Your Faith Journey - Finding God Through Words, Song and Praise

Sometimes in our lives we come across people who are so persistent and preoccupied with a single, specific issue that they focus on nothing else.  Their entire being is consumed by hammering away on one topic or problem.  One of my dear friends often describes such a person’s persistent actions by saying, “They are like a dog on a bone.”  They simply cannot stop chewing on an issue or pet peeve.  Now, this can be a very harmful type of behavior, especially when the focus is something that is totally irrelevant and one’s action is used to manipulate, create discord and division, attack others, or stir up destruction within an organization or community.  However, such persistence can also be a good thing if the dogged person is tirelessly working to bring about change for the common good, change that is necessary, is healthy, and brings forth reconciliation, peace and justice.

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells the story of a persistent, stubborn woman who simply does not give up.  She is like a dog on a bone. 

I think, far too frequently, when interpreting this parable, an assumption is made that the unjust judge is God and we are to pray to God as this widow who was so persistent with the corrupt judge.  When such an understanding is asserted, we get far too preoccupied with the unattractive comparison of God as an unjust judge and consequently we don't get into the deeper meaning of what Jesus is communicating.  This story is parable, and remember, when we hear a parable, we can place ourselves in any one of the characters.  Also, Jesus’ parables are meant to be cognitive time bombs that shock us into new understandings as we think about them over time. 

The scene of this parable unfolds in a place that is something like a hall of justice where a judge is seated on his judgement seat and throngs of petitioners are gathered about, some represented by lawyers while others are just shouting their requests from the crowd.  And, this widow is in that crowd every single day when the court convenes.  She wants vindication against an unnamed adversary.  She wants justice!  Day after day after day, she is present shouting out for the justice she deserves.  And, every single day the harsh, unsavory, immoral, corrupt judge, who “neither fears God nor respects people,” ignores her.  Yet, this poor, defenseless widow obstinately badgers the corrupt judge until he finally relents and renders a favorable judgment. 

Now, we must remember the writer of Luke is communicating to a Greek audience, people who would picture a typical Roman judge.  Judges in that culture had vast power within their jurisdiction.  If they wanted to, they could decide cases based on personal whim alone and they frequently did just that.  The judge in this story is such a judge, and he is depicted as having no concern for justice.  Jesus says the judge felt no “reverence” for people, but also no sense of “shame” in how he treated them.   And, the contrast in the story is between this powerful magistrate who can do whatever he feels like doing and a poor widow who must simply take what she can get. 

It is significant that Jesus portrays this woman as a widow.  Widows, at that point in time, were powerless and the poorest of the poor.  On the “power scale,” the judge is at one end and the widow at the other. Widows in the ancient world were incredibly vulnerable.  And, threaded throughout Hebrew scriptures we find widows listed along with orphans and resident aliens as those persons deserving special protection. The fact that this particular widow, unattended by any family, daily goes to beseech an unsavory judge who neither fears God nor respects people, highlights her extreme vulnerability.  In her single-mindedness, she is like a dog on a bone as she daily, stubbornly persists in her pleas for justice.  She keeps haranguing this judge, apparently making a public spectacle of herself...and him.  She mercilessly bothers the judge.  And, in fact, a more vivid and accurate translation of the judge's complaint when he says, “she keeps bothering me,” would be “she is giving me a black eye."  She's embarrassing him and calling into question his reputation by persisting with her case.  She is speaking truth to power.  When discussing this brave widow’s actions, one theologian suggests:

Like all black eyes, the one the widow's complaints threaten to inflict have a double effect, representing both physical and social distress. That is, the judge complains that the widow's relentless badgering not only causes him physical harm but also risks publicly embarrassing him. For this reason, he says -- perhaps justifying his actions to his wounded sense of self? -- that he relents not because he has changed his mind but simply to shut up this dangerous widow.

This judge finally decides that if he doesn't grant the widow's petition, she will wear him out - either figuratively or literally.  So, eventually, despite his callousness and his lack of integrity, he gives the woman what she wants.

In our own time and in our own culture, we have been experiencing a steady drumbeat of news, giving us reports of injustice after injustice perpetrated by one group or another.  And what has been done? Many of us do work for justice in a variety of ways and, when that longing for justice burns in your bones as it does in mine, seeking justice becomes part of the fabric of your life.  In this country, over time, some civil rights laws were established; and they have brought some progress, though such progress often comes quite slowly.  Globally, we have seen some of the worst offenders brought before international tribunals and tried for crimes against humanity.  Many organizations like the ONE Campaign, Bread for the World, and ELCA Advocacy have been working to raise awareness regarding issues of human rights, equality and poverty.  And, these organizations have been working hard to encourage lawmakers to enact policies that will help the poor and feed the hungry as we work to end extreme poverty in our time.  But, quite frankly, there are many who, seeing such things, have spoken words of lament but then gone right back to doing whatever else it was they had been doing.  So, I wonder: what does this parable mean for us today?  

