Straightaway
The immediate response of the disciples is surprising, not only because they seem to drop everything to follow after Jesus, leaving half-filled nets and James' and John's own father behind. It's surprising because that kind of immediacy is not often found in our response to Jesus' call today.
We like to think it over. We want to weigh our options. We take time to consider whether responding to such a call makes sense for us in our current situation.
Now, it may be that our responses are reflective of how extraordinary the response of those first disciples truly was. But it may also reflect our feeling that the Kingdom of God, if it is coming, is delayed. The urgency felt by that first generation of Christians seems to have been lost.
But the urgency remains. Whether the Kingdom arrives tomorrow or 10,000 years from today, the need for people to experience the Kingdom of God among us remains. There is certainly a need for a realm of justice, peace, love, grace, and peace in our broken and hurting world. Whatever schedule it's on, we are nevertheless called to get to the work of that kingdom—testifying to love, grace, peace, and justice—in the here and now. When we receive that call, it is on us to respond straightaway.
Rev. Mark Schaefer, Pastor
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To the Cheltenham UMC community,
