What Do You Need to Let Go?

Based on Matthew 4:12-23
First delivered Jan. 26, 2020
Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr 

            Who would you drop everything for and follow if they asked you to follow them? Likely you would only do that for someone you love, who really matters to you: your spouse or life partner, your kids, your parents, your closest friends. Or maybe it is someone who has authority over you, like a supervisor or boss. Or maybe it is someone who you have great respect for or admire, like a mentor. Whoever it is you drop everything and follow is likely someone you have a relationship with. You hold enough value in the relationship that you are willing to let go of whatever it is you are doing so that you can follow that person on the barest of requests. All they have to say is, “follow me” and you go. You don’t need to know where you are going or what you will have to do. If they say “come with me” you go, no questions asked. Most of us won’t do this for just anybody, and certainly not a stranger unless we at least ask some questions first.

            So, what is it about Jesus, that when he invited Simon and Andrew, James and John, to follow him, that they were willing to immediately drop everything and follow, no questions asked? Was Jesus a stranger to them? It could be that there was something about Jesus’ charisma that prompted in them the willingness to follow Jesus immediately. But it could also be that they had already heard about Jesus. Maybe they had already met him. Perhaps they had already heard him proclaim his message to repent, for the kingdom of heaven is drawing near. Perhaps they had heard about, or even seen him working miracles of healing. Perhaps they had heard what John the Baptist was saying, that this is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, the very Son of God, the Messiah. Whatever the reasons were, Simon and Andrew, James and John, chose to drop everything and to follow Jesus, no questions asked and with the barest of insight as to what they were getting themselves in to. Jesus said to Simon and Andrew that he would make them fish for people. That’s all they needed to know.

            What about you? If you have ever heard that call in your heart, of Jesus inviting you to follow him, did you metaphorically drop everything and follow him immediately, no questions asked? It didn’t happen right away for me. I suppose there were a number of times as a kid that Jesus was stirring in my heart to follow him and I either didn’t understand what was happening or maybe thought I already was following, I already believed. But then, one evening in October of 1983, everything changed. It was that night, at a church youth retreat, when for the first time I knew in my heart that Jesus died on the cross for my sin, that God loved me and had a plan for my life…this was a call to follow that was loud and clear. After sharing a message with us, the pastor said to us, “If you feel called to be a fisher of men, come forward.” My heart was in my throat. I knew this was for me. Without thinking I immediately made my way to the pastor, who had me kneel. He placed his hand on my head and said, “Kevin, go forth and be a fisher of men.” The youth pastor pinned on to my shirt collar a lapel pin that had the shape of a fish hook. It was that moment that for the first time I dropped everything, let go of how I used to think about myself, of little value, with no real purpose, of mere existence, I let all that go, and instead began to follow Jesus, the one who loves me and who has a plan for me, the one who is worthy of being followed. I was only 15. I had no idea where this journey of following Jesus would take me. And it’s a journey I’m still on. Who knows where it will go?

            Maybe you said yes to follow Jesus the first time you felt that invitation. Maybe you had to be prompted many times. Perhaps you were also at a church youth retreat. Or you were at a Billy Graham crusade. Or you were sitting in church one Sunday morning. Or it was at some point during a confirmation class. Or you were alone in your bedroom. Or you were sitting by a creek, along the beach, overlooking a scenic vista, sitting with your back against a tall oak in the woods. We hear that invitation in our hearts many different ways and in many different places. And it’s been my experience that I have heard Jesus’ invitation to follow all through my life. At some point along the way, those of us who claim to be Christians sensed that call to follow, we left something behind, and started on the path of following Jesus.

            But I wonder if we actually dropped everything when we decided to follow Jesus. These four fishermen physically dropped their nets and followed Jesus as he walked along the beach. We don’t physically drop things when we decide to follow Jesus. But we do have to let things go. Maybe you have to let go of certain priorities in your life. To follow Jesus, you may have to let go of the priorities of making lots of money, or always having to win at any cost, or always getting what you want. To follow Jesus, maybe you have to let go of always putting yourself first. Maybe to follow Jesus you have to let go of some of your life goals, or the plans you had mapped out for your life. It is this kind of letting go where I have heard people say has given them pause in following Jesus. They think things like, “If I give my life to Jesus, he might call me to be a missionary in Africa or give away all my possessions and live hand to mouth as an evangelist or something. I always planned to be a lawyer or an accountant and now Jesus is going to lead me away from that life and be something else that I don’t want to be. Yes, to let go of those aspirations you have for your career, or the kind of lifestyle that you have the ambition to achieve to follow Jesus, that can give a lot of people pause.