If this parable offers a mirror for our lives, then maybe the face many of us will see when we peer into that mirror is the face of the judge who daily hears the cries of the poor and vulnerable and does not respond.  Or, are we like that vulnerable woman, tirelessly petitioning the judge for justice? 

When Jesus told a parable, quite often the deepest meaning in the story is the message of what God is like, what God is about, and what God is doing in this broken world.  So, as we hear the gospel in this parable, just maybe the really good news for all of us is that God is the one who is like that widow – unrelenting, persistent, assertive – like a dog on a bone.  God is the one who does not and will never give up.  God has not, does not, and will not ever give up on us, even when we have acted as though we "neither feared God nor had respect for people."  Just maybe, the real message in this short little story is that, because of God’s great love for us, God became vulnerable like that poor widow, even to the point of being nailed to the cross like a common criminal.   And, in the death and resurrection of Jesus, God’s reign has broken into this world and continues to break into our world, bringing forth justice for all people.  Now that is the kind of good news worth sharing.  That is the kind of message for which each one of us can live and act like a dog on a bone!

This is a special musical performance of Holy Manna by the chancel choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

We have heard a great deal about boundaries over the past few years.   And, while I believe some boundaries are necessary, very needed, and extremely healthy, I also believe that far too often we impose boundaries and build walls that not only keep others out of our lives, but also fence us in, isolating us from others and the world.  And, quite frankly, too often, as we have seen in our current political climate, we simply draw a line in the sand, create unreasonable boundaries and then refuse to cross those lines to seek common ground. 

When we meet up with Jesus today, he is continuing his journey to Jerusalem, his journey toward the cross.  As he and his disciples continue that cross-bound journey, they move into a border area, the boundary between Samaria and Galilee.  This boundary was a scary and uncomfortable place.  It was a boundary the Jewish people did not like to cross because it took you into that place where those hated and despised Samaritans lived.  And, look who Jesus meets at that border – ten lepers who raise their voices and cry out to Jesus saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”  These lepers, knowing they are unclean, keep their distance from Jesus, because that is what the law stipulates.  By law, they are not to go near those who do not have leprosy.  Enduring the labels of “outcast” and “unclean” they are required to live apart from the rest of society.  They are required to live within yet a different kind of boundary, one that keeps them totally estranged from all others.  Considered ritually unclean, they were quarantined and treated as objects of revulsion and fear on the part of their neighbors.  So, as these ten lepers cry for mercy, not one of them breaks the social conventions that surround their disease as they cry to Jesus from a distance.

The writer of Luke’s gospel tells us Jesus sees these lepers and tells them to go show themselves to the priests.  This was also required by law because the priests would have to inspect the lepers and verify their cleanliness.  Only then could they be readmitted to the temple and be freed from their status as unclean.  So, they go, and while on their way, they become clean.  All ten are healed, but only one comes back to say thanks to Jesus for the healing.  This one leper, when he realized he had been healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude and glorifying God. 

So, why did only one leper return to offer thanks?  Part of the answer may be found in the identity of this healed man. He alone is identified as a Samaritan.  He was considered an outcast, not just because of his disease.  He was considered an outcast because he was a foreigner, a disgusting, hated Samaritan.  As such, he was twice scorned, twice rejected, and twice removed from community. 

It really is interesting that this despised Samaritan is the one who stops to say thanks.  The writer of Luke’s gospel again chooses a Samaritan to make a point.  And, as he does, we can pretty much assume his point is not about the proper etiquette for saying thank you.  Luke is not giving his first-century listeners a lesson in proper protocol for receiving healing.  No.  Again and again, we find Luke’s Jesus teaching in parables and living in ways that disorient his followers with the shock of something new.  Again and again, Luke’s Jesus shows the people that God is close at hand, in your neighbor, in those you don’t consider neighbors, in an act of compassion and in a touch of healing. 

So, why was it the Samaritan who came back to thank Jesus?  Jesus had not made a formal thank you part of the bargain.  He simply told them to go and show themselves to the priests. Well, we really do not know why the Samaritan is the only one to return.  However, just maybe the writer of Luke was more interested in describing the boundaries, or maybe we should say lack of boundaries, when it comes to God’s grace.  You see, when it comes to God’s grace, imposed boundaries will ultimately expand to include even those the world defines as unclean, immigrant, alien, foreign, and impure.  Luke seems to be telling us a story about a very daring boundary crossing.  A crossing that is daring on the part of Jesus, and also on the part of the Samaritan. 

