The Rev. Kenneth H. Saunders III
Christ Church
Cleveland, NC
RCL Year C (Proper 18) - September 5, 2010
Jeremiah 18:1-11
Psalm 139:1-5, 13-17
Philemon 1-21
Luke 14:25-33
Life is full of “responsibilities”... We have responsibilities to our families, (our husbands, wives, moms, dads, brothers, sisters, children… Godchildren)… We have responsibilities to our jobs… We have responsibilities to our community… and we even have responsibilities to our church…
But ALL of us, as baptized Christians, have a responsibility to God, as a disciple of Jesus Christ. And all of our responsibilities fall into that delicate balance of our lives… our actions, our time, and our money. We must look at today’s readings in this context… In the context of these “responsibilities.”
It is just seems to complicate things sometimes when we mix up our other responsibilities with the responsibilities that we have as “disciples”… disciples of Jesus Christ.
In Luke’s gospel, Jesus is not only walking with the 12, but he is once again with the whole “crowd.” He has left the table of the Pharisees, (where he was last week), and is continuing to move forward to Jerusalem… forward to the cross, and the fait that awaits him…
But the crowd that is with Jesus, sees him as a real “winner” because he is a great teacher and healer… They see him as the messiah that will help Israel rise up and once again become a great nation. They want to be part of the social “in-crowd” and associate with him so that they can be “winners” too…
They want to be with Jesus and “be seen” with Jesus – because they think Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem to claim his crown. But the crowds are completely oblivious of the horrible fate that awaits him in Jerusalem. And they don’t understand the consequences or the burden of the journey that Jesus is on.
Like the crowd that is with him, we have heard a lot about discipleship on his journey… From Sunday to Sunday during this long green season – the season of church growth after the day of Pentecost, we have learned what kind of followers we need to be, and how we need to give of ourselves, engage mission, and love each other… During this season we have been led to grow in faith, examine our lives and actions, and re-evaluate our responsibilities so we can be better disciples of Jesus…
We knew, because Jesus has warned us before, that being his disciple isn’t going to be easy, but we didn’t really expect anything like what we heard today. Jesus’ words are hard to hear in our context... they aren’t comfortable…
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus uses strong language to make a point… to teach the crowd (and in retrospect, teach us) that discipleship is costly – it carries a pretty big price tag.
Jesus does not make discipleship any easier for us than the cross was for him... He does not offer us buy one get one free deal, an easy payment plan, nor does he lower any expectations of difficulty. He gives it to us straight!
He has talked about discipleship many times, and he has never tried to disguise the cost. But this time he actually writes the price tag for discipleship in great big numbers, big enough for all of us to really see. This time, Jesus demands commitment!
The question is, are we ready to accept the responsibility and be a disciple of Jesus Christ? In our society, we are tempted to sugar coat the message and hide the true demands that being a disciple of Christ has on our lives… and we end up with more of a motovational speach instead of a sermon preached on the gospel of Christ... In the interest of filling the pews, afraid that we will run people off, we don’t to challenge people to faithful stewardship – faithful worship attendance – careful study of scripture – compassion for the less fortunate – or other costly responsibilities that being a disciple of Christ demands of us!!
Costly responsibilities that mold and shape us… costly responsibilities that require us to change our lives!
Instead, we play it cool, and cater to our feelings… we worship the god of family and convenience, and the lord of money and stuff.
Which one of us will have a commitment to serving at church and then as soon as something (that we perceive as better comes along) – we are looking for a replacement…
Or which of us evaluate the cost of discipleship as inconvenient… and when worship or study time conflicts with our sleep schedules, we adopt a religion of convenience, rather than a follow a way that promises eternal life.
And I have one more… Which one of us, when it comes to giving to the church, does so by giving things like toilet paper or reams of paper, or other specific needs that we are important… rather than disciplined proportional giving so that we can keep the lights on and pay salaries.
I have a feeling we have been comfortable too long… we have stressed the “freeness” of forgiveness so much, that we have ended up with “cheap grace.” We have become lazy about practicing our faith, giving our tithes, saying our prayers, and participating in our community. We have forgotten that the cost of discipleship is expensive!!!
We all want the rewards of what being a Christian means or we wouldn’t be here today. Yet, we are not willing to accept the responsibilities and pay for it by the way we live our lives. Instead, we continuously crucify Jesus again, making him pay over and over again, when he has already paid the debt once for all.
Now it’s our turn to step up! It our turn, and our responsibility to learn, to worship, and reach out, and become the best follower (the best disciple) that we can possibly be!
