Day of the Church Year: 13th Sunday after Pentecost
Scripture Passage: Luke 14:25-33
In my college years and even in seminary, I battled and debated and struggled with ideas. The doctrine of justification, atonement theology, Christology, the study of Jesus’ relationship to God. Why do bad things happen to good people? How do we reconcile contradictions in scripture? Who is God, really, and what did Jesus actually say and do? These were just a few of the questions and topics that constantly floated through my brain. They were incredibly important to me, and I did not hesitate to raise my hand in class to question my professors and classmates. I eagerly debated my friends and family on, well, nearly any topic. And when I told my sister that I was going to seminary to be a pastor, she said, “Really? You’re too opinionated to be a pastor.” What we believe, the ideas we embrace, the doctrines of the church have been the focus of most Christians since at least the fourth century. That is to say, many Christians have pursued getting our beliefs right, figuring out the truth, and discerning what is accurate about God, Jesus, and scripture as the substance of what it means to be Christian. You may say: Well, of course. I don’t dispute the importance of studying scripture, of discussing doctrine, of questioning assumptions. In fact, I highly encourage it. Come and discuss Sexuality and the Bible at Theology Pub tonight at 6 pm at Arizona Wilderness! Or come to GLOW on Wednesday nights beginning September 14. Or join Grace Time Bible Study in the North Room each Sunday at 10 am beginning next Sunday. Ideas are important. But our faith, what it means to be a Christian, what it looks like to follow Jesus cannot be entirely summed up in a creed or a statement of faith. The ideas to which we intellectually consent are only half of discipleship.
For today, Jesus calls the large crowds who travel with him to be his disciples. And while the cost of discipleship is high, it doesn’t actually involve ideas. Discipleship involves action. To be clear, Jesus speaks of discipleship, not of salvation. If salvation is all we seek, we can rest assured in the grace of God. But if we seek to follow Jesus, to be his disciples, then, everything is required. Hating family, hating life, carrying the cross, giving up all our possessions. When Jesus speaks of hating here, he uses it as all those around him did at the time: as a rhetorical contrast between hate and love. Jesus is not advocating intense hostility toward family and life but rather challenging his listeners to a singular commitment, allegiance, and love of him. When Jesus speaks of giving up all possessions, he speaks not just of material possessions but all things for which we plan and work and negotiate—that we might not let anything sway us from our commitment to Jesus and the life to which he calls us. This call is not about ideas alone but about action.
Of course, we know this. Some of us have gone through confirmation and affirmed our baptismal promises in the Lutheran church. I did when I was 15 years old. After two or three years of study, affirming our baptismal promises involves standing up before the community of faith and saying: Yep! I’m going to follow Jesus now. And we commit ourselves to action, five actions, specifically. They are: living among God’s faithful people, hearing the word of God and sharing in the Lord’s supper, proclaiming the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, serving all people, following the example of Jesus, and striving for justice and peace in all the earth. These are actions. Not ideas. At affirmation of baptism, we say yes to living in Christian community meaning building relationships with others in community, to showing up for worship on Sunday morning, to shining the light of Christ in all we say and do, to serving others in small and large ways, maybe by volunteering here at church or going out of our way to care for people in our daily work, to striving, actually, for justice and peace in the world, maybe through advocating at the state capitol, writing our legislators, or learning about and practicing nonviolent communication. These actions reveal us to be disciples of Jesus.
We are already beloved children of God.
We are already siblings in Christ through the sacrament of Holy Baptism.
We are already part of the Grace community since we are in this room (or connected via Facebook live) right now.
We may even believe that God exists, that Jesus is the Son of God, and that the Spirit actively guides us in our daily lives.
But discipleship is more than any of these things. Discipleship is an every day act, an every day series of acts, an every day practice of forgiveness and generosity, nonviolence and justice seeking. Discipleship involves showing grace to ourselves and others when we and they make mistakes (so we get lots of practice in discipleship). Discipleship involves serving others and not simply our own interests.
Can we do it? Jesus makes a good point—of course, he makes a good point—when he addresses the crowd in our scripture today. The one who builds a tower would do well to estimate the cost and be assured she has enough resources to see it to completion. The king who wages war would do well to determine the possibility of success before sending his troops into battle. Can we follow Jesus? Can we bring this calling to completion? Discipleship is hard. Forgiveness and generosity, nonviolence and justice seeking, showing grace and serving others is hard. Because it’s counter-cultural. Because it demands our growth. Because we inevitably encounter challenges. Can we do it?
Jesus doesn’t address this in the short portion of scripture we read today, but the answer to the question might, actually, be no. We can’t do it, at least not alone. But we aren’t alone. We are called into community, a community who supports and uplifts us. We are filled with and led by the Spirit of God. We are loved beyond measure. I think the relevant question today is not Can we follow Jesus but rather Do we want to? Do we want to follow Jesus into forgiveness and generosity, nonviolence and justice seeking, showing grace and serving others? Do we want to live this joyous life of love? Because if we do want to follow, by the grace of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the encouragement of this gathered community, we can. And for that, we say: Thanks be to God! Amen.