Matthew 4: 18-22

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 fishers. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, 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.

This hymn appeared in worship just this past Sunday. It is one that recalls the calling of some of the disciples and invites each one of us to examine our response to God’s call on our lives. In my journey of faith, this hymn has been a great reminder of what is required to be a disciple. In the lyrics, we hear that we don’t need to be wealthy or wise and we don’t need to have gold or weapons. Instead, God only asks of us that we use our hands for caring, our labor so that others may find rest, and our love to share God’s love. It is a simple and humble call, but it can be hard to answer that call. Oftentimes, we get caught up placing value and priorities on things that don’t really matter (wealth, security, and status). The final verse and chorus remind us that we are called to leave all of that behind and to follow Christ, our loving friend, who knows us each by name and calls us to a life of love and service.

Prayer

Holy God, we thank You for calling us by name. We rejoice that You know each of us and care about us. Strengthen us to answer Your call; to examine our priorities and to leave our boat on the shoreline, so that we can truly live into our life as a disciple. Amen.