Fresh Start

 Eastern Parkway United Methodist Church 

 
 

 

 A warm welcome to each worshiper today. We celebrate you and offer you our friendship and love. We are a congregation of people who seek to grow spiritually, to become more like Christ in His compassion and acceptance of everyone while growing more aware of what it really means to be Christians today. 

As a Reconciling Congregation, EPUMC affirms the sacred worth of persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities and welcomes them into full participation in the fellowship, membership, ministries, and leadership of the congregation. 

  

943 Palmer Avenue, Schenectady, NY 12309 / 518-374-4306 epumc943@gmail.com / www.easternparkway.org 

Order of Worship 

January 22, 2023 

10:00 a.m. 

*You are invited to rise in body or spirit. 

  

Prelude  

 
 

Greeting and Announcements 

 
 

Mission Statement: 

We are a faith community striving to be, to nurture, and to send forth disciples of Jesus Christ. 

 
 

Call to Worship: 

The Lord is our light and our salvation! 

Why should we be afraid? 

The Lord is the stronghold of our life! 

What have we to fear? 

Let us shout with joy to God! 

Let us sing and make music before our God.  

Mary Petrina Boyd 

 
 

*Hymn I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light #206 

 
 

Prayer of Confession: 

God of light, 

we live in the darkness of despair: 

worried about our lives, 

concerned for our health, 

fearful that we are lost from you. 

The yoke of our burdens lies heavy upon us: 

our unwillingness to forgive, 

our fears of one another, 

our reluctance to share what we have, 

our divisions and quarrels. 

We long to turn from the dark 

and live in the light. 

We yearn to leave what is evil 

and follow the paths of righteousness. 

Shine the light of your love upon us 

and transform us with your love, 

that your promised realm may draw near. Amen. 

  

Assurance: 

The light of God’s love 

shines into the dark places of our world, 

healing its brokenness, 

and bringing hope to places of despair. 

The light of God’s love 

makes us a forgiven people. 

Thanks be to God! 

 
 

Scripture Reading Matthew 4: 12-23 

Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee 

12 Now when Jesus[a] heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 

15 “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, 
    on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the gentiles— 
16 the people who sat in darkness 
    have seen a great light, 
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death 
    light has dawned.” 

17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”[b] 

Jesus Calls the First Disciples 

18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishers. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. 

Jesus Ministers to Crowds of People 

23 Jesus[c] went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news[d] of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. 

 
 

Sermon Fresh Start 

 

What could someone say to you right now that would convince you to quit your job? Think about it. In this capitalistic society quitting your job is regarded as one of the biggest decisions you can make. It’s a decision that radically changes your identity, cuts off your access to income, health insurance, and retirement benefits, costs you friends and professional connections, and often one that will cost you status in this world. I can’t imagine a situation in which you would make that decision lightly. 

So what would do it for you? What would be enough to make you decide it’s worth it to take on all that risk? Could anything be enough for that? 

Now, anticipating that some of you are thinking “Well NOTHING could convince me to quit my job because I’M RETIRED,” or “I’m not part of this thought exercise because I never worked outside the home,” or even “Man I wish I had a job to consider quitting, I’m unemployed.” We’re all different. That’s one of the greatest lessons this scripture passage illuminates for us. And Jesus can’t build the Kin-dom of God with just one type of person, it takes all kinds, or God’s vision for this world is impossible. So if you’re retired, good for you, I hope you’re enjoying all that leisure time. If you’ve been a stay at home spouse or parent, I see your very real labor and honor your sacrifice. And if this thought exercise if painful for you because you’ve been searching for work, I’m praying for you. It’s rough out there. If there’s anyone who understood that perfectly, it was Jesus. 

So rough was it out there, in fact, that Jesus decided in one of his very first acts of divine wisdom that he couldn’t do his ministry alone, even though he knew he’d end up alone on the cross. He still needed companions for the journey.  

