Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church

Matthew 4:18-22

“Follow the Leader”

Rev. Meagan M. Boozer

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea- for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from thee, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

Throughout all of my junior and senior high school years, I knew I was going to college, and I knew where I was going to college. My mom had convinced me, early on, that I would go to Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC- her alma mater.

At the end of my junior year in high school in May of 1974, I gave my life to Jesus Christ.

In the Fall of my senior year of high school, I auditioned to be accepted as a piano performance major at Salem College. The following August, I packed my stuff and both of my parents took me to North Carolina.

At the end of my freshmen year at college, as I was preparing to leave Salem to come home for the summer, my piano professor told me that a “scout” from Julliard School of Music in New York was coming in the Fall. She wanted me to audition for him, and she gave me several pieces to work on during the summer.

Mid-summer, I broke the news to my family and friends that I didn’t think I was going back to Salem in the Fall. I cannot describe to you the level of chaos that that announcement brought to my life for the next several years. I tried to explain that sitting in a practice room for hours and hours, preparing pieces for performances just wasn’t what I wanted to do. I tried to explain that I sensed Jesus was leading me a different way that might or might not include a college degree, but no explanation could immediately heal the disappointment, fear, and anger inside of so many people I loved. Most of those emotions were directed towards me, but some of them were directed towards God. If God really did have something to do with my decision, they questioned why God would lead this budding professional pianist away from the training she needed to really “make a name” for herself?

After many years, I can answer that question very, very clearly.

In my freshman year in college, I was still a very young Christian. I wouldn’t have called myself a mature Christian by any stretch of the imagination. If I could have, or would have “made it” as a professional pianist in some form or fashion, I believe I would not have had the maturity to be able to remain strong in my faith in a very, very competitive professional musician’s world. I also don’t think I would have known my gifts for administration, for offering compassion, for leading, and for pasturing. I might have been a great pianist, but most likely, I would not have been even a very good follower of Jesus Christ.

Now, that was a long story that took up a lot of my “allotted time” for preaching, but I think there are some important lessons there that apply to every single one of us as we consider what it means to follow Jesus as did Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John.

Let us pray: Lord God Almighty, may the words I speak and the thoughts we capture and hold to our hearts be straight from you, for we are here to hear from you so that we might follow you more nearly. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

I think it is important for us to understand how radical Jesus’ actions were as he called his first disciples. Early Greek and Jewish tradition normally assumed that disciples would be responsible for acquiring their own teachers. If you wanted to be a follower of John the Baptist, it would have been acceptable in those days for you to go to John and ask to be included as one of his followers/students. It would have been considered dishonorable in those times for a teacher to go out looking for disciples. Somehow it seemed “below” the good teacher to do such a thing, though there is a wonderful example of such a turnabout in tradition in Hebrew history in 1 Kings 19:19-21. Elijah the prophet went out searching for a young one to mentor, and threw his mantle over Elisha, who followed him and became his servant. Jesus would have known this piece of biblical history.

We read that Jesus walked down by the sea. He knew where to find the kind of people he needed. He needed some fishermen- men who knew how to make preparations (have all the supplies ready), interpret the signs (what the weather and water reveal about a potential catch), and cast out a net in expectation of success. Simon Peter and Andrew were already tossing out their nets when Jesus came by. James and John were in the preparation stage, mending their nets so that none would get away. All four men left the one thing they had always though they would do, in order to follow Jesus.

There’s such a strong message here for us. First, notice that Jesus went where these men were. He didn’t send them a note from his seat at the synagogue. Jesus went to them to invite them to follow him. That’s what Jesus does. Wherever you are (physically, emotionally, and spiritually), Jesus will come to you, call to you, and invite you to follow him. Remember, there is no place you can go that the Lord cannot find you. The Psalmist in Psalm 139 writes, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up. [One of the ways God knows when we are spending time listening to him (sitting down and waiting upon his wisdom & strength), and when we are going about things in our own way (rising up in our own wisdom & strength).] Where can I go from your presence? If I ascend to heaven [if I choose to walk in the light], you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol [if I choose to live in the darkness], you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea [if I choose to try to hide from everyone and everything], even there your right hand shall lead me.” (Ps. 139:1-2; 7-9)

Jesus is where you are. He has chosen to come to you. Isn’t that amazing? Jesus wants you to follow him so much that he has come right to where you are.

Notice what he said to Simon Peter and Andrew, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” You see, he didn’t take them from what they knew and ask them to do something totally outside their skills and knowledge. He invited them to take the skills and knowledge they already possessed, and use them to serve God. “Follow me, and I’ll help you use all that fishermen stuff you’ve learned in new ways that will bring you a joy way greater than seeing your nets full of wet fish. I’ll show you how to put all the stuff of your life together if you would put your eyes on me, and follow me.”

