5th Sunday after Pentecost
For July 1
Proper 8C
Lectionary 13
Luke 9:51-62
" but......"
"When the days drew near for him to be received up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him; but the people would not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?" But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village. As they were going along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."" Luke 9:51-62, RSV.
Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen
The following story named One Task speaks to our gospel lesson this morning.
A guard in charge of a lighthouse along a dangerous coast was given enough oil for one month and told to keep the light burning every night. One day a woman asked for oil so that her children could stay warm. Then a farmer came. His son needed oil for a lamp so he could read. Another needed some for an engine. The guard saw each as a worthy request and gave some oil to satisfy all. By the end of the month, the tank in the lighthouse was dry.
That night the beacon was dark and three ships crashed on the rocks. More than one hundred lives were lost. The lighthouse attendant explained what he had done and why. But the prosecutor replied, "You were given only one task: to keep the light burning. Every other thing was secondary. You have no excuse."
Temptation is a choice between good and evil. But perhaps more insidious than temptation is conflict where one must choose between two good options.
The lighthouse keeper in our story found himself in such a conflict situation. So also are the would-be disciples in today’s gospel story.1
For in our gospel lesson, Jesus called to people to follow him, but they wanted to do something else first. The text says To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father.
Another part of the gospel lessons says
Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home."
These people had two legitimate things they needed to do, bury a father, say good bye to parents, but Jesus says following him is more important than that.
That little but changes everything, But can I do this first, but can I do this second
The word but, as in, I will follow you, Lord, but it negates all that come before. Or, I love you, but.......you must not gain weight. Get the idea. The but is a good way for us to go back on our commitment our promises, our faithfulness.
We are good at coming up with the buts of life. We are good at giving excuses. Excuses for this and excuses for that, And the best excuses are found here in the church, I will worship you Lord, but..... and a whole host of things may follow.
Pastor Dale Barrick got so tired of hearing all the excuses of his people why they don’t attend church, that he come up with this novel idea, A NO Excuse Sunday.
It said:
There would be; cots in the church for those who like to sleep in,
blankets for those who fine the sanctuary too cold
fans for those who find the sanctuary too warm
sand for those who prefer the beach
televisions sets for per persons who prefer services on the screen
Poinsettias and lilies for those accustomed to entering the church only on Christmas and Easter
I thought about his list and came up with even more:
stop watches for those who want to go in exactly an hour and a whistle to stop the service
putting greens for those who enjoy golf
masks to hid the faces of those who have been gone for so long they are embarrassed or feel funny coming back
money for those who don’t want a financial commitment but feel funny not putting anything in the offering plate
meals to carry out
exercise bikes
I guess we could go on and on. We are good at making up excuses aren’t we? Jesus doesn’t want our excuses, he wants our faithfulness, our commitment to follow him.
As you might have guessed our sermon topic today deals with our commitment or faithfulness in following the Lord, not only in regular worship, but in all areas of life.
Jesus calls us us to a committed way of life which places Him first and everything else second. A faithfulness which is reflected in all that we say, in all that we do, in all that we are. Jesus wants us to set our priorities on the most important areas of life. Those are loving the Lord your God with all of your mind, with all of your soul, with all of your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. When this comes first, then everything will fall into place. This commitment takes dedication, it takes faithfulness, it takes a mind set to follow through. It is not easy, however, in the long run it will be rewarding as you and I spend eternity with the Lord. And in the short run living in this commitment will give meaning and purpose, comfort and strength, guidance and courage as you and I walk the faith journey.
The following will give you an example of what I mean: ’"The Spanish explorer Pizzaro was getting ready to take his soldiers into Peru. But the men hesitated, they were on the verge of revolt, They didn’t know what was ahead for them and weren’t sure they wanted to find out. They wanted to stay in Panama where life was easier. He called his men together, drew a line from east to west in the sand with his sword and said, ’Friends and comrades on my side are toil and hunger, nakedness and drenching storms, desertion and death, on your side, ease and pleasure. This way lies Peru with its riches, there lies Panama and poverty. Choose each man what best becomes a brave solider. For me I will go south ’ "
This is like Joshua in the Old Testament when he said in Joshua 24:15* And if it seem evil unto you to serve Jehovah, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.
but as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.
