No Turning Back
a sermon based on Luke 9:57-62
by Rev. Randy L Quinn

I don’t know about you, but I find these words of Jesus a little hard to hear.

·        What’s wrong with going to a funeral before you take off and follow Jesus (Lk 9:59)?

·        What harm is there in saying farewell to your family before leaving on an adventure that may keep you from ever seeing them again (Lk 9:61)?

·        Doesn’t the Bible say to “honor your mother and father” (Ex 20:12)?

Should Scarlet O’Hara be condemned for standing and taking one last look at the remnants of the dream called “Tara”?

Is it a sin to encourage sailors to carry a picture of loved ones with them when they go to sea?

I understand that there will be hardships out there.  I know there are no guarantees of a warm bed, a soft pillow, and a cup of coffee in the morning (Lk 9:58).  But that seems to be all the more reason for saying good-bye.  There are no guarantees for tomorrow.

So why does Jesus insist that we can’t look back?

When I was in seminary, I had the opportunity to get to know my grandmothers since they lived fairly close.  In fact, I spent almost every weekend with one or the other for the entire three years I was a student.

That was a real treat for me since as a child we had never lived close to them.  They were just two of the people we visited on vacation.

What I learned about them was they were as different as night and day.  One was rough and crusty; the other was pure and saintly.  One was more comfortable complaining and griping; the other was much more prone to smile and laugh.

I was visiting my “saintly” grandmother over Easter weekend one year when she took me out for dinner.  Her favorite Friday night activity was to go to the local restaurant for their fish fry.  But when we arrived, we learned they were closed for Good Friday.

Gramma was dismayed because she hadn’t thought of that possibility.

The only other restaurant in town that had a fish fry was in the back of the tavern.  She had only been there one other time, and it was a nice enough place to eat – except you had to go through the bar to get there.

I assured her that I wouldn’t mind if she wanted to go there, and I was almost certain that it would be open since not many taverns would close for a religious holiday.

But I was not fully prepared for what happened when we parked the car.  Gramma very carefully told me we would go in the front door and then go straight to the back of the room to another door.  On the other side of that door was the restaurant.

She led the way.  We opened the door, and she put her head down and walked as fast as she could through the smoke-filled room to the door on the far side of the tavern.  She made a beeline for that door, neither looking “to the left nor to the right” (Josh 1:7).

It was almost as if she were afraid she’d turn into a “pillar of salt” (Gen 19:26)!

Not me.  I kept my eyes open as I walked through.  “What is in here that she so afraid of?” I thought.  And as I was looking around, I saw my aunt Shirley!  (I probably don’t need to tell you which family she was from!)

I stopped and talked to her for a while before seeking Gramma out.  I hadn’t seen my aunt Shirley in a long while and I was delighted by the unexpected gift of finding her, a gift that resulted from our regular restaurant being closed.

(I realize now I should have gone to tell Gramma what was going on, since she was so worried about her Grandson-the-seminary-student who had disappeared into the tavern!  But I think she was even more afraid to come and find me.)

The point of that story is that it seems to me that sometimes it’s easy to become so totally focused on the goal that we miss some important things along the way.

·        We become so concerned with getting to the store that we forget to bring our shopping list.

·        We become so focused on the goal of arriving on time that we forget we came someplace to have fun.

·        We become so obsessed with keeping the bath water clean that we either keep dirty children out of the tub or we throw the baby out with the bath water!

·        It may not be true here, but in some churches I’ve served, people were so concerned with keeping their building clean that they didn’t want to invite people in!

It all makes me wonder if it’s possible to become so “heavenly minded that we’re no earthly good.”

Now, I also know there are other times when it’s just as clear we need to maintain our focus.

·        When we drive to Kansas to visit Ronda’s parents, for instance, we’ve learned that we can’t stop at every advertised scenic sight along the way or we’d never get there.

·        When people get married, I remind them that it’s important to keep their focus on their new marriage rather than any old relationships.

·        When you take a new job, you can’t continue working at your old job and be effective in the new one.

You get the picture.  Sometimes it’s important to not look around.

When you’re plowing a field you can’t run straight furrows if you keep your eyes behind you.  (If you’re not a farmer, try piloting a boat or a plane and you’ll soon learn you can’t go straight ahead by looking where you’ve been.)  You need to pick something out in front of you and aim for it.

All too many young people leave home with only one goal – that of leaving home.  Sometimes they leave with good reason, sometimes not.  Sometimes sneaking away while their parents aren’t looking, sometimes leaving to attend college, to move into their own home, or to get married.

But when the only goal is to leave, their eyes are focused behind them, and they end up in trouble.  Too many are swallowed up by predators.  They get lost in the drug culture or sex trade industry or both.

They are lost because they aren’t clear about their aim and focus.

Clearly there are times when it’s important to be single-minded.  But how do we know the difference?  When is it OK to look around and when is it wrong?

I think the answer lies in our attitude as we look.

When Jesus sets his face toward Jerusalem, he has no second thoughts (Lk 9:51).  He isn’t deterred by people who think he’s going to the wrong place and he isn’t slowed down by his own doubts about the reasons for going.

But that doesn’t mean he stops looking around.  He will teach along the way.  He will heal people along the way.  He will even eat along the way.

He looks around.  And what he sees is confirmation that he is heading in the right direction.  There are people in need.  There is sin all around.  And he must go to pay the price for healing and salvation and freedom.

You and I are called to follow Jesus.  And if we choose to follow, we must monitor our thoughts as we look around us.

If you woke up this morning and found your neighbor going to the beach, you may have thought, “O, I wish I were going to the beach today.  Instead I have to go to church and hear some boring sermon from a pastor I’ve never heard before.”

(I know some people come to church to rest.  At least it looks that way from here!)  J

You may also have thought, “O, my poor neighbor is going to the beach today.  It’s really too bad he isn’t honoring the God who created that beach by joining us in worship today.”

Depending upon your attitude, you may need to keep your focus on God rather than your neighbor.

That’s true for me as well as it is for you, by the way.  It is tempting for me to stand here today and wonder, “Why didn’t I stay in Deer Park?”  Or I could be thinking, “Why didn’t the Bishop send me to Seattle instead of Sunnyside?”

You know as well as I do that unless my mind is on the work and mission of this church, I will not be an effective pastor here.  If that is what I see as I look, it will be important for me to keep my eyes narrowly focused.

At the same time, I could be thinking, “I tried something that worked well in Deer Park.  I wonder if it would work here?”  Or “I wonder if the church in Seattle has any programs that may be beneficial in Sunnyside?”

That kind of looking around is probably profitable, for me as well as for you.

The same can be said for you as you think about your former pastors or other churches where you may have attended in the past.  You can look back and wish to return to those circumstances or you can look back and bring some positive ideas to the table as we plan the future together.

Sometimes we need to keep our focus.  Other times we need to look around.  Our attitude and reason for looking determines when to look around and when to look straight ahead.

You and I are called to follow Jesus.  And when we are following Jesus, it’s important to keep our eyes on him, allowing him to set the direction for us – as individuals as well as a church.  Sometimes that will mean looking around for opportunities to serve.

·        He may lead us into taverns where we can meet and greet people.  (He was known to do that himself.)

·        He may lead us to attend the funerals of loved ones where we can celebrate the resurrection.  (He did that, too.)

·        He may even provide us with a warm bed and a roof over our head so we can be refreshed to serve him the next day.

We cannot plan our lives around our needs and wants and expect to be faithful followers of Christ.  There is no turning back if it means we are turning away.

Let’s be faithful as we follow Christ, looking around for signs and wonders of Jesus in our midst and in our world.

Amen.