Now, I may have just gone from preachin’ to meddlin’ (like a seminary professor of mine likes to point out anytime a preacher has a strong message) but that is exactly what Jesus has done in today's Gospel lesson.
He's gone from preachin' to meddlin'. "If you don't hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, you cannot be my disciple. None of you can become my disciple unless you give up all your possessions."
Jesus has been gathering followers everywhere he goes. He does so because they see him go against the society norms and deliberately include the poor, heal the sick, and talk a lot about love and money. But, Jesus is now telling these same folks that if they want to stay with him, if they want to really be his disciples, they have to give up “everything” – EVERYTHING… family as well as possessions.
We could almost imagine his followers thinking, and some of you are probably thinking it about me… "Hey, I liked him a lot better when he was giving me a warm fuzzy – preaching about love. Leave it there! How dare you ask me to change my life." Jesus HAS really gone from preachin' to meddlin'. Jesus is challenging his disciples to radically change their lives… to completely put what they say and what they believe to the test… to put it in its proper place, before any of their own comforts.
These words are very difficult to hear, but this is where the rubber meets the road! You may remember a few weeks ago in the 12th chapter of Luke, that we heard a few Sundays back, Jesus said practically the same thing: “if you want to be a disciple, your household may be divided… Mother against daughter, Father against son, etc…”
Being a disciple is a REAL responsibility! It take dedication and hard work. People may not like us for it, they may consider us to be unpopular or un-cool. They may not even agree with what we are doing or why we are doing it. And, as so many disciples have found out before us, the price that we pay may be the cross!
But all through Luke’s gospel, Jesus points us to the cross. All through Luke (that we have been hearing this season) Jesus challenges the thinking and lifestyles of his listeners (us)… Challenging us to become “real” disciples, to be dedicated participants in our community, to engage in mission, and have a steadfast direction.
But we still have that troubling part… the part where Jesus says that if you don't hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – and yes, even life itself – you can't be my disciple. It’s the word “hate” that just doesn't sound like Jesus.
The Greek word that is used for hate is (miseo), it doesn’t mean “hate” at all in the sense that we are accustomed to hearing it… It’s not the anger and hostility that we would normally associate with the word “hate.” It means that being a follower of Jesus, being a true disciple, “outweighs” the most honored human relationships… It means that EVERYTHING is secondary to our relationship with God in Christ.
So now, if we look at Jesus’ instructions in the proper context, it isn't a call to “hate” at all – but a call to set our priorities and responsibilities right. Because putting anything – anything at all – before our relationship with God skews the rest of our relationships and responsibilities, and messes up our whole life.
The key to understanding the Gospel this morning is to first look at how we act towards one another. If we do this, we won't be like the builder that Jesus uses as an example, who lays an improper foundation and is unable to finish the work that he started.
Instead, we will have the proper foundation to build on and our priorities will be right. And when things are set right with Christ as our foundation, we will see our personal relationships grow deeper and our life have more meaning.
And then there’s that troubling part about taking up our cross… There will always be the cross… As Christian disciples, we always have a cross – but in the cross, we know that on the other side is God's promise of resurrection.
Jesus challenges us today to and intense examination of every aspect of our lives. For instance, how we use – or abuse – the gifts and blessings of our life and the wonders of God’s creation around us? It is all tied together… It could be something as simple and as how and where we shop (or even what we buy)… it all has a place in our spiritual lives… and it could even include the lives of people (people that we will probably never know) and how they are effected every time we go to the store… There are hundreds of other examples that each of us could probably can think of.
The important thing is to remember is… this Gospel makes us take a good look at our responsibilities and priorities – It makes us take a good look at the place that God occupies in our lives.
If this passage makes us squirm in our pews, and think to ourselves that Jesus really has gone from preachin' to meddlin', we need to stop and say, “why?” Why are we squirming?? Are we worried that we might be unwilling to pay the price of discipleship to really be followers of Jesus? Are we worried that we might need to make some changes in our lives?... changes necessary to straighten out our responsibilities and priorities?
The truth is… this gospel lesson ought to energize us to get up off of our duffs and get on about the business of being real disciples of Jesus Christ. To not worry about how much money we have our don’t have, but be faithful disciples, and fully engage opportunities to learn and participate in mission, and give generously so that we can grow these ministries.
In the coming weeks, I would like us to take a good look at where God is in our life… The place of God is in our life is our silent acknowledgement of who and what we know our God to be… It shows up all over our lives… of how we act, our relationships, our checkbooks, and even our participation...
If God is first, then don’t just sit around casually and say God is first!… lets do something about it!!
If God is second, then Lord have mercy on us! Let’s find out what is keeping God from being first and re-evaluate our responsibilities and priorities and do what we need to do to put God first! Amen!
