Moliere: "It
is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are
accountable."
Counting the Cost
September
8/2013 16th
after Pentecost Luke 14:25-33 and
Jeremiah 18:1-18
It is September and school is back and the fall
routines have begun. In our house we are
adjusting to the new rhythm slowly – I think we could get on board a little
quicker if Erica would just not wake up so many times in the night – but I
digress – we are managing to get up and off to our various classrooms and offices
and daycares without too much hassle – the girls have not been late for school
yet – and Erica has made it to day care before nine all four mornings – not bad
so far. We are also looking into the
fall as we organize the activities that the girls are going to participate
in. We have to look at schedules and the
fees and the time of activities take and whether they require a parent
available throughout the event and place of activities because an hour drive on
either side of an event makes it more difficult to do –what we are doing is
counting the cost –
·
the actual money cost,
·
the time cost,
·
the family routine cost
·
my
emotional cost (that’s the nagging I do every day to get someone to practice)
·
the emotional cost to the child – how many
afterschool activities are good for each child
There are lots of things to consider even when just
deciding a simple thing like whether Elizabeth will be taking skating or
gymnastics this year. But you know –
just like Jesus reminds us: it is always
a good idea to count the cost of something before you undertake it.
Counting the cost is what is going on in the world at
this moment –as the US and UN count the cost of whether to intervene in Syria –
with Europe now recommending that the US wait and Russia saying not at all –
the cost of such an intervention must be on everyone’s mind – how will it
happen, where will it happen, how much force to use, how many troops,
airplanes, helicopters, guns, bombs – more and more decisions to make – more
and more costs to consider. And then
there is Syria counting the cost as well – how much resistance to its own
people can it use before the rest of the world says – no – what price is the
government willing to pay to bring the people of Syria back in line and laying
down their weapons – what price are the other governments willing to pay in
order to indicate to Syria that chemical weapons are never an option.
I wonder if this
is what Jesus is talking about when he says:
“Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit
down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one
who comes against him with twenty thousand?” Counting the cost of an action has
far reaching implications; it is always a good idea to count the cost of
something before you undertake it, especially when a country and its civilian’s
lives are at stake.
Jesus is on the move according Luke – he is on his way
to Jerusalem, but along the way he gathers a crowd of folks who are smitten
with him – and have left their everyday lives - for just a little while to
follow this itinerant preacher and listen to what he has to say. For what he is saying is compelling if not a
little confusing – and who know today may be the day he offers up a miracle or
two just to keep things very interesting – so as he goes along, the crowd goes
with him –and as he walks he talks and says things –some good, some perplexing
and some downright intimidating –like –you must hate your family – your mother
and father, wife / husband and children if you want to follow Jesus – really –
hate my family – that is a pretty high price to pay in order to follow Jesus –
in order to be Jesus disciples you must hate – your brothers and sisters too –
and even life itself – life itself – well if truth be told – how realistic is
that hating all those I love and my life as well – in order to be a disciple –
I think if I heard those words from Jesus mouth I would have turned on my heels
right then and there – done an about face and returned home to what I knew and
to whom I loved. And left him and his
strange disciples who hate their families - they are welcome to go merrily
along without me, thank you very much.
But wait just a minute - – this is Jesus we are talking about here – and
this is a Jesus moment we are witnessing – and experience teaches us that
probably there is something more going on – something deeper than the surface
conversation about who to hate – because we know – that with Jesus there is
more to the story, something else is brewing.
I wonder whether the point that Jesus was trying to
make was about clearing the room for those who were serious.– I wonder if the strong
language Jesus used , and enormous emotionally laden imagery like hating family
members was used in order to weed out the potential half hearted folks that
were walking along with him – I wonder if there were folks that did make that
abrupt turn, who decided pretty quick that they did not want to be part of
something that alienated them from their loved ones – that implied that they
needed to hate their own lives – I wonder whether this was his way of letting
the people know that there is a very high cost to discipleship – and also to
remind them that it is always a good idea to count the cost of something before
you undertake it.
