Readings
for Proper 18C:
Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Luke 14:25-33
September 5, 2004
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
On Sunday, August 8th, two presidents (George H. and George W. Bush) attended services at St. Ann's Episcopal Church in Kennebunkport, Maine. The reading for that day was from the Gospel of Luke: "Sell your possessions and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail...For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." [Lk.12:33] The visiting cleric who preached that day was quite direct and did not soften his sermon. The former president, (who as you know is very wealthy), was reported to have been "stoned faced" throughout the sermon.
There are passages in the scriptures that make all of us uncomfortable. For instance, the rich become uncomfortable hearing scriptures related to possessions. The free-spirited folks struggle with scriptures that call them to a higher level of discipline. And many selfish people turn their backs on scriptures calling for compassion. In today's reading from the gospel of Luke, there is plenty to make everyone feel uncomfortable. Jesus makes three pronouncements: Hate your family, carry the cross, and give up all your possessions. What do we do with these hard sayings of Jesus? Well, we could ignore them and I could preach on the epistle, instead. We could pretend that Jesus didn't really mean what he said and spiritualize the sayings. Or we could delve right into the gospel and try to find the life-giving message that Jesus offers. I vote to address the hard sayings of Jesus "head-on."
Let me read part of today's passage from a contemporary translation of the Bible. Jesus said to the crowds: "Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters, yes-even one's self, can't be my disciple...Simply put, if you are not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can't be my disciple." What Jesus is taking about here is radical monotheism. Radical monotheism is placing one's supreme trust, loyalty, and commitment, in the Creator of the world. It means that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength. And if there are family ties, other relationships, situations in life, or personal possessions, that distract us from total commitment to the kingdom of God, then we must let go of them. God has a claim on our lives. So if we want to be effective disciples, we need to take that claim seriously; even at great sacrifice to our personal preferences, appetites, and dreams.
Jesus said: "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." Whenever we read a passage of Scripture like this, we must not read it in isolation. For instance, Jesus' ethic of love makes it unthinkable that one should hate his own family. There are many passages in the Bible where Jesus holds family relationships in high regard. He sanctified the institution of marriage, supported the commandment to honor father and mother, and insisted that ones financial vow to God should not take precedence over support of one's parents. As he was dying on the cross, he made sure that one of his disciples would take care of his mother. He exhorted us to love our enemies. So this word hate (i.e. ) has nothing to do with anger or hostility. It has to do with being detached from anything or anyone who constricts or diminishes us from being committed to a God-filled life.
Do you ever wonder why, after 2000 years of Christianity, the world is in such bad shape? Why is there so much pain, suffering, and injustice in a world that is predominantly inhabited by so-called Christians? Does the path of Christianity work and if it does, why isn't the world a much different place? I think today's reading can give us some good insights. Luke-warm Christianity doesn't seem to have the transformative power to overcome sin and wounded egos, and so it is not very effective. Sure it makes us feel better to dabble in the path that Jesus pointed to, but dabbling does not have the life transforming power that total commitment has. And so Jesus invites us to go all the way so that we can join him in transforming the world from a posture of fear to a posture of love.
During the month of August, I was able to watch a few hours of the Olympics. I was particularly interested in the diving and gymnastics. During the broadcast, a reporter spoke about the training that is required to become a proficient gymnast. Those who are serious about this sport must train 8 hours per day, 6 days per week, year after year after year. Imagine practicing 2500 hours/year in order to achieve competency in a sport? This requires an enormous commitment of time and energy and pain. Think of how different this world would be, if we were to thirst after and to commit our lives to Christ, in the same way a dedicated gymnast commits her life to a sport? Jesus warns the crowd in advance that the way of discipleship will not be easy. The cost of discipleship (like the cost of anything that is precious and dear) is high, but the results are incredible. In today's reading, Jesus encourages us to give it our 100% and to aim for the gold- not for our glory but for the glory of God!
One of the most difficult things about being a good Christian, (or Jew or Muslim), is being able to commit ourselves to only one center of power and value; and then to allow this one center of power and value to exert an ordering force in our lives. The God that was revealed to us in Jesus is that one center of power and value that can exert a life-transforming power over all of creation. This is where we place our hope. However, instead of putting all of our eggs in this one basket, we allow ourselves to be pulled in so many directions. As a result, there is no one unifying force in our lives. So instead of being a monotheist, which means to worship one God, we worship many gods. These lesser gods include family, education, work, things, and money. It is not that these other aspects of our lives are unimportant. They are important. But God needs to be the primary force that orders our lives. And unless we submit ourselves to this force that always leads us to abundant life, the kingdom of God will remain beyond our reach.
The message of Jesus is love. The goal of this message is to heal and transform the human race. We are invited to follow a path that leads to an inclusive, global, community that is based on justice, peace, and the dignity of every human being. This path requires us to sweep out the clutter of our self-indulgent appetites so that we can make ample room for the Holy Spirit to exert its power in our lives. This is a difficult gospel-reading to fully absorb. If is too hard for you to integrate at this time, then remain open. Allow the Spirit of God to work on you over time. One can not become a disciple by ego-strength alone. But the power of the Holy Spirit working in us can do more than we can ever hope or imagine. "Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy." [Collect, BCP 233]
| Updated 9/5/04 |
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