Scripture Text (NRSV)
Luke 9:51-62
9:51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his
face to go to Jerusalem.
9:52 And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered
a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him;
9:53 but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward
Jerusalem.
9:54 When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do
you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume
them?"
9:55 But he turned and rebuked them.
9:56 Then they went on to another village.
9:57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I
will follow you wherever you go."
9:58 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."
9:59 To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let
me go and bury my father."
9:60 But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but
as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
9:61 Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say
farewell to those at my home."
9:62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow
and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
Comments:
This begins a 2-part series called 'A New Path."
I'm struck by Jesus' cryptic responses. He's of a set mind (face) and
super-focused almost as if these inquiries are pesky distractions.
He's not speaking to the actual questions, or taking the time to
explain; Jesus just gives these one-sentence responses. It raises more
questions than answers for me.
I've heard the explanations of why Jesus responded the way he did to
each inquiry. And it boils down to "in order to really follow Jesus,
we're expected to be as single-minded as he."
Still, this is the guy, who, a few chapters earlier, took time to dine
with Simon the Pharisee and let his feet be annointed. Now his face is
set towards Jerusalem.
Does that mean now, that there is no longer time or energy for
anointing or worship?
v 59- was the person's (presumably a man) father already dead, or is
he saying, "Let me stay home with my father until he dies?" Either
way, he's indicating a family obligation - still, Jesus tells him to
proclaim the Kingdom of God. He doesn't really dismiss him!
Are these warnings? "if you follow me, you also will have nowhere to
lay your head." (it reminds me of the people who followed Forrest Gump
- where did they sleep?) - the difference was that Gump was just
running, didn't have his face set on anything but running.
v. 62 - is this also a warning? "you won't be fit if you look back"
hmmm... musing, musing....
maybe the three cryptic statements could be described thus?
1) Get real (know what you're getting into) 2) Get focused (let the
spiritually dead take care of those details - you go proclaim the KOG)
3) Get going (and don't look back)
does that jibe?
Sally
In the 80's, pop psychologists talked about self-defeating behaviors,
and now it's "popped up" again (hee hee, get it - pop psychology
popping up ...) in Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life."
Self-defeating behaviors do keep us from God's kingdom, at least from
maturing in faith...
what self-defeating behaviors are pulling our focus? It hits us where
we live, if we proclaim "family values" - don't bury your father,
don't say "goodbye." I think of my own family, and their expectations
- especially because I'm a pastor, I'm expected to tend to them. truth
is, they're adults and able to tend to themselves - and, frankly, I've
got enough to do!!!! How distracted can I be, and still be effective?
Same is true in a congregation - our own brothers and sisters in
Christ can be enough distraction to (in theater terms) pull focus from
the main character, which ought to be Christ.
more musing
Sally
"The dog at my homework"... "I can't go out tonight, I've got to wash
my hair"...
Excuses, what good are they. Excuses get in the way of real forward
movement. Hindsight is easier than foresight, but after experiancing
salvation, nothing should stand in the way. It does require some
involvment and effort (nothing compared to the involvement, effort and
sacrifice of Jesus) to come to God, reconciled through the blood of
Jesus. You're either "in" or "out", for the love of God... GET IN!
Luke's gospel describes a long journey to Jerusalem during which Jesus
teaches his followers about the costs of discipleship. Today's reading
describes the outset of this journey and the resolute action needed
for travel.
It is appropriate that the disciples who suggested a fiery fate for
the Samaritan village were James and John. In Mark 3.17 Jesus calls
the sons of Zebedee "Boanerges," which means "Sons of Thunder." That
designation suggest impetuous spirits and flashing tempers. Therefore
it is not surprising nor does it seem out of character for James and
John to want to command fire to come down and consume the inhospitable
Samaritan village.
Prejudice against Samaritans in general provoked hostility among the
wider population—which may help explain why James and John were so
willing to bring down fire on the Samaritan village. Jesus, however,
did not share James and John's blistering approach and looked more
benignly on the people of this district. He often favored the
outcast—remember the good Samaritan and the woman at the well. Instead
of firebombing the village as the Zebedee brothers were eager to do,
Jesus rebuked the disciples.
