Back in July, a number of our teens and a few adults went down to New Orleans. We were joined there by about 25,000 other young Lutherans. During our time down there, we got to do a lot of things. We heard great music. We saw amazingly talented artists. We sang out in praise for our great and amazing God. We even had the chance to serve a community still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Most importantly though, we heard and read the Word of God, centered around the theme “We Believe,” taken from John 20:31; “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
One thing the Bible studies and skits got me to think about again, was what it must have been like to actually be there. To actually see and hear Jesus speak. I mean, imagine what it would have been like to be there as Jesus went to see Mary and Martha. These sisters hadn’t just heard Jesus speak. They had welcomed him into their home! Jesus had actually eaten Martha’s cooking. Mary had sat at his feet, listening to her savior speak to her, close enough to reach out and touch him. They and their brother Lazarus counted him as their friend. A friend who they could laugh and talk with. And now, a friend they could cry with.
When Lazarus fell ill, the sisters sent word to their friend. They knew that more than any physician, Jesus could heal their brother. They sent word, begging him to come see his friend. But he stayed away. He stayed away as Lazarus’ health got worse and worse. He stayed away so long that by the time he did come, his friend had been dead 4 days.
But then they got to see something amazing. They heard Jesus ask for the stone to be rolled away. They heard Jesus say “Lazarus! Come out!” And then they saw the impossible. They saw their brother come out of his grave. He had been dead, but now he was alive! Can you imagine being a witness to such a sight?
We heard about a woman who went to a well. A woman with a past. A woman with a reputation. She had been married multiple times. She was currently living with a man she was not married to. Most women, respectable women, went to the well in the morning or early evening, when the temperature was cool. But this woman went in the middle of the day. Perhaps to avoid the sneers and whispered comments. Perhaps because she saw yet another man. Perhaps another husband. Or at least another lover.
Whatever she was expecting, it likely wasn’t to be Jesus of Nazareth. She wasn’t expecting a man who not only knew exactly why she was at the well that day, but about everything she had ever done. And the last thing she expected was that he would offer her, an adulterer and a Samaritan to boot, the water that leads to eternal life.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Push to the Finish (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Eric Moussambani was an Olympian who quite simply didn’t belong. Nicknamed “the Eel,” he was a swimmer who barely knew how to swim. A 22 year-old from Equatorial Guinea, he was a winner of an Olympic wild card drawing for the 2000 Olympics, held to encourage developing countries to participate when they otherwise would not be able to afford it.
At first it was reported he began to practice in January in a 20 m pool, but that wasn’t quite accurate. It was true that he only began to really swim in January. But it wasn’t in a pool. Rather, he did his practicing in a river known to be inhabited by crocodiles. Come September, he was seeing the first 50 m pool he’d ever seen, ready to compete on the world’s largest and grandest sporting stage. He was scheduled to compete in his heat of the 100 m freestyle alongside two other wild card entrants. But when they each false-started, Eric was left alone in the center of the pool, a lone contestant set to swim the race he was barely even capable of completing, much less winning, at the Olympic games.
When given the cadence, Eric dove in; a man alone in the water. It was obvious from the start that there would be no medal on the way for The Eel. The view from the underwater cameras as seen by viewers at home showed a complete lack of technique. As his arms paddled the water in choppy strokes, his legs kicked with no synchronization, offering little in terms of propulsion. As he made the turn at the halfway mark, his pace slowed even further. The effort being expended was obvious, but the gains were little. About 75 meters in, he seemed to barely be moving. His already painfully slow pace had nearly come to a complete stop. A lifeguard was ready by the side of the pool, just in case. Eric himself wondered whether he would be able to finish. But he persevered. He wasn’t moving fast, but he was moving. So he kept on pushing.
Two things helped Eric as he strove to finish. First, he had the crowd behind him. Fans are notorious for rooting for winners. People usually love the underdog as long as it looks like it could pull the upset. But once the underdog turns into a dud, people lose interest. People don’t cheer for losers. Usually they’re either jeered or ignored entirely. But for Eric, it was different.
The crowd recognized and appreciated the effort this young man was giving. They wanted to see him succeed. They wanted to see him finish the race. So they cheered. They didn’t cheer meekly or out of politeness. They stood and cheered as loudly for him as they would later on in the races that “mattered.” They couldn’t physically help him in his struggles, but they were able to make it known that they were pulling for him, helping him on the best that they could.
The other thing that helped him finish was that he could see the end. He was able to look up and see the goal he was working towards. His body and the water were fighting his efforts to get there, but he pressed on. He knew that if he could just get to the end, he would be able to rest. His goal for the race was not winning an Olympic medal, but finishing what he had started. With the finish line in sight and with the crowd urging him on, he finally finished. At 1:52, his time was nowhere close to a world-record. In fact, his time was even slower than the record for the 200 m. But he had finished. He had struggled, but he had persevered, and he had finished.
Our text for today calls for us to “run with perseverance the race set before us.” Like Eric, we are in a race we are not expected to win. In fact it’s a race we aren’t even capable of winning. Unlike Eric, we are not in this race by chance. We aren’t racing due to the luck of the draw. We are called to run this race. We have been placed here by the Father. This is more than the day-to-day “rat race” we are all familiar with. This isn’t a race as the world would have us understand it. It isn’t about fighting for prestige, promotion, or wealth. Those caught up in that race all come to the same end. Death. Eternal, painful, unending death. But by God’s almighty grace, at our baptisms we were called to run a different race.
Ours is a race of faith. It is a race that multitudes have been called to run before us. In chapter 11 the author tells us of what people like Abraham, Noah, Moses, and Rahab were able to accomplish through their faith. He shows us how they and others had similarly been chosen by God, set apart from the world around them, and endured and lived by faith. They weren’t chosen on account of their own worthiness. Like Eric, they didn’t belong. Like we don’t belong. But through baptism and by the grace of God, we all have been chosen and called to run the race.
Beyond being called to run this race, we are called to run with perseverance, with endurance. This is a perseverance of more than just the flesh. It is a perseverance of will; an endurance of the heart and spirit. It is a perseverance that withstands the trials and tribulations of both day to day life and of the faith, and comes out the other side. As I’m sure you are all aware, the life of a believer is not easy. Our faith and our beliefs are constantly put under attack.
However, as we struggle along, we are not without support. Like Eric, God provides us with different means of encouragement to help us complete the race. Like Eric, we are told we are surrounded by a crowd, or in our case a cloud, of witnesses. However, this isn’t quite the same as the crowd around the pool that day. Our cloud of witnesses is made up of all believers, past and present.
Those who have gone before are not witnesses in the sense that they are watching our comings and goings and rooting for us to succeed. Rather, by their lives we are given a testimony to the faith, examples of what it means to live the life of a Christian. By looking at those who have gone before us, we can learn from what they did right, hope to avoid what they did wrong, and take comfort in the knowledge that they were given the power to persevere through their own trials and tribulations.
At the same time, we have been surrounded by living witnesses to our race, and they are there to provide us with help and encouragement. Our families, both of the biological and Christian nature, are there to help us along our way. We aren’t running alone. Our lives as a whole might be unique to us, but we share many of the same temptations and hardships as those around us. In those situations we are provided the opportunity to help one another, comfort one another, and encourage one another to cast aside those sins that weigh us down.
