Are you up for a little adventure too? - May 2

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 30, 32; PM Psalm 42, 43: Exod. 25:1–22; Col. 3:1–17; Matt. 4:18–25

“Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” They didn’t come up with a three-year plan of how they were going to start being more faithful. They didn’t go back and convince their friends that they needed to go a different way. Matthew puts the emphasis on ‘immediately.’ There is a sense of urgency in the text, certainly expediency.

I have always wondered what Simon Peter and Andrew saw or witnessed that morning that was so remarkable that they could leave behind everything that made their lives secure. It happens so quickly that they don’t even return home. It should be fair to assume that their loved ones and family were dependent on their livelihood as fishermen, so if they are going to abandon their security and wellbeing, it must have been pretty extraordinary.

Did Simon Peter and Andrew and James and John find newfound freedom when they left everything else behind? I am quite confident that our corporate understanding of the faith, as passed down in tradition, does not suggest that we abandon our families or loved ones, but we might have to abandon the things that we hold onto for security.

What are you holding onto that is holding you back from the life-giving way of Jesus? Is it the refusal to go to church until we can go in person? Or resentment that feels so good to hold onto or makes you feel justified towards that person who wronged you years ago? When the disciples followed Jesus they went out around all of Galilee, preaching, and healing, all throughout. Matthew concludes this passage suggesting that what the disciples experienced was far greater than what they would have if they had reminded behind. Are you up for a little adventure too?

- John+

Questions for Self-Reflection

  • What helps you feel safe and secure? What is the relationship of this to your faith? What could your ‘nets’ be?

Daily Challenge

  • Think of something that you feel compelled or called to do but have yet to. Today is the day. No procrastinating!

John Burruss