Jesus comes alongside us and calls us by name:
“[your name], follow me.”
A simple call. A hard call.
Because following requires leaving.
And we look around to see who else Jesus could be talking to.
And we look around to see the trappings of the life we know.
It’s hard to leave our nets and walk away from the lake.
But we have come this far,
to this place,
where we can listen and be transformed.
Confession
God of grace, in the days when your word was rarely heard and when visions were scarce, you broke into Samuel’s life and called his name…and he said “Here I am, speak, for your servant is listening.” We confess that often so many voices clamor for our attention that your word is again hard to hear. Forgive us if you have called us to be prophetic witnesses or to use our gifts to serve you, and we have not heard, or have been unwilling to respond. Lord Jesus Christ, you met Philip and Nathanael on the road and said “Follow me” – and they did… We confess that we do not expect to meet you on the familiar roads we travel and so we fail to discern your presence or your call on our lives. Holy Spirit, you empower us to recognize and to respond to the invitation of Jesus to follow him, even when that means traveling on unknown and unfamiliar paths… Merciful God, take from us all that hinders our hearing your voice and fill us anew with the Holy Spirit that we may joyfully respond to Jesus’ call on our lives. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
— written by Moira Laidlaw, on Liturgies Online.
