Called Out & Called To (May 19, 2019) 

Sermon preached by Rev. Thomas Farrow, Jr. from John 21:15-19, entitled “Called Out & Called To.” Jesus says in John 10:3, “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out,” which indicates that Jesus knows us. Because Jesus knows us, he also knows how and when we need to be called out. In our text, it’s Peter who Jesus calls out. Jesus, the good shepherd, he calls Peter out, not from the security of the sheepfold but from the self-imposed exile he’s been in as a result of his failures. Jesus not only calls Peter out, but Jesus calls him to. Peter is called to live out his love for Jesus by caring for the sheep of God’s pasture. As followers of Jesus, we’re not given the option of professing our love for God without also hearing and heeding the call to love one another.