Change can be both an exciting thing and a scary thing. I can remember when I was just finishing second grade, my parents sat down with my sister and I and told us that we were going to be moving from our home in Winston-Salem, NC to Marietta, GA. I was distraught. I was going to have to leave everything I knew: all my friends, the creek in the park where my sister and I would watch the tadpoles turn into frogs, the big swing set dad had made in our backyard and community swimming pool that was just a short walk down the street.

I can remember saying something along the lines of, "You can move, but I’m staying here." I thought that maybe I could move in with my best friend down the street. Her parents seemed alright as far as parents go, maybe I could plead my case with them.

Well needless to say, when the moving van pulled up to the house in July, my stuff got packed up along with everyone else’s and I found myself sitting in the minivan, holding my blue blanket, and waving goodbye to the only house I had known.

During the 5-hour drive to our new house, I can remember how the feelings of sadness for all I was leaving behind began to change to feelings of excitement about the new place we were going and all the adventures we were going to have there. When most of the boxes were moved in, my sister and I began to explore our new surroundings. We discovered that there was a creek with a small waterfall behind our house and numerous adventures would be had back there. We also discovered a tree just behind the house that had a perfect branch hanging out from it. We threw a rope over the branch and made rope swings that offered us hours of entertainment. As I looked around at my new surroundings, somehow, this change in my life didn’t seem like such an awful thing anymore.

In the passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew, change is a major theme. This passage describes the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus has already been baptized by John in the Jordan. He has also spent time in the wilderness resisting temptation. We will look more in depth at the temptation in a few weeks. But, with the events of this passage, change is in the air.

John is arrested for reasons we later find out to be his criticism of Herod’s choice in a wife. When Jesus hears of John’s arrest, he returns to Galilee but doesn’t stay in his hometown. Jesus moves from Nazareth in order to establish a home base in another town, Capernaum. We see a change now from John’s preaching and teaching to Jesus’ preaching and teaching. Jesus moves away from his hometown of Nazareth with everything that he had known in order to start something new.

In his preaching, Jesus echoes the words John preached, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." Jesus’ first sermon is a short and simple sentence. However, what Jesus is calling the people who hear him to do is far from simple. When Jesus calls the people to repent, he is not concerned with them feeling bad about the things they have done, but he is calling them to change directions. One of the commentaries I read this week put it this way, "Repentance here means more a change of direction, the gaining of a new set of values, the readiness for life under the reign of God." Repentance is about changing direction from the way of the world to the way of God’s kingdom.

But that isn’t where this theme of change within this passage ends. The scene shifts and we see Jesus walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee where he sees two sets of brothers. To each of these sets of brothers Jesus issues a call to follow him. Without a second thought, the brothers, leave their nets, their boats, even one of their fathers and change directions to follow Jesus. The disciple’s reaction is immediate. The NRSV says, "Immediately they left their nets and followed him." And, "Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him." No longer are they fishermen concerned with the tides and movements of fish but they are now disciples of Christ and workers in the kingdom of God. Another change has happened. These first disciples have changed their vocation.

In all of these instances of change within this passage there are exciting elements and scary elements. John has been arrested for what he has said and preached about and here comes Jesus who preaches one of the same sermons John preached. If John got arrested, what will happen to Jesus? This is a scary part to the story. But at the same time, we can see that with the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, something new and exciting is beginning. The description of Jesus’ baptism that we read a few weeks ago shows us that clearly there is something new and exciting going on in the person of Jesus.

Jesus’ sermon with its call to repentance is also both scary and exciting. It can be scary to leave everything we know in order to follow a new path, especially one we do not know. But that is exactly what Jesus is asking people to do. He is asking them to stop following the familiar path they have been on for so long. "Stop following this path that is leading you away from God and start following this new path. Things are going to change," Jesus seems to be saying, "and you should change directions too and prepare for all the changes that are about to take place." The new path leading to God’s kingdom is both scary and exciting.

The disciples were probably very excited when they dropped everything to follow Jesus when he called to them. They were going to start something new. No longer would their days and work be dictated by when the fishing was good and the tides were right but their days would be filled with this unknown. Fishing was not a particularly lucrative profession during Jesus’ time but one could make enough of a living to survive. But with Jesus’ calling the disciples leave this steady source of income in order to follow Jesus into the unknown. The disciples never seem to be quite sure where Jesus is going or what he will be doing next. This unknown can be both exciting and very scary. It especially gets scary in the last week of Jesus’ life.

Change is also seen in the way that Jesus calls his disciples. In Jewish society at this time, the traditional way for a teacher to get disciples was for the disciples to come to the teacher. Then it would be up to the Teacher to accept the individuals as his disciples. However, in this passage, we see Jesus walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee and calling out not to the distinguished scholars in the synagogue, whom one would think would be worthy of discipleship, but calling out to common fishermen.

These fishermen probably had little formal education. They had probably not spent much time studying the Torah. Yet, this is who Jesus calls to follow him. Regardless of their educational or material qualifications, Jesus calls out to this group of fishermen, "Come follow me." This change from searching for followers from among the learned of society to searching for followers from the margins of society represents just one more way Jesus will continue to shake up the norms of his society and bring in change as a part of his life and ministry.

Change is a major part of our lives as well. Jobs change. Life situations change. Children grow up and leave the home. Sometimes they come back. Parents age and need more care. Friends and spouses move on or pass away. Perhaps the only consistent thing in life is change. One of the things that most effects how we live our lives is how we deal with and can adapt to change. But the question remains, "How does this passage and the changes described within it affect our lives?"

Jesus’ sermon in which he calls people to repent because the kingdom of heaven is near was not only directed to the people of his day but it is directed at us as well. What would it mean to live your life as though the kingdom of heaven was near? I think there was a country song which talked about living like you were dying. Well, maybe we need to live like the kingdom is near. How would that change your life? What would it mean to change from following the way of life that this world dictates to following the way of life that the kingdom of heaven dictates?

Following the passage we read today is Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus instructs his followers on how to live in the way that the kingdom of heaven dictates. Surely to offer blessings to the hungry, the meek, the peacemakers, and those who mourn is to live as though the kingdom of heaven has come near. To offer blessings to these groups of people is to repent, change directions, and show how we are to live following God’s way rather than the ways of the world.

The change Jesus offers to these two sets of brothers is also a change that is offered to us. From their occupations of fishermen, Jesus calls them and uses them for the work of the kingdom. If Jesus can call out these men from their humble occupations and make of them disciples, surely God can make disciples of us as well. You see, the kingdom of heaven doesn’t measure qualifications in the way that society does. God’s ways are not our ways. The question remains: will we have the courage to heed Christ’s call to change with all the scariness and excitement it will bring?