01/21/2026
Matthew 4:12-23 ~ January 25, 2026
Call to Worship:
The Lord is our light and salvation.
We will not be afraid.
Behold the beauty of the Lord!
God will shelter us on any day of trouble and set us high upon a rock.
Let God’s people shout for joy!
For Christ calls us and claims us as his own.
Come and worship in unity and love; let us rejoice together!
Hymn: #422 Sing a new song unto the Lord
Prayer of Approach and Confession:
Gracious God,
you are our light and our salvation,
you are peace and you are grace,
you are healing and you are love.
You send comfort and courage to relieve our tears and fears
in the shadows of fear and doubt.
And you call us to lives of meaning and to follow you
in your ways of justice, truth and goodness.
We offer our praise in love and loyalty
for you are always with us.
Merciful God,
you call us to follow your way of compassion
but too often we criticize each other.
You call us to follow your way of peace
but too often we remain divided.
You call us to trust you
but too often our fears and doubts overwhelm us.
Forgive us, O God,
and strengthen our commitment to follow your ways. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon:
God calls to us in love and forgiveness, and welcomes us in with a warm embrace. Hear the good news of the Gospel. Rejoice that in Christ we are forgiven, and be at peace with God, yourself and with each other.
Hymn: #645 Follow me, the Master said
Anthem
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 9:1-4
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
Matthew 4:12-23
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Meditation: “Follow Me”
Follow me, and I will make you fish for people. Many of us have heard this text read more times than we can count. We have responded to that call, and that is the reason we are here. But over the years we have heard other calls…like the call to be successful…like the call to reach for that perfect job or that enticing promotion or that secure tenure or that longed-for election to public office. The call of Christ to follow him can easily be drowned out by other calls.
It is striking that in Matthew’s version of the call of the disciples, Jesus did not require any prerequisites. Peter and Andrew did not have to fill out an application, present a resume, or provide any letters of reference. He did not require doctrinal conformity, any particular kind of baptism, or any dress code. His only requirement seems to be a willingness to follow wherever Christ leads.
Furthermore, they were just doing their jobs, and their jobs were
valuable. They were honest and hardworking people doing honest and honorable work. But Christ’s call to them disrupted something good for something better.
There is more: his call came at his initiative. There are a lot of stories from all the great religions about teachers who attract disciples. But have you noticed that in most of those traditions the disciples seek out the teacher, and sometimes they have to beg the teacher to allow them to be a student? In most traditions, the initiative is all with the student. But in this story Christ takes the initiative. He goes to Peter and Andrew, James and John, and he calls them from their good work to follow him.
He started with two, then two more, and then eventually twelve, and then those twelve multiplied over the centuries until finally here we are— students of Christ who have heard the same call to follow him. We are part of that long procession of people who have heard the call to follow Christ.
As followers of Christ, there are certain things to which we as a church have committed. We believe in inclusion: we welcome all in Christ’s love. We believe in freedom of faith: the freedom to interpret God’s Word in community and express our interpretation. We believe in service in the name of Christ. We believe in spiritual growth, and it comes in both deliberate programs and just by living consciously aware of God’s presence.
These values place us squarely in the Presbyterian Tradition. We are a diverse and multi-talented, multi-opinionated, and sometimes loud bunch of Christians, but somehow in the name of Christ we reach out into the world in remarkable and authentic ways.
And we have committed ourselves to following Christ through our normal, everyday lives. Jesus did not call Peter and Andrew, James and John, to do something they did not already know how to do! Their calling was an extension of what they were already doing. He called them to fish, but their fishing would take on greater significance. We believe that we are called to be authentically who we are.
You may be a number cruncher. We believe that crunching numbers is not something you do separate from following Christ; rather, authentic and honest number crunching is part of Christ’s calling for you. The same is true for whatever you do during the week. It takes great faith to do what you do with faithfulness and skill, and consider that in itself an act of following Christ.
There’s more: we have committed to welcome diversity. We are serious about this. Many church growth experts say that diversity of belief and race and culture and social views makes it difficult to grow.
Challenging it may be, but we believe the opposite: Christ calls everyone! Look at what Jesus did when he became an adult. Instead of living in Nazareth, his childhood home, he moved to Capernaum, one of the most culturally and racially diverse places in his world!
It was at the intersection of the major trading routes of the east and west, north and south. It was not like Jerusalem, which was the buckle of the “Torah belt.” Capernaum was in Galilee. Jesus deliberately chose this multi-cultural, multi-racial, multireligious place as his home base. And he called his congregation with only two words: Follow me. He added no other qualifiers, such as “Follow me as long as your skin color matches mine!” He did not say, “Follow me if your income is in a certain range.” He added NO qualifiers!