This inversion of expectations suggests something important about
caring for those whom others despise or reject. Jesus' unwillingness
to approve harsh action against outsiders (like the inhospitable
village) strongly hints that the disciples were under some obligation
to cultivate a more open and accepting attitude. It is worth noting
that, as the story unfolds, Jesus demonstrated a more forgiving stance
toward inhospitable Samaritans than he did to those he met along the
way, those who balked when he issued the invitation to follow.
In this story Jesus is a man on a mission. He has set his face to go
to Jerusalem where he will be handed over to die. Yet along the way,
quite unexpectedly, he demonstrates an openness of mind to outsiders
who were not on the approved list and an impatience with those who
were. Disciples like James and John—and all who have strong, firmly
cemented opinions—are bound to be caught off guard by the call and
mission of Jesus.
Robert Brusic
Verse 51 is a statement by the narrator to the reader, and hence the
reader knows what those in Jesus' audience did not know. And what do
we know from verse 51? First, Jesus knows that his ministry moves
swiftly to its close. Second, Jesus is to be "received up," an
expression used later by Luke to refer to the ascension (Acts 1.2;
also 1 Tim 3.16). The ascension implies, of course, the whole drama of
crucifixion and resurrection as well as ascension. Finally, verse 51
tells the reader that toward that end Jesus set his face toward
Jerusalem. "Set his face" echoes the song of the suffering servant of
Isa 50.7: "Therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that
I shall not be put to shame; he who vindicates me is near." The
statement implies, and therefore leads the reader to anticipate,
strong opposition.
The journey to Jerusalem begins with a rejection. Just as Jesus'
baptism was followed by rejection in Nazareth, so now the
transfiguration, an event parallel to the baptism, is followed by
rejection in Samaria. Rejection by Samaritans on one level testifies
to the tension between Jews and Samaritans, but their inhospitality
also means they are unwilling to follow one on his way to suffering
and death. But more significant is the fact that Jesus has sent two
disciples into a Samaritan village to arrange for lodging and food.
Jesus was planning to take his ministry among these outsiders, these
despised half- Jewish heretics! He has ministered to Jews and
Gentiles, to social, ritual, and political outcasts, and now here in
Samaria, as far away as one could be and still be in the land. Later,
Jesus would say to his disciples, "And you shall be my witnesses in
Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth"
(Acts 1.8). According to Acts 8.5-25, the Christian mission was
successful in Samaria; this was perhaps due in part to the warrant for
such a mission in the visit of Jesus to that area.
One can almost appreciate the anger of James and John over the refusal
of hospitality to Jesus; they are being protective and do not know how
to handle rejection. They bring to mind overzealous evangelists of
another generation who extended God's grace to the audience and then
tossed balls of hellfire at those who refused the offer. Jesus'
disciples remember quite well scriptural precedent for calling down
heaven's fire (2 Kings 1.9-10), but they have forgotten the recent
words of Jesus: when on a mission, accept the hospitality offered you.
If none is extended, shake the dust off your feet and move on (9.1-
6). Is it not interesting how the mind can grasp and hold those
Scriptures which seem to bless our worst behavior and yet cannot
retain past the sanctuary door those texts which summon to love,
forgiveness, and mercy? Jesus rebukes James and John for an attitude
of revenge and retribution, an attitude totally foreign to his
ministry and theirs. Some scribes have added an explanatory note to
verse 55 (and he said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are
of; for the Son of man came not to destroy men's lives but to save
them"). The sentiment of this addition is an appropriate one, but the
best manuscripts do not contain it. The mission moves on toward
Jerusalem.
Had Jesus' words "Take up your cross daily" never been spelled out
concretely, they could have remained an ethereal ideal having the
effect of background organ music or they could have sunk to some
meaningless act of self-inflicted pain such as walking to work during
Lent with a tack in one's shoe. Here, however, his words are
translated into specific circumstances. The threefold pattern, common
to storytelling in that culture, is "I will follow," "Follow me," and
"I will follow." We do not know whether the three episodes once
existed separately; Mt 8.19-22 has the first two, and in a context
prior to any talk of Jesus' passion. The effect, therefore, is quite
different in Matthew. Here in Luke, the context provides the
commentary. The one who has set his face like a firm stone to go to
Jerusalem has no bargains to offer. "I am totally dependent on the
hospitality of others; are you willing to be?" he says to the first
volunteer. "Loyalty to me takes precedence over a primary filial
obligation" he says to the second prospective disciple. "I expect more
from you than Elijah asked of Elisha (1 Kings 19.19-21)" is his word
to the third, also a volunteer. For the preacher of the text to look
for loopholes by impugning the motives of the three or by assuming the
father of the second man is not yet dead and may live for years is to
trivialize the passage. The radicality of Jesus' words lies in his
claim to priority over the best, not the worst, of human
relationships. Jesus never said to choose him over the devil but to
choose him over the family. And the remarkable thing is that those who
have done so have been freed from possession and worship of family and
have found the distance necessary to love them.
