13 Pentecost/Year C
September 4, 2022
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Psalm 1
Philemon 1-21
Luke 14:25-33
Opening prayer: Loving God, as we come before you this morning, give us open hearts and open hands. Make us eager to hear your voice and seek your guidance. Open our minds to your ever-present spirit that is always moving within and around us. Open our spirits to your nudging and open our lives to your love. Amen
~ posted on The Minor Keys. theminorkeys.blogspot.ca
Sometimes Jesus’ words come off sounding quite beautiful and lovely…nudging us gently to follow him….Other times…not so gentle and beautiful sounding…But, straightforward, and with a sense of urgency…that calls us to a moment of decision, Are you ready to go “all in” as a follower and disciple of Christ?
In today’s gospel reading…Jesus is not nudging anyone gently to consider following him… His words today, go straight to the heart…and leave no room really…to negotiate what it means to become a follower and disciple of Christ… the moment is now, Jesus seems to be saying…will you follow me or not?
Jesus gives us some difficult words to wrestle with when making that decision to become followers and disciples of Christ: "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. …none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions."
These words are difficult to hear, hard to make sense of, for sure…they sound divisive, they seem to go against the teachings and commandments to love one another….But, perhaps what he’s really trying to get across to his listeners…is that following him…requires an “all in” decision, it takes an ongoing commitment to following him in the way of love that he has taught us, it involves some sacrifices, for the well-being of others, it requires us to focus FIRST on following him…wherever he is leading us and calling us to go…
And one of those places we are called to go, as a follower of Christ…is to follow him all the way to the cross…and stay there with him for a time, face the hard stuff, give up some of the stuff that gets in the way of our relationship with God, and one another, confess our sins, acknowledge his death, acknowledge the death and losses in our own lives, be there in the quiet and unknowing of what’s next…yet, trusting and believing, that we are never alone…and we are never without hope, in what is yet to come…
We can trust in the good news that is embedded in the midst of Jesus’ difficult words and teachings today…because as we have the benefit of knowing now…death does not have the final say…because we believe that Jesus did rise to life again on the third day, after his death on the cross…so that all of us…could also be transformed into new life with him…So, that all of us, with Jesus, can be filled with hope; And with the dawn of a new day, every day, we can choose life…for ourselves, for our neighbors, and for all who will live on in this world, after us…
Following Jesus is hard...it’s a difficult decision to go “all in”…but, in considering the cost and the value of all of God’s beloved children, striving to love one another as Christ has loved us and taught us, every step with Jesus, and with our siblings all over the world, is so worth it…
I’m going to conclude my sermon time this morning, with Bishop Mark’s reflection that was posted in this Friday’s Diocesan E-news …and it’s a call to a moment of decision for all of us…
A "Call" For Discipleship – Bishop Mark Lattime – Sept 2, 2022
A nationwide poll commissioned by the Episcopal Church in 2021-22 revealed that 84% of all Americans (religious and non-religious combined) believe Jesus to be an important spiritual figure. In other words, most Americans see something positive and important in Jesus. Even more interesting, 50% of non-religious respondents identified Jesus as an important spiritual figure. In other words, there are a significant number of people who are non-religious and, therefore, not part of our churches, who are interested in or think positively about Jesus as a spiritual figure.
Jesus didn’t need survey data to know it, but this data shows that the harvest is plentiful.
The same survey revealed that Christians overwhelmingly described themselves as being: Giving (57%); Compassionate (56%); Loving (55%); and Respectful (50%). However, Non-Religious and Other Religious respondents described Christians as: Hypocritical (55%); Judgmental (54%); and Self-righteous (50%). One might interpret this data to imply that Christians, or their reputation, might be a barrier to people growing in relationship with Jesus. People are positive about Jesus, but not so positive about Christians.
So, while the harvest is plentiful, it might be that the “laborers”, are not only few, but need to change the way they work.
How we labor—how we live the faith we proclaim, is all about discipleship.
Despite all the worries and losses that we have experienced over the pandemic, now is not the time for us--for Christians, to focus on all that has been lost or changed in our congregations. Nor is it time, given our exhaustion, to fret about how we are going to restore our churches to the good old days. Instead, now is the time to focus on discipleship, trusting that the Holy Spirit’s power will renew the church. Now is the time for each of us, the whole church, to recommit to the purpose of living a “Jesus-shaped life;” to making disciples who live the faith and hope of Jesus in such a way that they become an invitation to a life that is consistent with His way of love. Though it is easy to get stuck wondering how we are going to get more people in our pews or how we are going to save our church from dying, we would be better off asking: How can we become better disciples? How can we better do the things Jesus tells us to do? How can we better tell and share our love and hope in Jesus?”
These are questions that call us to discipleship and to mission—God’s Mission.
I call the Diocese of Alaska to be renewed in your work of discipleship. Turn your fears, worries, and exhaustion over to Jesus. Pray that the Holy Spirit will renew our communities. Let each of us, instead, focus on discipleship: being strengthened in our faith by the one who calls us by name, offers us refreshment and renewal, healing and hope, and shows us how to walk the way of love in this world, the one in whom all hope found, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK
Hymn at the conclusion of sermon: (LEVS) 144 Where He Leads Me
1 I can hear my Savior calling,
"Take thy cross and follow, follow me."
Refrain Where He leads me I will follow,(x3)
I'll go with Him, with Him all the way.
2 I'll go with Him through the garden, (x3)
I'll go with Him, with Him all the way. Refrain
3 I'll go with Him through the judgement, (x3)
I'll go with Him, with Him all the way. Refrain
4 He will give me grace and glory, (x3)
And go with me, with me all the way. Refrain