It's a little late for those calculations. Some of us got volunteered by our parents and the churches of our youth. Some of us figured we'd sort it out someday, other than today. Some of us are living into our faith for one reason or another, just not that whole commitment thing. We want the eternal life that Jesus offers. We think that we're supposed to be holy. We just don't want to pay for it in costly ways. Some of us have checked out because it's too hard or too illogical. Some days I actually wonder if I'll ever get where Jesus is or who he wants me to be. The crosses can be really heavy and the path is often rugged. That's what my ego and lack of self esteem tell want me to believe. That's not what Jesus asks of me (or you) though. He asks us to believe and follow him.
Letting go of something that's ultimately an illusion is difficult but life-giving. It's extremely challenging to release things that we dearly possess whether such things or relationships are spiritual or physical in nature. Hanging on to such things nonetheless often means losing sight of the life-giving nourishment that faith and discipleship in Jesus as Risen Savior offers to us. The choices are ours to wrestle with every day that we're alive. We shouldn't do this work alone. That's why I've included the video at the bottom of the epistle.
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Read Alyce McKenzie's worthwhile reflection on Sunday's Gospel |
Let me offer a somewhat simplistic example. I received a kind invitation from friends to attend a party at their place on Sunday evening. They live in a highrise apartment close to
Sawyer Point; so they have a wonderful location from which to watch the Labor Day Fireworks. It would have been fun! Somehow I created a list of reasons not to go after I said that I would. I was worn out and comfortable on the couch. I really didn't want to deal with the crowds, parking the car, and so on. I created a whole bunch of possessions to back out of the invitation. Not surprisingly I felt guilty and kinda stupid about making the decision that I did. The fireworks and the party were fun! My loss. The people who invited me are my friends. It was in fact well worth the time and energy to have made the effort. I didn't...why? I think it was because I emotionally became attached to some negative energy sapping ideas rather than to some life-giving positive opportunities.
I think that signing up and responding to invitations for Christian discipleship are kinda similar. They seem hard or too bothersome. It's easier to remain at home or remain attached to what we want to do.
Alyce McKenzie has some brilliant ideas about Jesus invitation to be his disciples. She
writes: "What a pity it would be for us to respond to God's evite in this way: "Great idea to have party. I won't be there." The only way to find joy, peace, and a repaired relationship with God and others is by living for others out of our love for God. That is a bedrock conviction of the entire gospel of Luke. Discipleship comes at a cost. But staying home and not answering the invitation comes at an even higher cost."Picking up the cross seems like a very heavy burden, especially if we consider it to be a drag or a burden. Like I
said last Sunday, "Hypocrisy happens all of the time. We say that we're one thing and we are another." Jesus' summon to discipleship is both a challenge to our human weaknesses as well as an invitation to living differently through repentance (changes of heart), re-connection with God through prayer and faith, and re-creation of life through living our lives with renewed, Christ-focused actions and beliefs. It's quite frankly a miraculous opportunity to be reborn. The choice is up to us. Come and let us gather at Christ's table for solace as well as for renewed life this Sunday.
Blessings Along The Way, Jim+
