Third Sunday after Epiphany- Week of January 24, 2021

Begin your devotion time by praying this prayer: Dear God, through your son Jesus we are invited to walk in the way of love and light. Help us follow the call to become disciples who share this way of love and light with the world. Amen.

Reflect on the Way of Love together: This week’s practice in the Way of Love is GO. The first disciples were called to follow Jesus and then sent to share Jesus’ love with the world. How can you share the way of Jesus’ love with other people?

Adult and Small Child

Read: Mark 1:14-20

Reflect: In this story, Jesus tells some of the first disciples to follow him. I wonder if the disciples thought it was easy or hard to follow Jesus? The disciples left behind everything they knew in order to travel with Jesus. Jesus didn’t ask the disciples to follow him. He told them to follow, and they did! As followers of Jesus, the disciples learned all about God’s love, and then they shared that love with other people.

Simon, Andrew, and the other first disciples tried to live as people who follow the way of Jesus’ love. Then, they shared that love with other people and invited them to be disciples, too. Jesus also tells us to follow him. We are disciples too, and as we learn more about God’s love, we can go out and share it with other people, too!

Respond: Have you ever played a game of “follow the leader� before? Is it easy or hard for you to follow the directions that other people give you? This week, play a game of follow the leader with your family. If the weather allows, go outside; or, you can just follow each other around your house. Take turns allowing each person to be the leader. After you play, thank Jesus for leading us and guiding us every day!

- Victoria Hoppes

Adult and Elementary

Read: Mark 1:14-20

Reflect: Do you know the game Follow the Leader? Someone is the leader and everyone else gets in line as followers. The followers have to copy the actions of the leader. If they do things wrong, they are out.

Jesus meets Simon and Andrew and says, “Follow me.� The game begins. Simon and Andrew begin to copy Jesus. Along the way, they all meet James and John and again, Jesus says, “Follow me.� Simon and Andrew probably copy Jesus and say to James and John, “Follow me.� This is what Jesus does. Jesus goes around to people saying, “Follow me.� As people follow Jesus, they begin to copy him, also saying to others, “Follow me.� At some point, the disciples go out on their own as leaders without Jesus to say, “Follow me.� Amazingly, people do follow them. As strange as this is, Jesus makes us all followers and leaders. We follow Jesus and God and we ask other people to copy us as we try to copy Jesus. And no one is ever put out of the game even if they get it wrong. We always get another chance to follow Jesus and to be a leader.

Respond: Grab some chalk. Go out to a sidewalk or a public place where you are allowed to write on the ground. Write the words “Follow Me,� then draw a few arrows in a direction making a path and again write the words, “Follow Me.� As you do this, think of things you can ask people to do to follow you and Jesus like: “Follow Me. Say something nice to the next person you see.�

- Patrick Kangrga

Adult and Youth

Read: Mark 1:14-20

Reflect: Our reading tells us about Simon and Andrew who were the first disciples to be called by Jesus. Simon and Andrew were fishermen. Fishing was a very important job because it provided food to eat and money. It took up all of their time and it provided them with everything they needed to survive. Jesus approached these two fishermen and asked them to follow him. Simon and Andrew dropped everything. Then, Jesus sees James and John, two more fishermen, and Jesus calls them as well. They too drop everything to follow Jesus. What was it about Jesus that led Simon, Andrew, James, and John to follow Jesus? It had to be something amazing to cause these and others to follow him into an uncertain future. But the amazing thing about this story is that they followed him anyway without any idea of where it would lead. They were all ordinary people just like you and me that were called and then went.

Respond: What is really important to you? We are blessed that we don’t literally have to drop everything in order to follow Jesus. We still have our homes, money, refrigerators filled with food, and many other things. But, can you think of anything that God might want us to get rid of? How can we make the things that we do have be more meaningful to us? Are there old toys or clothes or items in your house that you could donate? Go, give, and help others! Think about how you can surround yourself with the things that matter most this week? Sometimes, having less is more and it allows us to clear the clutter that keeps us from being closer to God.

- Lauren Wainwright

Adult and Adults

Read: Mark 1:14-20

Reflect: As we read the stories of Jesus calling the disciples, it can be easy to assume that they were all exceptional people, that they were fundamentally unlike us. But the thing that made them exceptional is that they were people the world said had little value. And yet, Jesus calls them to be his followers and leaders in the burgeoning movement. And Jesus likewise calls each one of us. How are you already answering Jesus’ call on your life? Is there something that has been scratching at the back of your mind that might be a new call? (I find it often makes an appearance when there’s an issue about which we find ourselves saying “Someone ought to do something about this!�) That might just be the voice of Jesus saying that “someone� is us.

Respond: Who are the people that you believe society is most likely to ignore or to dismiss as unworthy of being in leadership roles? Research and read theological writings from people from those communities (your priest and/or Christian education/faith formation staff can help you locate these writings.) Discuss the call you identified above with a trusted confidant and make a plan for how you will begin to respond and how you will incorporate what you learned from what you read.

- Jessica Davis