Jesus Is Calling

Facebook has been reminding me that five years ago I was the Holy Land with a group from the church I last served. I have loved the pictures that have popped up, reminding me of what a powerful trip it was. I have especially been drawn to the pictures of the Sea of Galilee. Traveling around Galilee, it is easy to imagine Jesus walking around, teaching, healing, and, especially, inviting people to follow him into a new way of living.

Those first disciples—fisherman going about their business—found their daily tasks interrupted by the One who broke through the darkness to bring light and life. They dropped their nets to join him in this new way of living, and invited others to do the same.

Since that time, all sorts of people have found their lives interrupted by Jesus. The broken have found restoration; the sick have found wholeness; those pushed to the side found themselves now in the  center of God’s love and care.

And each time someone has responded to this call, the world shifted as God’s Beloved Community took deeper form. By embracing the life Jesus offered, embodying his teaching and remaining faithful to loving God and loving others, these people have shared the Good News. As a result, others have joined this movement Jesus created.

The biblical story of the call of the disciples by the Sea of Galilee gets replayed in every life. Do you remember when Jesus first touched your life and invited you to follow him? How did your living change? How were the lives around you changed because of the ways you shared this love of God and neighbor?

Each one of us is called to join in this journey with Jesus. It doesn’t necessarily mean you are called to ordained ministry, but you ARE called to some form of ministry. How you choose to live as a disciple of Jesus will determine whether or not others will find their darkness turning to light because YOU lived the love of God so fully.

I will never forget reading, “The only Jesus someone may meet today is YOU.” Jesus has called you to follow him. May you follow him so closely that your life is a reflection of Him. And may others find themselves curious to discover more about the source of this light, life, and love.

"Follow Me"

Mark 1:14-20 is about Jesus calling the fisherman—Andrew, Simon, James and John—to drop their nets and follow him. I have known professional fisherman and have seen the deep commitment they have for their work: leaving early in the morning, no matter what the weather and sea conditions, to haul their nets, fill their boat, and return.

What was it about Jesus that made these four—and millions since—drop what they were doing, walk out of their old life, and step into faith’s unknown future? What did they see, what did they hear, that convinced them that Jesus promised a far better life, a more meaningful way to move in the world, than what they were currently experiencing? 

When did you hear Jesus beckon to you with the words, “Follow me”? Have you been willing to drop all that is predictable, all that is safe, all that makes sense, to fully enter into the life that Jesus invites you to? What keeps you from entering completely into the ways of Jesus?

I invite you to sit in prayer, listen for the voice of Jesus saying, “Follow me.” What is it Jesus wants of you, from you? What part of God’s plan cannot be fulfilled unless you step out in faith? Are you willing to let go of whatever nets you cling to, to step out of the life you know for one that leads you more fully into the Way of Love?