Greeneville, TN
The Third Sunday after the Epiphany
January 25, 2026
This morning, we hear the familiar story of Jesus calling his first disciples once again. It doesn’t begin with scholars or rulers or people who seem especially prepared, but with four fishermen... ordinary men, doing ordinary work, on an ordinary day.
Four fishermen who heard something in the voice of a teacher from Nazareth that stirred their hearts. Four fishermen who sensed perhaps without being able to name it... that God was near, and that life could be more than what they already knew.
Andrew and his brother Simon. James and his brother John. Men whose lives were measured in tides and nets and the hope of a good catch. Men who understood hard work, disappointment, and the quiet persistence it takes to show up again after a long night.
Last week we heard how Andrew and Simon were first disciples or followers of John the Baptist. They had already been waiting, already listening, already longing. And when John pointed to Jesus, declaring him to be the Christ, the Son of the living God... they followed.
Today’s Gospel gives us another angle on that moment. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is walking along the shore. He sees Simon and Andrew casting their nets. A little further on, he sees James and John, weary and mending their nets that have been torn.
And to each of them, he offers the same simple invitation... “Repent. Believe. Follow me.” No long speech. No list of requirements. Just a call.
They leave what they know... their nets, their boats, their livelihood, the security of their family, and their routine, and they step into a way of life that will eventually lead to joy and wonder, but also to misunderstanding, suffering, and even death.
This moment matters because it comes at a turning point in the gospel story. John the Baptist has been arrested. The world has shown resistance to God’s truth. And now Jesus steps forward in faith to proclaim the good news. The good news that God is still at work... the good news that God’s kingdom is drawing near, the good news that light is breaking into darkness. That was good news then. And it is still good news now.
Because we, too, are living in a time when the darkness feels very close. Too close. We live in a world marked by war and displacement, where violence continues to unfold in Ukraine and in the Middle East. Where families grieve lives lost, homes destroyed, and futures uncertain.
We live in a nation that remains divided by fear, anger, and mistrust. We witness the violence taking place on the streets because of overzealous immigration enforcement... citizens being restrained, detained, and even killed because of the fear of the other.
All around us, we see the effects of poverty, addiction, racism, and loneliness... It’s all come too close to home. It is no wonder that so many feel weary and exhausted... like James and John at the end of a long night, sitting with torn nets and tired hands.
And it is into this world, our world, that Jesus still comes. Not waiting for things to be fixed. Not asking us to have it all figured out. But meeting us right where we are, in the middle of our wearyness... in the middle of our ordinary lives, and he pleads with us again... “Repent. Believe. Follow.”
Sometimes, that call can sound so daunting. We may wonder what it would really mean to follow so freely, so completely. Would we need to give up our sense of security? Our comfort? The things we rely on to make life feel manageable? Most of us are honest enough to admit how hard that is. Sometimes it is difficult enough just to carry the faith we proclaim here out beyond these walls.
We worry about what others will think. We fear being misunderstood. We are tired. At times, we may feel closer to the people Isaiah describes... those who walk in darkness and long for light.
And yet, the good news is this... Jesus does not call us out of guilt, shame, or pity. Jesus calls us out of love. Jesus meets every one of us without exception. Across every race, nation, language, and border. American and immigrant, Black and white, Ukrainian and Russian, Palestinian and Israeli, young and old,
confident and uncertain. All of us are met with the same grace-filled invitation. Repent, believe, and follow.
To follow Jesus is not simply to attend church and be involved in and support the community of faith, as important as that is. It is to let our lives be shaped by the love of Christ. It is to allow the compassion we receive at this table to flow outward into the world.
Following Jesus means learning to live out the Gospel in our daily lives in our actions… Monday through Saturday, not just Sunday morning. It means caring when others hurt, speaking hope when despair seems loud, working for reconciliation in a fractured world.
And yes—following Jesus is not easy work. He never claimed it would be. Ministry, whether ordained or lived out in daily faithfulness, can be costly. Costly, because it asks something of us. But we know that we don’t do it alone.
Jesus goes with us. He feeds us with his own life... his body broken for us, his blood poured out for the sake of the world. In this broken world, we are made one body, held together by God’s grace that is stronger than fear.
The light of Christ goes before us, not removing all shadows at once, but showing us enough to take the next faithful step. So today, we return again to that simple invitation... Repent. Believe. Follow.
Not because we are perfect. Not because we are fearless. But because the one who calls us is faithful. And as we follow, may our lives, here in Greeneville, Tennessee, and beyond bear a quiet, steady witness to God who is still at work, still calling, who is still making all things new.
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