So, the Samaritan alone returns and, if we look at his posture, we discover that he comes close to Jesus and humbly lies down at Jesus’ feet.  Of the ten who were healed, he alone – a despised foreigner - breaches the boundaries and moves from an experience and life of isolation to one of grateful intimacy.  While the other nine perform the necessary rituals and practices, he alone feels obliged to say thank you.  And maybe, just maybe, in his need to say thank you there was a yearning for intimacy with God, a sense that faith cannot simply mean performance of ritual.  Faith requires relationship.  Faith – something that in itself is gift – lures us, grasps us and draws us into relationship with God, a relationship that is healing, intimate, humbling, and yes, even dependent.

I cannot help but wonder if part of the illness we are seeing within today’s culture and climate is due to a deep self-centeredness, a viewpoint that assumes we are right, that assumes we are entitled to what we have.  We draw deeply entrenched boundary lines, and we do not want to cross those lines.  We become so preoccupied with our own needs, our own wants, protecting what we have while attempting to justify our unwavering position and perspective, that we maintain our distance from others while holding on to an illusion of absolute independence.  In doing so we continue to create divisions among people, cast others aside as unclean, and attempt to make others appear as outcasts.

“Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back.”  One turned back from maintaining the protection of distance, turned back from going his or her own way, turned back from self-justification, turned back from the illusion of independence, and knelt down at Jesus’ feet, proclaiming ultimate dependence on God.  And, in doing so, gave thanks and showed deep gratitude. 

Gratitude!  The truth is, gratitude is an expression of our need for others, of our need for God.  We cannot live within our deeply entrenched boundaries, live at a distance, and become truly healed at the same time.  And, the fact of the matter is, all that we have, all that we think we are entitled to, all of our stuff, our health, our position, our job, the list goes on and on, all is gift. 

When we begin to grasp and understand that all is gift, we begin to know gratitude.  And, it is gratitude that teaches us about the truth of our very lives – the truth that we live in a profoundly interdependent world.  The strength and health of our communities, our country and our very selves comes to us as gift when we live in relationship to others. 

The healthiest people I know are those whose lives are not lived as the self-made man or woman, living within their protective boundaries.  The healthiest people I know are those whose very lives express deep gratitude as they have reached across boundaries to enrich and embrace others and be embraced by others.  The healthiest people I know are those who understand that to be truly well requires the embrace of the alien grace of Christ’s daring love, the embrace of the God who crosses all boundaries to love us where we are and as we are and make us God’s own.

This is a special musical performance of Jubilate Deo by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan

Last week we received one of Jesus’ most bizarre and perplexing stories.  Today, we receive one of his harshest stories.  And, I find it interesting that we are given this reading just days after leaders of the world gathered in New York City where they spent a great deal of time focusing on climate justice.  Climate change is THE greatest threat the world currently faces, and I, along with the majority of faith leaders in this denomination, in mainline protestant churches and in catholic church leadership, believe scripture and the teachings of Jesus call us to act in response to this crisis.  As we look to scripture and respond to Jesus’ message, some may say his teachings are just for our private lives, not for our public behavior, or he is irrelevant to our times.  But, as the Rev. Jim Wallis writes in his new book, Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus, he says, “That is hard to do for those who call themselves Christians, if God so loved the world.”  You see, if the gospel has no meaning for our current, present context and does not inform the way we respond to injustice, the gospel really has NO meaning. 

So, in today’s reading which is all about justice and the faithful stewardship of goods, we discover a message that is very relevant to this present moment in time.  In this reading from Luke’s gospel, justice is presented as an eschatological (meaning end of time) balancing of the scales:  those who suffered in need are made full, and those who have reveled in excess are left empty.  This story is all about a call to live a certain way in the here and now of everyday life.

Jesus has been having a conversation with the Pharisees about the love of money and the search for riches and, today, we find him continuing that conversation.  He does this by telling the Pharisees yet another story, another parable that is rather difficult to hear.  Borrowing from what scholars believe was an Egyptian tale, Jesus tells the story of two worlds:  the world of the haves and that of the have-nots, the world of the rich and that of the poor, the world of the comforted and that of the afflicted.  And, the boundaries between the two are very clearly defined. 

