Unexpected | Matthew 4:12-23

{Ryan Paulson:} Our teaching text is Matthew 4:12-23 today.  If you have your Bible, you can open up there.  I'm going to read it, then Larry Boatright is going to come teach it.  When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee.  Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali---to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:  "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles---the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."  From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."  As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew.  They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.  "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people."  At once they left their nets and followed him.  Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.  They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets.  Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.  Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.  This is the Word of God.

{Larry Boatright:}  Good morning.  Today is the last Sunday before we begin the season of Lent, as Ryan sort of shared.  It's really a season where we acknowledge our own mortality.  It's designed to help us to stare at that, and it's probably good to do that every year.  It's beautiful because we go into Easter, and Easter is just so significant because of that.  This week we kick off Lent with Ash Wednesday service.  I really hope you'll come to that.  I think it'll be a really meaningful time for all of us, and I'm excited about it...