Follow Me

© Jane Hulme 2021 Short Talk (SHT221) Follow me! Aim of Short talk: Use of Short talk: Main themes: Biblical references: Lectionary: SHORT TALK: “Follow me!” To encourage people to follow Jesus by listening to His words and doing what He says. This is a short All Age talk picking out one issue from the Lectionary Gospel reading of the Sunday main service. The talk stands alone and assumes that the Gospel Bible reading may not yet have been read to the congregation. It could be used, for example, for the whole congregation before the children go out to their age specific groups, leaving the adults with a full sermon later. Jesus, Following, Discipleship, Listening, Obedience Mark 1.14-20 Year B – The third Sunday before Advent .................................................................................................................. All through our lives different people will want us to follow them. • They may want us to listen to what they have to say and agree with them, • or do what they tell us to do. Some people can really help us if we follow them. • Think of one of your teachers at school. • They might say to you, “If you do all the work that I set you and work hard at your homework, you will do well in your studies.” If you listen to your teacher and do what they say, you will probably find that you learn all sorts of things and do well, • so, following your teacher is the right thing to do. There are, however, some people who can lead us into trouble if we follow them. • There may be what seems like a really cool boy or girl in your school. • One day, they might invite you to go shoplifting with them. • They might tell you that it will be okay, and nothing will happen to you. If you listen to them and do what they say, you will get into trouble, • so, following that other child would be the wrong thing to do. All through our lives, different people will want us to follow them; • some of these people will have a good influence on our lives, • others will have a bad influence on our lives. • Sometimes it is hard to know whether to follow someone or not, because you don’t know if the person is telling you the truth or not. © Jane Hulme 2021 2 When Jesus first began His ministry in Galilee, He invited ordinary people to follow Him. • Jesus was inviting people to listen to what He had to say, • to believe Him, • and then to do what He said. When Jesus invited some fisherman called Simon, Andrew, James and John to follow Him, they left their fishing business to be with Him and to do the things that Jesus did. • These men were all willing to trust Jesus with their lives, and their trust was rewarded. • Everything that Jesus told them was true and these men went on to do God’s work all over the world and had very fruitful lives. Jesus is alive today and He invites each one of us to follow Him; • to listen to His words; words that we can find written down in the Bible. • To believe what He says, • and then to do what He says. When we choose to follow Jesus, He will lead us on the path of life. • It won’t be the easy path, but it will be a path that is both challenging and fruitful. So, as you hear Jesus say to you, “Follow me,” • what will you do? © Jane Hulme 2021 3