This is the sermon I preached Sunday, 1/22 at St. Timothy and St. Mark Lutheran Churches. The gospel text was Matthew 4:12-23. Today we are inundated with pleas to “follow” different companies or public figures on social media. The more followers they have, the more easily and cheaply they can disseminate their message or advertise their product. Books and blogs have been written on “how to rapidly build and boost your social media following.” How does a culture of consumerism that emphasizes “following” affect the way we understand today’s gospel as Christians? How, as a community, do we help each other differentiate and listen to the call from Jesus over the temptation of so many others? When Jesus began his public ministry, he knew the time was right. The imprisonment of John the Baptist was Jesus' signal. With John the Baptist in prison and out of commission, who would preach the good news of the kingdom and call people to repentance? It's time, Jesus. Yo...