STAYING WITH JESUS – EVEN WHEN…….Following Jesus From the Edges.

Staying With Jesus –

Pastor Calvin Cook

January 28, 2026

These cold mornings are tough to leave the comfort and warmth of bed. As we listen to the back up beepers of snow removal equipment and hear the wind blowing, the furnace turning on and off, we almost hate to think what it will be to move into the day and cold that awaits us.

As I was praying this morning, despite everything that is going on in the world and in my life my mind drifted back to the scripture we spoke about a couple of weeks ago in the sermon. Particularly Matthew 8:23 “Then He (Jesus) got into the boat and His disciples followed Him.”

Wow ! The invitation to be in relationship and surrounded by, to go through life with Jesus. How that must or should change us. Not just when the storm rages, like it did for the disciples in the following verse, but always. Only to hear Jesus say “Peace”. That is what I am trying to live into. To be a follower of Jesus that in good times and bad times I have Jesus’s presence of peace with me.

This comfort that should become more than a passing thought is of great comfort. Unfortunately, there is also a later reflection that at one of the most difficult times in Jesus lives that Jesus asks the disciples to keep watch and pray. While Jesus prayers in the power and authority that true prayer brings, the Disciples fall asleep and Jesus must wake them.  The scene in the Garden of Gethsemane can be found in Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:32-42 and Luke 22:39-46.

What about us? We expect Jesus to be with us during our times and troubles, but are we being faithful to Jesus, to His call, to His teaching, to the commitment that we have made to be a follower, to draw near, and to remain faithful. Or is Jesus seeing us sleeping.

Is Jesus waking us up and calling us to go into the world with the good news. Calling us to love God once again before we love anything else. Pointing us to the message of the church to be devoted to the Apostles teaching, the breaking of Bread, Fellowship and Prayer. Have we become so accustomed to the presence of Jesus that He will meet every need that we are happy staying in that place and not hearing the challenge that comes with the mission of God.

Well, it is that time of the morning to move into life. As much as I want to stay in the comfort of bed and warm home with my cup of tea – there is a cold world out there not just in temperature but in attitude, in ideas, and in the reality of what the evil one wants us to live into. Yet we have been given all we need to survive the cold hard world.

And it is time to live into the promise that Jesus is staying with me and now I must live into the promise that I made to Jesus.

If you never made that promise or commitment it begins with a simple prayer : Dear Jesus come and forgive me of my sinfulness, change my heart and give me your Holy Spirit that I may live my life with you and for you and never  ever be the same. Amen.