Come, Follow Me

Come, Follow Me:

From First Light to Faithful Living

“Come, follow me. Let’s go fishing.”

That’s how Jesus begins.

Not with a creed.
Not with a checklist.
Not with a contract to sign.

Just an invitation.

Jesus is walking along the shoreline when He sees ordinary people doing ordinary work. They’re fishermen, so He speaks their language. “Let’s go fishing.” He meets them right where they are—and then gently redirects what they already know into something new.

That’s often how God works.

Every Journey Has a Beginning

Every one of us has a beginning with God.

An aha moment.
A moment when the light turns on and something clicks.

For some of us, that beginning came early. Church was simply the air we breathed. Sunday worship shaped the rhythm of life, and faith slowly took root and stuck.

For others, it came later. Maybe as an adult. Maybe in a moment of clarity, pain, or longing—when something deep inside said, “Yes. This is it. I want to be part of this.”

Our beginnings look different, but the invitation is always the same:

“Come, follow me.”

Starting Is One Thing. Continuing Is Another

Most of us can point to when the light first came on.

But here’s the truth:

Starting is one thing.
Continuing is another.

And it’s in the continuing that faith is truly formed.

Matthew tells us that when Jesus begins His ministry, the words of Isaiah are fulfilled:

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.”

It’s a familiar Christmas image—and one that still resonates in winter. Long nights. Gray days. And then suddenly, light. Even a little bit changes everything. It lifts your mood. Helps you see where you’re going. Reminds you that winter is not the whole story.

Jesus is that great light.
The light that brings hope, clarity, healing, and understanding.
The light that shows us how to walk, how to live, how to love in a dark world.

But when the light comes, Jesus doesn’t just say, “Look at me.”

He says,

“Come, follow me.”

Following Is a Way of Life

Following Jesus isn’t just about the moment when the light first turns on.

It’s about the daily decision to walk in that light.
To walk in the Spirit.
To let the teachings of Jesus shape our actual lives—how we love, forgive, work, and show up for others.

Faith isn’t formed only in the beginning.
Faith is formed in the continuing.

From Romance to Commitment

This past weekend, we hosted my niece’s wedding at our house. The vows were beautiful—but what people will probably remember forever is that it was 25 below zero.

Some things just stick.

But the heart of that day wasn’t the temperature. It was the vows.

There was a moment when they first noticed each other—that initial spark, that aha.
There was the brave moment of asking, “Will you be my girlfriend?”

How it started mattered.

But the vows are what bind them together.

Those promises describe how they will live every day—in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, when it’s easy and when it’s 25 below zero.

That’s not just romance.

That’s commitment.

And that’s what Jesus is inviting us into when He says, “Come, follow me.”

Not just a moment of discovery, but a way of life.
A daily, lived-out relationship with God.

The Invitation That Keeps Coming

Jesus is still the same light.
And He still gives the same invitation.

The good news is this:

Jesus keeps walking the shoreline of our lives.

Calling us again and again.
Not just to start—but to stay.
To keep trusting.
To keep walking in the light.

His mercies are new every morning.

So may we be people who walk with Christ, our light.
And may we be people who walk as lights with Christ into this dark world.

Amen.

We’ll see you next time.