The Second Sunday of Epiphany, 15 January 2023,
Austwick, Clapham, Eldroth
I’m just of the age to have been a keen childhood follower of Pele; who was at his prime when I was in school. Of course in the pre-SkyTV age, sightings of the Brazilian genius were rare. But that made the news clips of him in action for Santos, and the feast of football he and his teammates served up at the Mexico World Cup, all the more special.
In the park, with a goal set up between two coats dropped on the grass, I tried to emulate Pele’s wonder goal against Czechoslovakia when he jumped to take the ball on his chest, and whilst still in mid-air controlled it, dropped it at his feet, and with the outside of his right boot, volleyed it past the goalkeeper. Needless to say, my attempts at this seldom came off, so instead I tried looking like Pele by saving up my pocket money to buy a yellow replica Brazil shirt. [1]
At the turn of this New Year you will have seen pictures of the crowds of everyday Brazilians filing past Pele as he laid at rest in Santos football ground in Sao Paulo, and the very similar scenes of those who went to pay homage to the late Pope Benedict XVI in state in St. Peter’s Basilica. [2]
Pele was a worldwide football star followed by millions; and when leader of the world’s Roman Catholics Benedict had over 1.3 billion followers. [3]
These events caused me to reflect on a universal aspect of being human, that we are all followers. We all have people who we admire, sports people or musicians who inspire us; writers or performers we love.
Think of who you follow; those who you’ll always switch the TV on to watch; or whose next piece of writing or music you’re eagerly awaiting; those whose radio shows or podcasts or exhibitions or performances you relish.
And consider how your following them affects what you do: like me with Pele’s replica shirt do you wear the clothes that they wear; if they’re a baker do you follow their recipes and use their tips in the food which you create; if they’re a musician do you hum their tunes in the kitchen; if they’re a moral leader like Benedict do you try to emulate their service and devotion…?
Reportedly, Pope Benedict’s last words were ‘Jesus, I love you'. It was hardly in doubt, given the life he’d led, but he made it very clear at the moment of his death, that he was a follower of Jesus. A disciple. [4]
We are all followers. Christ included. When we look at the accounts of Jesus’ early life, we observe that before people began to follow him, he himself was a follower - of John the Baptist. He went to John at the Jordan, soaked in his teaching and in response Jesus waded into the river to be baptised by him.
And today’s gospel story describes the day, some time afterwards, when some followers of John the Baptist decided to follow Jesus. They did so because John recommended Jesus to them.
‘Look at this man!,’ he told them. ‘He is the Lamb sent from God, who will sacrifice himself to rid the world of sin! He is the One I have been saying will come after me, who existed long before me and is much greater than I am.’
These followers of John spent the rest of the day with Jesus and then, we’re told, ‘followed Him for the rest of their lives’.
We know how following Jesus changed these disciples: turning them into people of prayer, who with his encouragement found themselves able to emulate his acts of healing and kindness towards others. We know especially how following Jesus changed Peter: the one who, seeing Jesus walking on the waters of Galilee, jumped out of his boat and for a glorious few moments walked on water too; the one who, as Jesus predicted, eventually became a leader of the church, a precursor of Pope Benedict, the Palestinian fisherman who now has a Basilica named after him.
We also know how following Jesus brought these disciples into conflict with their families and their communities, and particularly with the institutions and authorities, as the contrasts between their society’s ways of life and the ways and the worldview of Jesus became increasingly clear.
They were still sons and brothers, wives and mothers; they were still subjects and servants; they were still taxpayers and synagogue-goers; but as followers of Jesus they were also willingly under the influence of the ways of another kingdom, and their decisions in life, every day, walked an often delicate line between them.
So it is for us, who today seek to follow Jesus, in a world whose ways are not his ways, whose thoughts are not his thoughts.
It may be that there is one person in your family who everyone else ignores; for whatever reason they just don’t fit in; but because Jesus said ‘do unto others as you’d have them do to you,’ you include this person in your life, and are criticised for it.
It may be that there is one family in your village who are different and who others write-off as being difficult; but, because Jesus said ‘love your neighbour’, you befriend them, and in consequence you find others closing their doors to you.
‘The normal world has no room for exceptions and always quietly eliminates foreign objects. Anyone who is lacking is disposed of.’ [5] But Jesus’ followers are taught, ‘Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect.’ [6]
Many people go to great lengths to find out how to be normal, how to conform, even when doing so feels like it is diminishing or damaging them. But Jesus’ followers are invited ‘to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship.’ [7]
Following Jesus is a life of joy, but it is a joy which can be tempered by the pain of coexisting with a world which wants us to follow a different set of values.
So let us pray for each other always, particularly those who are feeling the pain of this challenge, and let us encourage each other as we share in the joy of being followers of Christ together.
Notes
[1] Pele’s goal for Brazil v Czechoslovakia, World Cup 1970. YouTube.
[2] Pele's funeral: Brazil legend lying in state in Santos' stadium. BBC News, 3 January 2023; Crowds pay respects as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s body lies in state at Vatican. PBS, 2 January 2023.
[3] ‘The Catholic churches, with around 1.3 billion believers worldwide, are the largest Christian grouping’ WorldData.info
[4] Gerard O’Connell, Pope Benedict XVI’s last words: ‘Jesus, I love you.’ America, The Jesuit Review, 31 December 2022.
[5] Sayaka Marata, Convenience Store Woman.
[6] Romans 12.2
[7] Romans 12.1
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