Follow

Opening Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Help us to follow You not only when the path is clear and easy, but also when it leads through shadow and sacrifice. Teach us that following is about presence, not performance — being where You are, in joy and in sorrow, in light and in darkness. Fix our eyes on the empty cross, the sign of Your completed victory. Amen.

Scripture Reading

Luke 9:23 — Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

John 12:24–26 — “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.”

Reflection

To follow Christ is to let him set both the destination and the pace — even when the path leads through sacrifice, obscurity, or suffering. Following is about presence, not performance: being where he is, in the joy and in the sorrow, in the spotlight and in the shadows. Our liturgical practices — processions, bows, venerating the cross — train the body to follow before the mind fully understands. But following is also relentlessly practical: pausing when he pauses, caring for whom he cares, speaking when he would speak, staying silent when he would be silent. When the way grows hard, we endure not by staring at our own pain, but by fixing our gaze on the empty cross — the sign not of ongoing suffering, but of completed victory.

Personal Reflection Questions

1. Visualize Christ before you throughout the day — a few steps ahead. Where would he go? To whom would he speak? How would he act when confronted with your choices?

2. Perform one hidden act of service today that costs you time, pride, or money — and tell no one.

3. Where is Jesus leading you today that you might be hesitant to go?

4. When following becomes costly, how can you shift your gaze from your own pain or discomfort to Christ’s victory on the cross?

5. What would change if you trusted that he has already marked the path through your difficulty unto the other side of your salvation?

Group Discussion Questions

1. “Following is fundamentally about presence, not performance.” What’s the difference, in practical terms, for how you show up at church, in your family, or at work?

2. The devotional says Christ’s itinerary interrupts yours — the overlooked becomes central, obedience outranks convenience. Where has following Christ ever genuinely inconvenienced you? What came of it?

3. Our church trains the body to follow through processions, bows, and venerating the cross. Have you ever found a physical, liturgical act unexpectedly opening something up spiritually for you?

4. When you’re exhausted or wounded, the devotional says to fix your gaze on the empty cross — the cross of victory, not of a broken Christ still suffering. Does that distinction matter to you? Why or why not?

5. The prayer Khatchn genarar — “Living cross, that became for us salvation, let all of us glorify” — is offered when the way grows hard. Is there a prayer or phrase from our tradition that has functioned as an anchor for you in a difficult season?

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, our leader and our goal, grant us the grace to follow You wherever You lead. When the path grows steep, be our strength. When the way is unclear, be our light. Let us not look back, nor grow weary, nor measure the cost. May our following be faithful, our steps sure, and our eyes fixed on You, the author and perfecter of our faith. Amen.