NOTE FROM PASTOR J R FOR SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2022
This Sunday is the Fifth Sunday After the Epiphany and first Sunday of Black History Month. The assigned Gospel text is an account of Jesus calling His first disciples after a whale of a fishing story.
As I continue my sermon series, we look at preparing our lives to live out “The Ways of Steadfast Love.” It always begins with Jesus’ invitation to “Follow Me,” follow My example or walk in My footsteps.
Michael Green’s modern-day parable helps us grasp the concept of walking in Christ’s footsteps. “There was a field covered with freshly fallen snow. A father and a son enter the field. As they walk across the field, you notice that the father pays no particular attention to where he is going, but his son, on the other hand, follows directly behind, making a special effort to step in his father’s footprints. After the two have crossed the field, you notice that there is only one set of tracks visible in the field, although two had walked across it.”
Unlike the father in the parable, Jesus knows exactly where He is leading us. So, Green then says, “The Christian life is that way. In our daily walk we ought to be following Christ’s example. Whether in times of suffering, sorrow or need, whether in times of health, joy, or abundance — if someone were to observe the snow-covered fields of your life, would there be one set of tracks, those of Christ? Or would there be two sets, one belonging to Christ and the other distinctly yours?”
Luke’s whale of a fishing story that leads to Jesus calling His first disciples to “follow Me,” share with us “The Call to Trust, Launch and Leave” in preparing to live out “The Steadfast Ways of Love.” My prayer is that like Isaiah, your response will be “Here I Am, Send Me.”
Join us this week for worship by Zoom or Facebook Live Stream. Part 4 of my sermon series will be “The Call To Trust, Launch and Leave,” based on Isaiah 6:8 and Luke 5:1-11.
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