unsigned:
Well, I guess you told ME! At least I put my name to it!
Sally in GA
Oh, and by the way, I didn't automatically assume that the father
might not yet be dead ... it was a thought that occurred to me.
ONe thing I really dislike is quick answers = especially before fully
exploring the richness of the text. To springboard this early into
"this is what he meant and this is what you need to do" is to preach
yadda yadda yadda.
Unsigned, I confess that I'm not sure what about your post pushed my
buttons... I also know you're free to post on this forum, and I'd
uphold your right to not sign your name. I just now ask you to think
before you criticize someone for "trivializing" the passage ... and if
you'd like to discuss it, then set your face to it and we can go. If
you don't want to set your face to it by signing your name, then
perhaps you could choose not to take the anonymous opportunity to
criticize.
Sally in GA
Sally, I am not the unsigned poster above, am coming into this
fresh..... Distractions seem to me to be part and parcel of our
ministry. I can be hard at work to prepare a sermon for Sunday (and
what a grand piece of theology that will be -- ha ha) when the phone
rings and somebody needs something. Might be a call from the hospital
or the funeral home. Might be a call from someone who has locked their
spare umbrella at the church and wants it back right now. Either one
requires of me the time to go and respond in love.
Where am I headed with this? Not sure, but right now, I'm thinking the
"plow" we pastors have put our hand to is the loving service of God's
people. That must be our focus, where our faces are "set". Anything
else, including that marvelous sermon, take second place, whether we
like to admit that or not. We (I) too often get distracted from that
true calling and find ourselves (myself) getting bogged down in the "I
want to make this point to you" mode. And we lose the focus of our
ministry.
Other thoughts:
Jesus' face was set toward Jerusalem to die. There was no time for
angry responses to enemies. There was no time to wait around for some
future event (death of father). There was no time to catch new
disciples up on the teachings and predictions the
OK - one day I'll figure this thing out. I hit Control by accident and
the unfinished - and unedited - post was submitted. I needed to be
re-written in places, and it needed to be finished.
anyway.....
no time to catch a new person up on the predictions and teachings the
other 12 had been hearing for awhile. Things were already in motion,
and Jesus' face was "set". No distractions, nothing new to deal with.
It was his calling.
I am seriously rambling, with no clear thoughts to put into sermon
form.
Anyway, it's KHC here.
If this person's father was recently deceased, wouldn't he be with his
family in a mourning period anyway and not with Jesus? Seems like a
smoke screen.
Maybe the man did want to stay with his family until the death of his
father. Still, an excuse for why not to follow Christ.
Jesus comes off as harsh sometimes. No way around it.
PC in GA
Ouch. Re-reading that thought to Sally, it sounds like I'm telling her
she doesn't love and serve with a full heart. NOT SO!! Nothing
judgmental was intended, for there is nothing judgmental to say. I'm
speaking more to myself, I guess, saying I may need to re-set my focus
from the "public persona" to the quiet servant of Christ.
KHC
"His face was set toward Jerusalem." This passage appears in our
reading twice. As I look at the rejections about following Jesus when
they have the time I get the feeling that there is no patence to wait
for these would be disciples. Because there is an order of events
already set in motion and Jesus knows finishing the mission takes
presidence over anything they may encounter, including funerals and
farewells.