This happens in a variety of ways. A friend happens to call on a day you’re feeling lonely or depressed. A neighbor asks if you’d like someone to talk to or pray with. A pastor or concerned member comes to visit you while you’re sick or awaiting surgery. Some days are easier than others, but in the long-term, it can be a challenge to not fall away and lose heart. Even so, we persevere; we keep on running, pushing forward in faith.
But we aren’t running the race without purpose or without an end in sight. Just as Eric was able to see his final goal, so are we told to cast our eyes forward. Not merely on the finish line that represents the end of the race, but rather upon Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. Faith as it is described by the author of Hebrews; the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Christ has borne the burdens of the entire world, was crucified upon the cross, and rose again victorious, having defeated death once and for all. Through his works, imparted to us at our Baptisms, we are able to call ourselves saved and redeemed children of God.
The King James Bible translated the word “persevere” as “patience.” Using the idea of patience, it helps put the purpose of our race into perspective. We said earlier that this is a race we don’t deserve to be in. It’s one that we can’t win. And yet we are called to run it anyway, until we reach the end. But of course, we don’t know when that end will be. It could be today, it could be decades from now.
With that in mind, we can see how our race is one of patience. Patience because we don’t know exactly how long it will take to reach the finish line. Because there may be times we grow anxious for our Lord’s return. It’s in those times that we rejoice at what we see when do fix our eyes upon what is waiting at the finish.
Christ has already won the race. He endured the cross. The crowds jeered and mocked his efforts, but he was not swayed. They put him to death, but he conquered the grave. The victory has been won. While we are called to persevere in our race, we find strength and comfort in the fact that he already sits at the right hand of the throne of God, declaring us to be justified, declaring to the Father that ragged and haggard as we might be, the promise of salvation is ours.
As surely as we are gathered here this morning, Christ is at this moment sitting on his throne, waiting to make his triumphant and final return. Waiting to raise us up and grant us the ultimate, eternal prize of new life in the Kingdom of God. Waiting to welcome us home.
At first it was reported he began to practice in January in a 20 m pool, but that wasn’t quite accurate. It was true that he only began to really swim in January. But it wasn’t in a pool. Rather, he did his practicing in a river known to be inhabited by crocodiles. Come September, he was seeing the first 50 m pool he’d ever seen, ready to compete on the world’s largest and grandest sporting stage. He was scheduled to compete in his heat of the 100 m freestyle alongside two other wild card entrants. But when they each false-started, Eric was left alone in the center of the pool, a lone contestant set to swim the race he was barely even capable of completing, much less winning, at the Olympic games.
When given the cadence, Eric dove in; a man alone in the water. It was obvious from the start that there would be no medal on the way for The Eel. The view from the underwater cameras as seen by viewers at home showed a complete lack of technique. As his arms paddled the water in choppy strokes, his legs kicked with no synchronization, offering little in terms of propulsion. As he made the turn at the halfway mark, his pace slowed even further. The effort being expended was obvious, but the gains were little. About 75 meters in, he seemed to barely be moving. His already painfully slow pace had nearly come to a complete stop. A lifeguard was ready by the side of the pool, just in case. Eric himself wondered whether he would be able to finish. But he persevered. He wasn’t moving fast, but he was moving. So he kept on pushing.
Two things helped Eric as he strove to finish. First, he had the crowd behind him. Fans are notorious for rooting for winners. People usually love the underdog as long as it looks like it could pull the upset. But once the underdog turns into a dud, people lose interest. People don’t cheer for losers. Usually they’re either jeered or ignored entirely. But for Eric, it was different.
The crowd recognized and appreciated the effort this young man was giving. They wanted to see him succeed. They wanted to see him finish the race. So they cheered. They didn’t cheer meekly or out of politeness. They stood and cheered as loudly for him as they would later on in the races that “mattered.” They couldn’t physically help him in his struggles, but they were able to make it known that they were pulling for him, helping him on the best that they could.
The other thing that helped him finish was that he could see the end. He was able to look up and see the goal he was working towards. His body and the water were fighting his efforts to get there, but he pressed on. He knew that if he could just get to the end, he would be able to rest. His goal for the race was not winning an Olympic medal, but finishing what he had started. With the finish line in sight and with the crowd urging him on, he finally finished. At 1:52, his time was nowhere close to a world-record. In fact, his time was even slower than the record for the 200 m. But he had finished. He had struggled, but he had persevered, and he had finished.
Our text for today calls for us to “run with perseverance the race set before us.” Like Eric, we are in a race we are not expected to win. In fact it’s a race we aren’t even capable of winning. Unlike Eric, we are not in this race by chance. We aren’t racing due to the luck of the draw. We are called to run this race. We have been placed here by the Father. This is more than the day-to-day “rat race” we are all familiar with. This isn’t a race as the world would have us understand it. It isn’t about fighting for prestige, promotion, or wealth. Those caught up in that race all come to the same end. Death. Eternal, painful, unending death. But by God’s almighty grace, at our baptisms we were called to run a different race.
Ours is a race of faith. It is a race that multitudes have been called to run before us. In chapter 11 the author tells us of what people like Abraham, Noah, Moses, and Rahab were able to accomplish through their faith. He shows us how they and others had similarly been chosen by God, set apart from the world around them, and endured and lived by faith. They weren’t chosen on account of their own worthiness. Like Eric, they didn’t belong. Like we don’t belong. But through baptism and by the grace of God, we all have been chosen and called to run the race.
Beyond being called to run this race, we are called to run with perseverance, with endurance. This is a perseverance of more than just the flesh. It is a perseverance of will; an endurance of the heart and spirit. It is a perseverance that withstands the trials and tribulations of both day to day life and of the faith, and comes out the other side. As I’m sure you are all aware, the life of a believer is not easy. Our faith and our beliefs are constantly put under attack.
However, as we struggle along, we are not without support. Like Eric, God provides us with different means of encouragement to help us complete the race. Like Eric, we are told we are surrounded by a crowd, or in our case a cloud, of witnesses. However, this isn’t quite the same as the crowd around the pool that day. Our cloud of witnesses is made up of all believers, past and present.
Those who have gone before are not witnesses in the sense that they are watching our comings and goings and rooting for us to succeed. Rather, by their lives we are given a testimony to the faith, examples of what it means to live the life of a Christian. By looking at those who have gone before us, we can learn from what they did right, hope to avoid what they did wrong, and take comfort in the knowledge that they were given the power to persevere through their own trials and tribulations.
At the same time, we have been surrounded by living witnesses to our race, and they are there to provide us with help and encouragement. Our families, both of the biological and Christian nature, are there to help us along our way. We aren’t running alone. Our lives as a whole might be unique to us, but we share many of the same temptations and hardships as those around us. In those situations we are provided the opportunity to help one another, comfort one another, and encourage one another to cast aside those sins that weigh us down.
This happens in a variety of ways. A friend happens to call on a day you’re feeling lonely or depressed. A neighbor asks if you’d like someone to talk to or pray with. A pastor or concerned member comes to visit you while you’re sick or awaiting surgery. Some days are easier than others, but in the long-term, it can be a challenge to not fall away and lose heart. Even so, we persevere; we keep on running, pushing forward in faith.
