Following the Leader

Recently I was watching the movie, "Peter Pan." Have you ever watched this movie? In the movie, the children sing a song and play a game called "Following the Leader." (Sing a bit of it, if you can.)

Following the leader, the leader, the leader
We're following the leader wherever he may go.

Have any of you ever played "Follow the Leader?" Of course you have! I played the game when I was a child, my father played the game when he was a child, his father played the game when he was a child. Follow the Leader is a game that is played and enjoyed by children all over the world.

The rules are very simple. You choose a leader and you follow him wherever he goes and do whatever he does. You stomp through puddles, climb over fences, swing from a tree—all to stay in the game because nobody wants to be "a quitter."

Follow the Leader is a great game, but in our daily lives we play follow the leader too. In school, in Church, in sports, in any activity we are in, there are always leaders. Every day we are faced with making a choice of which leader we will follow. We must be sure to choose a leader that will lead us in the right direction.

One day Jesus was walking along the sea shore. He saw two fishermen, Peter and Andrew, who were throwing their fishing nets out into the sea. Jesus called out to them, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." The Bible tells us that they laid down their nets and followed Jesus. Jesus went a little farther and he saw two more men, James and John sitting in their boat mending their nets. Jesus called out to them and the Bible tells us that they left their boat and followed Jesus. (vs. 19-20)

Jesus is still calling people to follow him today. He has called you and me to follow him. Now it's up to us to decide if we will follow the leader.

Dear Jesus, you have called us to follow you. May we, like Peter, Andrew, James, and John say "Yes, Lord, I'll follow you—wherever you may lead." Amen.