3rd Sunday of Easter – May 3, 2025

You’ve heard me preach on fishing before… it’s not my thing. So we’re not focusing on the fishing part today…

“Follow me,” Jesus said (Jn 21:19). Two simple words. “Follow me.”

Every time we have this reading, I am taken back to grade school. Having the last name of Miller, I was always somewhere in the middle of the line. And how I longed to be Lisa Adimey, who was first alphabetically. And how I felt for Michael Zygmunt, who – unless we lined up in reverse – was always the last.

There’s some kind of good feeling we get when we’re first… when we get to be the leader… when others follow us. But today, Jesus is telling us that he is leading and we are to follow. Two simple words… that are much harder to put into action.

Care for the poor. Follow me.
Tend to the sick. Follow me.
Protect the marginalized. Follow me.
Unburden the oppressed. Follow me.
Love your neighbor. Follow me.
Forgive. Follow me.
Take up your burdens and… Follow me.

Regardless of what circumstances we undergo in life, the call is to follow Jesus. Jesus wants EVERYONE to follow him. We are called to follow Jesus, no matter what season we’re in.

If you’re a banker, follow Jesus.
If you’re a construction worker, follow Jesus.
If you’re a programmer or engineer, follow Jesus.
If you’re retired, follow Jesus.
If you’re a student, follow Jesus.
Whatever you do, follow Jesus.

No matter your ethnicity, follow Jesus.
No matter your understanding of your worthiness, follow Jesus.
No matter what you’ve done in your past, follow Jesus.
No matter what you’ve been told of your holiness, follow Jesus.
No matter how much you fall short of your perfect ideals and intentions, and repeat those failings, no matter how hard you try and how much progress you make (or don’t make), follow Jesus.

Your past may be scarred beyond thinking you’re worthy, but your present and your future can be healed. Follow Jesus.

Because life isn’t about who has the best hand… it’s about being obedient to God with the hand that we’re given. Recall the Parable of the Talents. Some of us are not as gifted as others in various areas; but we might be more gifted in various areas than others. It is our duty – regardless of what we’ve been given – to develop the gifts we have and to bear fruit with them.

In some instances, we would gladly drop everything, but sometimes we are called to drop what is familiar or successful or stable to do something for God. A proper response to an encounter with God is to drop everything and follow.

We fall short of our perfect ideals and intentions, and we repeat those failings, no matter how hard we try and how much progress we make. Even so, we back up and make another go at faithfulness. In the same way that our shortcomings are sadly repetitive, our steps toward growth are also repetitive—in a gracious sense. We’re called to remember whom and what we love; we’re called to follow. We’re called to feed and tend all the people of earth. And we learn to repeat the spiritual practices that bring us growth:

  • gratitude;
  • sharing the grace we’ve received;
  • receiving forgiveness;
  • offering forgiveness;
  • preparing our hearts to be open to faith, hope, love, and courage.

Do you love Jesus? Then Follow him.