I see a lot of this same sort of hesitation to follow Jesus in the
world today. I am planning a large Power Team revival at my church
that will bring many to giving their life to Christ. Yet as I plan
meetings to get the workers lined up and even get a prayer team in
place some in the congregation tells me they will get involved after
the ball games or that club meeting etc. etc. This passage speaks to
me loud and clear that I need to push on and not be distracted by
would be followers. Their excuses may be good ones but I wonder if
they realize they place limits on the mission they agreed to as
disciples of Jesus Christ to 'make Disciples.' "Everything that is
really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor
in freedom." Albert Einstein. Jesus chose the higher path, and I thank
God he did. I believe this weeks passage is trying to relay that
truth. As the Apostle Paul once said, "press on toward the goal!"
KB in ks.
At the time I wrote my last post, my emotions were close to the
surface. I hope my comments won't cloud positive things for the rest
of the week. I felt criticized, which is where the rawness of my
emotions began, and that hurt - especially feeling particularly
vulnerable at that point. Further, being hurt by someone who doesn't
sign his/her name, which I perceived to be cowardly ... well, I got
angry too quickly and lashed out. My apologies.
NOW, right before my dad died, I recalled this passage when, before I
thought of the implications, I said to my husband, "He's getting ready
to die. There's a set to his face." While "set his face" is (I heard
through a sermon years ago) was a way to say "fierce determination,"
having sais that about my dad, I think I know what expression Jesus
might have had.
He was diagnosed with, one after the other, colon cancer and 2
aneurysms on his aorta. He knew this wasn't good and he set his face.
Not that I got the impression that he was giving up, but that he was
ready to face whatever came his way. He asked his friend who's a
doctor, "does it hurt when an aneurysm bursts?" "Can you live?" and
such.
This is the first of a 2-part series I'm preaching as our church now
is officially merged with another. It's called "a new direction" and
Jesus' face set to Jerusalem (to die) makes me wonder what we need to
set our face on and focus on without distractions (thanks, KHC) and
what we need to allow to die.
Sally in gA
It strikes me that this is not the first time God points out his
desire for humans to put HIM first. The first of the Ten Commandments
tells us, "I am the LORD your God. You shall have no other gods...."
And here, when the ones who express willingness to follow Jesus after
doing something else (burying a parent, saying farewell to loved ones)
are putting something ahead of Jesus and his call to proclaim the
Kingdom of God.
Even our families should not take precedence over proclamation of the
Gospel.
Of course, when I mentioned this to my church secretary, she asked,
"If you got a phone call telling you that your mother was ill,
wouldn't you go?" (I live in PA, Mom is in FL.) Of course, I'd
go--even if it meant not being here on a Sunday morning.
So what does that mean? Even the pastor is a sinner in need of the
grace of God! She (the secretary) wanted that to be an excuse....I
told her that it's the same excuse her kids try when they say, "But
Mom, everyone else is doing it."
The good news is that, in spite of our own weakness and failures,
Jesus' death and resurrection WILL provide eternal life to all the
baptized! That, after all, was the purpose of it. And it's a gift we
can trust.
And all this rambling WILL turn into a sermon, eventually.....my
apologies if it isn't coherent at the moment.
PB in PA
Sally in GA: I have heard and read many commentators say that the
man's father was not yet dead. Burials were so soon after death that
the man would not have been in conversation with Jesus if his father
had already died. All of this has to do with making excuses or having
shortsighted plans. I knew a Pastor who wanted to move to be near an
elderly parent. The parent died very soon, and the Pastor was left in
a place that he really did not want to be. We always need to let the
Lord have a bigger say in our plans. So much of what we think is
important is not, or does not last. JRW in OH
Could it be that the man asking to first bury his father was referring
to his obligations in the cultural tradition rather than the immediate
death of his father? This really makes it hard for anyone following
the words of Christ. Who really belongs to Jesus family? The one that
“does the will of the One who sent Me.”
Shalom
bammamma
I'm torn between this passage and Kings for Sunday (did Kings this
past week), and I have two thoughts to share:
One comes from Homiletics magazine and is their idea for a children's
sermon on this. I don't mean to blow any copyright laws here, but it
helped me to focus on what I have always found to be a difficult
passage (on my list of Things I Wish Jesus Hadn't Said). The
suggestion is to have two children five feet apart facing each other,
one with a cup, one with a ping pong ball. The child with the ball
walks up to the other and puts it in a cup. Sounds easy. Then you ask
the child to do it again, but this time they have to be looking
backwards over their shoulder (without looking where they are going).
It's harder to accomplish a goal when you are not able to see where
you are going.
