A Word from Pastor Randy
January 22nd, 2021
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus’ first act is to call four fishermen to follow him. We do not know much about the fishermen’s personal circumstances beyond their vocation, but when Jesus asked them to follow, Mark seems to go out of his way to tell us that they did so immediately. It does not appear that they weighed the cost verses the benefits of following or that they asked Jesus a lot of questions about what becoming fishers of people would mean. Rather, when Jesus said “Follow”, they left everything behind to embrace a new identity in which attachment and loyalty to Jesus transcended all other allegiances. And they did so, immediately. Their decision to follow represented a radical transformation of life as it launched them into an unknown and uncertain future.
I do not think Jesus necessarily requires us to leave our homes and our families, but I do think that Jesus calls for our allegiance to God and to God’s future, to overtake and transcend all other allegiances in our lives. While this allegiance may not necessarily give us economic security, or always make us feel comfortable, it is an allegiance that leads to life. It is an allegiance that can help make our world a place of justice, hope and peace for all. So, let us respond to Jesus, “Yes, I will follow”.