Brief synopsis of the readings: In the book of Samuel we find Samuel sleeping in the Temple of the Lord. Hearing his name being called out he believed it was the high priest Eli calling him but Eli said it wasn’t him and he should go back to sleep. The third time this happened Eli figured it out. He told Samuel that next time it happens he should answer: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” After this Samuel grew up and the Lord was with him. In John’s Gospel we find John standing with two of his disciples when Jesus passed. John said: “Behold, the lamb of God.” The disciples followed Jesus who asked what they wanted. Asking where Jesus lived, Jesus invited them to come with him. One of those disciples was Andrew, brother of Simon. Andrew told Simon he had seen the Messiah and Simon followed. Jesus then said to Simon: “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas” — which is translated Peter.”

It all sounds so clear in our reading: God or Jesus chooses someone by name, he follows, and becomes someone we revere thousands of years later. We now know Samuel as the last of the judges and the first prophet. It was Samuel who shepherded the Israelites in the selection of their first king, Saul. And I need not tell anyone who Simon, now Peter, becomes.

So why isn’t it so simple for us? Not only me, but nobody I know has been awakened from sleep to be chosen and nobody I know has had someone pointed out as the Messiah. If only…

This is far from unique in our reading from Scripture. Make no mistake I’m 100% to follow Jesus, but I would love to witness him curing a leper or raising someone from the dead. Or feeding a large crowd with a few loaves fishes; I’m not picky.

Thing is, it really doesn’t do much good for us to think that they had it easier then. They certainly didn’t but it’s a cop out to think so. Since Samuel was a priest we can assume that’s how he made his living. But what about Jesus’ followers? Clearly several of them made their living catching fish and Matthew was a tax collector but that’s about all we know. I think we have an image in our mind that once they decided to follow Jesus all their needs were taken care of. They traveled together, ate together, lived together, etc. But there’s no evidence that they were together 24/7 or that they left their day jobs.

I think this matters because we put so much emphasis on what we do for a living and judge our lives based on our jobs. If someone asks us: “What do you do?” we’ll normally tell them about our job when, in reality, we do a great deal more than that. We work but we also befriend, parent and socialize. We travel, explore and wonder.

I spent 22 years as a hospice chaplain and I loved it but there were times when I was hesitant to talk about it in social situations. Not because I didn’t love and take pride in what I did but because the other person would find it a little intimidating. Invariably the other person would abashedly tell me they were software engineers or attorneys as if their jobs were inconsequential and I’d find myself trying to explain that what they did was also important.

Like so many things when we think about what discipleship means we think it should mean big and flashy things. We sometimes think we need to be the next Samuel or Simon Peter to make a difference and nothing is further from the truth. I suggest that the discipleship these readings call us to means we do small things differently. Rabbi Harold Kushner, the author of When Bad Things Happen To Good People believes that discipleship means putting on glasses: the world doesn’t change but we see it more clearly.

A few weeks ago I was at the San Diego Zoo, as often happens. I was waiting for an elevator when a couple with a 5 year old son waited with me. When we got on the elevator I asked the 5 year old if he could press the elevator button for me. As you might expect he was thrilled to be able to make the light go on and make the elevator go. As we were leaving the elevator the father leaned over and whispered that I had made his son’s day. In reality his enthusiasm and joy also made my day. It wasn’t a huge thing but it brought a smile and made a child feel a little more grown up and helpful.

This is a silly example but I think my desire to follow Jesus has made me more aware of the things – and the people – around me. We’ll likely never be called to be the next Samuel or Simon Peter. But we begin to answer our call to discipleship by paying attention around us to what needs to be done. Spreading joy helps build the kingdom and makes the world what God and Jesus envision, even with small deeds.

As I said there’s a great deal we don’t know about Jesus’ first disciples. We hear about about loaves and fishes, or the raising of Lazarus, but not much of the day to day. But we do know that Matthew was a tax collector. Tax collectors collected for Rome, often demanded more than was owed, and were routinely hated. I wonder how much work Jesus put in to ensure his first disciples respected each other, and how he got them to simply be kind to each other. We do have some evidence of conflict among the ranks but much less than I would expect. Reaching out to each other, understanding each others’ stories and eventually loving each other may not have been flashy enough to make the Gospels but I’m certain it happened.

And so too with us. The next time someone asks us what we do we may talk about our job. But maybe take a moment to think about the simple things we do that make this a kinder world. And never pass an opportunity to let a 5 year old push the elevator button.