Proper8, Morning Prayer Rite I and II, St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, June 30, 2019 by Annette Fricke
We hear the words in our gospel lesson, “I will follow you wherever you go” and “Follow me.” God is constantly beckoning us forward. Following implies that there is an interest, like Facebook. Following implies that we are interested or attracted to that person we are following. In times past, it meant that we wanted to know the news from the person we were following. We wrote letters or made phone calls in order to “keep in touch.” Sometimes, when people move away or become older, we lose touch. At other times, people ask us how a brother or sister is doing or how’s the family? Who is Jesus that we should follow him?
There are many types of leaders. Many of you may remember the game called Simon Says. The leader of the group is in control of what is said and whether it is just a statement or Simon Says. When the group leader says “Simon Says”, that is the only time the group is to take seriously what they are asked to do. It seems sneaky and even like pulling a trick even though it is quite straightforward. It is merely a test to see how well you listen or how long you are able to concentrate on the leader. Jesus will not try to trick us.
Teachers also fall into the leadership role. They are tasked with overseeing the learning process and the academic discipline of a classroom of children or adults. One is considered a good teacher, indeed a good leader if the students are learning the objectives of the class. In college or graduate school, the student is to take on more responsibility for his or her own learning, being less dependent on the teacher and doing one’s own research. Yet, teachers are there to help us if we don’t understand the material. Likewise it is that way with Jesus as our teacher.
As time goes by, we learn to ask of ourselves, who, besides God, do we follow, admire, and/or emulate? What values will we adopt for ourselves considering the choices we have before us and how will those choices affect those around us? How can we help? How do we balance self-care with tending to the needs of others? Maybe we need something like budgeting skills or help with viruses on our computers. It could be someone here or someone here knows someone who can help us or give us a listening ear.
Beyond the Jewish view which Tevye espouses in “Fiddler on the Roof”, we are to study who God is and seek to know what God expects of us. We need to be mindful that our understanding of God and what God expects may be a bit different from how others perceive. At the same time, we are called as a community to respond with compassion. We are called to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Our leader is Jesus, the one who had nowhere to lay his head just as there are people now in the same situation. Poverty and homelessness, disputes about illegal immigrants and the separation of children from their parents, not giving them basic necessities continue to beg our attention. To follow God is to do and be like our leader, Jesus who rested and prayed as well as who went straight to the cross continuing to live life amidst many obstacles, with his eyes to the Father and to whole-heartedly embody God’s love for the world, the entire world. No exceptions.
“Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Yet Jesus said then and says now, “Follow me, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Proclaim the kingdom of God every day and to all. Pick up your cross and follow me. The world is waiting for God’s compassion to be delivered by us. Keep doing what you believe God is calling you to do as an individual person and do not look back. Keep doing what we as a congregation believe God wants from us. Do not dwell on what was said or done in the past. Leave it in the past and move forward. Keep your eye on Jesus because he is our leader. And remember that no matter what, we will always be graced by God’s blessing.