That helped me to focus better on what seemed to be harsh words from
Jesus. I think (at least at this point in my week) that the people who
wished to follow Jesus had very valid reasons -- that was the point. I
don't think Jesus meant to be mean, but meant to point out that we
need to keep our goal in sight and look there, not elsewhere.
I'm not a golfer, but I know there's something having to do with a
golfer's swing and follow through that might fit this as well.
The second thought that's been floating in my head is from the
Festival of Homiletics that was held last month in Washington, DC. The
point was driven home (sometimes softly, sometimes more pointedly)
that you need to have the end in mind in order to get there. If that
isn't clear, nor will your sermon be clear. It is the same point being
made.
I'm still torn between this and the Elijah/Elisha mantle passing, but
I thank you all for your thoughts and thought I'd add mine.
Meg in PA
More musings, not conclusions....
The disciples wanted power and prestige. Oh, the stories they could
tell about how they avenged the honor of the Master! Whole town
brought down on those fools! Look at us, we're bad!! Jesus had a
lesson to teach them about the whole point of discipleship. (As an
aside, I always find it most interesting that one of these brothers,
John, later became the Disciple most associated with love. What a
change of heart he had after Pentecost! James probably changed, too,
but not quite as obviously.)
The man with the father wanted to serve his father's needs AND serve
Jesus by leaving home. Jesus made him choose, but still gave him a
commission to go out and proclaim. Maybe, like last week's demoniac,
to do that at home? Jesus didn't tell him one way was better than
another, but that this man could not both go to Jerusalem AND serve
his human father right now. But he could go home and talk about Jesus
and God to the people there. Nothing wrong with that commission. And
once again, what we think is the best way to follow Jesus may not be
what Jesus needs from us.
There is nothing anti-God in taking care of the needs of our relatives
or neighbors. I would think it pleases God even more than our worship,
frankly. I took off about 8 weeks to take care of a critically ill
parent, and believed I was fulfilling a Godly task the whole time.
While I was not in the pulpit or participating in Church events, we
all know that not all God-honoring takes place in the church or is
done in the name of the Church.
The man who wanted to follow but whom Jesus turned away possibly had
no idea of the personal cost of discipleship. He sought earthly
something-or-another, and Jesus was set on heavenly things, so Jesus
could not accomodate him. The ministry was not about following Jesus
around like puppy dogs, but rather absorbing and following the
teachings and example of Jesus - an entirely different thing. Maybe
this man did not understand the difference.
Lots of richness to this text, and it's going to take awhile to get it
flowing in my head.
KHC
More musings, not conclusions....
The disciples wanted power and prestige. Oh, the stories they could
tell about how they avenged the honor of the Master! Whole town
brought down on those fools! Look at us, we're bad!! Jesus had a
lesson to teach them about the whole point of discipleship. (As an
aside, I always find it most interesting that one of these brothers,
John, later became the Disciple most associated with love. What a
change of heart he had after Pentecost! James probably changed, too,
but not quite as obviously.)
The man with the father wanted to serve his father's needs AND serve
Jesus by leaving home. Jesus made him choose, but still gave him a
commission to go out and proclaim. Maybe, like last week's demoniac,
to do that at home? Jesus didn't tell him one way was better than
another, but that this man could not both go to Jerusalem AND serve
his human father right now. But he could go home and talk about Jesus
and God to the people there. Nothing wrong with that commission. And
once again, what we think is the best way to follow Jesus may not be
what Jesus needs from us.
There is nothing anti-God in taking care of the needs of our relatives
or neighbors. I would think it pleases God even more than our worship,
frankly. I took off about 8 weeks to take care of a critically ill
parent, and believed I was fulfilling a Godly task the whole time.
While I was not in the pulpit or participating in Church events, we
all know that not all God-honoring takes place in the church or is
done in the name of the Church.
The man who wanted to follow but whom Jesus turned away possibly had
no idea of the personal cost of discipleship. He sought earthly
something-or-another, and Jesus was set on heavenly things, so Jesus
could not accomodate him. The ministry was not about following Jesus
around like puppy dogs, but rather absorbing and following the
teachings and example of Jesus - an entirely different thing. Maybe
this man did not understand the difference.
Lots of richness to this text, and it's going to take awhile to get it
flowing in my head.