The writer of Luke’s gospel was extremely concerned about the proper use of wealth, something that is not only the focus of all three of our readings today, but also something that is threaded through the entirety of Luke’s telling of the Jesus story.  As we dig into this story, we need to understand that, in this parable, Luke is not trying to settle issues about the afterlife or eternal punishment.   Luke is addressing the way we live our lives, here and now in this present moment.  As Jesus tells this story, he uses a good deal of hyperbole to address those who love their money more than people, their possessions more than the poor, their clothes more than compassion, and their extravagant feasts more than sharing food with the hungry.  And, it is very clear that Jesus has no pity for those who should know better.  The rich man in this story has no way of pretending that he did not know the plight of Lazarus in this life, since the poor man was brought directly to his door, presumably by friends, or fellow beggars.  And, the tale of the afterlife tableau is one of merciless pain suffered by the rich man, pain which cannot be alleviated.  Even when the rich man asks for his family to be warned and spared, he is told that all they need to know is already available, and even if Jesus would be raised from the dead, they would not mend their ways. 

The themes presented in Jesus’ parable stand as powerful indictments of our present context.  The ever-widening chasm between the rich and the poor is one of the most important issues of our day, and this gap becomes ever greater as climate change impacts this world.  The great divide between Lazarus and the rich man didn't spring up upon their deaths or after the last judgment; it was created by the rich man while both of them were living. There is no escaping this indictment in Jesus’ story.  This is a parable urging “the haves” to do justice now, for there will be no opportunity later. 

The message that is implicit in this story is that those who help create the economic divide by greed and selfishness will not be able to right it for themselves in any other life than this one.  And, as we look at the present and necessary focus on issues like climate change and the call to care for the creation we have been given, the rich control resources like land and money, and the rich control systems of taxation that perpetuate the “great divide,” this chasm.  As we look at climate change and its increasing effects upon people, the poor of this world are the ones who already face the greatest risk.  They are and will continue to be the ones who suffer the most.  Warnings and messages are coming in every form, climate change is already happening, but too often these warnings remain unheeded. 

The Rev. Sally Bingham, eco-minister, founder and President of Interfaith Power & Light, says that abuse of natural resources and pollution of your neighbor’s air is a sin against creation.  If we love our neighbors, we don’t pollute our neighbor’s air.  She fervently says, “The environmental crisis is a theological problem, a problem that stems from our view of God and how we relate to God and each other.  And, that makes it important for the church to wrestle with this issue.  You see, our view of God can be one that encourages and/or permits destructive, unjust behavior or one that encourages right relationship and harmony with all of the created order.”

Bingham considers scientists some of our modern-day prophets.  Scientists told us over thirty years ago that carbon dioxide was a heat trapping gas and too much of it would trap heat close to the earth, causing our planet and our oceans to get increasingly warm.  We didn’t listen and became overly dependent on fossil fuels for energy.  We are now paying the price for not listening.  And, our children and grandchildren are going to pay a much greater price!  But, it isn’t too late.  Scientists say we have a window of about eleven years if we intentionally work hard to prevent the worst scenario before us.  So, hopefully, we still CAN work to turn the trend around. 

Many of you may remember when the Rev. Dr. Lisa Dahill was here with us in April.  She has been working to address care of creation for years.  She will tell you that, as theologians and scientists discuss environmental issues, they continually remind us that this is a moral issue, one that requires a change in people’s hearts and minds.  Sally Bingham writes:

What institution changes hearts and minds?  Churches and that is why the religious voice is so important in this dialogue as we look for solutions to climate change.  As religious people we must do our part – and we have a big role in this.  If we don’t protect creation, how can we possibly expect others to?  Moral leadership sits right here with us…Our job then is to become informed, do our part and work so that people understand we will not be the healthy children that God intended and we will not live on a healthy planet unless we can get beyond partisanship and do what is right for the entire communion of life.  The creation that God called good, the creation where God put us and instructed us to till and keep this garden, is the creation that sustains us and will sustain us if we do our part…  We have a responsibility to each other, to the future and to God.  [And, if we do our part,] we will be the people that God placed in the garden to till it and to keep it.  We will be obeying the first and great commandment to love God and each other and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Christians cannot look at the current state of the world, including related issues of climate challenge and claim ignorance.  These are hard days, to be sure.  In today’s reading, Jesus lays before us the importance of relational social issues as we live our lives right here and right now.  This harsh story Jesus shares with us today, leaves us with a call to act, based on the visibility of the suffering face that is present to us in this very time and this very moment.  The suffering face of humanity and this very earth become for us, the face of Christ himself.  

Friends, we are called to live into God’s dream of justice for this entire world, for the sake of the world.  God created us to live in relationship with all others, and with the gift of this amazing creation we have been given.  The abundant, eternal life Jesus calls us into comes through the community of creation, and that abundant life starts now, as we live into God’s call and seek abundant life for our neighbors and for the all of creation.