Christ Church
Cleveland, NC
RCL Year C (Proper 18) - September 5, 2010
Jeremiah 18:1-11
Psalm 139:1-5, 13-17
Philemon 1-21
Luke 14:25-33
Life is full of “responsibilities”... We have responsibilities to our families, (our husbands, wives, moms, dads, brothers, sisters, children… Godchildren)… We have responsibilities to our jobs… We have responsibilities to our community… and we even have responsibilities to our church…
But ALL of us, as baptized Christians, have a responsibility to God, as a disciple of Jesus Christ. And all of our responsibilities fall into that delicate balance of our lives… our actions, our time, and our money. We must look at today’s readings in this context… In the context of these “responsibilities.”
It is just seems to complicate things sometimes when we mix up our other responsibilities with the responsibilities that we have as “disciples”… disciples of Jesus Christ.
In Luke’s gospel, Jesus is not only walking with the 12, but he is once again with the whole “crowd.” He has left the table of the Pharisees, (where he was last week), and is continuing to move forward to Jerusalem… forward to the cross, and the fait that awaits him…
But the crowd that is with Jesus, sees him as a real “winner” because he is a great teacher and healer… They see him as the messiah that will help Israel rise up and once again become a great nation. They want to be part of the social “in-crowd” and associate with him so that they can be “winners” too…
They want to be with Jesus and “be seen” with Jesus – because they think Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem to claim his crown. But the crowds are completely oblivious of the horrible fate that awaits him in Jerusalem. And they don’t understand the consequences or the burden of the journey that Jesus is on.
Like the crowd that is with him, we have heard a lot about discipleship on his journey… From Sunday to Sunday during this long green season – the season of church growth after the day of Pentecost, we have learned what kind of followers we need to be, and how we need to give of ourselves, engage mission, and love each other… During this season we have been led to grow in faith, examine our lives and actions, and re-evaluate our responsibilities so we can be better disciples of Jesus…
We knew, because Jesus has warned us before, that being his disciple isn’t going to be easy, but we didn’t really expect anything like what we heard today. Jesus’ words are hard to hear in our context... they aren’t comfortable…
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus uses strong language to make a point… to teach the crowd (and in retrospect, teach us) that discipleship is costly – it carries a pretty big price tag.
Jesus does not make discipleship any easier for us than the cross was for him... He does not offer us buy one get one free deal, an easy payment plan, nor does he lower any expectations of difficulty. He gives it to us straight!
He has talked about discipleship many times, and he has never tried to disguise the cost. But this time he actually writes the price tag for discipleship in great big numbers, big enough for all of us to really see. This time, Jesus demands commitment!
The question is, are we ready to accept the responsibility and be a disciple of Jesus Christ? In our society, we are tempted to sugar coat the message and hide the true demands that being a disciple of Christ has on our lives… and we end up with more of a motovational speach instead of a sermon preached on the gospel of Christ... In the interest of filling the pews, afraid that we will run people off, we don’t to challenge people to faithful stewardship – faithful worship attendance – careful study of scripture – compassion for the less fortunate – or other costly responsibilities that being a disciple of Christ demands of us!!
Costly responsibilities that mold and shape us… costly responsibilities that require us to change our lives!
Instead, we play it cool, and cater to our feelings… we worship the god of family and convenience, and the lord of money and stuff.
Which one of us will have a commitment to serving at church and then as soon as something (that we perceive as better comes along) – we are looking for a replacement…
Or which of us evaluate the cost of discipleship as inconvenient… and when worship or study time conflicts with our sleep schedules, we adopt a religion of convenience, rather than a follow a way that promises eternal life.
And I have one more… Which one of us, when it comes to giving to the church, does so by giving things like toilet paper or reams of paper, or other specific needs that we are important… rather than disciplined proportional giving so that we can keep the lights on and pay salaries.
I have a feeling we have been comfortable too long… we have stressed the “freeness” of forgiveness so much, that we have ended up with “cheap grace.” We have become lazy about practicing our faith, giving our tithes, saying our prayers, and participating in our community. We have forgotten that the cost of discipleship is expensive!!!
We all want the rewards of what being a Christian means or we wouldn’t be here today. Yet, we are not willing to accept the responsibilities and pay for it by the way we live our lives. Instead, we continuously crucify Jesus again, making him pay over and over again, when he has already paid the debt once for all.
Now it’s our turn to step up! It our turn, and our responsibility to learn, to worship, and reach out, and become the best follower (the best disciple) that we can possibly be!
Now, I may have just gone from preachin’ to meddlin’ (like a seminary professor of mine likes to point out anytime a preacher has a strong message) but that is exactly what Jesus has done in today's Gospel lesson.