In today’s reading, Jesus calls his very first four disciples, two pairs of brothers, all professional fishers. And he makes them contemplate the answer to the hypothetical question I posed a minute ago: what could someone say to you that would convince you to just up and quit your job right now? Has someone ever done that for you? Some of you might be thinking those words could be something like “RUN, dude, the office is on fire!”, or “Man, you’ll never believe the sketchy illegal stuff I just caught our boss doing,” or “Hey, guess what? You have a rich family member you didn’t know who just died and left you a million dollars.” 

Maybe one of those sentiments would do it for you. But the disciples Jesus calls in this reading hear nothing like that. It’s also worth noting that, despite being four fishermen, they’re all different, and Jesus approaches them uniquely to convince them to leave it all behind and come with him. Jesus is the Savior who sees you as a beautifully unique soul even in a sea of cubicles. 

The first two disciples Jesus calls are Simon and Andrew. They’re career fishers, and relatively poor ones. The only equipment they own is a net. Jesus tells them, “follow me, and I will teach you to fish for people,” and they drop their only possession, their net, and follow Jesus. This really opens some follow up questions from me. Is it easier to give everything up for Jesus when you don’t own much? Jesus alludes to that several times in his own words. I have to imagine the path to discipleship is easier, at least in the beginning, for the poor. It’s an interesting truth in Jesus’ social order. There’s another wrinkle to this, as well. Simon doesn’t just drop his net, he also drops his name. Right after he leaves his job, Jesus turns around and says, “Oh, by the way, I never cared for the name Simon, you’re Peter from now on. I’ve got this whole justification for it because it means ‘rock’ and you’re the ‘rock’ of my Church. But, you know, no pressure.” Well that’s a lot. Would I handle any of that as gracefully? “Oh, hey, Natalie...yeah, no, I know your parents liked that name but I’m going to call you ‘Gertrude’. You should be flattered, it means ‘strong’.” Could I drop my antique doll collection on the side of the road and spend the rest of my life being called Gertrude? Is my love of Jesus deep enough? I have my doubts. You really have to appreciate Peter’s devotion. 

Disciples 3 and 4 that Jesus calls are people that we know to have much more social clout than Simon and Andrew even before Matthew describes them. They’re the “sons of Zebedee”. Matthew knows and cares who their father is. He didn’t bother to name Simon and Andrew’s dad. I don’t know anything about Zebedee, but the fact that Matthew and his readers did tells me James and John come from something. My guess is that “something” is money. Matthew gives me more information to confirm that suspicion in the next sentence when he explains that James and John are out in the lake, in their boat, mending their nets in the company of Zebedee himself. Holy guacamole, guys, they own a boat. A vehicle. Just think how much an asset like that would have cost them, and how much capital they had to amass to get it. Now imagine how much more they can do on their fishing expeditions, out in the middle of the lake in a boat, than Simon and Peter could ever accomplish on the shore with just a net. They have a much higher lifetime earning potential, and much more to walk away from. Ironically, it sounds like Jesus said nothing at all to them, at least according to Matthew, who records none of Jesus’ dialogue. So, what did Jesus do to gain these two followers? Did he just give them a knowing glance? Or was he like a mom who’s reached her limit on a trip to the park with her kids, and he made a mom face (use your imagination), a forceful foot stomp, and point toward where he wants to go so intimidating that even other people’s kids grab their coats and get ready to go? 

However this all played out, Jesus uttered at most ten words and ended four fishing careers. Dang. Clearly Jesus needs to be working in recruitment for some major company. A selfish person would try to exploit those kinds of powers of persuasion for huge monetary gain. But I can’t imagine Jesus succeeding in that life. It wasn’t what he wanted. As it was, he didn’t last long in the life he lived, he died a year after the events of this story.  

