As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.  “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”  At once they left their nets and followed him. – Matt. 4:18-20

Tomorrow will be Inauguration Day for the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden.  This election has created a culture war waged within states, communities, churches, and families.  I am relieved that it will soon be behind us.  With the fear of a repeat of Jan 6 riots, or worse, an escalation in conflict with security forces, emotions and tensions are high.  We all feel the amped up anxiety that this conflicted election has created.  I am deeply dismayed at the irresponsible call to action against the democratic process and I pose the question to all of us, “Who do we follow?”

When Jesus encountered Simon Peter and his brother, Andrew, we don’t hear from Matthew much of the conversation.  Matthew simply says Jesus saw the brothers as they were doing their jobs, and told them to, “Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people.”  The other gospels give a little more detail to the story, but we don’t really know what was so compelling about Jesus that they left their nets, left their homes, left everything behind… to follow Jesus.  Was it the power of his words or the authority with which he preached?  Was it his demeanor or the fact that he could heal people suffering every illness that was brought before him?  I believe the reason the disciples chose to follow Jesus was a combination of all those things, as well as the very fact that they sensed he was of God.

People have been duped in the past to follow charismatic leaders who led them down dangerous and often deadly paths.  But Jesus’ leadership was different.  He didn’t end up leading others to their own demise.  He led others to life.  It was HIS own demise that he was willing to endure in the goal of saving all of us.  As we make choices about who to follow… whether on Social Media, news outlets, politicians, even preachers, may we always strive to be following Christ so closely that God’s voice is the loudest in our ears, our hearts, our words and our lives.  May we have the ability to drop all else that is of this world and follow Him.

God, our light and our salvation, Jesus announced the nearness of your kingdom and called his disciples to be fishers of women and men. We confess that we have not always been faithful to Jesus’ call. We have been selfish in our desires, and quarrelsome in our relationships. We have allowed fear to hinder us from connecting with those who seem different, and let distrust separate us from others. Shine your light into our darkened hearts. Give us courage to follow in the way of Jesus, that our lives may bear witness to the good news of the kingdom at hand. May our vocation serve to draw people to your salvation; through your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.