This week is Holy Week, a time we remember some of Jesus last days, and some of the most formative events for our faith. Most of what happened in this week was misunderstood by those there, because they had hopes, and expectations for Jesus and well, he didn’t measure up to what they hoped for. In our passage todays we are reminded that the hope, the grace, and the joy of Easter was for more than just a select few people.
We have all had mountain top days and experiences. Weddings, births of babies, promotions at work, big performances. On those days it can be easy to believe that the world is good, and that God is with you. But what about on days when life is not going as expected or challenges arise. God has a conversation with King Solomon that helps remind us that God’s faithfulness, God showing up for us, is unchanging, even if the circumstances of our lives are ever changing.
In our new series this fall, we are going to be talking specifically about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, and alongside what we are calling it. We see in the calling of the first disciples and in the ministry of John the Baptist, that part of that is inviting people to be part of a movement that points our lives and focus towards someone else (Jesus and serving those around us).
This week Sunday we’ll be looking at who Jesus calls as his disciples. Upon first reading this passage it’s easy for us to focus on the type of people Jesus calls to see if we measure up. However, it seems the invitation for us is to look at the person and character of the one who calls. Jesus is the one who calls and knowing him invites us to see ourselves from his perspective.