This is a special musical presentation of I will Awaken the Dawn by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

I have to say that, today, Jesus shares with us one whopper of a story.  This is one of the most bizarre, most perplexing and challenging parables in scripture. The root of the problem in trying to understand this story lies in the fact that the “hero” in this tale is so sleazy and crooked.  Theologian, Rudolf Bultmann, even said this particular parable has nothing edifying in it!  I tend to agree with him.  Yet, I find it interesting that, even though I am deeply puzzled by this tale, I am drawn into the world of this sleazy manager whose world has just crumbled.  

 As theologian, Robert Capon suggests, there are basically just two ways of interpreting this parable: you can make the steward out to be a hero or you can make him out to be a villain, and my initial reaction is to choose the latter.  But, let’s dig deeper as we attempt to understand this weird story.  The manager in this peculiar tale is experiencing a crisis-situation as he faces great loss.  This slimy, disgusting fellow has been taking advantage of his position by running up huge personal expenses and he knows his time is short.  His boss is on to his sleazy financial dealings and has become aware of his scheming.  The world in which this slimy fellow has been operating, the world he has known, is essentially coming to an end.  This corrupt manager is shocked into attention as his boss wants a complete audit of his books.  This crooked guy knows he is about to lose his job.  And, as he faces his impending loss, he wants to make sure he has some friends because he knows he will need them in the future.  So, he goes rogue.  He goes one by one to the people who owe a debt to his master.  He asks each of them how much they owe and then considerably slashes their debts.  He fixes the books so that 100 jugs of oil are counted as 50 and 100 containers of wheat are written off as 80.  In essence, he ends up squandering the master’s goods all over again.  This scoundrel of a manager now builds his future by doing what he was accused of doing in the first place.  And, what happens as a result of such action?  The master praises and commends this crooked manager!

I am astounded, mystified and perplexed, and I have to ask, “Jesus, what in God’s name is your point?  This is one of the most outrageous stories you have told us, and I am very uncomfortable with what you are saying!”

Well, Jesus’ stories were not meant to make us feel comfortable.  They were meant to confront, to challenge conventional wisdom and to shock, and this is one of the most shocking.  Today, we are stopped in our tracks and do not know what to make of this bewildering tale.  Jesus seems to turn our thinking on end with this weird story as he gives us a parable of reversal.  It is as though Jesus says to us, “You have been seeing the world one way.  Let me turn your world upside down.  The moral of my story is not what you think.  My ways are not the world’s ways.” 

Jesus’ parables, his teaching and his very presence announced a different world, a reversal of the status quo.  Remember, Jesus told the people that God was not far off, but available to them: the “kingdom is at hand,” he said, right in our midst, not hidden away behind a veil in the temple.  This was radical stuff!  Jesus worked on the Sabbath; he sat down at table with the prostitutes and tax collectors, all the wrong people.  He was continually breaking the rules, and he was an affront to the morality and respectability of the status quo in the religious community.  That is why they had him killed.

So, what does this story mean?  Well, maybe, just maybe, this is a parable for us in this complex moment in time, a time when many look to the future and feel a real sense of uncertainty.  As we think about the future, many are experiencing anxiety.  And, during times of uncertainty, we always fear a certain kind of loss, a loss of the world as we have known it.  Yes, just maybe this crazy story is helpful for us right now. 

Robert Capon, in his book The Parables of Grace, writes this about today’s passage:

The unique contribution of this parable to our understanding of Jesus is its insistence that grace cannot come to the world through respectability.  Respectability regards only life, success, winning; it will have no truck with the grace that works by death and losing – which is the only kind of grace there is.  (The Parables of Grace, p. 150)

That is quite profound and truthfully, quite odd.  Grace works by losing - by death and losing?  Talk about reversal, talk about something that shatters our thinking.  However, that is the message of the gospel.  In the cross of Christ, a place of death and enormous loss, we discover grace.  We discover grace, love and forgiveness beyond measure.  And, we discover a world of grace where the God who loves us suffers with us in the depth of our pain, in the depth of the uncertainties we face, and even in the depth of the loss we experience.

If we look again at what this rogue manager does, we might discover that, as he faces his loss, he does something he does not have the authority to do - he forgives debts!  Yes, he forgives debts!  In that sense, Jesus is like the rogue manager.  Many, including the religious leaders, felt Jesus did not have the authority to forgive sin, but he did it anyway and it cost him his life.  He lived by embracing the lost, and he was nailed to a cross.  Such grace, such forgiveness, is not cheap.  Such grace is costly.  But, such grace is the one thing that changes us, the one thing that heals us and the one thing that makes us new.

