Messenger April 2007 Page 1

Jesus did not call admirers. He did not seek fans. He was not after a fan club that would post his picture on bedroom bulletin boards. Or have chat rooms talking about how Jesus was "dreamy." He was not after vague affirmation. Jesus did not call fans.

Jesus called followers. "Leave your nets behind, and come, follow me. I will make you fishers of people." Jesus wanted to remake people. He knew they could save lives. First, they had to follow him. Jesus deeply connected himself to his disciples. In the Lord's Supper, he spoke of being with them, to strengthen and animate them. "This is my body, this is my blood, poured out for you. Take, eat, drink." It opens our eyes to the multi-dimensional spiritual gifts Jesus gives us. Through it, we receive strength, courage and vision for the journey.

The journey is about following Jesus, even to the cross. It means we need to be ready to follow, even if it means facing our own cross. Jesus knows that we have the power to save people's lives in a whole host of ways. But we can only save if we sacrifice. We are not just to talk about sacrifice, we are to embody sacrifice. We are not just to talk about love, we are to embody love.

It is much easier to remain a fan of Jesus instead of becoming a follower. It is so much easier to remain vague. Distant. To talk about faith instead of living faith. The prob­lem is, if Christian faith remains a vague idea, then nothing in the world changes. And Jesus is about reshaping the world.

Easter week is about opening ourselves to hear again what it means to follow Jesus into a life that not even death can destroy. In Easter week we open ourselves to the truth of the followers' failures. And how those failures can be redeemed in the power of God's love.

This Easter Sunday we will hear the results of the practical sacrifice of our whole congregation in our Second Century Campaign. In restoring the sanctuary and renewing the building, we are finding practical ways to tell the story and to shape lives for Christ.

On this Easter, the drama of the story will be heightened even more. What does practical sacrificial love look like for this congregation? It's our turn to show that we are not fans of Jesus. We are his followers.