He's gone from preachin' to meddlin'. "If you don't hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, you cannot be my disciple. None of you can become my disciple unless you give up all your possessions."
Jesus has been gathering followers everywhere he goes. He does so because they see him go against the society norms and deliberately include the poor, heal the sick, and talk a lot about love and money. But, Jesus is now telling these same folks that if they want to stay with him, if they want to really be his disciples, they have to give up “everything” – EVERYTHING… family as well as possessions.
We could almost imagine his followers thinking, and some of you are probably thinking it about me… "Hey, I liked him a lot better when he was giving me a warm fuzzy – preaching about love. Leave it there! How dare you ask me to change my life." Jesus HAS really gone from preachin' to meddlin'. Jesus is challenging his disciples to radically change their lives… to completely put what they say and what they believe to the test… to put it in its proper place, before any of their own comforts.
These words are very difficult to hear, but this is where the rubber meets the road! You may remember a few weeks ago in the 12th chapter of Luke, that we heard a few Sundays back, Jesus said practically the same thing: “if you want to be a disciple, your household may be divided… Mother against daughter, Father against son, etc…”
Being a disciple is a REAL responsibility! It take dedication and hard work. People may not like us for it, they may consider us to be unpopular or un-cool. They may not even agree with what we are doing or why we are doing it. And, as so many disciples have found out before us, the price that we pay may be the cross!
But all through Luke’s gospel, Jesus points us to the cross. All through Luke (that we have been hearing this season) Jesus challenges the thinking and lifestyles of his listeners (us)… Challenging us to become “real” disciples, to be dedicated participants in our community, to engage in mission, and have a steadfast direction.
But we still have that troubling part… the part where Jesus says that if you don't hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – and yes, even life itself – you can't be my disciple. It’s the word “hate” that just doesn't sound like Jesus.
The Greek word that is used for hate is (miseo), it doesn’t mean “hate” at all in the sense that we are accustomed to hearing it… It’s not the anger and hostility that we would normally associate with the word “hate.” It means that being a follower of Jesus, being a true disciple, “outweighs” the most honored human relationships… It means that EVERYTHING is secondary to our relationship with God in Christ.
So now, if we look at Jesus’ instructions in the proper context, it isn't a call to “hate” at all – but a call to set our priorities and responsibilities right. Because putting anything – anything at all – before our relationship with God skews the rest of our relationships and responsibilities, and messes up our whole life.
The key to understanding the Gospel this morning is to first look at how we act towards one another. If we do this, we won't be like the builder that Jesus uses as an example, who lays an improper foundation and is unable to finish the work that he started.
Instead, we will have the proper foundation to build on and our priorities will be right. And when things are set right with Christ as our foundation, we will see our personal relationships grow deeper and our life have more meaning.
And then there’s that troubling part about taking up our cross… There will always be the cross… As Christian disciples, we always have a cross – but in the cross, we know that on the other side is God's promise of resurrection.
Jesus challenges us today to and intense examination of every aspect of our lives. For instance, how we use – or abuse – the gifts and blessings of our life and the wonders of God’s creation around us? It is all tied together… It could be something as simple and as how and where we shop (or even what we buy)… it all has a place in our spiritual lives… and it could even include the lives of people (people that we will probably never know) and how they are effected every time we go to the store… There are hundreds of other examples that each of us could probably can think of.
The important thing is to remember is… this Gospel makes us take a good look at our responsibilities and priorities – It makes us take a good look at the place that God occupies in our lives.
If this passage makes us squirm in our pews, and think to ourselves that Jesus really has gone from preachin' to meddlin', we need to stop and say, “why?” Why are we squirming?? Are we worried that we might be unwilling to pay the price of discipleship to really be followers of Jesus? Are we worried that we might need to make some changes in our lives?... changes necessary to straighten out our responsibilities and priorities?
The truth is… this gospel lesson ought to energize us to get up off of our duffs and get on about the business of being real disciples of Jesus Christ. To not worry about how much money we have our don’t have, but be faithful disciples, and fully engage opportunities to learn and participate in mission, and give generously so that we can grow these ministries.
In the coming weeks, I would like us to take a good look at where God is in our life… The place of God is in our life is our silent acknowledgement of who and what we know our God to be… It shows up all over our lives… of how we act, our relationships, our checkbooks, and even our participation...
If God is first, then don’t just sit around casually and say God is first!… lets do something about it!!
If God is second, then Lord have mercy on us! Let’s find out what is keeping God from being first and re-evaluate our responsibilities and priorities and do what we need to do to put God first! Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment