“Follow me.”

                                              numerous verses in the gospels

The words of Jesus, “Follow me,” spoken to his disciples on a number of occasions, speak volumes.  After all, when all is said and done, what Jesus asks of us is to follow him.  The call of the Gospels is all about being good followers of Jesus.

One way of looking at this is to understand that to follow someone is to try to walk in that person’s footsteps so that what we do mirrors the person we are following.  People need Jesus in their lives.  The way people begin to see Jesus is what they see of Jesus living through each of us who are part of his body, the church.

In Jesus, we see someone who lived his convictions by example.  He did not demand anything of his disciples that he himself had not already exemplified.  He commanded a following because of his way of life.

People are attracted to a community of faith which exemplifies a particular way of life that mirrors Jesus.  Discerning what this is supposed to look like in our unique community of faith is an on-going task to which we are called.

Along these lines, I am reminded of a favorite story from childhood which was set in medieval times.

              Once there was a young page who served in a king’s castle.  Each day the knights went

              forth to battle with the powers of evil and each evening they came home, weary and

              wounded.

              He who fought most bravely would have a special reward.  On his shield would shine a

              supernaturally lighted cross!

              One day, when the forces of evil were most threatening, the page was left alone to guard

              the castle with strict instructions to let down the drawbridge for no one.  During the day,

              several people came and begged for admittance:  a poor woman with a sick child, a

              beggar, a wounded knight.  Because evil was known to wear various disguises, the little

              page clung to his promise and did not let down the drawbridge for anyone.

              At the end of the day, when the knights came home battered but victorious, the king was

              amazed to discover that the shield of the page was the one that bore the shining cross!

You and I, like the boy in the tale, are called to work and duties that may not seem at all extraordinary.  Off in the distance, we hear the sounds of battle where others are engaged in hand-to-hand warfare with the legions of evil, but we have our tasks.  They are not always easy.

We too may hope for a victor’s reward and the King’s commendation for being faithful to his call: “Follow me.”

In Christ’s love and service,

Pastor Tom Dean