O Lord, heavenly Father, in whom is the fullness of light and wisdom : enlighten our minds by your Holy Spirit, and give us grace to receive your Word with reverence and humility, without which no one can understand your truth. For Christ's sake. Amen.
When I was little, I can remember being with my mum in the supermarket. If she was looking for a particular item and couldn't find it, she would ask a member of staff. The member of staff, as far as I can recall, would generally point somewhere down the shop, saying, "It's just down there, around the corner, past the baked beans but before you get to the soups … on the left." And we would follow the directions and, usually, we would get to the appropriate shelf.
These days, you've probably noticed, staff are trained to be a little more helpful. When you ask the way to the tomato puree, for example, the assistant, instead of pointing, will generally take you there. "Follow me!" - or words to that effect. It takes a bit more of the assistant's time, but it provides a better service to the customer, and I'm sure most of us are grateful for that.
Now, Jeremiah, the prophet, in our first lesson this evening, is a little bit - and only a little bit - like how supermarket assistants used to be. The people of Israel need directing into the ways of God, and Jeremiah - through endless exasperation - points them in the right direction. The people, however, are not interested. Time and time again, throughout the Old Testament, God sends his prophets to comfort, encourage and, where necessary, rebuke the people of Israel, and time and time again the people ignore God and go their own way.
But then, in the gospels, we read about a new person. He is not another prophet, as Muslims believe, nor is he simply a 'good teacher', as many religious sects would have you believe; he doesn't simply point us to God. He is, in fact, God. "I am the way, and the truth and the life," says Jesus to Thomas. "No one comes to the Father except through me."
So, "Follow me!" - says Jesus to Simon, Andrew, James and John, in tonight's second lesson. He doesn't point; he - a little bit like the modern supermarket assistant - says "Follow me!" and takes us to the place where he himself is going. And this, of course, is where my little illustration falls down. You see, when the good shop assistant has shown you where the product is located, he normally ends up by pointing to it: "There you are," he says, "I think that's what you're looking for." And then he vanishes. Not so with Jesus. You see, Jesus loves us and actually cares about the journey we are making. When he says, "Follow me," he doesn't just mean, 'Follow me until I show you what you're looking for'; he means, 'Follow me to the end - and I, your Lord and your God, will be with you every inch of the way.' Now that is good news!
So, supermarkets aside, here's a better story. Two hundred and five years ago, Admiral Lord Nelson died at the Battle of Trafalgar. Why? Well, one could could write an extended thesis in an attempt to answer this question, but the reason he died, in essence, was because he went with his men - aboard the aptly named 'HMS Victory' - into danger. Nelson, undoubtedly, would have been safer, had he stayed in his office. But he went with them. He chose to be on deck with his men, and he even wore his medals. Foolish, you might think, to wear your medals so the enemy can see who you are. But, no, Nelson was not foolish. He believed his place was with his men, and he made no pretence about the fact that he was their leader. Yes, he was identifiable and he was shot. But the Royal Navy won the Battle of Trafalgar, and that was good news.
Jesus called his disciples to follow him. He didn't promise an easy life, and it certainly wasn't. He didn't hide his identity. He didn't hide from danger - and there was lots of it - but instead he went with his beloved friends into the danger. Jesus of Nazareth was put to death on a cross. But, on that cross, Jesus won the battle against sin and death. And this is the best news of all!
Six hundred years before Christ, the prophet Jeremiah preached a message calling the people of Israel to repent. His message was hard for the people to hear and they hated him. They mocked him and even threw him into prison. Jeremiah was one in a long line of prophets whom God's people rejected. And so, God sends himself. The Word becomes incarnate in Jesus. And Christ calls us to follow him, the living Word.
Now, St James, whose life we celebrate today, was one of Jesus' closest followers. Together with Peter and John, he was present at the cure of Peter's mother-in-law, the raising of Jairus' daughter, and perhaps most significantly, he was a witness to the transfiguration. It seems that he followed Jesus just about everywhere. Even in those last days of his master's life he was called, with Peter and John, to keep watch in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Not long before this, Jesus asks James and John if they are able to drink the cup that he drinks; they answer that they can; and he says that they will. And, indeed, they do. Jesus was shortly to go to his death on the cross. And, not many years later, James was to be the first of the apostles to be martyred. For James, following Jesus would ultimately lead to his death.
But what kind of a death? An earthly death, certainly. But not a death marking the end - rather, a death marking the beginning; the beginning of a new and perfect life with Christ in his kingdom. This was good news!
So, what about us?
Well, as Christians we have answered God's call in Jesus Christ. We follow Jesus on his terms, not ours. The Bible shows us that it will be hard, but we know that greater disciples than us have gone before, and we know that this path that we tread is the path that leads to victory.
Jesus doesn't simply tell people about God, but he invites them to follow him. And so, in proclaiming his gospel we must not simply tell people about God, but be prepared to journey with them in following Jesus. And in doing so, above all, we must love them; especially when they are difficult. If we are to journey with our brothers and sisters, we must spend time in fellowship with them, and in doing so we will come to appreciate them as fellow heirs to the kingdom, and as children of the living God.
Lord Nelson's chaplain was the Reverend Dr. Alexander Scott. He, too, was aboard HMS Victory, and he was by Nelson's bedside when he died. Dr. Scott later said this: 'Men are not always themselves, and put on their behaviour with their clothes, but if you live with a man on board ship for years, if you are continually with him in his cabin, your mind will soon find out how to appreciate him. I could forever tell of the qualities of this beloved man, Horatio Nelson.'
Just as Nelson went with his men into battle, so Dr. Scott followed his leader and went with him on his journey. He loved him and comforted him, and in doing so he was ministering to him in the name of Christ. Jesus called those early disciples to follow him. He would be with them every step of the way, through good times and through bad.
St Mark tells us that James followed 'without delay'. So we too must follow Jesus, without delay, and encourage others to journey with us in following him. It will not be easy, but our Lord Jesus remains at our side.
As he reminds us, in the last verse of St Matthew's gospel: 'Remember, I am with you always. Even to the end of the age.'
Amen.
Peter Edwards
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