Jesus calls us to follow him and be his disciples. He teaches us to companion others on their journey and listen, pray and to offer a healing presence.

For us to be a healing presence and for God to work through us, we need to practice the disciplines of prayer, study, and worship. To follow Jesus and have a meaningful relationship requires of us to be disciplined in our time with the Lord to listen and to learn. As disciples our service of love to God is shown in our actions. This balance of caring for the needs of the world and caring for self is a vital lesson while serving in ministry. We can remember how Jesus modeled his prayer life and sought a quiet place to be with Abba, his Father.

As we sit with Christ in prayer, we enter a sacred space of solitude, love, and inner peace. In time, we may wonder how we survived without prayer. Prayer becomes the air we breathe. We need it to live in peace.

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus called the brothers to leave the familiar and follow Him. What great courage it is to let go of our illusions of life and let God show us the way to live with meaning and purpose.

An experience of illusions was brought to a recent retreat that I facilitated. The team had arrived on Wednesday night in hopes of making final preparations. However, the transference of some unresolved issues from two team members created chaos for the team to focus. With prayerful dispositions and gentle persuasion to practice boundaries with one another, we followed the lead of the Holy Spirit.

This journey began a few months ago. A request came to me to design a retreat for the women in the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. My commitment to prayer prepared me to follow the Lord’s will. I met with the team a few times and listened to their stories and created sets of spiritual exercises. My intention was to give tools to release what might be blocking them from receiving the grace of God as well as encourage them to return to their communities to serve with gladness and singleness of heart.

Today, I see this as a practice of letting go of the nets and following Jesus.

The first night for the 70 retreatants was Thursday. A prayer vigil was their first exploration with God of what their desires were of being on retreat.

Friday morning, we all gathered to share our "intentions" in small groups. The challenges and delights of their prayer vigil experience became for one another an awareness of being companions on a journey. They listened and discovered how they may be surprisingly connected.

Mid-morning the women were ready for a new activity. They were given clay and closed their eyes to explore their relationship with God a little deeper. The use of the clay created resistance for some yet they mostly enjoyed the exercise. This was a meditation to grow in awareness of their ability to trust.

Free time came for the women to choose workshops, enjoy books from the Cathedral bookstore, socialize, or just to "be." In the evening and Saturday morning we met again to open our sacred space and peek into the depths of our souls. We were playfully and prayerfully challenged to experience "forgiveness circles" and a meditation of "courage." This can be hard work. My hope was that with kindness to themselves it might be a path to healing.

There is a richer relationship with Jesus when we clean away the obstacles of our inner life and recreate a space to be with our Lord.

Imagine what the nets represented for the brothers in today’s gospel reading?

Peter and Andrew were casting their net into the sea when Jesus said, "Follow me."

James and John were mending their nets.

When we truly follow Jesus we are cleansed from our false attachments in this world and are given a deeper meaning to life. We are encouraged to learn His ways of loving and live our life for His grace and glory to be known.

Do you remember when the Lord brought into your life someone to encourage you to follow him? We need to discern how the Lord is speaking through one another. Jesus teaches. Jesus loves. Jesus heals through us if we are connected to the divine and listen with obedience to His leading us.

How are you creating a sacred space to listen to the Lord? How have you grown in desire to hear His voice as the one for you to follow?

I encourage you to live with wonder as to who may be a messenger of faith in your lifetime and you in others. We all will have many opportunities for God to work through us as a malech. This Hebrew word is also known as angel or one who is sent. Try not to be too surprised when you may enter a room and meet someone and discover that unknown to either of you there was a reason that you had met.

You changed the other and this person changed you. By some word or deed or just by your presence the meeting was complete. You may be a little bewildered or humbled or grateful.

He will make you Fishers of People.