Now, I already made the decision to spend this life working for Jesus. Or I’d like to think that’s in the fine print when you become a church pastor. So whatever this moment is of abandoning my boat and dumping my net...did I already do that? Well, maybe when I decided in college to ditch that math major and pursue religious studies and seminary instead. Still, we have to wrap our minds around the utter unknown that these four men stepped into when they followed Jesus. Simon and Andrew may have been poor as paupers, but that life was predictable. You can assume, based on what we know of their culture, that their father (whoever he was) fished, and taught them how. It’s all they’ve ever known. And James and John could have expected a privileged life had they stayed in that boat with their dad. Jesus offers them no income, nowhere to live, and no plans for a sustainable future. I’ve made some big moves for Jesus, it’s true. I followed him from Chicago to Rochester, and then from Rochester to Salem, and then from Salem to Schenectady. But even I, feeling how I feel, would want to know, before dropping everything to take another road trip with the Lord, that there will be health insurance and a 401k when we get there. 

Jesus calls us to big, blind trust. Perhaps not literally to quit our career plans—but my parents might tell you something different as they did expect me to be a math teacher, after all—but to try something we understand nothing about, unequipped and unafraid. Maybe the right question to pose to you is more like this: what could someone say to you to inspire you to feel this bold? This is more than the boldness of your first day at your dream job, or your first day parenting a child, or a brave decision to move. This is all of that boldness rolled together, and put into the pudgy body of a four year old wearing his favorite Batman shirt.  

And that returns us to the evergreen wisdom of children. When was the last time any of us old people thought we had that kind of energy? Now, as we approach Lent, is the season to rediscover confidence. Confidence is what Jesus needs from us to start anew, to build what has never existed, and to create a better world. What, or who, makes you feel like your strongest self? Maybe a beloved hobby, or a special skill, or some valuable knowledge, or the encouragement of a friend, loved one, or mentor?  

There is something unique within you that God needs to build the Kin-dom. Of all the kinds of people that ever existed, God looked upon the world and decided it was incomplete without you. You have something to give as a disciple. Explore that. Harness it. And see what Jesus can do with it. 

Amen. 

 
 

*Hymn Thy Holy Wings, O Savior #502 

 
 

Offering  

 
 

Offertory  

*Doxology #94 

*Prayer of dedication             

 
 

Pastoral Prayer and Lord’s Prayer 

 

God our holy Friend, you allow us share some of your love for the world. While we are here praying for the world’s healing, others are busy implementing that healing. Later, when we are out there trying to give of our best, may others remember to pray for us. 

Give your grace to all peacemakers; those who endeavour to resolve with justice all conflicts between nations, and within communities, commerce and industry, parliaments, families, marriage partners, colleagues, and friends. 

Let your grace support those who fight with and for neglected people; those small ethnic groups with no political clout, the little people who are being ripped off by the rich and unscrupulous, and the deserted wives or husbands who are raising a family alone. 

Endow the merciful folk with your sustaining grace; those who treat diseases, bind up wounds, feed the hungry, re-settle the homeless, care for the orphan, visit the prisoner, encourage the handicapped, watch with the dying and grieve with the sorrowful. 

Endorse the work of this church with your enabling grace. Keep it close to the agenda of Christ. Let us be joyful in worship, warm in fellowship, inclusive in outreach, open in decision making, humble and sensitive in evangelism, and gracious in our ecumenical endeavours. 

Bless any servant of yours who is keeping the faith against the odds: those without the encouragement of other Christians at hand, or without even a distant congregation that can pray their names with affection. Please let your grace renew them daily, and may they know your Spirit as Friend and Counsellor. 

Visit each of us with your grace, loving Friend. Dismantle our fears, build up our faith, deepen our love, clarify our goals, sharpen our insight, widen our compassion, and open our minds to the new words you wish to speak to our situation. 

In the name of the patient, insightful, and healing Christ we offer these prayers. Amen. 

— written by Bruce Prewer, and posted on Bruce Prewer’s Homepage.  http://www.bruceprewer.com/  Visit that website for other excellent lectionary-based worship resources. 
 

Our Father, Mother, Creator God, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. Lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever. Amen. 

*Hymn Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies #173 

 
 

Benediction 

 
Postlude  
 
 

Staff 

Natalie Bowerman Pastor 

Betsy Lehmann Music Director 

Joe White Custodian 

Cassandra Brown Nursery Attendant