But we aren’t running the race without purpose or without an end in sight. Just as Eric was able to see his final goal, so are we told to cast our eyes forward. Not merely on the finish line that represents the end of the race, but rather upon Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. Faith as it is described by the author of Hebrews; the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Christ has borne the burdens of the entire world, was crucified upon the cross, and rose again victorious, having defeated death once and for all. Through his works, imparted to us at our Baptisms, we are able to call ourselves saved and redeemed children of God.
The King James Bible translated the word “persevere” as “patience.” Using the idea of patience, it helps put the purpose of our race into perspective. We said earlier that this is a race we don’t deserve to be in. It’s one that we can’t win. And yet we are called to run it anyway, until we reach the end. But of course, we don’t know when that end will be. It could be today, it could be decades from now.
With that in mind, we can see how our race is one of patience. Patience because we don’t know exactly how long it will take to reach the finish line. Because there may be times we grow anxious for our Lord’s return. It’s in those times that we rejoice at what we see when do fix our eyes upon what is waiting at the finish.
Christ has already won the race. He endured the cross. The crowds jeered and mocked his efforts, but he was not swayed. They put him to death, but he conquered the grave. The victory has been won. While we are called to persevere in our race, we find strength and comfort in the fact that he already sits at the right hand of the throne of God, declaring us to be justified, declaring to the Father that ragged and haggard as we might be, the promise of salvation is ours.
As surely as we are gathered here this morning, Christ is at this moment sitting on his throne, waiting to make his triumphant and final return. Waiting to raise us up and grant us the ultimate, eternal prize of new life in the Kingdom of God. Waiting to welcome us home.
Worry Not and Trust the Lord (Luke 12:22-34)
Last week Pastor Bender preached on the parable of the Rich Fool. A man who found his joy in the things of the world. A man who lost his soul as a result of his material idolatry. He suffered eternal damnation not because he was rich, but because he put his trust in his wealth. Because he felt as though he did not need God.
Today’s reading picks up immediately after that parable. Jesus finishes telling the parable of a man sent to hell for his idolatry of worldly possessions and says, “Therefore I tell you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.”
Don’t worry. It’s a command I’m sure we’ve all heard, and have probably even used ourselves. Of course, not worrying about those things is easier said than done. Luckily, Jesus wasn’t a just a generic motivational speaker who would encourage people to do something without providing direction on how to actually achieve it. When he made challenging statements, he provided both the reason it should be followed, and directions on how to do so.
The first bit of instruction we’re given here is “worry not - - he loves you.” Connie Mack was the legendary owner and manager of the Philadelphia Athletics for 50 years. Over the course of those years he became known as one of the best managers that the game of baseball has ever seen. He oversaw some of the finest teams baseball has ever seen, winning the American League 9 times, and finishing the season as World Series champs on 5 different occasions. In fact, his 3,731 wins as manager put him nearly 1,000 wins ahead of second place. But over the course of 50 years, not every team is going to be playing in the World Series. In fact, some of Mack’s teams were flat-out terrible. So along with his wins record, he also ended up with a record 3,948 losses.
Early in his career, when he was running a new and lousy team, the constant losses were consuming him. This isn’t unusual in the world of sports. It’s common to hear veteran players and coaches talk about how every year the losses get a little bit tougher, and the wins get a little less sweet. The worry and concern over what losing means overtakes the joy and happiness that winning brings.
I don’t know if Mack was a Christian man, but he seemed to learn a lesson that many others in his field never do. Later in life he would say, “I discovered that worry was threatening to wreck my career as a baseball manager. I saw how foolish it was and I forced myself to get so busy preparing to win games that I had no time left to worry over the ones that were already lost. You can't grind grain with water that has already gone down the creek."
Jesus didn’t hang around with too many professional athletes, but he understood that when you once you start making food and money your primary focus, worrying about the qualities and quantities is inevitable. When the things of this world control your heart, the result is going to be a constant worry and quest for more. The worry can become so consuming that even acquiring what you’ve been striving after loses it’s luster, because you’re already concerned about getting something even better. But, Jesus also knew something about His Father that allowed Him to say “don’t worry.”
He knew that we have a God who loves us enough to give up his Son to die in our place. It’s not uncommon for a parent to be willing to give up their own life in order to save their child. But how willing would you be as a parent to intentionally put your son or daughter in the line of fire? To willingly send your own child to a certain death in order to protect others? I’m not even a parent, and I can barely imagine doing that. And yet, that is precisely what God did for us.
Jesus gives us another reason why we can live without worry. He says “worry not - - he keeps you.” Again, Jesus wasn’t foolish. He knew from history that even those who belonged to God and sought to serve him weren’t without fears and the need for reassurance. Likely the most dramatic example of this is seen in Exodus. The people see God’s hand at work in the various plagues, and in parting the waters of the Red Sea as they go across on dry ground. But within a couple days they’re overcome by fear and doubt. “Moses, where’s the food! Moses, where’s the water! We’re gonna die out here!” Even the great prophet Elijah fled in fear for his life just moments after seeing God burn up the sacrifice that had been completely drenched with water.
Jesus knew these stories, and he knew that people haven’t ever really changed. But instead of condemning us for it, he seeks to offer comfort and assurance.
Jesus points out the lilies and the grasses of the field. How beautifully are they adorned? Now, I’m not much of a gardener. I can tell the difference between a tulip and a rose, but that’s about it. But still, I appreciate the beauty that is there when you walk around town and see the flowers in bloom. Did God have to make flowers beautiful in order for nature to work properly? Of course not; but He did anyway. Jesus brings up the birds of the air. Are they not provided with food and shelter? And then he brings it back to us. If God cares for even these smallest of things, how much more will he provide for those who He created in His image?
Now, we do need to note what Jesus is actually promising. What he promises is that our most important of needs will be met. We will have food. We will have clothing. We will have shelter. What he’s not promising is that we’ll be eating filet mignon, wearing Armani, or living in a lake-side mansion. John the Baptist wore camel hair and ate locusts, but yet he was fed and clothed. Jesus himself didn’t have a bed to call his own, but yet he never lacked shelter. Where we run into problems, where the people Jesus was speaking to ran into problems, is differentiating between our perceived needs and those things that are actual necessities. Our views toward what we need to survive tend to be much greater than reality. It’s a natural result of living in a world that is sinful. Because of our sinful natures, even the most basic of necessities can be warped and twisted into a false god that becomes our master. Jesus calls us to shed those false gods, and trust His promise God will provide for our needs.
I do think we should note what else Jesus is NOT saying here. First, he’s not saying that we’ll never be in want, or that things will never be difficult. After all, even the grass and the lilies have to face droughts and non-seasonal weather. Birds face the threat of losing their homes due to storms or logging. Scripture makes it clear that we can and should expect to face persecution and challenging situations. It’s in those times that we most need to remember what kind of God we have, and find comfort in what he has promised to his people.
