Welcome to Safe Harbor Presbyterian Church 

Where the love of Christ builds a harbor of acceptance, inspiration, 

Fellowship, service and joy. 

You enrich our worship with your presence. 

"When we say welcome we mean it!"

Sound Recording only - Podcast

 The Gathering

At the tolling of the bell, please quietly prepare your heart for worship.

Welcome and Announcements

Meditation Music Deborah Farrand

† Call to Worship

Leader: To God be all Glory.
People: To God be all praise.
Leader: God’s world is our home.
People: God’s love is our life.
Leader: God has a destiny for us.
People: We seek to know and do God’s will.
All: We gather now to pray, to give praise, to hear the Word, and to worship God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Psalm Prayer (In unison; Psalm 62:5-8,12)
Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God, he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge…Power belongs to you, God, and with you, Lord, is  unfailing love; You reward everyone according to what they have done. Amen.

†Hymn of Praise #610 O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing

Prayer of Confession and Affirmation (In unison)
Lord, we are in awe of the triumphs of your grace. You ask us to proclaim through all the earth your glory, praise and love. We know this and we are pleased. But we remember Paul’s words in Corinthians “knowledge puffs up, but it is love that builds up and edifies.” Lord, you call us to be your people, to be your witness even in this time of fear and hurt. You have given us opportunities to serve. In that spirit, please here these silent prayers… (In unison) Lord help us to follow you, to go where you lead, to serve as you call us, and to act and build on what we know. Make our knowledge to become love. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon New Creations in Christ

†The Sharing of the Peace

The Word

Hymn of Preparation #452 Open the Eyes of My Heart

Leader: Listen for the Word of God.
People: Our ears are open and our hearts are ready to receive.

Scripture: Mark 1:14-20

Leader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.

Sermon: Catch and Release Rev. Eugenia Gamble

Hymn of Response #632 People of the Lord

The Prayers

Call to Prayer: Hymn #466 Come and Fill Our Hearts

Prayers of the People
The Lord’s Prayer

Response to Prayer Hymn # 710 We Are An Offering
Prayer of Dedication

The Parting

† Hymn of Parting #751 From the Nets of Our Labor
† Charge and Benediction
Musical Response

After the service, we hope you will join us for Virtual Fellowship Time.

It is not possible to pass the collection plate at our live home church.

  We do need your contributions.  Please sent your check, made out to Safe Harbor Presbyterian Church to:

Safe Harbor Presbyterian Church

c/o Monty Rice

1298 Warren Rd.

Cambria, CA 93428

 If this is your first time here, WELCOME. 

If you have a prayer request, please send to:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Safe Harbor Presbyterian Church-PCUSA 

2700 Eton Rd. • Cambria, CA 93428 

Call or text 805.395.1521 

Info: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. website: www.safeharborcambria.org 

CURRENT PRAYER LIST 

Members of our community that are lonely, hungry and sick.

If you would like to support the work of Safe Harbor Church financially: 

Tax deductible checks may be made to Safe Harbor Presbyterian Church. 

During our period of isolation, please mail checks to: 

Monty Rice 1298 Warren Road Cambria CA 93428 

WHEN WE SAY “ WELCOME! ”, WE MEAN IT! 

 Kingdom and Call………Mark 1:14-20……....January 24, 2021

Mark 1: 14) Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15) and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” 16) As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 17) And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” 18) And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19) As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20) Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

Background: Verses 14-15 provide a summary of Jesus’ teaching. Mark makes little distinction between teaching and preaching. Proclamation happens in formal and informal ways, by words and by deeds. Here Mark gathers in a brief statement the activity which is characteristic of Jesus over time. The following verses show us Jesus’ first action of ministry…to build a team. On the surface it seems to be a text about the disciples---their call. But for Mark it is all about Jesus. It is about how he operates and especially about his authority.

The importance of Galilee: Galilee refers to the Roman province of Northern Palestine extending from Mt. Hermon in the north to Mt. Carmel in the south, between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. Unlike Judea to the south, Galilee remained under Roman rule during the first half of the first century. One of the strategies of Herod the Great for consolidating power was to deport Jews from Judea into new or rebuilt cities in Galilee and Samaria. Galilee was surrounded and heavily influenced by Gentiles. Jews to the south looked down on Galilee for its mixed population. It was known for prosperous fishing trade and benefited economically as a crossroads between Egypt and Damascus. It became a seed bed for revolutionaries against Roman government. The area lay at the periphery of traditional Jewish life. The name itself was used as a title of scorn, a synonym for sinner. The expectation was that no prophet could ever come from Galilee. Jesus and all of the twelve except Judas came from Galilee and it is the setting for the 1st half of Mark’s gospel.

Disciples: The word means learner or student. It is a word that was later applied to those Jesus calls in this text. Mark does not use the word disciple or apostle here. There is no indication of special status of those called. These were ordinary people confronted with a compelling call to change their lives right in the midst of everyday life. Ordinarily students would seek out a master and ask for the privilege of becoming a disciple. That is not the case here. Here Jesus takes the initiative. The emphasis is on Jesus’ authoritative command. In the Greek it is as if they were conscripted more than invited. They are called up into the kingdom itself to serve and to follow.

Leaving: In Jesus’ day the leaving of family obligations to follow this kind of call would have been even more outrageous than it seems today. Most men stayed their whole lives in the town in which they were born and took over their fathers’ occupations. For Simon
to leave a wife, family and mother-in-law for whom he was the sole support, and for James and John to leave their father without permission would have been a heinous violation of the social code.

Fishing: In Jesus’ day fishing was almost always with a net. On rare occasions an individual would cast and retrieve a net, but ordinarily fishing was a team effort. The point is clearly made that evangelism is a team effort.

Word Study
Vs. 14 - arrested – handed over, delivered up. This is the word used for Jesus’ betrayal. Mark connects Jesus’ public ministry to the delivering up of John the Baptist. He is saying that the time of prophecy has given way to the time of fulfillment.
Vs. 15 – time – the word here is kairos, not the more common chronos. Chronos refers to a set time in hours and minutes. Kairos refers to a special time or a ripe time or the right time for something to happen.
       Kingdom of God – a very complex term which refers to God’s sovereign rule over human life and the whole created order.
       Has come near – can mean ‘is present’ or ‘is coming’.
       Repent – to turn around toward God. This is a very radical term that means much more than being sorry for wrong actions. It means to radically turn around and shift the direction of ones life toward the values and direction of God. It means to give ones complete and full attention to the kingdom.
       Believe – not intellectual assent to certain propositions. It is a relational word that implies acceptance, trust and commitment to God.
Vs. 16 – saw – this word can be translated as recognized, perceived or attended to. Jesus did more than spot these men with his eyes. He recognized the ones he was looking for.
Vs. 17 – follow me – I prefer the translation “Come (plural) after me”, which is the literal translation. This gives the clear sense that they were not called to bear witness to Jesus in their own strength.
       Make – bring forth or accomplish
Vs. 18 – immediately – without hesitation
Left their nets – they left their livelihood, their commitments, and their pasts to follow
Vs. 19 – went a little farther – advanced (toward a destination). A very purposeful word. Jesus is not wandering around looking for disciples. He is on a mission and is moving with authority to accomplish it.
Vs. 20 – hired men – James and John come from a middle class family able to hire servants to work with them on the boats.

Questions for Personal Reflection
1. How does proclamation of the good news take place most effectively today?
2. What are some of the things that keep you from following Jesus wholeheartedly?
3. What would you have a hard time leaving if God asked you to do so?
4. How do you experience the on-going call of Jesus to follow him?