KHC
Sally in GA The "unsigned" who spoke about trivializing the passage is
quoting (or lifting?) from Fred Craddock's commentary on Luke -- at
least the last line begining with "The radicality of Jesus words . .
." is quoted word for word til the end. It was credited on another
site. jw in tx
jw, thank you for clarifying that the post on trivializing the text
was not aimed at Sally or anyone else in particular.
Sometimes it's hard to know when a person's post is being dismissed as
wrong or banal or a waste of everyone's time. How would it be if we
all just appreciated the various interpretations and were kind if we
felt compelled to question them/
I want to know what Joe in MO has to say. Agreement isn't my concern.
Enlarging my horizon is. Remember, some of the most meaningful words
seemed outrageous when they were first spoken. Thank you.
Ann on the Sidelines
jw - gosh, now I'm a little embarrassed. :-) It wasn't aimed at me and
I took it personally! hmmm ...
I usually tell my congregants that when we're mad at something that
comes out of a Bible study, it often means there's a point of
conviction we're not wanting to face. Maybe my point of conviction is
that I really AM guilty of trivializing the text. The fact that it
couldn't have been aimed at me, but was a commentary just seems to
make it all fit!
On my own behalf, though, my emotions were rather close to the
surface, having had a week of rather large disappointments.
Sally in GA
v 51 - when the days drew near for him to be ~taken up~ he set his
face ...
taken up? A hint at the ascension?
Also, I notice the passive voice - "to be taken up" rather than "to
take up" (his cross).
for what it's worth ... (I have a friend who says, "there's my
opinion. With that and a dollar you can buy a cup of coffee).
Sally in GA
Sally, I think you've got company on the ascension take. The
Interpreter's Bible Condensed gives that same interpretation.
Write to me if you want to talk. You've got my e-mail address still,
right? I'll listen to whatever you want to say if you want to say it.
KHC
On the idea of Jesus being "taken up," the more conservative
commentaries I've read say that it is a reference, not merely to the
ascension, but to the whole series of events in Jerusalem leading up
to it. He has just finished the transfiguration where there was
discussion on His "departure" (Luke 9:31) so I suspect that all these
things are in view here.
The thought in this whole section seems to be single-mindedness. Jesus
his His "face set to go to Jerusalem," and three would-be followers
are told that nothing should deter them.
I think my theme has to be on being single-minded.
JG in WI
Based on speaking the truth in Love, Ephesians 4:15, or in reading
God's words with the Oil of Love, Matthew 25:1-12, this is how I read
this passage of Luke 9:51-62:
9:51 When the days drew near in Love of nights being far for him to be
taken up in Love of being let down, he, in Love of where he was coming
from, set his face to go in Love to Jerusalem .
9:52 And in Love of leading from behind, he sent messengers ahead of
him. But in THEIR way of Love for Him as a Jew but in Hate of
Samaritans, rather than in HIS way of One Love for all, they entered a
village in Hate of the unready Samaritans to make ready in Love for
him, rather than entering the village in Love of the unready
samaritans to make ready in Love for Him;
9:53 but they the Samaritans also in Love of themselves as samaritans
but in hate of themselves as Jews did not receive him, although it was
in Love of Samaritan Samaria that his face was set in Love toward
Jewish Jerusalem.
9:54 When his disciples James and John saw it in Hate of the
samaritans rather than in Love of them, they said, "Lord, do you want
us to command fire to come down in Hate on them from heaven and in
Hate consume them?" rather than: Lord, do you want us to command fire
to come down in Love on them from heaven and in Love consume them as
per Ezekiel 18:23-32?
9:55 But he turned in Love and in Love rebuked them who were in Hate
for their sinful spirit of Hate for the samaritans.
9:56 Then they in Hate of the samaritan village went on in Love to
another village, rather than in Love of the one going on to the other.
9:57 And as in Hate of where they were coming from combined with Love
of where they were going to, they were going along the road, someone
in the same Love-Hate mixture of attitude of Love for having a home
but in Hate of being homeless, said to him, "I will follow you in Love
wherever you go."
9:58 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 but on
Love."
9:59 To another he said in Love, "Follow me." But he in hate of being
careless and helpless and last said, "Lord, first let me go and bury
my father."
