Listen

After going a little farther, he saw James and John, Zebedee’s sons, in their boat repairing the fishing nets. At that very moment he called them. They followed him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers.

Mark 1:19-20

Think

One of my favorite Disney movies of all time is Moana. Even as a child, she feels the draw to the ocean, calling her to set sail for…something. But despite how sure Moana is of this call, her parents and community want her to stay on the island. For years, Moana stays because she knows what chasing the ocean’s call would mean: leaving behind and possibly deeply hurting the people she loves the most.

I wonder if James and John felt a similar struggle when Jesus called them to follow him. We see so little in the Bible that it’s hard to tell, but we shouldn’t underestimate the cost of Jesus’s call to James and John. For them, following Jesus meant leaving both their family and their livelihoods.

It’s good to talk about the joys that come with following Jesus, but choosing to take part in kingdom-building work, which prioritizes the vulnerable and the outcast, often comes at a cost. Still, Jesus calls. What cost are you willing to bear to trust and follow Christ?

Jessica Tidwell-Weinzierl

Pray

When I hear the call to follow you, Jesus, give me courage to say “yes.” Remind me that, even when the work is hard and costly, sharing your love and caring for the most vulnerable is also holy and worthy. You only call us to walk where you have already been. Amen.

Go

You are a child of God, deeply beloved, and you have great purpose in God’s kingdom. Go, and do what is yours to do, in the love of Christ, our Redeemer! Amen.