North Carolina and teacher of preachers at Emory University, wrote years ago, "The hope of civilization is that we shall be able to produce enough Christlike men to save it."4
That is the world's only hope. It was when Jesus first walked along the Sea of Galilee. It still is today.
Kenneth Wyatt became famous for his paintings of horses. He has since become better known among church people for his paintings of the disciples. When he was working on those portraits he went into a truck stop to eat. He sat down at a counter, and he and a truck driver struck up a conversation. They introduced themselves and the truck driver said, "Oh, you're the guy who paints horses." As they talked, the truck driver asked him what he was working on, and Kenneth Wyatt told him he was painting the disciples. Then he asked the truck driver if he would be willing to pose for one of those portraits. When he answered yes Kenneth Wyatt said to him, "From now on you are Thomas."
I do not know what happened after that, who the truck driver was, or what this might have meant to him. But can you imagine what it might mean to you to hear the words, "From now on you are a disciple"?
Those words transformed the fishermen. And those words have transformed us as well. May all of us continue in the transformation as we give our lives to Him who said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
____________
1. William Barclay, The Mind of Jesus (Harper & Row Publishers: New York and Evanston, 1960), p. 65.
2. Walter L. Underwood, The Contemporary Twelve (Abingdon Press: Nashville, 1984), p. 48.
3. Elton Trueblood, The Incendiary Fellowship (Harper & Row Publishers: New York, Evanston, and London, 1967), p. 78.
4. G. Ray Jordon, The Emerging Revival (Abingdon-Cokesbury: New York and Nashville, 1946), p. 139.
Morning Prayer
Lent 2
O God, our creator, sustainer, redeemer and friend, who has blessed us all our days with good gifts too numerous even to begin to list, accept the worship and praise and thanksgiving we offer to Thee.
On these Sundays, O God, as we follow Jesus on the way of the cross, help us to remember He still calls us to meet Him there. And remind us that our lives are transformed as we give up all to follow Him.
Father, for all of Thy goodness, for the bounty of Thy hand, we thank Thee. And we seek to be blessed by Thee in even greater ways. Give us a greater strength of purpose, a larger vision, a greater hope and faith that will see us through.
Help us, Father, to be like Thy Son. Help us to be brave, strong, kind, loving, merciful, understanding, and patient. And help other people to be patient with us, for sometimes we try even Thy patience.
Bless the work, the mission, and ministry of this church. Enable us to be all Thou hast called us to become. Help us to dream great dreams and to attempt great deeds for Thee and the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Bless the great people of the world and all who suffer. Bless the great people of Jerusalem and give them Thy peace.
Be with those of our own church family and our various communities who are sick and who suffer in any way. Bring comfort and help to them all.
Hear these our prayers today, for we make them in the name of Thy well-beloved Son, who still leads us to pray. Amen.
Children's Message
Lent 2
Only A Phone Call Away
Good morning. I'm so glad to see you today. And I'm so glad you have come to church.
I want to show you a telephone today. Actually we call this a cell phone. With this phone you can call anyone in the world from anywhere in the world. You can use this phone in your car, which is what many people do with these phones.
I remember seeing a television commercial one time which had this line in it: "only a phone call away." Anybody anywhere is only a phone call away.
A phone call can change your life. Maybe someone calls and says, "It's a boy!" or "It's a girl!" Maybe they call and say, "I have a prize for you!" Maybe they call and say, "Come to my party."
Long ago Jesus called some people and it changed their lives. It happened many times. He did not call them on the phone, of course. But He spoke to them and asked them to follow Him. The Bible says He called them, meaning He asked them to be His disciples. And they agreed to go with Him, to follow Him. They did become His disciples. That changed their lives.
He still calls us to follow Him. He wants us to believe in Him, to love Him, to follow Him, to be His disciples still today.
When we say yes to Jesus it changes our lives forever. It makes our lives better than they would ever be any other way. To live with Jesus and for Jesus is the best kind of living. So, I hope you will say yes to Jesus. It will make your life all you want it to be. Thanks for being with us today.
May we pray. O God, we thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ, and that He has called us to follow Him. We pray in His name. Amen.
Discussion Questions
Lent 2
1. Ask someone to begin the session with a prayer.
2. Have someone read Matthew 4:18-22.
3. Having asked them ahead of time, let members of the group share various sections of the chapter.
4. How did Jesus call His followers?
5. What was He calling them to do?
6. What did this mean to them?
7. What has the call of Jesus meant in your life?
8. How do we continue to hear His call?
9. Ask each person to reflect quietly about answering the call of Jesus today. Then, pray together the Lord's Prayer with the leader giving the benediction.
Order Of Worship
11:00 a.m.
Second Sunday In Lent
WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD
Prelude
Chiming the Hour
Introit
Greeting
Leader: Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord,
People: That He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths.
Hymn of Praise
"All Hail The Power Of Jesus' Name"
Affirmation of Faith
The Apostles' Creed
Welcome and Sharing
Children's Message
"Only A Phone Call Away"
WE TURN TO GOD IN PRAYER
Joys and Concerns
Morning Prayer and the Lord's Prayer
WE GIVE TO GOD
Prayer of Dedication
Offertory
Doxology
WE HEAR GOD'S WORD
Hymn of Preparation
"Make Me A Captive, Lord"
Anthem
Reading of the Scriptures
Matthew 4:18-22
Leader: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
The Message
"The Transformation Of His Call"
WE RESPOND TO GOD
The Invitation to Christian Discipleship
Hymn of Invitation
"When I Survey The Wondrous Cross"
Benediction
Congregational Response
WE DEPART TO SERVE GOD
Postlude