9:60 But Jesus said in Love to him, "Let the spiritual dead whose
spirit of Love is dead bury their own physical dead; but as for you,
go in the living spirit of Love and proclaim the kingdom of God who is
Love."
9:61 Another in hate of being discourteous and in hate of being last
said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those
at my home."
9:62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow of Love
for all words and their opposites but looks back in Hate of any word
is fit for the kingdom of God."
oil
jw in tx,
Where is "the other site"? I am working on the Galatians text and
found quite a few unsigned posts there, which sounded like Published
Commentaries. I was just want to check out the sources before we used
them...
To the helpful soul(s) who posted Published Commentaries:
These posts are very helpful to us, keep them coming, but please add
the source so we all can keep our heads straight.
Coho, Midway City.
One commentary I found from someone in the WWCofG(Armstrongism/Adventist)
purported that the burial customs of the day were to have a second
burial of the bones into an ossuary after decompostition had taken its
toll. This is what the man wanted to wait for. Jesus was in effect
saying this was an un-necessary step--let the physically dead bury the
physically dead. Either way, still an excuse for not following Jesus.
PC in GA
PC in GA - I think you've hit the nail on the head. Commentaries
aplenty will attempt to "explain" this rather offensive idea - that
Jesus demands such attention to be paid to following him that one may
not fulfill even basic family obligations! I've drawn the conclusion
that what's important for "explaining" this text is that we attempt to
get our minds around Jesus' demands.
Can you imagine the hoopla that would have ensued if I'd have told my
family, when my father died, "gosh, I sure can't be at the funeral;
I've got to follow the Lord." And, we who preach the importance of
funerals as rites for the bereaved to express their grief, the depth
of commitment is frightning.
(I'm multi-tasking, so I'm sorry if I'm not making too much sense).
Sally
PC in GA - I think you've hit the nail on the head. Commentaries
aplenty will attempt to "explain" this rather offensive idea - that
Jesus demands such attention to be paid to following him that one may
not fulfill even basic family obligations! I've drawn the conclusion
that what's important for "explaining" this text is that we attempt to
get our minds around Jesus' demands.
Can you imagine the hoopla that would have ensued if I'd have told my
family, when my father died, "gosh, I sure can't be at the funeral;
I've got to follow the Lord." And, we who preach the importance of
funerals as rites for the bereaved to express their grief, the depth
of commitment is frightning.
(I'm multi-tasking, so I'm sorry if I'm not making too much sense).
Sally
I also was torn between the Elijah/Elisha passage and this one. I
think there is an interesting link between the passages.
Elijah tells Elisha "you have asked a hard thing". This reminds me of
myself as a teenager, when I had no fear, and there was only black and
white, no gray areas. I wanted to do hard things.
A few years ago, I prayed for a few months "make me more like a
teenager", because I wanted to recover the passion I had felt as a
teenager. (My Sunday School class was shocked by that, especially the
ones with teenagers!)
But, as KHC noted, in the Luke passage Jesus may be addressing someone
with no understanding of the consequences of discipleship.
Similarly, my willingness to do hard things as a teenager was probably
because, like most teenagers, (like Elisha?) I did not understand the
consequences of my actions.
Christ does want us to recognize the costs--but wants us to follow
anyway. Despite these costs the reward of a life with and focused on
Christ more than offsets the costs involved.
An example of focus on Christ is found through practice of spiritual
disciplines. Some view these in terms of cost, others view them with
pleasure, and look forward to them as a time with Christ.
C-MO
Taken up "to Golgotha?" The right question should have been "My father
and family need salvation too
TomG NC
I think that KHC on 6/21 was right on target. This passage seems to be
more about counting the cost of discipleship than it is about the
details behind excuses. The illustration of the plow, I think, simply
points out the need to remain focused on the tasks ahead.
Too often, I/we encounter persons who are Christian by convenience.
The last time I preached this passage my title was "Excuses, Excuses".
This time, we are going to look at counting the cost of discipleship.
Yes, I know this subject may be more directly dsicussed by Jesus in
other places, but with this text before me, I feel it important to
address this issue at this time.
To follow up on several posts, we addressed the issue of things that
distract last week. The demoniac story is a powerful portrait of
distractions on many levels.