Now, in the days when Jesus walked on the earth, it would have been fairly simple to physically follow him. Sort of like, “See that guy up ahead? Go where he goes.” Follow Jesus like a teacher says to the students, “follow the leader.” Go where the person in front of you goes.

In these days, we don’t have the physical body of Jesus in one person to follow. So how do we follow him?

Let’s remember some of the places Jesus went with his 12 original followers:

He went where sick people were, he went where people were infested with demons, he went where there were crowds, he went where there were hostile crowds, he went to funerals, he went to weddings, he went to the fields, he went to the cities, he went where he wasn’t wanted, and he went where he was welcomed. He went to the rich, and he went to the poor. He went to the mountain to pray. He went to synagogues, to the temple, and he went to the cross. “Follow me,” he said. “I will make you fish for people.” “Follow me, and I will teach you to bring God’s great design that is inside of you out into the world.” “Follow me,” he said. “I will make you fish for people.”

Obviously, Jesus is not speaking literally here of casting out a hook to reel people in. Jesus is not speaking to us about going to specific places. He’s not really speaking to us about outer things. Jesus is speaking to us about inner things. When Jesus called those fellows to follow him, he knew where they were in their faith and he knew where they needed to be. So, he called them to bring their skills and knowledge to him, where he could use what they brought to increase their faith and bring others to follow the ways of Jesus alongside them.

Throughout all of my childhood and teen years, my piano playing was a gift to me, and a gift to others. When Jesus called me from returning to Salem that 2^nd year, he didn’t intend that I would leave my piano playing behind. In fact, as a pianist, my mind and fingers work very well on a typewriter/computer keyboard. While I tried to follow Jesus and discern where we were going together after quitting college, I worked at Letterkenny in DESCOM as a clerk-typist, and I worked at Penn State’s Mont Alto Campus in the business office as a secretary. While at Mont Alto, I was encouraged to take a few general education classes with a 75% tuition reduction (because I was an employee, and I was living on my own by then). By the time John and I got married, we made the commitment for me to return to college full-time in Music Education where I didn’t have to spend all my hours alone in a practice room, but spent many hours in front of classrooms, teaching, encouraging, laughing, and learning. Now, listen to this sequence of events:

Had I not been following Jesus, left Salem College and eventually gone to State College to finish my degree, I wouldn’t have learned about a community institution called a community music school.

Had I not developed confidence in my teaching, I wouldn’t have taught many children how to have fun playing the piano, and would not have been able to stay at home with my own children when they were young.

Had not taught piano privately at home, I would not have known the frustration a musician experiences in isolation from other musicians.

Had I not known that, along with knowledge about community music schools from State College, I would not have had the impetus to start and lead the Cumberland Valley School of Music back in 1990.

Had I not made that huge leap of faith, I would not have known my gifts for administration, and my gifts for rallying people around a common cause, and I would not have learned that rallying people around sharing Jesus is the only cause I was created to administrate.

You see, life is partly about what you do, what you know, and what you learn. But, most importantly, this life we live is about who you follow. It’s about the attitude you have as you go through changes in your life. Will you allow yourself to be led in unknown directions when you set out? Will you allow yourself to go to the rich and to the poor? Will you go to where people need healing and freedom from oppression? Will you go where there are crowds, even if you prefer the quiet place? Will you go to the city, even if you are more comfortable in the fields? Will you work on roads in Honduras when you’d rather build a church? Will you pray for peace and direction? Will you be faithful in your worship and in your Bible study so that you know for sure where Jesus is leading you? Will you head towards the cross, knowing full well that the cross is the place where you must die to your own will, and accept God’s will for your life?

James and John left their dad in the boat as they turned to follow Jesus. In a way, I felt like I left my mom in a boat when I said “no,” to returning to Salem College. But, I didn’t leave my mom, just as James and John and you, don’t have to literally, physically leave your families to follow Jesus. But we all do have to choose whether we will follow our own self-designed plan for our lives, whether we will follow someone else’s plan for our lives, or whether we will follow God’s plan.

Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John had no idea what they were about to witness in those next three years. It was the best of times, and it seemed to be the worst of time as Jesus died on a hill called Calvary. But three days later, Easter morning came, and all their doubts about whether they had made the right decision to leave their plan and follow God’s plan were erased in an instant.

Jesus calls you to follow him. God alone knows how to put your life together in such a way that you, too, can live in the joy of resurrection life. You don’t have to be a worrier, an over-planner- you don’t have to be in control. In fact, doing so is choosing not to follow him, because Jesus was not a worrier, or an over-controlling-planner. To follow Jesus means to trust him; to do life his way; to look for the opportunities to use your skills, your knowledge, and your gifts for the sake of God’s kingdom. To follow Jesus is to make him your leader- to follow in his footsteps- until your journey takes you all the way home. “Follow me,” Jesus calls, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

Amen.

Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church

1-28-2007