Ramblings (or followings)

It is just too hot today to do anything healthy. It is really too hot to do anything. As I entered Birmingham a few minutes ago I broke triple digits on the dashboard thermometer. Naturally that compelled me to detour to Homewood and drop into O'Henry's for an afternoon latte. Yes, the latte is a hot drink, but the air conditioner is working fine and the ceiling fans are on and O'Henry's is a cool place by all definitions, so the heat of the latte is no problem.

Which reminds me of the sermons I heard this morning. Perhaps the challenge of the sermons is partially the reason for my stop here. I tend to think better and deeper while sipping coffee. The preachers were throwing a bit of heat this morning. Not the hell and brimstone kind of heat. The kind of heat that actually suggests that followers of Jesus are called to do that.

Follow.

"Following Jesus" has become cliche. The words that is. Not the actual doing. That is anything but cliche.

Apparently Jesus likes his coffee hot. As one of the preachers, Michael Miller at St. Mark's UMC in Northport reminded us this morning, if it's lukewarm, He would just spit it out. But he was talking about us.

And Matt Smith, of Taylorville UMC in Tuscaloosa reminded us that Jesus left the world in our hands as stewards to finish the work that He started. Jesus gave us good directions for the rest of the journey. Then Matt asked,"So how are we doing with that?" "No, really, how are we doing?"

Following has a couple of different meanings. The first is a physical action. Getting behind a leader and going where He goes. It is impossible to follow when you run ahead of the leader, or when you get so far behind or off to the side that you lose sight of the leader, or when you just stop.

Following requires going. From a place that you know to a place uncertain and all the places in between.

We as followers are not converted into new creations solely at the trail's head. We change along the journey. If we do not follow, if we do not climb the hills, trip over the rocks, cross the rivers, stump our toes, pop a few blisters and continue until we grow weary, we do not change, we do not grow. We miss the joy of the journey.

The other definition of following is to adopt the beliefs and ways of the leader. Jesus begins his relationship with us with grace, with divine forgiveness. But that is just the beginning of his belief, His ways. He said a whole lot in not so many words. They were radical statements when He lived and are radical today.

Give up your life. Don't live your life to gain material things. Be willing to give all you have to whoever needs it. The first are last. Judge not. Forgive. Love. Serve. Go.

Come and follow me.

Those directions are among His ways. His preaching created quite a bit of heat in His day.

And it still does. For those who will follow if they stay close enough to the source.

But Christians are like lattes even on a sweltering June day in Alabama. Hot is a good thing.

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