the Cost of Discipleship

9/1/2022 0 Comments

the Cost of Discipleship

Beloved of God,

Fella-ship is happening this Saturday at the church at 8 AM. It’s a chance for our men to get together to spend time with each other, pray, and offer mutual encouragement. One way or another, donuts and coffee tend to show up. It’s a good group, and we’d love to see you.
The church office will be closed on Monday in observance of Labor Day. Enjoy the holiday and be safe!

Our Scripture reading for Sunday is pretty challenging. Every once in a while you’ll run across one of those verses that nobody has printed on a tote bag, or hanging up over the dining room table.
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)
It gets even harder from there…
In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. (Luke 14:33)
Does Jesus want us to walk out on our families? Does Jesus really want us to give away all of our possessions to follow him? Pastor types are always very quick to say “no, of course not. Jesus loves your family! Jesus likes your stuff!”. But really and truly the answer is more complicated. Look back at the very first verse of our reading to see why:
Luke 14:25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.
The answer to these questions, whether I leave my family behind or get rid of all my stuff, is not a simple no. Instead, I think it might be this: Yes if that’s what it will cost to follow Jesus. The rest of this passage is about people, like this large crowd, who started great things without any concern over the cost. If you can’t finish, it’s better not to start. Will your family abandon you, threaten you, disown you over your discipleship? Do your things help you follow Jesus, or anchor you in the world? We do well to consider our families, our status, our possessions from time to time and honestly ask ourselves if the choice were between these things and following Jesus, what choice would we make?

Please join me this week in praying for :

An end to this pandemic.
Those having to love family through a hard moment.
Wisdom, for ourselves and this congregation.
Students, teachers, parents, and staff in our local schools.
Those who are lonely.
Those who are traveling.
In thanksgiving for those who serve regularly, faithfully, and quietly in this body.
The person(s) God will call to minister with us not long from now.
Those in positions of public trust at the federal, state, and local level.
Those who attend to emergencies on our highways, in our wildlands, in our communities, and even in our homes.
One another (please email [email protected] if you’d like to be added to our prayer list).