***
I’m sure many of us remember the feeling of falling in love.
At first everything about that person seemed enchanting – the way they walk, the tone of their voice, the look in their eyes. The smallest detail can give you butterflies.
You’re left feeling like you cannot live without the other person by your side.
***
But eventually the reality of ordinary life sets in.
You realize that the bills must be paid, space must be shared, and they – like you – have their own priorities.
While it’s easy to fall in love, it’s much harder to remain in love.
***
In the Gospel, Jesus invites Simon, Andrew, James, and John to become his disciples.
Immediately, they drop everything and follow him.
They must have been spellbound by Jesus; he spoke with authority, he performed miracles – and they were part of his inner circle.
But as their lives with him slowly merged into one, they realized just how hard it would be to say “yes” to him every day, much like a couple that’s been married for many years.
In the words of Jesus, they will have to, “Deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow him.”
***
We are all here this morning because – like the disciples – we’ve fallen in love with Jesus.
But the butterflies are probably gone. Reality has set in.
It can be much harder to say “yes’ to Jesus today than it was yesterday, because the longer we know him, the more he wants of our heart.
So how is the Lord inviting me to follow him today?
***
Maybe he’s asking me to be kind to that person who constantly gets under my skin, to be generous with my time, or to let go of a temptation that I’ve clung to.
“No one can have two masters,” says the Lord.
Jesus wants to be number one.
Will we let him?