Without Hesitation

Mark 1: 14-20

John 1:35-47

John 3:1-2

John 3:16-17

HESITATION

Do you know how hard it can be sometimes to drop what you’re doing - to follow where God calls? Or like Moses who had excuses as to why he was not the man for the job, is your first reaction an excuse?

Hesitation is when you pause before saying or doing something, especially because of uncertainty, reluctance.

Can you think about a particular time when you felt God calling you in a certain direction, but you weren’t so eager to jump. Do you know what it feels like to hesitate? Does God really want me to do that? You know he does but maybe it’s out of your comfort zone.

When you do get beyond the hesitation and you’re in the middle of God’s mission for you, you’re going to find very few people who are there because they had empty schedules and just needed a project. 

But answering Christ’s call is where true, lasting happiness lies, that peace that passes all understanding. You have to learn that the story is not your story and how everything affects you.  It’s Christ’s story, and how he uses you to serve Him through serving others. Matthew 25:40 - In as much as you have done it to the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me. 

MAN ON THE PLANE

Arthur C. Brooks, an American author, public speaker, and academic teaches a class at Harvard Business School on Happiness and Leadership. He has published 13 books, including 2022 From Strength to Strength: Finding Happiness, Success, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life.  In the introduction, he tells the story he calls “The Man on the Plane Who Changed My Life.”

“It’s not true that no one needs you anymore.”

These words came from an elderly woman sitting behind me on a late-night flight. The plane was dark and quiet. A man I assumed to be her husband murmured almost inaudibly in response, something to the effect of “I wish I was dead.”

Again, the woman: “Oh, stop saying that.”

I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but couldn’t help it. I listened with morbid fascination, forming an image of the man in my head as they talked. I imagined someone who had worked hard all his life in relative obscurity, someone with unfulfilled dreams—perhaps of the degree he never attained, the career he never pursued, the company he never started.

At the end of the flight, as the lights switched on, I finally got a look at the desolate man. I was shocked. I recognized him—he was, and still is, world-famous. Then in his mid‑80s, he was beloved as a hero for his courage, patriotism, and accomplishments many decades ago.

As he walked up the aisle of the plane behind me, other passengers greeted him with veneration. Standing at the door of the cockpit, the pilot stopped him and said, “Sir, I have admired you since I was a little boy.” The older man—apparently wishing for death just a few minutes earlier—beamed with pride at the recognition of his past glories. [1]

As hard as the man worked, could it be that he existed in deep despair because in his mind he was and had always been the author and the book was about him? He didn’t know or understand he needed to fit in the book of the Author of Life.

John the Baptist

The scripture readings today from the books of Mark and from John are where Jesus is calling his disciples.  John the Baptist had just been arrested.  He had gone around telling the good news of salvation, that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.  Talk about not resisting.  As we discussed a few weeks ago when Mary, mother of Jesus, visited with her cousin Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist.  Both ladies were expecting.  John leapt in his mother’s womb.  Was he so excited about his ministry, his call from God to go before and spread the news of Jesus.  Could it be that he was so eager to heed the call of God that even before he was born, he leapt with excitement in his mother’s womb?

Frankly, John always seemed to me to be a little weird, bizarre, and odd. We read in Matthew 3 that John the Baptist wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

One of the more common signs that you have Parkinson’s Disease or may develop Parkinson’s Disease is a poor sense of smell – not me.  Just reading what John wore, I picture a dirty, less than favorable fragranced wild man.  But go a little deeper in the study of John the Baptist and you learn he was wildly popular, brilliant, and well spoken.  People came in droves to see him, hear him, and be baptized by him.

What if I had been that person sent by God to prepare / make straight the way of the Lord. I’m afraid I would have said What? Me? Wow! That’s dangerous!  I mean, you could be beheaded for ruffling the feathers of the Sadducees and the Pharisees.  But not John the Baptist, he boldly heeded God’s call without hesitation.  When the Pharisees and Sadducees came to John the Baptist wanting to be baptized, he called them “brood of vipers” and went on to tell them that just being a descendent of Abraham wouldn’t save them.  He tirelessly, diligently and fearlessly continued with the mission of God that he chose to accept to prepare the people for Jesus.  During this time Jesus was vocal that this was not yet His time until finally John the Baptist, when he had fulfilled his mission retired to a spa?  No, John was imprisoned by Herod and beheaded.  See, John understood what we often miss - our work and what God calls us to do is not about us – it’s not our story, it’s about God – it’s God’s story.

