4th Sunday after Pentecost
Luke 9: 51-62
"I will follow you, but......"
Do you know of a little word in our language which if placed after a statement, becomes the biggest negative word in our language? The word is 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.
A good example of this is the gospel lesson when a man said, I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at home." Or another said, Lord, let me first go and bury my dead father," The but in this case is implied .
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
someone to be at your door every Sunday to bring you to church so that you get back into the habit you got out of
I guess we could go on and on. We are good at making up excuses aren’t we? Jesus doesn’t want our excuses, but 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 prices Him first and everything else second. A faithfulness which is reflected in ail 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.’ "
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.
A poet said :" All to Jesus I surrender, all to him I freely give... . . I will ever love and trust him, . . . in his presence daily live..... Jesus I surrender", humbly at his feet I bow....Worldly pleasure all forsaken, take me Jesus, take me now......All to Jesus I surrender....Lord I myself myself to Thee......Fill me with Thy love and power, let thy blessing fall on me."
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. -
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. Jesus calls us to a committed life each day. Each minute of life we are called to be a shining example in this world of darkness. Not only when it is convenient but when it isn’t. Not only when we feel good about our witness, but when it is difficult.
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.
Maybe the following legend might help to understand the committed life we are called to serve.
"Many hundreds of years ago, a young Chinese boy studied to become a Buddhist monk. When he was finished with his studies and was ready to leave the monastery, the Abbots presented him with an unusual gift, a magic mirror. ’If you need anything,’ said the Abbott, ’simply make your request. But before you can receive it, you must look into the other side of the mirror.’
The young monk thanked the Abbott and began his long journey home. Soon he became hungry and, looking into the mirror, asked for food. When he turned the mirror over, he saw people with empty rice bowls. ’If I don’t get food I’ll be hungry, also’ said the monk. For a number of weeks, he journeyed getting his livelihood by the means of the mirror, ignoring the pictures of those in want on the other side of the mirror.
When he reached his home city, he was appalled to find the people hungry, dressed in rags and living in ruins. He took out his mirror and asked. for food, clothing and shelter for the people. Each time he turned over the mirror he saw himself without what he had requested. "It does not matter,’ said the monk. ’These are my people they must have these things and with amazing speed, prosperity returned to the city.
A neighboring warlord threatened to attack the city and steal its goods. The monk hearing this, took his mirror and said, ’’I want peace for my people. " But when he turned the mirror over, he recoiled in horror for he saw himself bleeding and dying.
’It does not matter," he said. These are my people; they must have peace." According to the legend they had peace for years. "
In the same kind of way, we have the freedom of the gospel to serve and love our neighbor. You and I are to live sacrificially for our neighbor. You and I are to live not for self, but for others. We are to live not with excuses, but with a commitment. You and I are to live for Christ and in Christ.
We can say, "I will follow,you,Lord...............
Amen
by Rev. Tim Zingale