            Maybe to follow Jesus you have to let go of some bad habits, or some bad relationships. You may have to get yourself a new set of friends. And that’s not always easy. Then again, it might be easier than you think when your old friends discover you are taking this following Jesus thing seriously and you aren’t the same anymore. Those old friends may not want to hang out with you anymore. So, yes, following Jesus may mean letting go of some relationships.

            Maybe following Jesus means letting go of some negative talk about yourself. You used to think about yourself as wandering through life with no purpose, no direction. You used to think that there really wasn’t any reason for you to be living. You may even had sometimes wondered if it was worth living. But now, having chosen to follow Jesus, your life has a purpose. You are finding meaning. You now have a reason to get out of bed in the morning. You are letting go of that sense of purposelessness and worthlessness and discovering that by Jesus calling you to follow him, you have received an invitation to live a life of purpose. You have been acknowledged as someone with purpose, with worth, with a reason to live. So, you let go of all that negative talk and the negative thoughts you had about yourself and your life as you step out in faith to follow the one who has called you.

            What I have come to discover though is that the journey of following Jesus includes an ongoing process of letting go. I think we discover as we go along that although we have been following Jesus, there are still some things we have held on to that we need to let go of. Maybe there is still a negative attitude about yourself that you still haven’t been able to let go of. Or there is still that bad habit, or that character flaw that you still struggle to let go of. Maybe there is something you are keeping in your back pocket, something you can fall back on when the call to follow Jesus looks like it will take you to a place that doesn’t feel safe and secure. It’s like when you were a kid, and all your friends were swimming in the deep end of the pool. You got as close as you could to the deep end, that part of the pool where the floor suddenly dips down. And you want to go swim with your friends. You gingerly move a little into that deep end but you do not let go of the edge of the pool. You work your way further and further, but you don’t let go of that edge. Eventually, if you want to swim with your friends in the deep end, you are going to have to let go of the edge of the pool. Until you do, you’re stuck. But eventually, you get enough courage, you let go of the edge, push off with your foot, and you paddle and kick as hard as you can to keep your head above water. And before you know it, you’re swimming with your friends in the deep end. Following Jesus can sometimes be like that. We sense Jesus calling us to follow him a little deeper into the water. We want to do it. But it’s scary. We hold back, clinging to what we know, to where we are, to what is familiar and safe. But our heart longs to follow Jesus into those unknown and deeper waters. Will we let go of the familiar and safe, steel ourselves with courage, and swim into the unknown with Jesus?

            Some of us have had the privilege of teaching our kids how to ride a bike. It starts easy. Just put on training wheels and the kids are good to go. But eventually, we start asking, “You ready for me to take those training wheels off?” “Not yet, daddy.” “OK.” You wait a bit a longer and then ask, “You ready yet?” “Not yet.” “OK.” Eventually, the day comes, and you ask the question, “You ready yet?” “Yes, I’m ready. Take them off.” The training wheels go off and now the fun really begins. You explain how to keep the bicycle upright. Sit up straight. Lean forward a little. Whatever you do, keep peddling. Standing by their side, holding the bike steady, your kid gets on and slowly, together, you pushing and them sort of peddling, you start moving forward. Eventually they start peddling. You get a little faster. And you say, “OK, I’m going to let go.” No, daddy, don’t let go!” By this time you’re running out of breath! You let go, your kid falls over, and you have to pick them up, dust them off, and encourage them to get back on the bike. Over and over, you say, “I’m letting go.” “Don’t let go!” But, eventually, it happens. The both of you push off, you pick up speed, and your kid says, “Now, daddy!” You let go, and you watch with pride as your kid peddles down the sidewalk. They are free. The adventures they will have on their bikes.

            Throughout our lives, we hear that call from Jesus. “Are you ready to follow me?” “Not yet.” We aren’t quite ready to let go. We want to. But we are scared. We are unsure if we can do it. But Jesus keeps inviting, keeps calling us to follow him just a little bit further. He assures us that if we start sinking, he will be there to pull us up. If we fall over, he will be there to dust us off and get us back going again. Jesus is always there for us. And he is always one step ahead of us, calling us forward. So, what about it? What do you need to let go of so that you can take the next step in your journey of following Jesus?