Worth the Risk...

Perhaps Peter, Andrew, James, and John had heard rumors of this wandering preacher Jesus. Maybe they had been growing restless for some time in their lives as fishermen. It’s possible they sensed that something was shifting in the world around them. They could have been fed up with the brutality of the Roman Empire and were looking for a leader to bring about change. Maybe they longed for something more, for a better way of living and loving and being. Maybe they were just so taken aback by this invitation to drop everything and follow that they couldn’t help but say yes. We don’t know their reasons for joining the Jesus movement that day, but there was clearly something so compelling about this kingdom of heaven (Matthew 4:17) that they were willing to drop their nets, risk everything, and not look back.

Perhaps we too hear in the gospel today a renewed invitation to get swept up in this kingdom, a call to drop old ways of being and embrace a life of following Jesus. Maybe this vision of the kingdom catches us when we witness ancient scripture finding new life in our hurting world. Perhaps we glimpse the possibilities of the heavenly kingdom when communities of unlikely people gather to share bread and wine at the same table, and when we see the hungry being fed, the suffering being cared for, the lonely finding welcome, the oppressed finding freedom. Suddenly, we know that this is God at work.

As Jesus reminds us, the kingdom of heaven is not a far-off kingdom. It draws near to us, breaking in around us perhaps in the moments when we least expect it. And when we catch sight of it, we just might never be the same. A world where the sick are healed, the hungry are fed, the outcasts find belonging, and ordinary days are filled with holy purpose? That’s a kingdom worth risking everything for.

Devotional message and art based on the readings for January 22nd, 2023 reprinted from sundaysandseasons.com.
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