Swedish Fishes

A Sermon preached by Reverend Patricia Rowe-Jones

Poland Community Church, UCC

January 21, 2001

Everyone has a candy that they will do almost anything to acquire. For some it is a chewy gooey Snickers Bar, for others a crunchy Heath bar and, for those with a more savory tooth, black licorice (Uugh!). What is your favorite candy? For me personally, the one candy that I will never pass up are little Swedish fishes. There is something about the flavor and texture of these jellied candies that I simply can’t refuse. And I have had many a poor imitation, and believe me; they aren’t Swedish fishes unless they are Swedish fishes. I can tell the difference because the fake fishes taste like flavorless blobs of plastic; gummy bears in disguise. Now you might be wondering why I am talking so much about Swedish fishes. You might be wondering what do Swedish Fishes have to do with Jesus? Well, let me tell you what I have been thinking about. I have been thinking of Jesus call to Simon and Andrew, James and John: “Follow Me,” said Jesus “and I will make you fish for people.” And then I have been thinking about their remarkable response to this call for we are told, “…immediately they left their nets and followed him.” (Mark 1: 17- 18)These were fishermen, who depended on fishing for their livelihood, and yet they were willing to leave their nets, not after thinking about it for a while, but immediately they left their nets, their very livelihood and their friends and family, and followed Jesus. Now what I got to thinking about was that these men must have recognized something very delicious in the person of Jesus. They must have recognized that Jesus offered Swedish Fishes for the human soul. Once a person recognizes Jesus as the true nectar for the lost human soul, then that person is often moved, and more often ‘compelled’ to not only accept the Swedish fishes that Jesus, a fisher not of fish, but of human beings, offers, but to become involved in sharing this Swedish Fishy news with others. A FAITH THAT DOESN’T REACH OUT OF ITSELF IS NO FAITH AT ALL! And we must keep in mind that one of the purposes of Mark’s gospel is to help us understand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth. This story by the Sea of Galilee is part of that story. And this radical and bold move, to follow Jesus immediately, to become his disciple and follower, will have its challenges. In order to keep focused on being a disciple of Jesus one must keep focused on Jesus and on what Jesus offers. Andrew, James, Simon and John most certainly recognized Jesus Swedish fishiness. They knew him, they saw him and heard him and they believed the words of this artisan preacher from Galilee. Do you recognize the Swedish fishes that Jesus brings The Swedish fish of Salvation The Swedish fish of God’s grace and forgiveness The Swedish fish of God’s movement and presence in our lives; if only we would ask Now I do not wish to over do this cutesy metaphor, but bear with me a moment. You see, what they saw in Jesus was so yummy to their hearts and minds, that they were willing to give it all up and follow this strange man from Galilee. Can you imagine that?  The call of Jesus is so strong in their lives that all of their old life and old ways of doing things are abandoned. Immediately, they make this radical move in order to become disciples of this charismatic preacher. And yes, of course they are taking a risk by following someone whose career appears rather shaky. This Jesus of Nazareth is radical, new, and different. He is preaching to the poor and dispossessed in Galilee who cannot afford the price of living in Jerusalem. What are his career prospects? The chances appear rather clear that he will end up like his friend John the Baptist – facing both prison and death. These four fishermen seem to be taking a calculated risk by following a leader whose future is uncharted, uncertain, and unpredictable. These Galilean Fishermen had secure careers. The business they had was their father’s business before them. Why would a person turn his back on something so secure? SWEDISH FISHIES When you recognize who Jesus is, then, even though it might be a struggle to follow where Jesus is calling you to go, that part of you, that part that recognizes Jesus, will pull you towards what God is calling you towards. Disciples are those who allow the discipline of Christ to have the central place in their lives. Many of you know how difficult this can be. Many of you will have been through times when being a disciple of Christ meant giving up on an idea or a dream that you had invested a lot of time and energy in simply because Jesus was calling you to let it go. Perhaps too the opposite was true; perhaps you know what it is like to have Jesus, out of the clear blue, call you out of your comfort zone into new territory. The fishermen followed Jesus “Immediately” When I think of the times I’ve dragged my feet when the Lord has called it leads me to think that these fishermen must have been really special. Of course the call of God may not be as radical for us as it was for the fishermen from this mornings reading, And maybe our response is not always so prompt, but that doesn’t mean that the call of Christ to be a disciple, as One who recognizes who Jesus is and willingly drops everything to follow Christ; does not hold a very significant and central message for us as Christians worshiping God right now at this very moment in time. The fishermen recognized Jesus and took him at his word. Jesus said in Mark 1:15: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near, repent, and believe in the good news.” They did believe. Belief involves Action. Notice how Jesus called them. He simply said, “Follow me!” It was a personal invitation of himself. They did not follow Jesus because of what he said, but because of who he was. The disciples perceived Jesus’ invitation as one full of power and promise. The kingdom of God which Jesus has proclaimed as “at hand” is so vividly alive in him that his words bring that kingdom to life. The simple fishermen respond to Jesus call to “follow me” as though they already felt the presence and the pull of the kingdom. Jesus has that kind of power and when you know it, you understand that Jesus is your ‘Swedish fishy.’ Jesus returns us to our own sweetness; our own innocence; for without Jesus we are like fake Swedish fishes. We will not be whole, we will laugh, but not all of our laughter, and we will cry, but not all of our tears. WHAT GIFT COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT THAT THAT One great thing about being a minister is that I am not called to ‘re-invent’ the wheel. I am called to follow the discipline of Jesus, as Simone and Peter and James and John did. At times I am called to give up certain ideas and/or attitudes that our counter productive to my faith. It is not easy, and yet now that I know who Jesus is, who Jesus REALLY IS, how could I turn back now! Being a disciple of Jesus is a calling to each and every one of us sitting here this morning. Not because we must, but because we want to we want to follow Jesus because we recognize the gift of Christ, we experience the gift of faith and we want to honor and worship God as an expression of our love and gratitude. Christians are people who willingly put Jesus at the center of their lives and make choices and take action that may not necessarily make sense to the world around us. The Fishermen made a radical decision to follow Jesus After that their life was forever changed It’s like that for us too Once we make the decision to follow Jesus Our lives will be forever changed too. Sure, we will have to give up some stuff here and there along the way But our faith informs us that Following Christ is not the low road, it’s the high road No, it is not always easy But it is enriching and fulfilling and it is The path to true wholeness and true serenity. The Fishermen are trying to tell us this message this morning. They are telling us to follow Jesus, not tomorrow or when you get around to it, But immediately. And why? SWEDISH FISHIES