In his sermon Two Essentials for Following Jesus, Rev. Brad Buff reflects on Jesus’ call to the first disciples in Matthew 4:12–23 and explains that following Jesus involves two inseparable dimensions: how we live and where we go. Using the image of guided park ranger hikes and the phrase “walk this way,” he shows that following Jesus means not only accompanying him on the path but also imitating his way of life. Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy by bringing light to those on the margins, and calls ordinary fishermen who immediately leave their nets to walk with him. Rev. Buff highlights that the disciples learned the how of following Jesus by watching his compassion, teaching, prayer, and love for all people, and the where by physically going with him to towns, synagogues, the sick, the marginalized, and ultimately places that were uncomfortable or avoided. Applying this to today, he challenges believers to live as Jesus taught—loving God and neighbor—while also going where Jesus would go, whether through missions, service to those in need, or everyday places in our routines. True discipleship, he concludes, requires openness to being surprised and transformed as we live out both the how and the where of following Jesus.