And we don’t either! Spread the news! You can be a part of this community of disciples simply by doing what these fishermen did: Immediately, the text says,…they followed him. There would be times when they would be skeptical about where he was leading them. When Jesus led them toward Jerusalem, Peter argued with him! There is no guarantee where Christ will lead you, and there is no guarantee of perfect safety. But I can promise you this:
If you follow Christ in the context of this group of disciples, you will find a diverse group of folk who will support you with prayer, who will care for you in more ways than you can count, and who will be your traveling companions along the sometimes-slippery way of life. They will lift you up when you fall, encourage you when you are afraid, and cheer you on when you are successful. They will know you because they, too, have heard the call, and decided to follow Christ into the future. That is what Christian faith is all about: following Christ in our own everyday world.
There is one more thing to which we have committed ourselves: we
have committed ourselves to gather on Sundays to recharge our spiritual batteries. This time on Sundays is not a time for entertainment. We come here because following Christ during the week is not always easy. It is frequently hard and exhausting. Some come exhilarated and want to celebrate. Some of us come with hearts breaking and heads spinning. Some of us come with wounds that need healing. Some come to experience the power of the music or corporate prayer. We come because we need God and we need each other.
Worship, in other words, is not showmanship, but an opening of ourselves to the healing and empowering spirit of God. And it is opening our ears to hear that call once again, as if for the first time.
I’m sure the song I have decided to follow Jesus is familiar to most of us. And I want to tell you a story about that song. In northeastern India, a boy was born to a well-to-do Indian family in 1889. So that he could learn English, his parents sent him to a Christian High School. When he was fourteen years old, his mother died suddenly, and the boy was plunged into despair.
He asked the great “Why?” question. He was so angry, that in defiance of Christianity, he took a Bible and burned it page by page. Three days later he determined to commit su***de by sitting on a railway track. While waiting for the train, he had a vision of Christ, who beckoned to him: Follow me, said Jesus. He decided to follow Jesus.
When the boy told his father of his decision to follow Christ, his father was furious and demanded that he give up this absurd conversion. When the boy refused, his father denounced him and expelled him from his family. The boy spent the rest of his life bearing witness to the gospel of Christ, not only in his native India, but also in travels to Afghanistan and several trips to Tibet.
His witness in following Christ led others to do the same, eventually including his own father. The song that the boy sang so frequently has spread throughout the world. It is quite simple, yet profound.
Though I may wander, I still will follow;
Though I may wander, I still will follow;
Though I may wander, I still will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.
Wherever you may have wandered in this complex world, Christ invites you back today. Follow me, he says. No turning, no turning back. Amen.
Hymn: #634 Will you come and follow me
Invitation of Offering:
Jesus called the first disciples who followed, not knowing that we would follow their example so many centuries later. We bring our gifts in Jesus’ name, not knowing whose lives will be touched, but trusting that something good will come of everything we offer to God.
Doxology: #830 Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Prayer of Dedication:
God of the fishers who first followed Jesus, you have called us to follow and here we are. We offer what we have and ask you to bless our gifts. Give us the courage we need to invite others to join us in following Jesus, our friend and saviour. Amen.
Prayers of the People and Lord’s Prayer:
God in whom we live and move and have our being,
we pray for peace and unity, and for justice and mercy in your fragile creation.
We remember before you today people living face to face with war and violence,
especially those places where ancient hatreds burn.
God, speak to us a word of peace and Embrace us with your love.
We remember before you today people living face to face with economic uncertainty, those struggling with rising costs of daily necessities, and those who have lost their jobs, their savings, their homes or businesses. Embrace us with your love.
We remember before you today people living face to face with discrimination and social prejudice, those who are bullied at school, at work or at home, and all those who have been made ashamed of who they are. God, speak to us a word of dignity. Embrace us with your love.
We remember before you today people living face to face with illness and suffering, those waiting for a diagnosis or treatment,
those struggling with disability or delay in medical attention,
and those who know grief or fear.
God, speak to us a word of healing.
Embrace us with your love.
We remember before you today people of different creeds and faiths, those who seek understanding and co-operation among different religious traditions, and those who show love to their neighbours, whatever their creed or conviction. God, speak to us a word of reconciliation. Embrace us with your love.
We remember before you today your whole creation and its many vulnerable facets and faces. Teach us how to care for the rips and tears in the fabric of the world you love so we may live together wisely and protect the future in our attitudes and actions God, speak to us a word of wisdom. Embrace us with your love.
And so, in unity with your Church around the world you love,
we pray together the words Jesus taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen.
Hymn: #641 One more step along the world I go
Benediction:
Go into the world to live out the gift of unity in Christ, eager to serve and open to learn from the Christ who calls us and sets us free.
Now may the LORD keep us and bless us,
May the LORD make his face to shine upon us
and be gracious unto us,
Now and for ever more, AMEN.
Choral Closing: “Go Now in Peace”
Go now in peace. Never be afraid.
God will go with you each hour of every day.
Go now in faith, steadfast, strong and true.
Know He will guide you in all you do.
Go now in love, and show you believe.
Reach out to others so all the world can see.
God will be there watching from above.
Go now in peace, in faith, and in love.
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