David Lose:
“That is why this passage -- this difficult and demanding passage -- has
so much to offer. Because in this part of the story, Jesus asks his disciples
both then and now to sacrifice. Actually, he doesn’t ask. He tells us that he
expects, even demands, undivided loyalty (and it's where the hyperbolic
language of hating comes in). This is why we are asked to count the cost --
because the Christian life is expensive, it demands our commitment in terms of
our time, attention, and money....Because that’s what Jesus is talking about
here, the cost of discipleship.”
But what if we think that we can’t pay the price – what
if when you hear the phrase like you must give up what we know and love in
order to become a disciple and follow Jesus – what if we think
·
I’m too old to change
·
I’m too set in my ways
·
It’s too late for me
·
I am not worthy to be a disciple
·
God really does not want me
·
There is too much wrong in my life
·
There is too much wrong with me – God would
never want me to be a disciple
What those really are excuses we use to justify why we
have not journeyed with Jesus – I say balderdash – yes balderdash!!! – we use excuses like these as reasons not taking
the first step – because if Jeremiah teaches us one thing this morning from the
beautiful piece of prophecy that was read a few minutes ago – he teaches us
that it does not matter how old we are, how late it is, how set we are in our
ways – or how worthy we believe ourselves to be– we are like clay to God – clay
that shifts and changes and transforms into the vessels we were meant to
be.
Let’s go down to the potter’s house – where Jeremiah
discovered yet another wonderful thing about God and who God is and how God
loves us – God loves us enough to reshape us –and and not just once – the
wonderful thing about using clay as a metaphor is that it can be re-shaped and
re-shaped – and if it dries out – just add a little more water. That’s part of why I like the metaphor so
much – is that with God – it is not an only one time thing – thank goodness – because
look at the people of Israel to whom this image was first presented. They are in a time of upheaval and unrest –
the first half of Jeremiah is the time before the exile – when they are being
attacked and inundated with outside pressure from other nations – eventually
the state of Judah is conquered by the Babylonians – and the people are
dispersed from their nation, the temple is pillaged and desecrated – and the
time of the exile began – God spoke to the people through Jeremiah all through
this time of upheaval – and more than that – God spoke to the people while in
exile and as they returned decades later as well. And God as potter and the people as clay must
have been a hopeful image –even in the midst of unrest – God says turn towards
me – and I will re-shape you – in all times and places says God – return to me,
for you are mine and I am yours. And if
God can keep the covenant made with the people of Israel and Judah, even after
conquest, even during exile, until now and beyond – God keeps the covenant –
and can reshape and remold and transform us in spite of how misshapen our pots
have become. You are my people and I am
your God – you are my disciples says Jesus – and there is a price to pay.
So how pricey is it to follow Jesus? – what is the cost
of discipleship? David Lose writes: This is about the caliber and character of
our Christian lives. And, like anything else worth doing, discipleship takes
time, energy, work, and practice -- in a word, it takes sacrifice.” It is about the choices we make in our day to
day lives – it is about how we live, how we treat the world around us, how we
treat the people around us. Think about
it like a filter – a film that is kept in front of your eyes – so that when you
view the world, you do so as a Christian - so instead of seeing a poor person
taking advantage of the government’s welfare system, you see instead a person
who is struggling to get by and needs compassion and understanding. And when you witness a rude person in your
midst you don’t snark back, instead you smile and speak politely and treat them
as you wish to be treated. And when you drive you do so as a person who cares and
is polite and respectful of others on the road. Any you take responsibility for
your actions, and you seek forgiveness when you have harmed another. And you spend your resources with that
Christian filter, and you share your time using your Christian filter to guide
you. You open yourself up to God through
Jesus and you walk out on the journey of discipleship with an open mind and an
open heart and you see where it leads you.
Because you know the journey will be amazing, and if perchance you begin
to get a bit warped – some of you bends and cracks – you know that God’s hands will
reshape you, and God’s love will support you and God’s grace will enable you. There is a cost to discipleship – but it is worth
it, for a life of discipleship is a life full of rich and rewarding experiences
and deep and abiding relationships and beautiful and gratifying moments. A life of discipleship is a life well lived. We are all invited on the journey – let’s go!
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