Jesus Calls His Disciples

So, John the Baptist is imprisoned and now Jesus says his time has come.  Without hesitation he begins down the road to the cross saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news”. He sees Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew who were fishermen – no lightweight or part time job.  It was hard work and a daily grind. They had to be dedicated to their vocations. But when Jesus called, we’re told they immediately followed Him to become fishers of men. Without hesitation.  Same thing with James and John.  These were brothers, James and John, sons of Zebedee, and they were successful fishermen – Jesus nicknamed them as sons of thunder for their fiery zeal and evangelical fervor.  If Jesus gave you a nick name, what would it be?

But they dropped what they were doing and left behind their father and the fishing crew and followed Jesus – without hesitation.  They knew it was Jesus’s story, not theirs, and they were there without hesitation to serve Him.

No pause, no uncertainty, no reluctance.

What does hesitation look like?

Nicodemus Hesitates

Nicodemus came to Jesus at night asking - How can a man be born again – how can he reenter his mother’s womb?

Pharisees - Sadducees - Sanhedrin

Who were they? Differences and similarities

Jewish people clung to religious practice, not to be confused with spiritual passion. Their keeping of the law was what mattered to them the most.  So, they looked to these religious leaders, teachers of the law.  Pharisees and Sadducees were religious leaders of the Jewish people during Jesus' day. Therefore, the Pharisees and Sadducees each held a lot of power and influence over not just the religious lives of the Jewish people, but their finances, their work habits, their family lives, and more.

They were not priests didn’t run the temple, just considered experts on the law (Old Testament)

to decide what the law meant – go beyond the scripture i.e. remember the Sabbath and keep it holy – so what does “holy” mean? Don’t work?  If so, what is work?

Pharisees were commoners (connected to the common man) and believed in the afterlife and supernatural, like angels and demons. They had the power of the masses.

Sadducees were the upper crust, aristocrats and were largely secular. They were politically influential and denied the idea of an afterlife.

But these two groups were commonly connected in one thing: their fear of the threat of this man called Jesus.

Sanhedrin - The Sanhedrin was a governing body made up of the chief priest (high priest), a vice chief justice, and 69 general members. It was made up of Pharisees and Sadducees. It is basically the Supreme Court and legislative body of ancient Israel. In Jesus’ time it was mostly made up of Sadducees.

1 “Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” John 3:1-2[2]

Was Nicodemus a blue-collar fisherman of humble means?  No.  He wasn’t just a Pharisees; He was a member of the Sanhedrin.  

There are different reasons speculated as to why Nicodemus came at night.  It is commonly suspected that Jesus came in the night to avoid potential political fallout.  I think the more common explanation is that he did not want to be seen. He was sneaking in the dark of night.  But another explanation is that Jesus was not an easy person to catch one on one. Nicodemus wanted to talk to Jesus in private. This makes more sense to me but possibly it was a little of both. 

So, Nicodemus was well learned, important socially and politically, and he respected Jesus.  He called Him Rabbi. He respected Him as a teacher and knew God was with Him. Nicodemus told Jesus, “I know you are a teacher come from God for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.

Most of the ruling class was afraid of Jesus popularity but there is no indication that Nicodemus was anything but sincere and was somewhat tortured by his unsuccessful attempts to understand the truth. He was just hesitant, reluctant, couldn’t comprehend how this man Jesus fit into this story Nicodemus had lived and studied so far. It was all about the law, tried to fit Jesus into the law and all that he had learned.  

Just before Nicodemus leaves, Jesus tells him what is found to be one of the most beautiful and passion filled accounts summarizing the greatest gift ever given:

Jesus says:

 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:16 (NRSV)[3]

It’s sad to think of this man leaving Jesus in such confusion and conflict. It always appeared as a cliff hanger type ending or the story of another lost member of the Jewish ruling class, but Nicodemus appears two more times in the scripture - once when he defends Jesus before the Sanhedrin and the last time when he is there to prepare Christ’s body for the tomb.  I believe his sincere questions and Jesus answers stayed with him and he was, indeed, born again.

I believe Nicodemus went from being a sad troubled man to being a man with joy in knowing Christ.  He went from serving his own well-being to serving the Author of the Book.

Happiness and Rising Kites

True, lasting happiness never looks like what the world thinks it should look like.  All those things wealth, power, “a bed of roses” do not turn into happiness, joy, or peace.  Happiness and peace come when you go through those doors God opens.