As I think about the life of this congregation, I cannot help but reflect upon the way God has graciously and lovingly been present to us through all that has happened over the past several years.  God has not only been drawing us into God’s love, but also drawing us ever more deeply into discipleship.   As we look to the future, we are called to live into God’s reign where grace, forgiveness and love outperform everything else.  As we look to the future, we are called to live into God’s reign where all are welcomed and loved, oblivious to gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, wealth, social rank and place.  As we look to the future, we are called to live into a grace that shatters the prejudice that blinds us, a grace that gathers together people of every ethnicity and background and makes us one.  As we look to the future, we are called to live into God’s vision of peace for this world and announce the gospel good news of a God who is like that crazy manager and forgives sin.  And, like that crazy, shrewd manager in today’s story, we are called to use our gifts, our resources, and our skills in service to the master, our gracious God.  We are called to invest those gifts in returns that are priceless, not only for us, but for the sake of this very broken world.  As we do this, God can and will use us, use our creativity and even our shrewdness to benefit others and accomplish God’s mission and purpose in this world that God so deeply loves. 

This is a special musical performance of Bless His Holy Name by the Chancel Choir and Faith Bells of Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

I don’t know about you, but I am increasingly appalled by some of the public rhetoric we hear these days.  I find it disconcerting the way name calling has become a mainstream component of public discourse.  In fact, every day brings a new barrage of verbal bullets that dominate the headlines and take this vocal warfare to a new, unprecedented level.  And, quite frankly, I don’t see it getting better over the next year.  Such a war of words does nothing but categorize and diminish others, and at the same time create increased brokenness in our culture and society.  This brokenness spreads like a virulent virus into other facets of life, into our communities, organizations, our schools, our local governments and even our families.  Such name calling and verbal assault only breed violence, hatred, fear and contempt.  

One word that has been used all too frequently is the word “loser.”  In a culture which places high value on winning and succeeding, a culture in which being on top and gaining first place are what we teach our children to strive for, the concepts of losing and lostness are not only looked down upon, they are truly despised. 

Well, today, Jesus has something to tell us about losing and being lost.  Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and he has been teaching about discipleship.  He has much to say about the manner in which we treat the least of those among us and about what it means to be a disciple.  All along the way he has been saying things like, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” Or, “He who is the least among you is the one who is great.”  And, just last week we shockingly heard him say, “Anyone who does not carry his cross like a common criminal and follow me cannot be my disciple.”  None of these words describe winning as perceived within our current cultural context.

Today, we find Jesus associating with those who were considered losers.  The despised tax collectors and sinners were coming near to him, gathering around him and listening to him.  And, the Scribes and Pharisees, the most religious of people, did not take kindly to this.  After all, the Scribes and Pharisees would never do something as questionable as hang out with losers.  No.  They attended church every Friday night, or at the very least once a month.  They tithed and were big supporters of the synagogue.  They did not use four letter words, they didn’t eat pork, and they were always there for Rally Sunday and other important events.  They were a very committed bunch of so called “good” people.  They considered themselves winners.  And here Jesus was, attracted to the so-called outsiders, the losers, the sinners. Furthermore, he seemed to be enjoying the company of the tax collectors, the camel and donkey drivers, the tanners, the prostitutes and all those that elite society labeled as losers.  What’s more – he not only welcomed them, he seemed to value them.  Well, the Scribes and Pharisees began to grumble extensively about Jesus consorting with such losers saying, “This guy welcomes outcasts and even eats with them.” 

So, Jesus, knowing their attitude toward the outsiders and toward those considered losers, told them this story:  There once was a shepherd who had one hundred sheep, but one got lost, and so the shepherd left the 99 to find the one.  The Pharisees smiled pleasantly to themselves because they agreed with the story; God always goes out to find the lost; that is, those people outside their church.  Jesus continued; the shepherd found the lost sheep and returned, carried it home on his shoulders and was so full of joy he called for celebration.  Jesus said there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who truly repents than over 99 good people, who don’t think they are lost, who don’t think that they have any need of repentance.  Hmmmm.  The Pharisees sensed that this parable was directed at them; but they weren’t sure. So, Jesus told them a second parable.  There was an old woman who lost a precious coin, not just any coin, but the most precious coin that she had. She swept and swept her house ever so carefully, looking for that lost precious coin.  She found the coin and was so happy, she called all her friends and threw a big party.  Jesus continued by saying, “And so it is with God.  There is great joy in heaven over one sinner who truly repents.” 

Well, the turn of the phrase at the end of these stories with words about repentance were challenging.  The Pharisees sensed that Jesus was somehow talking about them and they didn’t like what he was implying because it was so clear to the Pharisees that they were part of the found.  They were the insiders and the “good” religious folk.

