Sept. 8, 2013, 16th Sunday After Pentecost

Luke 14:25-33

25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
    28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
    31 "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

 “Our Discipleship”

These are radical words designed to set us free from that which really destroys the joy of living - luke warm religion.  To play with religion is worse than no religion at all.  To want a little bit of God, but not enough to make us have to change our ways, is worse then having no God at all.  At least then we are honest!

Jesus is not advocating that we ‘hate’ in his name.  He is advocating that we place first things first - and that means discipleship!  Loving God with all our being.

These words were spoken at a time when Jesus was popular.  As such, they were designed to shatter the illusion that discipleship is a mass movement.  Jesus would have us go where we don’t want to go and do what we don’t want to do.  Many drop out. There are times when to be near Jesus is the most dangerous place to be. i.e. Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

There is no relationship as complete as our relationship with Jesus.  No human relationship is 100%;  our relationship with Jesus is.  Follow Jesus and discover who you are and the joy of life abundant.
“The trick is to realize that loving God with all we are empowers us to love (not hate!) others.”  Lisa W. Davison. New Proclamation, Year C 2010, p. 205


“The Cost Of Discipleship”

The Kingdom of God is here to challenge us to live for more than personal gain.

In the Kingdom of God it is not only true that there is a
 “blessed assurance Jesus is mine, O’ what a foretaste of heaven divine.”

It is also true that there is a “blessed disturbance for I am His”
 and that means I cannot live as if only I count.

Jesus first - a demand both scary and consuming.
To be a disciple is to have to obey, and the price of obedience is the renunciation of self. Renouncing, that is, what we most do not want to give up.

Take up your cross - suffering there will be.
To be a disciple is to suffer and the price to be paid is ‘bearing one’s own cross’.  That is, to endure suffering which would not be ours if we were not a disciple.

Give all our possessions - all can be used to Kingdom glory.

Being a disciple is not something we do because it is convenient; it is something we do because we have to - no matter what the cost.

We will never know how well it works until we try it.