We know we have a loving God, and we are called to remember how he has and does care for us, not just in the good times; but in the trying. We are called to not despair, but to continue to place our trust in our Lord and Savior
That brings us to our final instruction. “Worry not - - He welcomes you.” On more than one occasion I’ve heard this reading explained to mean that worry is a sin, and that because we worry we need to confess that sin and receive God’s forgiveness. Now, that is true. Worry is ultimately a result of failing to trust and love God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds; and we do need forgiveness for that. But that’s not the message Jesus is preaching here. Jesus is talking to those who he refers to as a “little-flock.” He is speaking as the good shepherd, showing the way to His sheep; a flock full of sinful people whose faith fall short of perfect trust and understanding.
He says "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”
While we live in this world, we will always be both saint and sinner. We will be tempted to worship our things. We will be tempted to worry about protecting those things or acquiring those things. And we will fail to always resist those temptations. And when that happens, we should and feel condemned by the law, knowing that the wages of sin is death. But what a comfort it is to know that in spite of our being sinful beings, the Father has been pleased to give us the kingdom! That in his mercy he provides us eternal life in a kingdom where we will never be in want. Where we will never be without food to eat, but will eat at the wedding feast of the Lamb. Where we will be dressed in robes that will never fade or wear out. What a comfort it is to be able to come before the throne of God, confess our sins, and hear Him say “I forgive you.”
I’m not sure where this quote originated, but it’s one that I really like. “Sometimes the Lord calms the storm. Sometimes he lets the storm rage and calms his child.” We all face challenges and hardships of different types. But God promises to be with us through all of them, holding us in his loving arms and offering us comfort. He tells us not to worry. He tells us that He is our Father, and He will provide. Amen.
Today’s reading picks up immediately after that parable. Jesus finishes telling the parable of a man sent to hell for his idolatry of worldly possessions and says, “Therefore I tell you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.”
Don’t worry. It’s a command I’m sure we’ve all heard, and have probably even used ourselves. Of course, not worrying about those things is easier said than done. Luckily, Jesus wasn’t a just a generic motivational speaker who would encourage people to do something without providing direction on how to actually achieve it. When he made challenging statements, he provided both the reason it should be followed, and directions on how to do so.
The first bit of instruction we’re given here is “worry not - - he loves you.” Connie Mack was the legendary owner and manager of the Philadelphia Athletics for 50 years. Over the course of those years he became known as one of the best managers that the game of baseball has ever seen. He oversaw some of the finest teams baseball has ever seen, winning the American League 9 times, and finishing the season as World Series champs on 5 different occasions. In fact, his 3,731 wins as manager put him nearly 1,000 wins ahead of second place. But over the course of 50 years, not every team is going to be playing in the World Series. In fact, some of Mack’s teams were flat-out terrible. So along with his wins record, he also ended up with a record 3,948 losses.
Early in his career, when he was running a new and lousy team, the constant losses were consuming him. This isn’t unusual in the world of sports. It’s common to hear veteran players and coaches talk about how every year the losses get a little bit tougher, and the wins get a little less sweet. The worry and concern over what losing means overtakes the joy and happiness that winning brings.
I don’t know if Mack was a Christian man, but he seemed to learn a lesson that many others in his field never do. Later in life he would say, “I discovered that worry was threatening to wreck my career as a baseball manager. I saw how foolish it was and I forced myself to get so busy preparing to win games that I had no time left to worry over the ones that were already lost. You can't grind grain with water that has already gone down the creek."
Jesus didn’t hang around with too many professional athletes, but he understood that when you once you start making food and money your primary focus, worrying about the qualities and quantities is inevitable. When the things of this world control your heart, the result is going to be a constant worry and quest for more. The worry can become so consuming that even acquiring what you’ve been striving after loses it’s luster, because you’re already concerned about getting something even better. But, Jesus also knew something about His Father that allowed Him to say “don’t worry.”
He knew that we have a God who loves us enough to give up his Son to die in our place. It’s not uncommon for a parent to be willing to give up their own life in order to save their child. But how willing would you be as a parent to intentionally put your son or daughter in the line of fire? To willingly send your own child to a certain death in order to protect others? I’m not even a parent, and I can barely imagine doing that. And yet, that is precisely what God did for us.
Jesus gives us another reason why we can live without worry. He says “worry not - - he keeps you.” Again, Jesus wasn’t foolish. He knew from history that even those who belonged to God and sought to serve him weren’t without fears and the need for reassurance. Likely the most dramatic example of this is seen in Exodus. The people see God’s hand at work in the various plagues, and in parting the waters of the Red Sea as they go across on dry ground. But within a couple days they’re overcome by fear and doubt. “Moses, where’s the food! Moses, where’s the water! We’re gonna die out here!” Even the great prophet Elijah fled in fear for his life just moments after seeing God burn up the sacrifice that had been completely drenched with water.
Jesus knew these stories, and he knew that people haven’t ever really changed. But instead of condemning us for it, he seeks to offer comfort and assurance.
Jesus points out the lilies and the grasses of the field. How beautifully are they adorned? Now, I’m not much of a gardener. I can tell the difference between a tulip and a rose, but that’s about it. But still, I appreciate the beauty that is there when you walk around town and see the flowers in bloom. Did God have to make flowers beautiful in order for nature to work properly? Of course not; but He did anyway. Jesus brings up the birds of the air. Are they not provided with food and shelter? And then he brings it back to us. If God cares for even these smallest of things, how much more will he provide for those who He created in His image?
Now, we do need to note what Jesus is actually promising. What he promises is that our most important of needs will be met. We will have food. We will have clothing. We will have shelter. What he’s not promising is that we’ll be eating filet mignon, wearing Armani, or living in a lake-side mansion. John the Baptist wore camel hair and ate locusts, but yet he was fed and clothed. Jesus himself didn’t have a bed to call his own, but yet he never lacked shelter. Where we run into problems, where the people Jesus was speaking to ran into problems, is differentiating between our perceived needs and those things that are actual necessities. Our views toward what we need to survive tend to be much greater than reality. It’s a natural result of living in a world that is sinful. Because of our sinful natures, even the most basic of necessities can be warped and twisted into a false god that becomes our master. Jesus calls us to shed those false gods, and trust His promise God will provide for our needs.
I do think we should note what else Jesus is NOT saying here. First, he’s not saying that we’ll never be in want, or that things will never be difficult. After all, even the grass and the lilies have to face droughts and non-seasonal weather. Birds face the threat of losing their homes due to storms or logging. Scripture makes it clear that we can and should expect to face persecution and challenging situations. It’s in those times that we most need to remember what kind of God we have, and find comfort in what he has promised to his people.
We know we have a loving God, and we are called to remember how he has and does care for us, not just in the good times; but in the trying. We are called to not despair, but to continue to place our trust in our Lord and Savior
That brings us to our final instruction. “Worry not - - He welcomes you.” On more than one occasion I’ve heard this reading explained to mean that worry is a sin, and that because we worry we need to confess that sin and receive God’s forgiveness. Now, that is true. Worry is ultimately a result of failing to trust and love God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds; and we do need forgiveness for that. But that’s not the message Jesus is preaching here. Jesus is talking to those who he refers to as a “little-flock.” He is speaking as the good shepherd, showing the way to His sheep; a flock full of sinful people whose faith fall short of perfect trust and understanding.