We live in a world in which we, like the Pharisees, too often use our differences as a means of delineating ourselves from others, and as a means of underlining our supposed superiority.  We are blind to the fact that we are incomplete without the very people of whom we disapprove. We are only 99.  The truth is, we are incomplete without the lost.  And, true repentance happens when our minds are changed to such a degree that we cannot see a community as whole until all are included, and none are “lost.”

Like the Scribes and Pharisees, we say God is a God of love, but we tend to make that love so conditional.  We tend to make it conditional on our keeping the rules, rules which are too often somewhat arbitrary habits that support our local prejudices and personal perspectives. We use these rules to bolster our own status and position.  This sense of conditional love leads us toward, or allows us to live in, a mindset of disapproval. For some reason, fundamentally at our core we seem to think that God disapproves of us and loves us only when we fit in with what we imagine to be God’s expectations; expectations that have an alarming correlation with our own social expectations of what is acceptable.  Consequently, our imagining of God determines the way we treat others.

But, today, all of our readings give witness to a God who loves unconditionally, a God who has a heart for losers, a heart for all who are lost.  In our reading from Exodus, God reconciles with the idol-worshiping people of Israel.  In our reading from 1 Timothy, Paul bears witness to the risen Lord who calls even the violent, blasphemous persecutor that Paul once was to become a disciple and spread the good news of God’s unconditional love.  And, in our gospel reading, we discover a God who will never abandon the lost.  In fact, the entire cause of the rescue and recovery operation is the shepherd’s or the woman’s determination to find the lost, God’s determination to find the lost.  The reality is neither the lost sheep nor the lost coin does a blessed thing except hang around in its lostness.  And, we learn from these stories the startling reality that it is precisely our sin, and not our goodness, that most commend us to the grace of God. 

Wow!  The fact of the matter is we are all losers!  We are all lost and all broken.  But, God’s heart is so full of love for all that God sent us Jesus.  And, in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we see the overwhelming, unconditional love and overflowing grace of God written large for the world to see.  The cross and resurrection testify to God’s faithfulness in loving and rescuing all that are lost.  In the person of Jesus, we meet a God of abundant grace.  And, words like “losers” are gone because all are welcomed at the party God is throwing – the party Jesus hosts where he welcomes sinners and eats with them.  This is the party where we all are called “guest,” “graced,” “gifted,” “loved,” “cherished,” and “empowered.”  Come to the party, celebrate and join the feast.

The Cost of Discipleship is the title of a book by German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  In it, Bonhoeffer spells out what he believes it means to follow Christ, what discipleship really is all about.    Bonhoeffer understood that following Jesus is not always easy.  He wanted to honestly communicate the message that, if you live into a life of discipleship, there will be costs to living such a life.  And, ultimately, toward the end of World War II, Bonhoeffer was killed because of his commitment to following Jesus.

In our gospel reading for today, we find Jesus bluntly teaching about the costs involved if we are to live a life of discipleship and faithfully follow him.  And, I have to say, his words about discipleship are daunting and uncomfortable to hear.  Today, we find Jesus speaking to a large crowd of people.  Among the throng, there were some who were contemplating the possibility of becoming disciples.  Jesus’ response to them communicates the seriousness of discipleship and his words make it clear that faithful discipleship is not for the faint of heart. 

The stakes have been rising throughout this chapter in Luke, and it is becoming clearer just what is at stake when one says he or she wants to follow Jesus.  Jesus bluntly spells out the high cost of discipleship.  For example, can you imagine inviting someone to come and be part of our community of faith and saying to them, “Come and check us out this Sunday and we’ll tell you how hard it is to join our church.  First, you’ve got to hate your family.  Then, you must carry a cross like a condemned criminal.  Along with that, we expect you to give up everything you have worked hard to have.  Do these things and you can call yourself a member of our community of Faith.”  Now, that sounds like a sure and certain way to grow a church!  Right?

Well, I think we need to unpack what Jesus is saying and take a deep dive into exploring the meaning of this passage.  First, Jesus says, “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.”  Now, most of us, when we think of Jesus, usually connect his message to themes of love and not hate.  “Hate” is such a strong word and it seems contradictory to our understanding of the Christian life.  And, in our nation, a culture that often elevates “family values” by placing them higher than almost anything else, the idea of hating family is offensive.  