Can you says that?
Jesus is calling us to such a commitment, no promises of an easy life, no promises of an uneventful walk with him. All he promises is his companionship and the promise of eternity in the golden rooms prepared by Him. As you and I surrender our lives, our property, our selves to him, we will find the way easier, with few burdens weighing us down.
As we live this committed life, we become a light, a beacon for all those around us to see Christ. A Christian lives in the world , but not of the world. Christians are suppose to be different in this world. Paul says in Galatians, "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." As we commit our lives to Christ, this Spirit allows us to bear the fruit of the Spirit which is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control;". A Christian is different as he or she allows the Holy Spirit to lead their lives.
A pastor tells the following: "Joel, goes out and plays with the neighbor kids, some of whom have already at the age 6, learned every profane word there is. Joel has learned that as a Christian there are better ways of dealing with negative feeling than using profanity. One day a friend was starting to use those words when I overheard Joel say: ’Jason, God doesn’t like that kind of talk. That’s not what your tongue is for! Why do you talk like that?’’ In the next moment, Joel learned a very difficult lesson. The boys started making fun of him and then they pushed over his bike. He came running into the house crying and saying, ’They said I’m dumb and that you don’t know what you’re talking about.’"
Joel learned at a young age that this committed life is not easy. He learned if one lives each day committed to the Lord, and is willing to stand up against the world, it will be tough, it will not be easy. Christ did not say our lives would be easy as he has sent us out into the world to be lights, to bear witness to his glory.
but as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.
Many I am afraid are not like Joel. They are not willing to stand up for their Christian convictions in this world. They are like the tubas in the following." A marching band of a small college wanted to play for homecoming and impress the crowd. But they didn’t have a big enough band. So they recruited some students who would march along even though they couldn’t play. They could carry the tubas. And they looked very impressive great big shining horns. As they came marching down the street a little boy who was watching intently said, ’Momma there’s nothing coming out of those big thing.’"
Many Christians, I am afraid, are like that all show but nothing coming out, They enjoy saying they belong to such and such church, but when the rubber hits the road they are the first ones to say and do nothing. They enjoy the great feeling of Sunday as they worship in church, but come Monday you wouldn’t know where they had been on Sunday.
And lastly, a committed life for Christ means you and are free as Paul says free to live in Christ not bound by the law, but free by the gospel to serve. We have a responsibility to serve our neighbor with the freedom we have received from Christ. But the freedom of grace is difficult to live with because it places the burden on our shoulders. I am free to live as long as my freedom doesn’t infringe on the rights of others. I am free to serve as long as I remember that I am serving out of love and love means I have a compassionate heart for others.
A closing story says it well:
A number of years ago in Northern Virginia, an old man stood by a river bank waiting to get across. Since it was bitterly cold and there was no bridge, he would have to "catch a ride" to the other side. After a lengthy wait, he saw a group of horsemen approaching. He let the first pass, then the second, third, fourth, and fifth. Finally, there was only one rider left. As he drew abreast, the old man looked him in the eye and said, "Sir, would you give me a ride across the river?"
The rider without a moments hesitation said, "Why certainly, get abroad."
Once across the river, the old man slid to the ground. Before leaving the rider asked, "Sir, I could not help but notice that you permitted all the riders to pass without asking for a ride. Then, when I drew abreast you immediately asked me for a ride. I’m curious as to why you didn’t ask them and why you did ask me?"
The old man quietly responded, "I looked into their eyes and could see no love and knew in my own heart it would be useless to ask for a ride. But, when I looked into your eyes, I saw compassion, love, and the willingness to help. I knew you would be glad to give me a ride across the river."
With this the rider very humbly said, "You know, I’m very grateful for what you said. I appreciate it very much." With that, Thomas Jefferson turned and rode off to the White House.
We can say, but as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.
Amen
Written by Rev. Tim Zingale June 25, 2007
somehow give credit if possible, thanks! Not for commercial use.
1 Fr. Ernest Munachi Ezeogu from eSermons.com