He says "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”
While we live in this world, we will always be both saint and sinner. We will be tempted to worship our things. We will be tempted to worry about protecting those things or acquiring those things. And we will fail to always resist those temptations. And when that happens, we should and feel condemned by the law, knowing that the wages of sin is death. But what a comfort it is to know that in spite of our being sinful beings, the Father has been pleased to give us the kingdom! That in his mercy he provides us eternal life in a kingdom where we will never be in want. Where we will never be without food to eat, but will eat at the wedding feast of the Lamb. Where we will be dressed in robes that will never fade or wear out. What a comfort it is to be able to come before the throne of God, confess our sins, and hear Him say “I forgive you.”
I’m not sure where this quote originated, but it’s one that I really like. “Sometimes the Lord calms the storm. Sometimes he lets the storm rage and calms his child.” We all face challenges and hardships of different types. But God promises to be with us through all of them, holding us in his loving arms and offering us comfort. He tells us not to worry. He tells us that He is our Father, and He will provide. Amen.
More Than Conquerors (Romans 8:28-39)
Today’s epistle reading ends with one of my favorite, and I think one of the most powerful passages in Scripture. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” What a fantastic and forceful statement of faith! What a comforting message about the love of God!
But what made Paul so sure? What made Paul so supremely confident in his faith and standing before God? And how can we live with that same level of supreme, undying confidence in God’s ever-present love for us? To answer that, let’s take a look at the verses at the beginning of this passage.
Paul says here, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” We hear that and it wouldn’t be hard to think about those times that weren’t so good. That Paul didn’t know what he was talking about. That he had no idea what it was like to suffer. Of course, saying that completely ignores everything that Paul went through during the course of his ministry, from receiving the 40 lashes minus one not once, not twice, but FIVE times. To being stoned. To being shipwrecked and spending a day and a night at sea. To being bitten by poisonous snakes. To being arrested time and time again.
Make no mistake, Paul knew suffering. He knew pain. He knew difficulty. Paul recognized Satan’s efforts to try and stop him from proclaiming the good news of Christ. He recognized that being shipwrecked, being imprisoned, and having a crowd of people chuck rocks at his head were NOT good things, or the ideal way to carry out a ministry. But, he was also fully aware of how God worked even through the worst of his situations. While in prison, he was able to witness to both his fellow prisoners and to the guards that kept him in chains. When shipwrecked, he was able to demonstrate God’s love and power to those who were stranded along with him. Paul saw God continue to work in even the bleakest of situations.
When Paul says that God works in all things for the good of those who love him, he’s not using it as an empty platitude, or to say that things aren’t really bad. He says it to encourage. He says it to encourage and to bring hope to people that even in the worst of times, God is at work in the lives of his people.
God doesn’t cause bad things to happen to us. Bad things are a natural result of living in a sinful world. But when bad things do happen, when suffering and struggles do happen, God promises to be there and work in those bad situations so that good may come out of them. It’s a truth that Paul came to know in his own life, and a truth he wants us to always be aware of as well. We might not immediately recognize how, but God is always there. Always working on behalf of those who he calls his own. Even in our struggles, God never abandons his children, never forgets his promises to them, and never stops working on their behalf. And as Paul says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
This is another place where it’s important to look at what Paul is actually saying. He’s not asking “who would ever dream of standing against us?” I’m sure we could all easily think of multiple answers to who or what is against us and seeking to do us harm. Addictions, disease, exhaustion, fires, floods, certain classmates or co-workers…the list could go on and on. But that’s not the question at hand. The question is, “If God is for us….SINCE God is for us, who can possibly hope to defeat us?” God is on our side. Think about that for a second. The creator of the universe, the author of all life, is on our side. Every evil, every enemy we have in the world could come at us at once, and still be no match for God. If God is for us, who can be against us?
Now, Paul wasn’t stupid. He knew what question his readers and maybe even you were going to ask next. How do we know that God is on our side? How do we know for sure that he is working for us? And even if he is on our side now, how do we know he’s going to stay there? How do we know he won’t turn against us later? To answer that, Paul points to what God has already done for us.
Since man’s creation, all we have ever done is sin against the one who created us. When you read through Scripture, it’s one example of man’s failures and falls after another. If we were each given a divine copy of the books of our lives, it would be no different. The dramatic miracles might be missing, but the theme of our constant failure to truly love God with all of our hearts, minds, and souls would still be a constant theme. And yet through it all, despite all of our innumerable shortcomings and stumbles, God’s love stayed true. Through it all, God kept his word. Through it all, God continues to be there for his people. He continues to bless his people.
There was nothing that we did that could have convinced him we were worth or worthy of being saved, but he saved us anyway. Even though we didn’t deserve it, God loved us enough to give up his own Son for our sake. He punished and killed his own perfect Son for the sins that we committed. And he did it of his own grace and mercy. We didn’t deserve it and we can’t pay him back, but still he gave up his Son so that we might have eternal salvation. And the only possible reason that he had for doing that was because of his love for us. Because even though we don’t deserve it, his is a deep and amazing love. Because despite our being sinful creatures, God is on our side. If he loves us enough to give up his Son, what wouldn’t he do for us? With a God who loves us that deeply, that unconditionally, sinful and broken as we are, what do we have to fear?
Any charge that Satan can make of us, God has already answered. Whatever sins he accuses us of and charges us with are already forgiven and wiped away. By the power of the blood of Christ, we are justified and declared innocent by the almighty God. Satan and the forces of this world see us as prey. Paul quotes Psalms and says that we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. But because of what Christ has done for us, because God is on our side, we are instead now more than conquerors. Every foe that would seek to tear us from God’s love has already been overcome. In Christ they have all been conquered for all time. They might harass us, they might seek to do us harm, but they absolutely can not separate us from his love.
Still, you might be wondering, how do I know that this promise is true for me? It’s a question that has plagued more than one believer throughout the ages. One of the myths of Christianity is that our faith is always going to be burning with a white-hot intensity. That a true Christian never has a weak moment. But that’s not just true. When you read through the Psalms, you see that David had moments of weakness. Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, had moments of weakness. Peter, Paul, the other disciples…all had moments of weakness and discouragement. Satan works constantly at causing God’s children to doubt that he does indeed love them. He works to sow seeds of doubt as to whether all the promises God makes really do apply to me.
And so it happens that even life-long Christians find themselves wondering, “How do I know that it’s talking about me?” Maybe you have even faced that question. Maybe you have had moments that the joy and passion you once felt weren’t as strong as they were before. That you were afraid that maybe God’s love for you was fading away. In those times, God has a message and a promise for you. You…are…his. In Isaiah 43 God says, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.” And even more this message and this promise have been sealed for us in the waters of Holy Baptism. In our baptism we are sealed with a promise. It is a promise from our heavenly Father who has kept every promise that he has ever made to his people. And it’s a promise that is sealed with more than his already perfect words. It is a promise that God tied also to a real, physical event so that we might have supreme confidence.
