January 9, 2023 – “Who is following Whom?”

“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” Matthew 4:18-22

{“I’ve given up social media for the New Year and am trying to make friends outside Facebook while applying the same principles. Every day, I walk down the street and tell passersby what I’ve eaten, how I feel, what I did the night before, and what I will do tomorrow. Then I give them pictures of my family, my dog, and me gardening. I also listen to their conversations and tell them I love them. And it works. I already have three people following me—two police officers and a psychiatrist.”} (Nancy L. Clark, West Virginia)

Have you heard of “The Attention Economy”? It is a recent phenomenon. It describes the supply and demand of a person’s attention – and our attention is the biggest draw for the internet. If a site or a web platform can draw more attention – more “clicks” than others – it allows them to draw the attention of advertisers. But, like it or not, our attention comes in limited supply. I can only keep my attention on so many things before my head begins to explode. Attentiveness is a human quality, and we only have so much in reserves. Between work, children, sleep, and playtime, we tend to put more attention on the things that make us feel good. And this is where Face Book and other social sites have “clicked” upon pay dirt. The act of seeking affirmation by having others “click like” on their pages, and comments, and posts, gives a person a burst of happiness – and that is addictive. And that leads to more attention being paid toward seeking more followers. (Information supplied by The Secret Ways Social Media is Built for Addiction, Julian Morgans)

Jesus sought out followers when he began his public ministry. He called them from their busy lives and sought out their attention taking them away from earthly concerns and toward heavenly matters. While most of us cannot leave everything to be a follower of Jesus, we can set aside more of our time to be devoted to his teachings and his ministry. In 2023, let us resolve to spend less time on social media and spend more time in our bibles – and our churches.

Let us pray: Dear G-d, help me to be more attentive to my relationship with you. With so many distractions in this life, I need your help in keeping my eyes on eternal things. Amen.

Pastor Dave