Jesus to Peter at the beginning of His ministry: “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” (Mark 1:16-17)
Peter after Jesus’ arrest: “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.” (Mark 14:71)
Jesus to Peter after the Resurrection: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep…..Follow me!” (John 21:17-19)
Whom do you follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and the myriad other social media apps? What sports teams, celebrities, musicians, pundits, and politicians fill your inbox and influence your life?
If there had been a Facebook in the first century, you could bet Peter would have “friended” Jesus when Jesus was gaining popularity, then quickly “unfriended” Jesus at the time of His arrest, and then “friended” Jesus again, probably even earning a “top fan badge” after the Resurrection.
My life, too, has been a wandering path of following Jesus, not following, and then following Jesus again. What still amazes me is that as I look back, God’s presence was always there even when I was ignoring Him. Just like Jesus continued to love Peter despite Peter’s repeated denial he even knew Jesus.
Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son describes this experience. (Luke 15:11-32) I am a living, breathing female version of the wayward son who came to his senses and headed home. My Heavenly Father is just like the father in the parable: “But while he [the son] was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” Gratitude overwhelms me.
Most, if not all Christians, have this experience of wandering away and coming back to faith.
People, gathered together as nations, have also wandered away from God. In the history books in the Old Testament - Judges, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, and others - we see Israel doing evil what is in God’s sight and then, God lifts up a new judge or a godly king to help the people do what is good in God’s sight again. Sometimes He even used pagan kings like Cyrus and Darius.
In America’s history, there have also been times called “Great Awakenings” when inspiring preaching helped rejuvenate Americans’ faith. The First Great Awakening (1730s and 1740s) provided the spiritual foundation for the Revolutionary War. The Second Great Awakening (late 1700s to early 1800s) spanned decades and underpinned the abolition of slavery and expansion of women’s rights. The efforts at social reform that had commenced before the Civil War were picked back up in the late 19th century and continued into the 1930s and some consider this a Third Great Awakening. Since then…..
Like it says in the Book of Judges, “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD…..”
It is time for a new Great Awakening. It is time for us to be like the prodigal son. We need to come to our senses and go home to our Heavenly Father.
But how will people hear the message of our sinfulness and God’s love and forgiveness in an era where the percentage of people attending church is at an all time low? Who will replace the first Great Awakening’s Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield? Or the second Great Awakenings’ Methodist circuit riders?
Perhaps in our time, it won’t be the preachers that make the difference but the people whose words and actions reflect the teachings of Jesus. Who will be our leaders? Watch for them. Pray for them. Be one of them.
Know this: We might abandon God, but God never stops pursuing us. As individuals and as nations.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your patience with us! Thank You for having compassion on us even when we turn away from You. We remember with gratitude our ancestors who laid down their lives for freedom. Help us also remember the judges and kings, the preachers and teachers, the missionaries and mothers who kept faith in You alive in the past. Spark another Great Awakening. May this rejuvenation of America’s trust in You also make itself known in the ballot box where we select the leaders of our communities and our nation. Now that the American people have seen the evil in the policies and tyrannical leadership that surrounds us, I pray they will reject them and replace them with servant leaders whose policies and leadership honor You. Look on us with Your compassion, and welcome us home. In Jesus’ powerful name we pray. Amen.
Jesus to Peter after the Resurrection: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep…..Follow me!” (John 21:17-19)
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