We invite others to witness our baptism so that there might be no doubt that that promise was given to you. In this way even a young child who doesn’t remember their baptism can be assured that yes, you have been made a child of God. Your sins have been washed away. You have received the assured hope of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God. By the power of the Water and the Word the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon you and you have been marked as one chosen to be remade in the image of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God has called you to be his child, and promises to be with you through every high, low, and in-between.
This message, this promise is the reason Paul was able to so boldly and forcefully preach the gospel. It was a message of hope, and it was a message of comfort. What in all of creation can possibly separate us from the love of God? Nothing. God is on your side, and he is far more powerful than any foe. As a called and redeemed child of God, we can along with Paul confidently proclaim “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” May it be so. Amen.
But what made Paul so sure? What made Paul so supremely confident in his faith and standing before God? And how can we live with that same level of supreme, undying confidence in God’s ever-present love for us? To answer that, let’s take a look at the verses at the beginning of this passage.
Paul says here, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” We hear that and it wouldn’t be hard to think about those times that weren’t so good. That Paul didn’t know what he was talking about. That he had no idea what it was like to suffer. Of course, saying that completely ignores everything that Paul went through during the course of his ministry, from receiving the 40 lashes minus one not once, not twice, but FIVE times. To being stoned. To being shipwrecked and spending a day and a night at sea. To being bitten by poisonous snakes. To being arrested time and time again.
Make no mistake, Paul knew suffering. He knew pain. He knew difficulty. Paul recognized Satan’s efforts to try and stop him from proclaiming the good news of Christ. He recognized that being shipwrecked, being imprisoned, and having a crowd of people chuck rocks at his head were NOT good things, or the ideal way to carry out a ministry. But, he was also fully aware of how God worked even through the worst of his situations. While in prison, he was able to witness to both his fellow prisoners and to the guards that kept him in chains. When shipwrecked, he was able to demonstrate God’s love and power to those who were stranded along with him. Paul saw God continue to work in even the bleakest of situations.
When Paul says that God works in all things for the good of those who love him, he’s not using it as an empty platitude, or to say that things aren’t really bad. He says it to encourage. He says it to encourage and to bring hope to people that even in the worst of times, God is at work in the lives of his people.
God doesn’t cause bad things to happen to us. Bad things are a natural result of living in a sinful world. But when bad things do happen, when suffering and struggles do happen, God promises to be there and work in those bad situations so that good may come out of them. It’s a truth that Paul came to know in his own life, and a truth he wants us to always be aware of as well. We might not immediately recognize how, but God is always there. Always working on behalf of those who he calls his own. Even in our struggles, God never abandons his children, never forgets his promises to them, and never stops working on their behalf. And as Paul says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
This is another place where it’s important to look at what Paul is actually saying. He’s not asking “who would ever dream of standing against us?” I’m sure we could all easily think of multiple answers to who or what is against us and seeking to do us harm. Addictions, disease, exhaustion, fires, floods, certain classmates or co-workers…the list could go on and on. But that’s not the question at hand. The question is, “If God is for us….SINCE God is for us, who can possibly hope to defeat us?” God is on our side. Think about that for a second. The creator of the universe, the author of all life, is on our side. Every evil, every enemy we have in the world could come at us at once, and still be no match for God. If God is for us, who can be against us?
Now, Paul wasn’t stupid. He knew what question his readers and maybe even you were going to ask next. How do we know that God is on our side? How do we know for sure that he is working for us? And even if he is on our side now, how do we know he’s going to stay there? How do we know he won’t turn against us later? To answer that, Paul points to what God has already done for us.
Since man’s creation, all we have ever done is sin against the one who created us. When you read through Scripture, it’s one example of man’s failures and falls after another. If we were each given a divine copy of the books of our lives, it would be no different. The dramatic miracles might be missing, but the theme of our constant failure to truly love God with all of our hearts, minds, and souls would still be a constant theme. And yet through it all, despite all of our innumerable shortcomings and stumbles, God’s love stayed true. Through it all, God kept his word. Through it all, God continues to be there for his people. He continues to bless his people.
There was nothing that we did that could have convinced him we were worth or worthy of being saved, but he saved us anyway. Even though we didn’t deserve it, God loved us enough to give up his own Son for our sake. He punished and killed his own perfect Son for the sins that we committed. And he did it of his own grace and mercy. We didn’t deserve it and we can’t pay him back, but still he gave up his Son so that we might have eternal salvation. And the only possible reason that he had for doing that was because of his love for us. Because even though we don’t deserve it, his is a deep and amazing love. Because despite our being sinful creatures, God is on our side. If he loves us enough to give up his Son, what wouldn’t he do for us? With a God who loves us that deeply, that unconditionally, sinful and broken as we are, what do we have to fear?
Any charge that Satan can make of us, God has already answered. Whatever sins he accuses us of and charges us with are already forgiven and wiped away. By the power of the blood of Christ, we are justified and declared innocent by the almighty God. Satan and the forces of this world see us as prey. Paul quotes Psalms and says that we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. But because of what Christ has done for us, because God is on our side, we are instead now more than conquerors. Every foe that would seek to tear us from God’s love has already been overcome. In Christ they have all been conquered for all time. They might harass us, they might seek to do us harm, but they absolutely can not separate us from his love.
Still, you might be wondering, how do I know that this promise is true for me? It’s a question that has plagued more than one believer throughout the ages. One of the myths of Christianity is that our faith is always going to be burning with a white-hot intensity. That a true Christian never has a weak moment. But that’s not just true. When you read through the Psalms, you see that David had moments of weakness. Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, had moments of weakness. Peter, Paul, the other disciples…all had moments of weakness and discouragement. Satan works constantly at causing God’s children to doubt that he does indeed love them. He works to sow seeds of doubt as to whether all the promises God makes really do apply to me.
And so it happens that even life-long Christians find themselves wondering, “How do I know that it’s talking about me?” Maybe you have even faced that question. Maybe you have had moments that the joy and passion you once felt weren’t as strong as they were before. That you were afraid that maybe God’s love for you was fading away. In those times, God has a message and a promise for you. You…are…his. In Isaiah 43 God says, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.” And even more this message and this promise have been sealed for us in the waters of Holy Baptism. In our baptism we are sealed with a promise. It is a promise from our heavenly Father who has kept every promise that he has ever made to his people. And it’s a promise that is sealed with more than his already perfect words. It is a promise that God tied also to a real, physical event so that we might have supreme confidence.
We invite others to witness our baptism so that there might be no doubt that that promise was given to you. In this way even a young child who doesn’t remember their baptism can be assured that yes, you have been made a child of God. Your sins have been washed away. You have received the assured hope of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God. By the power of the Water and the Word the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon you and you have been marked as one chosen to be remade in the image of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God has called you to be his child, and promises to be with you through every high, low, and in-between.
This message, this promise is the reason Paul was able to so boldly and forcefully preach the gospel. It was a message of hope, and it was a message of comfort. What in all of creation can possibly separate us from the love of God? Nothing. God is on your side, and he is far more powerful than any foe. As a called and redeemed child of God, we can along with Paul confidently proclaim “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” May it be so. Amen.
