The Cost of Discipleship | The Call

March 16, 2025

Matthew 4:18-22

Lent 2

Rev. Teer Hardy

The disciples left their nets and followed. What are we still clinging to?

Maybe it’s security—the need to have everything planned and figured out before you step forward.

Maybe it’s comfort—the fear of stepping into something difficult or unfamiliar.

Maybe it’s pride—the desire to keep control instead of surrendering.

Whatever it is, Jesus is standing before you today with the same invitation He gave to the first twelve, “Follow me.”

So, what will it be?

That is what we are wrestling with throughout the Lenten season.

Bonhoeffer reminds us that grace is not cheap—it is costly. Discipleship demands everything, but it offers even more in return. The way of Jesus is not comfortable, but it is the only path to real life.

Jesus is standing before you today with the same invitation He gave to those first disciples: “Follow me.”

And here’s the good news—this call is not just about loss, not just about sacrifice, not just about cost.

Yes, discipleship demands everything—but it offers even more in return. It is the call to life, real life, the kind of life that can’t be measured in security, comfort, or control, but in joy, purpose, and the presence of God.

It is a call to belong—to a community, to a story, to a Savior who goes before us.

So, what will it be? Will we stay in the boat, clinging to our nets, waiting for a more convenient time? Or will we step forward, trusting that the One who calls us is also the One who will sustain us?

Because, friends, the way of Jesus is not just the way of the cross—it is the way of resurrection.

And that is good news.

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