The Call of Grace (4 Feb).

At a conference on world religions, the question being discussed was 'what is unique to the Christian faith'. Was it incarnation? Was it resurrection? A heated debate was going on when C.S. Lewis wandered into the room. "What's the rumpus about?" he asked, and heard that his colleagues were discussing Christianity's unique contribution among world religions. Lewis responded "Oh, that's easy. It's grace."

In his book What's so amazing about grace? Philip Yancey describes grace as being "Christianity's best gift to the world, a spiritual nova in our midst exerting a force stronger than vengeance, stronger than racism, stronger than hate." Other religions offer a way to earn divine approval. Only Christianity dares to make God's love unconditional.

Grace comes first, and takes the initiative. It is free of charge, with no strings attached. And yet how hard we find it to accept this. Jesus was well aware of our resistance to grace, and talked about it often. He described a world suffused with God's grace; a world where the sun shines on good people and bad people; where birds gather seeds neither ploughing nor harvesting to earn them; where untended wildflowers burst into bloom on the rocky hillsides. Jesus saw grace everywhere. While He never analysed it or defined it, Jesus communicated grace through His stories, and by His actions.

Actions such as those in today's Gospel, where Luke tells us of what happened when Simon Peter heard, and then responded to, the gracious calling of the Lord. In many ways, it was an everyday scene by the shore of Lake Gennesaret. Fishermen were busy washing their nets after the previous night's efforts. Yet, with Jesus, even the mundane was capable of being transformed by grace. Grace which was resourceful - eg improvising by making a fishing boat into a floating pulpit. Grace which seemed to take pointless risks - eg by getting the fishermen to fish in daylight. Yet, in the end, the outcome was simply amazing, awesome. And those fishermen found themselves completely hooked, called to share with Jesus in the ever-growing work of God's grace.

The story of Peter and the first disciples is the story of the Lord's gracious call, and of a willing response. Like countless other men, women, and children, these fishermen were not called because of their outstanding c.v. They were a ragbag mixture when they were called. And yet they answered the call.

Like Peter and the rest, you and I are also called by grace. The same grace of the Lord Jesus, who also comes to where we are, who wants us to take Him at His word, and who calls us to share in His mission. The Lord calls. But how do we respond?

Jesus comes to where we are. Not where we'd necessarily choose to be, but where we really are. Maybe some of us, like Peter, find ourselves tired and frustrated. Things aren't working out as we'd wish - we try hard, but to no avail. Our everyday life is a burden, and we struggle to keep going. Yet it is there, in that unpromising place, that Jesus comes to meet us. And, just as He got into Peter's boat, so He wants to get into the frail vessel of our lives - yours and mine. Do we know this?

Jesus comes to where we are. And He wants us to take Him at His word. A word that will be unique for each one of us. For Simon Peter, the word came to do something which must have seemed utterly pointless to this seasoned fisherman, a real waste of his time and effort. Yet when Peter took the Lord at His word, perhaps grumbling under his breath, we're told that an amazing catch happened. It happened because Peter dared to take Jesus at His word, and then act upon it. And sometimes you and I are also asked to put out into deep water. To do something that doesn't seem to make any sense, or takes us out of our comfort zone. Do we hear, and then act?

Jesus comes to where we are. He wants us to take Him at His word. And He calls you and me to share in His mission. For Peter and the others, their days of catching fish were drawing to a close. Now they would leave behind their familiar way of life, and start to share with Jesus in His mission to catch people by grace for God's Kingdom. This would involve an amazing journey of discovery, and life would certainly never be the same again. Perhaps some here today also sense a call from the Lord. Maybe to a new way of life and work with Him, or to a renewal of our life in some way. If so, are we prepared to leave the familiar and follow Him?

This morning, we've been spending a few moments considering the gracious calling of the Lord to share in His mission, and our own response. Perhaps now you may like to have a look at the slip of paper you were given with some thought bubbles. These bubbles give a range of different responses (printed below), which could have applied to the disciples in today's Gospel, and which also apply to you and me, as we reflect on God's call to us.

Bubble thoughts.
"It could never happen here." "I`d rather do it on my own." "We should stay where it`s safe."	"Let`s give it a try." "Let`s do it together." "Let`s push out a bit deeper."

Peter was willing to give it a go, to put out into deep water, and to work with others to bring in the catch. That is why he became such an effective follower of the Lord. The question to you and me - whether as individuals or as a church - is this: how do we respond to the gracious calling of the Lord?

John Barr