Why follow Jesus?

“On Eagles’ Wings” is a beautiful hymn based on verses from Psalm 91. Here’s the first stanza: You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord, Who abide in His shadow for life, Say to the Lord: “My refuge, My rock in whom I trust!” And He will raise you up on eagles’ wings, Bear you on the breath of dawn, Make you to shine like the sun, And hold you in the palm of His hand.

What a fantastic promise of the Lord’s care and the ultimate eternal victory we have in Christ Jesus. But before the victory is won the battle rages. In this weekend’s Old Testament reading we’ll hear the prophet Jeremiah lamenting the fact that the word of the Lord brings him insult and reproach all day long. In the Gospel reading Jesus tells the Twelve that they will be hated by everyone because of Him. If that’s the case, why would someone want to follow Jesus?

First, there is the ultimate goal of the resurrection to eternal life in the Father’s House where we shall shine like the sun. When we contemplate that, Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 become ours as well: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

But there is something else in the here and now that makes following Jesus so worth it. It’s the fellowship of believers. What I mean by that is the support and encouragement we have from other brothers and sisters in the faith who are following Jesus with us and experiencing the highs and lows of life as we do. It begins as the Holy Spirit bonds us together in Christ as we worship together and receive our Lord’s gifts together. It continues as we pray for each other, study the Word together, and help and support each other.

I could be totally wrong and perhaps over-reacting, but I sense that this fundamental part of why the Holy Spirit has gathered us together as the Body of Christ is being lost and is not being passed on to the younger generation as prevalently as it once was. We are indeed blessed to have various opportunities to hear the Word so available to us apart from worshiping together at a set time and place (and I am thankful that our online worship services are available), but it is also true that the remote version of church is no substitute for being together and singing our Lord’s praises, abiding in His shadow, learning the discipline of prioritizing special family time where we not only hear our family story in the Scriptures, but get to learn other people’s stories – people who not only can encourage us, but whom we are used by our Lord to encourage.

Speaking of encouraging, would you encourage me by joining me in praying that the Holy Spirit would move powerfully in our congregation to instill anew in all of us the joy of the Lord’s salvation and the blessing of the fellowship of believers? “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Your love.”