We are called to turn our lives over to the Lord. We seek to discover Jesus in both the green pastures and the dark valleys of life.

Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:  “This is the time of fulfillment.  The kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

We have just heard the first words Jesus speaks in Mark’s Gospel:  It’s time! The kingdom is here!  Repent and believe!  With this Gospel we have the beginning of the proclamation of the Good News in Mark.  Jesus is portrayed as discerning that the time is right for people to respond to the preaching of the kingdom.  It’s time for God’s definitive revelation of who God is in the person of Jesus; it’s time to let the world know once and for all that God loves this world; it’s time that God is defined by mercy and compassion.

The kingdom of God is at hand.  What are the conditions for entry into the kingdom?  Repent and believe the Good News.

Having announced that the kingdom is here and stated the conditions for belonging, Jesus begins the work of spreading the kingdom.  He begins to gather disciples.  In this liturgy, Jesus continues to call and gather his disciples -- you and I.  To follow Jesus is to not only listen and agree with his message, but to be willing to work with others he has called to build the kingdom.  Mark preached his gospel to help us know who we are as a people — those who have chosen to become one with Jesus in baptism; he did not imagine that he was writing down merely wise religious sayings.

For us as we respond to the call of God in our lives, our discipleship of the Lord Jesus involves responding to the call to be in community, to be Church.

The radical response of the two sets of brothers shows something of what is intended, they leave their nets and they follow. Peter and Andrew were grown men who were in the fishing business.  They experienced God’s call and immediately dropped everything, left their business, and followed Jesus.  The road they are taking will bring them to places they never imagined and will show them that following Jesus is a constant challenge to put themselves entirely into God’s hands.

How are we to pray over the radical response of the first disciples – they simply left their nets and followed Jesus – is to reflect on our Gospel commitment!  How does my commitment to follow Jesus and your commitment to follow Jesus compare with the radical response of the first disciples?

As disciples, we are called to turn our lives over to the Lord.  We seek to discover Jesus in both the green pastures and the dark valleys of life.  As a Spirit-filled people, we are consecrated to share ourselves in the service of others.

This is what the spirituality of stewardship is all about.  As disciples, stewardship becomes a way of life for us.

As we celebrate Stewardship Commitment Sunday today and invite you to place your pledge in the second collection today, we invite you to consider how the first disciples responded to the call of God.   Their sense of stewardship is an example for us to making God first in our lives.  If you did not bring your commitment card with you today, all is not lost as the ushers will make available to you extra commitment cards.

Our stewardship of treasure is not the only way we are called to discipleship but it is an important means of our willingness to turn over to the Lord.   If you are able to increase your giving, join me in making our commitment for our parish ministries to continue to grow.  If your commitment stays at the same level, thank you for that as well.  In all cases, we are grateful for your generosity.

Today we are blessed to have a fellow parishioner Barb Babiarz give a witness to how she lives a spirituality of stewardship in her life.