The Cost of Discipleship (Luke 9:51-62)
I’m guessing that if I were to ask everyone in this church their favorite Bible passage, I’d get a lot of different answers. I’d probably get some references to the Psalms. I’m sure I’d get plenty of verses from Romans, Ephesians, or another of Paul’s letters. There would probably be plenty of people pointing to various parts of Matthew and John. But I’m fairly confident that no one would say Luke 9:51-62.
That’s because our Gospel reading for today isn’t Jesus at his touchy-feely finest. It’s not Jesus as his most inspiring or uplifting. In fact, Jesus doesn’t seem all that friendly or inviting at all here. In fact, some might consider Jesus to be a bit of a jerk as he lays down some pretty convicting law. In three short encounters, Jesus lays out the true cost of discipleship. There’s no bargaining. No negotiation. Just the cost.
And make no mistake, the cost is great. First, give up any hope of a permanent home in this world. And second, give up any family ties you have on this earth.
High, demanding prices indeed. A man who came to Jesus said, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go." But Jesus replied, "The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” In effect, "Do you think it is easy to follow Me? I’m not going to a particular place where I’ll settle down. I’m not stopping somewhere to put down roots. No, I wander the earth, and when I die it will be as a homeless man. Are you ready for that kind of life?"
Why does Jesus make it so hard? Well, He doesn’t. Not really. But he doesn’t want anyone to try to be a disciple without first seeing how difficult it is. Being a disciple of Jesus isn’t a hobby. It’s not a recreational activity. It’s not a part-time pursuit for when it’s convenient for your schedule. No, being a disciple of Jesus means that Christ must always come first.
When you think about it, as a follower of Christ, this world can’t be your permanent home. This world is full of sin. Full of death. Your permanent home is in the new heavens and new earth that will be ushered in upon Christ’s return. Until that time that you dwell in the presence of the Almighty God, you have only places of temporary rest. Halfway houses or rest stops on the way to your eternal home.
More than that, as Christ's disciple you must put Him before the whole world. He should be everything to you. What is this world compared to the Lord? What is a nice house or a new car compared to the love of Jesus? What are the any of the riches and comforts of this temporary world compared to His glorious kingdom?
But human hearts are fickle things. As the saying goes, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. One moment your whole heart is yearning for Christ. The next moment, you are yearning for some earthly trinket or prize. The flashy allure of gold and silver idols captures our eyes. Though they may be physical idols, they don’t have to be. While these idols could be the newest and most tricked-out phone on the market, it could just as easily be the love of a friend or a sense of safety. But all love and all earthly safety must be set aside, and all your life put in constant danger for the sake of your Lord. Otherwise, he says, you are not worthy of Him.
Chances are that you’re already aware in your heart that you are not worthy of the Infinitely glorious Savior. That nothing about you deserves the love and attention of the Son of God. Though you must strive to count Him alone as your treasure, in honesty you must also confess that you have failed to do so. You have held idols in your heart that distract from true discipleship. And if Christ counted those things against you, you would not only be unworthy, but you would be cast away into eternal fire. Not a happy thought.
But what is a happy thought is knowing and believing that he won’t do that to you. That you have nothing to fear. It’s supremely reassuring to have the unshakeable hope that he has already stopped it from happening, and promises you eternal safety and rest.
Surely for such a promise, for such a gift, he is worthy of all that you have. In response, surely all should be laid at his feet in thankful offering. For being spared the fires of hell, what wouldn’t you be willing to sacrifice?
Would you be willing to sacrifice your job? Would you be willing to sacrifice your dance or sports team? What about your family? Would you be willing to sacrifice the love of your family for the love of Christ? Would you be willing to make yourself an outcast to them for the sake of following Him?
Scripture doesn’t hide the fact that if you follow the true faith, but your family does not, then there will be division between you. It may be very polite division. It might not. It may lead to open hostility. It might not. In many Muslim countries, if you converted to Christianity, your own family might put you to death. In America, you likely wouldn’t face that much hostility. But who knows what the future of this nation may bring?
There’s a common idea out there that Christ wants you to do anything and everything for your family. That family should be your first priority. But that’s not what He says or desires. Certainly you are called to love and cherish your families, but You must not sacrifice your faith for your them. If the choice must be made, then you must even surrender your ties with them for the sake of your Lord.
Hopefully God will never ask you to make that decision. Yet if we are to take his words here in Luke seriously, you must be ready to, even now, or you are not worthy of Him. How hard it surely is to sacrifice the love of your family, which you can see, for the love of Christ, which is hidden! For your flesh, like that of all men, is too easily swayed by earthly loves. Too easily, family, or even sports teams, can draw you away from worship, away from Bible Study, and thus away from Christ. What Christ demands is difficult, more than the flesh alone can achieve.
When a man came to Jesus, but wanted to delay his discipleship for the sake of his father's funeral, Christ rebuked him with harsh words. "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God." Whatever the exact situation of the man, the point is clear: The kingdom of God and the preaching of the word are more important than anything.
Another man wanted to go and bid farewell to his family. Christ said that no one who looks backward is fit for the kingdom. The man would be always thinking of those he left behind, and yearning for those he loved.
Who could blame these men if they failed to follow Christ? Could you or I have done better than them? I doubt it. The demands that Christ makes go beyond our strength. They seem impossible and unrealistic. Yet that does not mean that you should simply ignore them. As a disciple, you must try and work with all your might for the Savior who gave His all for you. Truly, the cost of discipleship is great indeed.
But try as you might, you will fail. Guaranteed. The call of earthly loves, or the appeal of earthly comforts, will eventually get the better of you. Such is the life of a sinner. In your heart there cannot be perfect devotion for Christ until this sinful flesh is done away with in the new Creation. Until then, your discipleship cannot be anything other than flawed and weak.
But there is good news. There is hope for those of us who can never hope to live up to the standard that Christ sets. And that hope comes from the fact that Christ did meet that standard.
He is the One who fulfills all things for you. Who made you worthy by giving you His glory. Thanks be to God that our Lord Jesus Christ covered the cost of your discipleship. He paid the price so that you could be counted as a perfect disciple.
Jesus left the perfect House of His Father to become homeless and penniless. Though through Him all things had been brought into being, He lowered himself to be a servant so that you are lifted up on high. He made himself an outcast, being forsaken even by His Father so that you might be reconciled to Him. He suffered the fire of His Father's wrath so that you will live on in unending comfort and majesty forever.
Christ never looked back to heaven, yearning to return home rather than redeeming you. He kept on, straight and steady, as He set His face stubbornly, like rock, firm and unyielding, ever putting the mission of death and resurrection as the one and only goal of His life. He sacrificed all. He gave up all comfort, and embraced ultimate agony and torture.
So you are not a disciple because you have done enough. You have never done enough for Christ. You are His disciple because He has made you one. He did not simply show you the right path and expect you to follow it. No, He walked the path for you, and when He was done, declared you His perfect disciple.
What was the price of your discipleship? Well, to quote from Luther’s explanation of the 2nd article of the Apostles Creed, “He did this not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, so that I may be His own.”
Therefore, look in faith to your true home, the New Jerusalem, the new creation over which God will reign in glory forever. Look in faith to your new family, with the Church as your mother God as your Father. Into this family you have been adopted. Through the waters of Holy Baptism you have been brought into a household which will last forever.
