Saint John: A Son of Thunder

After my first semester of college at Sewanee, I came home deflated. Do not get me wrong, I had a great first semester academically and athletically. My grade point average was high and my teammates voted me the most improved player on the soccer team, but still something big was missing. I told my parents that I wanted to transfer to somewhere in Alabama to a school where I already had friends. They agreed under the condition that I finish out one whole year at Sewanee first.

One of the first days back at Sewanee in the Easter semester my friend Kaeley invited me to a student led worship service and Bible study. While I had been once before, on that occasion I did not feel very welcomed; however, everything changed this second time around. A dorky looking guy named Adam came up to me, he immediately gave me a hug, and asked if I wanted to join his men’s Bible study. The excited face he wore beneath his glasses and shaggy beard made me look past how nerdy he appeared. At that same moment a prematurely balding freshman named Will came up to reinforce the offer. They said almost in unison we call ourselves “Boanerges,” which means “Sons of Thunder.” From that moment on I never thought about transferring again. For their offer to join their group was not just an invite from them, but also God saying, “Follow me.”

Today we remember one of the original sons of thunder, John the Apostle and Evangelist after whom our church is named! John was originally a fisherman with his father Zebedee and his brother James. James and John were “sons of thunder” because of how feisty they often were. As fishermen, they woke up early. They worked all day in the sun and the rain. They reeked of fish. Maybe leaving the family business was difficult on some level, but when Jesus said to John, “Follow me,” I can only imagine that leaving behind smelly, hard labor was the obvious choice. And yet, what lay ahead for this fisherman was anything but easy.

John quickly became one of the disciples that Jesus invited into deep, powerful, and mysterious moments. At the raising of Jairus’ daughter, John was there. At the Transfiguration, John was present. In the Garden of Gethsemane, John was falling asleep. John was even referred to as the disciple whom Jesus loved. Of course, this is in John’s own telling of the good news. John’s preaching of the good news through his Gospel account, letters, and revelation produce some of the most powerful moments of Scripture. Where would we be without his prologue or mystical vision of the End? We might therefore think that he was a pompous and proud man, but the truth is he was always just a simple fisherman who shifted his focus from creatures of the sea to human beings.

Each and every one of us is called in the same way that John was called. Jesus calls us too. Of course, he wears lots of disguises while calling. Sometimes it’s a friend in need. Sometimes it is our church asking you to come a little deeper. It might even be two new friends from the “Sons of Thunder” beckoning you to study scripture and goof off. Jesus is calling. How will you be sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father? How will you see yourself as a beloved disciple? How will you call others into relationship with Christ? Jesus says “Follow me.” Will you go like John?