In the early 1990s, the phrase “What Would Jesus Do?” became popular. The phrase was a unique way to call people to consider how Jesus might respond to situations in everyday life. Seemingly overnight, we saw WWJD on bracelets, charms, shoelaces, book bags, and so much more. In the teenage evangelical world, it seemed to be everywhere. During a youth retreat, I even gave each of our youth a rubber bracelet with those letters embossed on it – a reminder for them, that in our actions we should always make decisions based on the life and teachings of Jesus, not from culture, or the prevailing thought of the day, but from Jesus.
This Sunday, I will begin a new sermon series called “The First Things.” As we prepare for these final months of our time together, I would like to focus on the things I understand to be most important for each person’s faith journey. What should be the essential sign posts in our individual and corporate lives of faith. What are, “The First Things?”
This week we will begin with two simple words of Jesus – “Follow Me.” This is where our faith begins.
Sometimes it seems that there are many different interpretations of what it means to truly be a Jesus follower, and these interpretations often appear to be in direct opposition to each other. This week we have seen Christian leaders espouse conflicting opinions of what Jesus meant when he said, “Follow me.” How can we make our way through this uncertainty? How do we know who to listen to? When I am unsure, I always go to the source, Jesus’ own words, to help me understand what it means to be his follower, his disciple.
Mark 12:30-31
Jesus: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.
What Would Jesus Do? It’s simple…Follow me…Love God. Love others. That is all.
-Pastor Jane