In May of 2020, a young professional couple in southern Michigan, Matt, and Danielle, were excited, eager to see their new addition to their household.  Little Sammie was eagerly anticipated.  Their son, Louis, was 2 or 3 years old. Since his birth the couple had suffered through 2 miscarriages, so this healthy pregnancy had them full of joy.  Their little girl was gaining weight and looking healthy at each appointment.  A few complications led to an emergency C-section and within minutes her strong healthy cries thrilled her parents who soon joined her in crying for joy. Danielle got a quick look and recalls wanting a better look to see if she looked normal, just the same way she had reacted to the first glimpse when Louis was born a few years earlier.  As the medical team worked with Sammie behind a curtain longer than the couple had remembered with Louis, Matt was able to take a few photos.  Sammie looked a little different than the two expected but nothing of concern; however, when they heard the nurse call the pediatrician, they knew something was off.  The nurse brought Sammie to her mom for some skin-to-skin contact and Danielle knew.  Does she have Down syndrome?  The doctor stitching her said it looked like she might have some markers for Down syndrome and that the pediatrician was on the way.  There were no family or friends around because of Covid and Matt and Danielle just kept trying to hold it together “It’s ok, it’s ok,” they kept telling themselves over and over.  But by the next morning the emotions and fear hit hard.  And just when it felt as if she were going to fall apart, the pediatrician said,” You need to mourn the child you thought you were going to have.” And that’s when the floodgates opened.  They cried all day while Sammie was, as Danielle put it, a dream baby – sleeping, latching, eating. Floods of messages of love and support came from family and friends.  As is common with Down syndrome, they began to learn of so many other health concerns including heart, eye, hearing, compromised immunity. 

They were able to take Sammie home in 2 days but with nothing more than a google printout of what Down Syndrome is.  Even though they had tons of emotional, moral, and spiritual support from family and friends, they just felt lost because of a serious lack of resources. 

Eventually, Matt and Danielle were able to find answers to their questions but clearly, there was a huge gap in the availability of resources.  In addition to all the family and community support, these parents were educated and affluent.  If they felt this loss, could you imagine what it would be like for parents without support.  They prayed for God’s guidance every step of the way and followed where He led them. How do you want us to fit into your story?

Fast forward to nearly 4 years later and the hearts of this sweet family to serve the Lord has them full in on a program they created called Rising Kites, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, a ministry to distribute bags of a bounty of information to hospitals and parents of Down Syndrome, 100-fold more than the google print out they received.

The part I haven’t told is that on October 3, 2019, Matt, Louis, and Danielle were on a beach on the coast of Maine. Just that afternoon they had found out they were expecting. They grabbed the kite Matt had packed and took it out to the beach to fly in celebration of the long-awaited pregnancy.

Eight months later, they had just come home with their new baby girl, still surprised with a diagnosis of Down Syndrome. They were exhausted, overwhelmed, and grieving a life they had expected for themselves. While scheduling medical appointments, Danielle flipped to a photo of Matt and Louis flying the kite over the beach in celebration. It was a red octopus kite. This red octopus held no significance previously, but they had JUST been gifted a book about a family processing an at-birth diagnosis of a child with Down syndrome called “We’ll Paint the Octopus Red.” They didn’t know Sammie yet when they flew the kite, but God who loved her and designed her, did. And He knew that on that day, on that beach when they were celebrating her life with a red octopus kite soaring through the sky, she carried that extra 21st chromosome. And it would make her exactly the girl she was supposed to be. A girl they, their entire family, and a host of friends celebrate and thank Him for every day.

In addition to the bag program, Rising Kites has a flower program.  You see, while Danielle was pregnant with Sammie, she developed a love for and found rest and peace in growing a cutting garden.  The garden has grown immensely and has many helpers, selling homegrown flower bouquets and flower growing kits, a coffee shop opening in June of 2024, and a Moms Morning Out where people in the disability community come together for coffee and fellowship.

What pulled me into this family’s story is that they took what many would consider bad news and asked God to open their eyes to His vision for how they fit their lives with Sammie into what God wants them to do? We KNOW this is no accident and as the doors opened, they went through them and fit into God’s story to show the love of Christ to people all over.

How is God using you? How do you fit into the Author’s Book? If God is nudging or calling to you, it is my prayer that you can heed that call and find true peace and happiness through serving God, through going through those open doors.  If you aren’t supposed to be there, God will direct you. But He wants you to seek his direction.  AMEN

Sammie

Risingkites.org