Jesus' call to discipleship is an invitation to get off the flight deck and into the cockpit!

Do you remember "Top Gun"? Remember how planes took off and landed on aircraft carriers? [NOTE: If you have a screen in your sanctuary, you may wish to show a short clip from the movie of an F-14 taking off and landing.]

These sleek, large, worth-more-than-their-weight-in-gold jets sit on even bigger, more expensive ships. In order for both pieces of equipment to function without disaster, a bond of complete trust and genuine teamwork must be established between those who fly and those who remain grounded. Those trained to pilot the most powerful and sophisticated aircraft in the world must rely upon and wait for a series of "go-ahead" hand signals from their always-grounded "airboss." Each step must be carried out in proper sequence before the big jets can set off on their appointed missions.

[NOTE: This is a "visual aid" sermon. The hand signals of the airboss, since they are intended for a belted-in jet pilot encased within roaring engines, are necessarily large and visual. Take this opportunity to "act out" the gestures of the airboss and have the congregation follow suit. Let them master each hand signal and be prepared to act out the whole sequence of signals at the close of the sermon. The signals can also act as a kind of closing benediction.]

1. The first duty of the airboss is to signal the removal of the "chocks," the small clamps that lock in place the aircraft's wheels and keep them from rolling.

The hand signal for removing the chocks is to put your two fists together, pinkies touching, four fingers facing you and thumbs pointing outward in opposite directions. Suddenly thrust each fist in the opposite direction.

The chocks have the same function on an aircraft carrier as do the blocks that you see placed under the wheels of commercial aircraft. These simple "chocks" are about as basic and unsophisticated a piece of equipment as you would ever see little more than glorified doorstops. But they serve their purpose. By jamming the wheels, the chocks make it impossible for the big jets to roll forward. One simple block can completely halt the progress of tons of machinery worth millions and even billions of dollars. Without the airboss signaling to remove these chocks, the flight cannot get under way.

When Jesus utters his first proclamation of the Good News, that "the kingdom of God has come near" (v.15), he follows it with the command to "repent." Before anything else can happen, even before he urges listeners to "believe in the good news," Jesus preaches repentance. Jesus knows that our sins and shortcomings, prejudices and preconceived notions can effectively block us from making any headway in our search for God's kingdom.

Sometimes, like the airplane chocks, these can be seemingly ridiculously small matters of attitude or style that appear utterly insignificant to others. But in our own lives, these small matters can easily stop us from reaching out and "believing" in the power that the gospel offers over sin and death. Before we can hope to begin our own journey into discipleship, these "stumbling blocks" must be removed, and genuine repentance must be experienced.

2. The second duty of the airboss is to walk around the plane, listen carefully to the noises on all sides, judge the vibrations of the plane, and signal the pilot when the engines sound ready. The airboss does this by making an upward spiral motion of the hand like a twister. This signal means that the engines, screaming to life, sound strong and safe, ready to propel the plane down the runway when the time is right.

Vibration comes before vision. We must hear the call before we can see the calling. Jesus first heard his Father's call to him; then he saw his calling as the Messiah. Jesus then sounded forth the call to his disciples, and those who had ears to hear, heard. Like the airboss' spiral gesture, Jesus proclaimed a spiraling moment in time a kairic moment when time is both "fulfilled" and yet "coming near." Kairos time, unlike chronos time, does not proceed in neat linear motion. It is much more like that spiraling gesture used by the airboss. The pent-up power in a spiral, a tightly wound spring image, is infinitely greater than the tautness of a straight line.

The most powerful winds ever recorded on Earth don't blow across the top of Mount Washington (where gusts of 190 mph have been recorded). They scream in the circles of the giant cyclones that appear and then disappear over "tornado alley" in the Midwest. In these swirling spirals, winds of 300 mph have been recorded.

The kingdom of God, which Jesus repeatedly describes as both "now" and "not yet," continues to be present for us today in the spiraling kairos time it inhabits. Living in the tension of this coiled power, Christians should be able to feel both the power of God's presence and the pull of worldly conflicts. Like the pilots of those aircraft, we sit perched on a seat of tremendous power but we, too, must wait for the next signal before getting fully underway.

3. After the engine is revved up and ready, the airboss next looks into the cockpit of the plane and asks if the pilot is ready. Now that the vibrations are accounted for, the question is vision. Can the pilot see his way forward? Is the pilot prepared?

When the airboss finds a spot where he can establish a visionary relationship with the pilot, he makes a "thumbs-up" signal a signal which the pilot must return so that the airboss knows the pilot has seen him and is as ready as is his technology. The "thumbs-up" gesture illustrates the pilot's confidence, the pilot's faith in the airboss' guidance, and the aircraft's preparedness.

Before Jesus calls his very first disciples, he is already calling people to faith. Faithfulness is the Christians' "thumbs-up" sign. We have no way of knowing if the course ahead of us carries smooth air or turbulence and storms. We have no special foreknowledge if the skies will be friendly or filled with hostility and danger.

What we do have is faith faith in the love of Christ, faith in the eternal closeness of God's presence and God's kingdom. Jesus proclaims that the correct response to the gospel news is faith. He gives us the "thumbs-up" signal first. It is then essential that we return a "thumbs-up" sign of trust in God's grace and faithfulness to us.

4. The fourth signal given by the airboss goes beyond the mechanical, beyond the status of the equipment. In order to remind the pilot of the significance of the assigned mission of the life-and-death possibilities that lie behind every takeoff and every landing the airboss offers the pilot a formal salute.

This salute is a serious gesture, a somber moment in the procedure. There are dangers known and unknown that accompany the mission, no matter how routine any mission may appear. By saluting, the airboss reminds the pilot of the seriousness of the venture and elevates what may be a routine into a significant moment.

Jesus called his first disciples not only to learn at his feet but to join them in offering the world the saving message of the gospel. This is truly a mission of life or death. The gospel has the power to save to "rescue the perishing" but only if those called to discipleship understand the nature of their mission and choose to accept it.

5. The final gesture the airboss makes sends the waiting plane and pilot off into the sky. This gesture is the grandest of the lot. For now that everything is ready for takeoff, the airboss must do one more thing. Can you guess what it is?

Get out of the way!

The airboss takes a giant step to the side, then makes a grand forward-pointing gesture with his whole arm. The airboss points the pilot off the flight deck, into the direction of the carrier's mission. It is the airboss' sendoff of the pilot out into the world.
Can we let go and let God take us into the wild blue yonder? Can we let go and trust God enough to lift us into stratospheres of spirituality and service we never knew even existed? Can we get out of the way and let God be God in our lives?

The contemporary gospel group BTR (Big Tent Revival), in their top ten CD "Open All Nite," sing a song called "Letting Go." It was written by their lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist Steve Wiggins.

[NOTE: This CD is available at your local Christian bookstore. Try playing it at the end of the sermon. To aid those who might have trouble understanding the words in this kind of music, make them available in print, or use an overhead and put them on a screen.]

I am a man who hides his feelings.
I don't think I can keep from revealing
All the thoughts inside of me
That are out of control.
So Lord, I'm letting go.
There was a time things didn't matter;
Reason and rhyme were second nature.
It was all a big facade
I have come to know.
So Lord, I'm letting go.
I am calling. Are you hearing?
I am falling. Come and catch me.
From now on I put my trust
in you and you alone.
So Lord, I'm letting go.
(Used by permission. (c)1996, Photon Music BMI, All rights reserved.)