When unpacking this word, theologian, John Petty, writes:

The word "hate" is laden with emotion in our cultural context.  It suggests repulsion at a visceral level.  In this case, in the context of first century middle-eastern culture, to "hate" [one's family or] one’s own self means that the person disconnects from everything that has heretofore defined that person.  To put it another way, one's past no longer defines who they are.  One's identity is no longer formed by one's former allegiances, nor one's experiences in life, nor even one's genetics.  These are part of the old world which is giving way to the new world of God.  Followers of Jesus are not defined by the past, but by their work in the present and their future hope.

Jesus uses hyperbole to get across the seriousness of what it means to follow him.  Jesus understands the transformation which occurs in the life of a disciple.  Once a follower commits to Jesus, then life, relationships, time, and possessions are viewed through the lens of Jesus.  Even family relationships pale in comparison to our relationship with God.  Our relationship to God is our first priority and ultimate concern.

          Yes, Jesus’ words are surprising and daunting.  And, he is not yet finished.  He continues on saying, “Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”  Well, this demand had to hit some of the people like a ton of bricks and take their breath away.  In all likelihood, some of them had witnessed the public shame and humiliation of a condemned criminal carrying his cross through the city streets to the place of execution, just as Jesus himself would eventually do. 

Quite honestly, we hear so much about the cross and cross bearing that I don’t think we are able to always grasp what Jesus is saying.  In fact, the language of cross bearing has been corrupted by overuse.  Bearing a cross has nothing to do with experiences like living with chronic illness, painful physical conditions, or trying family relationships. It is instead what we do voluntarily, as a consequence of our commitment to Jesus Christ. Cross bearing requires deliberate sacrifice and exposure to risk and ridicule in order to follow Jesus. And, this commitment is not just a way of life, it is a commitment to a person. A disciple follows another person and learns a new way of life. [Luke, New Interpreter’s Bible, p. 293]  

It is interesting to note that the term for “cost” appears only once in the New Testament, and it is in this passage.  When Jesus talks about the cross and the cost of discipleship, he gets down to the meat and potatoes of what following him really is about.  The cost inevitably has to do with what you give up, what you sacrifice, what you deny, and the choices you make.  

Life is always full of choices.  Life is about counting and weighing the cost of the many things, events and opportunities that vie for our attention.  Sporting events, family events, work events, the list is endless.  But, to carry your cross is to carry the choices and burdens and realities of a life that has made a certain commitment to bringing about the Kingdom of God here and now. That’s certainly what it meant for Jesus.  In his weekly blog, theologian, David Lose, writes:

Jesus isn’t inviting meaningless sacrifice. He isn’t inviting door-mat discipleship or a whiney Christianity (“that’s just my cross to bear”). Rather, he’s inviting us to a full-bodied Christian faith that stands over and against all those things that are often presented to us as life by the culture. Jesus invites us, that is, to the kind of abundant life that is discovered only as you give yourself away. The kingdom of God Jesus proclaims is about life and love. And just as love is one thing that only grows when it’s given away, so also is genuine and abundant life….The choices we make, the relationships we decide to pursue, the way we spend this life we’ve been given, may cause not just puzzlement but dissatisfaction, even upset, among those we care about. But the question before us, as put so fiercely by Moses in the first reading, is whether we will choose life or death.

Always the consummate teacher, Jesus then uses two parables to emphasize his point.  First, he describes building a tower and the process used to build it.  Using a form of cost-benefit analysis, he says, “A wise person estimates the cost.  Is it worth it?  Can I complete it?  In the same manner, a wise ruler calculates the cost of the war before going into battle.  Is it worth it?  Can I complete the war?” 

Our vocation and call as disciples is always played out in our daily lives by the choices we make.  The decision-making process often requires an aspect of cost-benefit analysis, and sometimes choosing life – life that truly matters – is very costly.  As my dear friend Bill Uetricht says, “To follow Jesus, you have to count the cost.  It isn’t going to be easy.  It’s going to take you to some uncomfortable places.  It is going to challenge some basic assumptions you have about life.  It is going to unsettle all your little pet projects.”  However, we weigh our choices in light of the gift of love and grace God has given us.  And, for those who hear a call to discipleship, Jesus himself becomes the sorting principle – Jesus, the embodiment of self-offering love, of mercy and compassion, the one who is our “true north.” 

We follow the one who loved this world so much he went to the cross.  Following Jesus is not easy, but His word is still the best news this world has ever heard for bad times or good, and that is what you and I are called to remember together. Discipleship is demanding. Discipleship is a delightful thing, and discipleship is an intentional, determined thing. If you would follow Him, come with all that you are and with all you have.  The promise of life, abundant life, life that truly matters is always in front of us. And, the promise of God’s unconditional love, forgiveness and grace far outweigh whatever the cost discipleship might bring.  May God’s love free us to choose life and daily center our lives in Christ, beginning right here and right now.