God keep you in this faith until that day when worlds burn in fire, and the new creation is revealed. In His Name and to His glory. Amen.
That’s because our Gospel reading for today isn’t Jesus at his touchy-feely finest. It’s not Jesus as his most inspiring or uplifting. In fact, Jesus doesn’t seem all that friendly or inviting at all here. In fact, some might consider Jesus to be a bit of a jerk as he lays down some pretty convicting law. In three short encounters, Jesus lays out the true cost of discipleship. There’s no bargaining. No negotiation. Just the cost.
And make no mistake, the cost is great. First, give up any hope of a permanent home in this world. And second, give up any family ties you have on this earth.
High, demanding prices indeed. A man who came to Jesus said, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go." But Jesus replied, "The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” In effect, "Do you think it is easy to follow Me? I’m not going to a particular place where I’ll settle down. I’m not stopping somewhere to put down roots. No, I wander the earth, and when I die it will be as a homeless man. Are you ready for that kind of life?"
Why does Jesus make it so hard? Well, He doesn’t. Not really. But he doesn’t want anyone to try to be a disciple without first seeing how difficult it is. Being a disciple of Jesus isn’t a hobby. It’s not a recreational activity. It’s not a part-time pursuit for when it’s convenient for your schedule. No, being a disciple of Jesus means that Christ must always come first.
When you think about it, as a follower of Christ, this world can’t be your permanent home. This world is full of sin. Full of death. Your permanent home is in the new heavens and new earth that will be ushered in upon Christ’s return. Until that time that you dwell in the presence of the Almighty God, you have only places of temporary rest. Halfway houses or rest stops on the way to your eternal home.
More than that, as Christ's disciple you must put Him before the whole world. He should be everything to you. What is this world compared to the Lord? What is a nice house or a new car compared to the love of Jesus? What are the any of the riches and comforts of this temporary world compared to His glorious kingdom?
But human hearts are fickle things. As the saying goes, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. One moment your whole heart is yearning for Christ. The next moment, you are yearning for some earthly trinket or prize. The flashy allure of gold and silver idols captures our eyes. Though they may be physical idols, they don’t have to be. While these idols could be the newest and most tricked-out phone on the market, it could just as easily be the love of a friend or a sense of safety. But all love and all earthly safety must be set aside, and all your life put in constant danger for the sake of your Lord. Otherwise, he says, you are not worthy of Him.
Chances are that you’re already aware in your heart that you are not worthy of the Infinitely glorious Savior. That nothing about you deserves the love and attention of the Son of God. Though you must strive to count Him alone as your treasure, in honesty you must also confess that you have failed to do so. You have held idols in your heart that distract from true discipleship. And if Christ counted those things against you, you would not only be unworthy, but you would be cast away into eternal fire. Not a happy thought.
But what is a happy thought is knowing and believing that he won’t do that to you. That you have nothing to fear. It’s supremely reassuring to have the unshakeable hope that he has already stopped it from happening, and promises you eternal safety and rest.
Surely for such a promise, for such a gift, he is worthy of all that you have. In response, surely all should be laid at his feet in thankful offering. For being spared the fires of hell, what wouldn’t you be willing to sacrifice?
Would you be willing to sacrifice your job? Would you be willing to sacrifice your dance or sports team? What about your family? Would you be willing to sacrifice the love of your family for the love of Christ? Would you be willing to make yourself an outcast to them for the sake of following Him?
Scripture doesn’t hide the fact that if you follow the true faith, but your family does not, then there will be division between you. It may be very polite division. It might not. It may lead to open hostility. It might not. In many Muslim countries, if you converted to Christianity, your own family might put you to death. In America, you likely wouldn’t face that much hostility. But who knows what the future of this nation may bring?
There’s a common idea out there that Christ wants you to do anything and everything for your family. That family should be your first priority. But that’s not what He says or desires. Certainly you are called to love and cherish your families, but You must not sacrifice your faith for your them. If the choice must be made, then you must even surrender your ties with them for the sake of your Lord.
Hopefully God will never ask you to make that decision. Yet if we are to take his words here in Luke seriously, you must be ready to, even now, or you are not worthy of Him. How hard it surely is to sacrifice the love of your family, which you can see, for the love of Christ, which is hidden! For your flesh, like that of all men, is too easily swayed by earthly loves. Too easily, family, or even sports teams, can draw you away from worship, away from Bible Study, and thus away from Christ. What Christ demands is difficult, more than the flesh alone can achieve.
When a man came to Jesus, but wanted to delay his discipleship for the sake of his father's funeral, Christ rebuked him with harsh words. "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God." Whatever the exact situation of the man, the point is clear: The kingdom of God and the preaching of the word are more important than anything.
Another man wanted to go and bid farewell to his family. Christ said that no one who looks backward is fit for the kingdom. The man would be always thinking of those he left behind, and yearning for those he loved.
Who could blame these men if they failed to follow Christ? Could you or I have done better than them? I doubt it. The demands that Christ makes go beyond our strength. They seem impossible and unrealistic. Yet that does not mean that you should simply ignore them. As a disciple, you must try and work with all your might for the Savior who gave His all for you. Truly, the cost of discipleship is great indeed.
But try as you might, you will fail. Guaranteed. The call of earthly loves, or the appeal of earthly comforts, will eventually get the better of you. Such is the life of a sinner. In your heart there cannot be perfect devotion for Christ until this sinful flesh is done away with in the new Creation. Until then, your discipleship cannot be anything other than flawed and weak.
But there is good news. There is hope for those of us who can never hope to live up to the standard that Christ sets. And that hope comes from the fact that Christ did meet that standard.
He is the One who fulfills all things for you. Who made you worthy by giving you His glory. Thanks be to God that our Lord Jesus Christ covered the cost of your discipleship. He paid the price so that you could be counted as a perfect disciple.
Jesus left the perfect House of His Father to become homeless and penniless. Though through Him all things had been brought into being, He lowered himself to be a servant so that you are lifted up on high. He made himself an outcast, being forsaken even by His Father so that you might be reconciled to Him. He suffered the fire of His Father's wrath so that you will live on in unending comfort and majesty forever.
Christ never looked back to heaven, yearning to return home rather than redeeming you. He kept on, straight and steady, as He set His face stubbornly, like rock, firm and unyielding, ever putting the mission of death and resurrection as the one and only goal of His life. He sacrificed all. He gave up all comfort, and embraced ultimate agony and torture.
So you are not a disciple because you have done enough. You have never done enough for Christ. You are His disciple because He has made you one. He did not simply show you the right path and expect you to follow it. No, He walked the path for you, and when He was done, declared you His perfect disciple.
What was the price of your discipleship? Well, to quote from Luther’s explanation of the 2nd article of the Apostles Creed, “He did this not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, so that I may be His own.”
Therefore, look in faith to your true home, the New Jerusalem, the new creation over which God will reign in glory forever. Look in faith to your new family, with the Church as your mother God as your Father. Into this family you have been adopted. Through the waters of Holy Baptism you have been brought into a household which will last forever.
God keep you in this faith until that day when worlds burn in fire, and the new creation is revealed. In His Name and to His glory. Amen.
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