Will You Come and Follow Me?

A Reflection for the New Year

by Lori Wilson

God has been speaking to me through a hymn—"The Summons" by John Bell from the Iona Community in Scotland. The questions in this song have been following me, gently persistent:

Will you come and follow me if I call your name? 

Will you go where you don't know and never be the same? 

Will you let my love be shown?  

Will you let my Name be known? 

Will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?

These aren't questions for the new year alone—they're questions for a life. And as I stand at the threshold of 2026, I realize I want to live in response to how God invites me to live and love in this world. I want to live the words of this song.

I don't believe in resolutions. They tend to be about willpower and self-improvement, about what I can accomplish. But I do believe in reflection. I believe in looking for where I am being called, in noticing where God's voice is already speaking.

The Pattern of Call

Scripture is full of people who heard their names called:

Abram, who left everything familiar (Genesis 12). Moses, who turned aside to see the burning bush (Exodus 3). Samuel, who learned to say "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening" (1 Samuel 3). Isaiah, who answered, "Here am I, send me!" (Isaiah 6). Jeremiah, who was known before he was formed in the womb (Jeremiah 1). Even Jonah, who ran the other direction—and discovered God was calling him still (Jonah 1).

Peter and Andrew, who left their nets (Matthew 4). Matthew, who left his tax booth (Matthew 9). Zacchaeus, who climbed a tree just to see Jesus—and found himself hosting the holy for dinner (Luke 19). Lazarus, who heard his name called from the darkness of the tomb (John 11). Ananias, who was sent to the one who had been his enemy (Acts 9).

The pattern is clear: God calls by name. God calls into the unknown. God calls us to be changed and to become agents of change. God calls not just the obviously qualified but the unlikely, the reluctant, the ordinary. And God's call extends to all believers—including you, including me (Acts 2:39).

What Does the Lord Require?

The words of Micah 6:8 have been echoing alongside the hymn these past couple of months: "And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

To act justly. To love mercy. To walk humbly. These aren't abstract ideals—they're the shape of a life lived in response to God's call. They're what it looks like to let God's love be shown, to let God's name be known, to let God's life be grown in us.

There is something God wants me to respond to, to notice, to be open to. I sense it in the convergence of these words—the hymn's questions, the ancient call stories, Micah's clear requirement. Something is asking for my attention.

An Invitation

This January, we have an invitation. Not to make grand resolutions, but to sit with God and ask: Where are you drawing me? What do I need to be paying attention to? How are you calling my name?

Be open to all the ways God might be trying to get your attention—through Scripture, through music, through the needs around you, through the stirrings of your own heart, through the words of a friend, through the silence.

Do yourself a favor: spend time with this song. Listen to it, let it sink in, let the questions find their way into your prayers. Here's a beautiful piano version by one of my favorite pianists: The Summons 

Questions for Reflection

1. When you hear the question "Will you come and follow me if I call your name?"—what is your honest, gut-level response? Where do you feel invitation? Where do you feel resistance?

2. Looking back at 2025, where did you sense God calling you? How did you respond? What did you learn?

3. "Will you go where you don't know and never be the same?"—What unknown territory might God be inviting you into this year? What would it mean to trust that invitation?

4. How is God asking you to let divine love be shown through your life? Where do you see opportunities to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly?

5. What would need to shift in your daily life to make more space for listening to God's call?

A Prayer

God who calls us by name, 

Give us ears to hear your voice  and courage to respond.

When you ask us to go where we don't know,  go with us.

When you ask us to let your love be shown,  show us how.

When you ask us to change and be changed,  hold us through the growing.

Teach us to act justly,  to love mercy,  and to walk humbly with you  —today, and in all the days of this new year.

In the name of the One who calls us,

 Amen.