"What Are You Waiting For?" - Message for May 4, 2025

What Are You Waiting For?

John 21:1–19; Acts 9:1–20
Rise Up: How to Start Living Again

Have you ever put something off because you didn’t feel ready?

Maybe you thought,

"I’ll reach out to that friend... when I’m in a better place."

"I’ll get serious about my faith... when life settles down."

"I’ll answer God’s call... when I feel stronger."

Waiting can feel safe. It can feel wise even. But sometimes, waiting keeps us stuck.

We tell ourselves: “One day…” But one day keeps getting pushed farther away.

What if the moment we’ve been waiting for... is already here?

The truth is: none of us ever feel fully ready to rise up and live the life God is calling us to live.

We think we need to clean ourselves up first. Get stronger. Smarter. Holier. But if we’re honest, we’re often hiding behind “I’m not ready yet” because we’re scared. Because we’ve failed. Because we carry regrets. Because we feel unqualified.

And that’s exactly where the Risen Christ meets us.

Simon Peter knew failure.

Jesus called him by the Sea of Galilee as he was fishing, and Peter left everything and followed Jesus for three years. He became one of Jesus’ closest friends. And when Jesus said his disciples would deny and abandon him, Peter declared he’d never deny Jesus — and then he denied him three times. When Jesus needed him most, Peter folded.

After the resurrection, Peter doesn’t go looking for Christ. He goes home and goes back to fishing. He returns to what’s familiar, to what feels safe.

But Jesus comes to find him.

On a beach at dawn, the Risen One makes breakfast. He looks Peter in the eye and asks, "Do you love me?" Not once, but three times — one for each denial.

And every time Peter says yes, Jesus says: "Feed my sheep." "Take care of my people." "Follow me."

Christ doesn’t say, “Peter, get yourself together and then come find me.”

The Risen Jesus meets Peter in his failure, forgives him, and calls him forward.

🎯 Christ doesn’t wait for us to be ready. The Spirit calls us where we are.

And if that wasn’t enough, look at Saul.

Saul wasn’t just struggling with his faith—he was actively fighting against it. He was on his way to arrest followers of Jesus when Christ stopped him in his tracks.

Blinding light. Falling to the ground. Hearing the voice of the Risen One.

And yet Jesus doesn’t destroy Saul. God transforms him.

Christ says, "This one is chosen."

Saul — who became Paul — would go on to plant churches, write letters, and spread the message of hope across the known world.

Not because he was ready. Because he was willing.

🎯 God’s Spirit doesn’t call perfect people. The Spirit calls willing ones.

And maybe that’s where you find yourself today.

Maybe you feel like Peter—ashamed of your mistakes. Maybe you feel like Saul—buried under bad choices. Maybe you’re just tired. Stuck. Waiting for a sign that now is the right time to rise up.

Let me tell you about someone else who didn’t feel ready.

C.S. Lewis — the brilliant mind behind The Chronicles of Narnia — spent years running from faith. He was a thinker, a skeptic. Faith didn’t come easy for him.

When he finally surrendered to Christ, Lewis described himself as:

"The most reluctant convert in all England."

He didn’t feel strong. He didn’t feel worthy. He didn’t even feel ready.

But he said yes anyway.

And through that reluctant yes, the Holy One used Lewis to lead millions closer to hope.

You don’t have to feel ready to rise up. You just have to say yes.

So what about you?

What are you waiting for?

·                Waiting to feel strong enough? Christ is your strength.

·                Waiting to feel perfect? God's grace is already enough.

·                Waiting until life settles down? The Spirit meets you here, now.

Here’s how you can rise up this week:

1. Create quiet space to listen.

Set aside 5–10 minutes in your day. No phone. No TV. No music. Just you and God’s Spirit. Pray simply: "Holy One, what are You calling me toward today?" Then listen. Write down anything that stirs your heart.

🎯 Visible action:

·                Set a daily alarm as a reminder.

·                Keep a notebook nearby.

2. Say yes — before you feel ready.

What nudge have you been resisting? A relationship to repair? A prayer you've been afraid to pray? A risk you've been hesitating to take?

🎯 Visible action:

·                Make the call.

·                Send the text.

·                Offer the apology.

·                Pray the honest prayer.

Move before you feel completely ready.

3. Take one step of obedience — Move your feet.

Faith grows by movement.

🎯 Visible action:

·                Attend worship next Sunday.

·                Volunteer for something new.

·                Invite someone to coffee and ask how you can pray for them.

·                Join a group or take a first step to serve.

Take one small, visible step toward God's invitation.

"Faith doesn’t grow by sitting still. It grows by moving—even if you’re trembling as you move."

Friends, Peter rose up from failure and helped build the church. Saul rose up from blindness and became a light to the world. C.S. Lewis rose up from reluctance and helped millions find hope.

And you?

The Risen Christ stands on the shoreline of your life even now, calling:

"Follow me."

What are you waiting for?

Closing Prayer of Surrender

Gracious God,
You stand before us with open hands and an open heart, inviting us into a life we were made for — a life of hope, a life of purpose, a life fully alive in You.
Today, we hear Your call again: to rise, to trust, to follow.
And so now, we lay down whatever holds us back — our fears, our doubts, our past regrets, our excuses.
We surrender our timelines, our conditions, our comfort zones.
We offer You our whole selves — the broken pieces, the hidden dreams, the unspoken prayers.

Move in us, Holy Spirit.
Give us the courage to say yes — not someday, but today.
Give us the faith to step forward even when we cannot see the whole path.
Give us the trust to believe that Your way is better than our way, and that Your love will never let us go.

Lord, we don't want to miss the life You are offering.
So here we are — waiting no more.
We surrender to You, and we step into the future You have prepared.
In the name of Jesus, the One who calls and empowers us,
we pray.
Amen.