Follow Me

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. [Galatians 1:3-5]

        As Christians, we are followers of Jesus Christ. We are also leaders for those who have not heard of the Good News of our redemption from sin and eternal death. Unfortunately, we sometimes lead others off the path.

        Throughout history, God has chosen leaders among His people. The prophet Elisha is one such leader handpicked by God. Although authorship is unknown, ancient tradition believes that Jeremiah, another leader of God’s people, wrote the book of Kings. In this scripture that we know as 1 Kings, we hear God’s command to Elijah to choose Elisha to become a new bearer of God’s word to the rulers and the people. “And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.” [1 Kings 19:16b]

        Twelve men with twelve pair of oxen are plowing a field when Elijah finds Elisha. Elisha is the last in the line, following behind the others. Elijah places his mantle upon Elisha and, being a devout man, Elisha immediately knows the significance of such a calling. In fact, this is why you see pastors wearing the stole as a mantle of their calling to speak the word of God to the people.

        Elisha asks to be given leave to say goodbye to his parents. Elijah may have wondered if Elisha was having second thoughts. Elijah may have been thinking similarly to what Jesus says in St. Luke’s gospel:

‘Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”’ [ Luke 9:61-62]

        But Elisha shows his willingness to follow Elijah by burning his plow and slaughtering the oxen. He is showing everyone that he is committed to his new calling as follower of God and a leader of the people in God’s statutes. Elisha had no intention of returning to his previous life. Just as James and John, the sons of Zebedee, left their father’s fishing nets and boats to follow Jesus, Elisha left his father’s farm to follow God’s prophet.

        Following Christ requires us to “walk by the Spirit” as St Paul writes to the church of Galatia. We must put away our old lives which were born of the flesh. Jesus Christ, born of human flesh of the Virgin Mary was also born of the Holy Spirit. He was the first and the last to be truly God and truly human. He walked by the Spirit and denied the desires of the flesh. He was perfect as we were originally created to be. He was not born under the Law as we were, yet he fulfilled the Law in order to bring us salvation.

        The completion of our redemption came with his death on the cross and his rise from the tomb. In this sacrifice, our transgressions against God and man were atoned. He paid the price of our sin so that death would no longer separate us from our Father in heaven. We have the hope and promise of eternal life as long as we follow him.

        Every scripture reading this morning gives us examples of what following the one true God looks like. Elisha left his home, family and life as a farmer to follow God. St. Paul left his home, and life as a persecutor of Christians to follow God. Jesus Christ left his father’s home to follow his father’s will.

        Now Jesus Christ calls you! He says to you “Follow me.” He says to you, “I declare you mine and will lead you to everlasting life.” Just as those many men and women in the past who were called by God, we too are called to follow him. Unfortunately, just as many have said they will follow him wherever he leads but turn back to their former lives.

        It is easy to fall back into our sin. We all know when and how we sin, but just in case we get confused, St. Paul gives us a list of the works of the flesh:

“…sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.” [Galatians 5:19b-21]

He continues to warn us “…that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” [Galatians 5:21b]

        What a cruel loss it would be turn away from our salvation in order to satisfy the fleeting moments of the flesh. It is easy to fall back into our sin and to follow Satan instead of Christ. It is difficult to follow Jesus and walk in the Spirit. By our own wisdom and strength, we cannot overcome our sin. If it were up to us to save ourselves, we would surely fail, but thanks be to God we have been given a Savior.

        It is by his work we are saved. It is by God’s grace and mercy that we are not left in the cold dark night. Not only did the Son of the Most High God redeem us from death and the devil, but he also gave us his very Spirit. With the Holy Spirit we are able to bear the fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. It is by the Holy Spirit that we can follow Jesus wherever he leads.

        The question becomes, “How do we follow our leader?” How do we obey our Lord when he says, “Follow me”? We begin by being baptized in the water and the word. When we are baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the mantle of Christ is place across our shoulders and the Holy Spirit dwells in us. We become sons and daughters of Our Father in heaven and heirs to His kingdom. Baptism is the first step to our home with God.

        Next, we obey our Lord when he says:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” [John 5:24]

We hear his word when we are in his Word. We hear his word when we proclaim the kingdom of God. We are to proclaim his word in God’s house. We are to proclaim his word in our homes, to our spouses and our children. We are to proclaim it to our neighbors, to our friends, and to our enemies. We obey our Lord by being ready “…in season and out of season… with complete patience and teaching.” [2 Timothy 4:2] The time has come where people reject God and instead find for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and turn away from listening to the truth. [2 Timothy 4:3,4]

        In addition, we follow our leader when we come to his table to partake of his body and blood, in, with and under the bread and wine. Our Lord Jesus Christ takes us as his own when he sends the Holy Spirit into our hearts through baptism. He leads and guides us through his Word. He forgives us our trespasses through his body and blood. These three things he commands us to do:

• Baptize all nations in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
• Hear his Word and proclaim the kingdom of God.
• Eat His body and drink His blood for the forgiveness of sins.

        In following Our Savior we are led through the dark and stormy night of this life. As we follow his light, others follow too. We become leaders of the truth of the salvation of Jesus Christ as we follow him home. We are no longer following aimlessly behind people who reject God and follow their own passions and turn away from the path of truth.

        The mantle of Christ has been placed upon us. We no longer look back to what we once were, but forward to what Christ has made us. We are followers of Jesus Christ.

Amen.