Team Jesus

I, like many of you, have been on a fair number of teams throughout my life. The 5th & 6th graders recently had a religion lesson that tasked them with designing a Team Jesus jersey. This assignment was part of our lesson exploring the Gospel accounts of Jesus calling the first disciples.

We looked especially at Matthew 4:18-22: While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

During class we discussed how these ordinary men had no special qualifications or anything that gave them an elite status, yet they were called by Jesus to follow Him. We discussed what it looks like when we follow someone and what it takes to be a good leader. Jesus, the anointed one, is a leader like no other! He was beginning His earthly ministry and called these men to be part of His team so they could learn from Him and share His good news. I think these verses also serve as a reminder to us that Jesus did not only call the disciples of the past, but He calls us today as well to learn from Him and share the good news.

Many of my students shared that their jerseys included the color purple because of Lent, red because of the blood that was shed for us, or white because of Jesus’ perfection. A lot of the jerseys had the symbol of the cross as a reminder that Jesus died for our sins. Just like those first disciples, we have no elite qualifications, we are sinners, but we are equipped to be on Team Jesus because of what the anointed one has done for us; He fulfilled God’s plan of salvation. He was the perfect example of service, sacrifice, and love. During this Lenten season, let us leave our “nets” of sin behind and follow Him to the cross for forgiveness and into a life focused on serving God and loving others.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, the anointed one, You are worthy and by Your grace You have called me to follow You. Strengthen me during this Lenten season to respond to Your call. Grant me the courage to leave behind any “nets” that prevent me from fully following You. Help me to follow you faithfully and to share the good news with those around me. Amen.