Follow Jesus day by day. Read Matthew 4:18-20. It is hard to put into words the powerful impact that Christian rock operas had on the formation of faith for the generation that grew up in the 1970’s. 'Jesus Christ Superstar' by Andrew Lloyd Webber created a firestorm when the movie was released in 1973. It was both praised and criticized by the leading Christian voices. Jesus was portrayed as a human who wrestled with his calling. Mary Magdalene struggled with her intimate feelings toward Jesus. For me, it made the King of Kings and Lord of Lords approachable. Jesus seemed to be someone who could understand and feel my teenage angst. When 'The Chosen' was released in modern times, Jesus was portrayed as an approachable, sympathetic, and humorous human being. Much like the Superstar Jesus, he was someone we could relate to. In the 1970’s, two other rock operas were released called 'Godspell' and 'Celebrate Life'. A song from Godspell became my teenage anthem for what it meant to follow Jesus, and it also became my prayer. “Day by day, Oh, dear Lord, three things I pray: to see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly, day by day.” Fifty years later, this simple prayer seems as important today as it did then. When we are passionate about following Jesus, we want to see Jesus clearly so we can follow. The longer we follow, the deeper our love for Jesus becomes. The closer we follow Jesus, the more we can love like Jesus.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, three things we pray: to see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly, day by day. Amen.