Following

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him. Mark 1:14-20

I'm not one for group tours and guided visits, following someone around who is talking too much, repeating the same script day after day. I like wandering, finding my own way and sometimes getting lost. As a child, though, I loved following my Dad and Mom's footprints in the sand, stretching my too short legs to step into their footprints, falling over often as their strides were to long for me to follow. I do know, that by following them, I was always safe and loved, helped up when I fell over and searched for when I when I wandered off some where on my own. I suspect their behavior is still my expectation when following Jesus. I will stumble and be helped back up.

Today we celebrate the feast of St. James and hear the story of his calling to follow Jesus. James was minding his own business, repairing nets on his Dad's boat, a fisherman among generations of fishermen. That day his life changed forever. He became a follower, walking across dry, barren places that did not smell or feel like home. His life was on the water, then it was in the valleys and mountains. He and his brother were rambunctious, full of life and awkward on life, I imagine. Yet they were called and they followed. There was lots of stumbling and lots of mountain tops. We can be grateful that we can follow like James, trying to discern exactly what it means to follow in strange and unfamiliar places.

Today, I ask God to help me be a follower. May we all plant out feet in the line of saints and know, despite our stumbling and missteps, our independence and our ignorance - in all the truly human failings of every day - we are loved beyond measure.