Steve in NC
Soren Kierkegaard inPurity of Heart Is to Will One Thing says:
"... there are two guides. The one beckons forward. The other calls
back. Two will the Good for the sake of reward is double-mindedness To
will one thing is ... to will the God without considering the reward.
For that which absorbs men’s time when they complain about the lake of
time is irresoluteness, distraction, half thoughts, half resolutions,
indecisiveness, great moments -- great moments. Now in the inner world
man uses cleverness in a ruinous way, in order to keep himself from
coming to a decision. ... to seek to evade. But purity of heart is to
will one thing. For commitment to the Good is a whole-hearted decision
... the heart becomes pure by yearning only for the Good. What kind of
life do you live, do you will only one thing, and what is this one
thing? For he who is not himself a unity is never really anything
wholly and decisively; he only exists in an external sense -- as long
as he lives as a numeral within the crowd, a fraction within the
earthly conglomeration. .... the most ruinous evasion of all is to be
hidden in the crowd in an attempt to escape God’s supervision of him
as an individual, in an attempt to get away from hearing God’s voice
as an individual."
Opps, the sermon posted on 6/22 at 9:13:59 is by Stephen Loftis of
Marshall, NC. The title is "Demons that Distract" The format in MSWord
is outline, but the outline format didn't transfer. Good luck.
Steve in NC
thanks, oil, i'll take your comments in the spirit of love in which i
believe they were intended.
sally
PB in PA:
Two thoughts about your post, for what they're worth. One, that
serving the institutional needs of the church may not be the same as
serving God in Christ. There are times, in fact, when I feel like
they're diametrically opposed!
Two, that at times we serve God best through the love and care we show
to others, including our family.
So your hypothetical (I pray!) "come to church to lead worship on
Sunday or go to see my dying mother in another state" situation is not
a simple matter of choosing between following God or putting your
family first.
For the man in the story, it was an either/or: follow Jesus or bury my
father. Because our relationship is with the post-ascension Christ,
our "following" is no longer physical, and so we can do both things at
once.
Yes, serving and following Christ must claim ultimate authority in my
life. But Christ is present to me in my father, my husband, my
daughter, and in parishioners, the single mom calling for help with
rent this month, and the annoying long-distance sales person on the
phone. Serving Christ in those people IS a way of following... I
think...
Heather in ON
Oil
In LOVE for your congregation, I hope you don't preach like you ramble
on here...while it may be helpful for you, I find it distracting from
the message- if all your interruptions into the text were truely meant
to be there.....
then they'd already be there!
Heather in ON - what you say is very true - we can do both at once
since following Christ is now a spiritual, rather than physical,
endeavor.
My caveat to that: let's not confuse doing good to people in need, or
spending loving time with our family with discipleship. There must be
a difference otherwise the church would just be another social service
organization -= and let's not forget that our family can be a form of
idolotry. We worship family over God, while thinking it's because of
God ... (hard to explain) - to the point where we must define what an
"ok" family is.
I think of my congregation who have no trouble finding money for
missions inside and outside of their neighborhood but who have no
interest whatsoever in inviting those folks to church. Sure they'll
give *money* to the homeless, but I don't think they'd be very
welcoming to a smelly homeless person who showed up to worship!
That's what I mean.
Sally in GA
gosh, I don't think that was clear ... sorry .. so let me add one more
thing:
they give money to homeless ministries - and even though they don't
invite them to worship with them, they BELIEVE they're serving
Christ's people. That they're following Christ.
And another thing (last one, I hope)
This is the group that keeps "forgetting' to come to Bible study - or
who keeps having out of town guests or something to do regardless of
what day or what time of day I hold it! But, when I ask folks to
contribute to a back-to-school mission, we have tons of stuff!
All I'm saying is that the "giving' or the "doing" can be a seductive
substitute for the real thing.
Sally in GA
Too good not to share. This is from a sermon by a preacher named John
Nadasi: For all we know, If the man had agreed, Jesus would have led
him back to his father and Who knows what would have happened. Funny
things happened when Jesus got around dead people. Remember, dead
folks had trouble staying dead around him.
Just a thought I'd never had about this reading...
Heather in ON (again...)
v.53 "...Because his face was set toward Jerusalem." Once we set a
certain direction after God's calling, we may face certain rejection.
v.54 It is tempting to deal with rejection in anger and self-righteous
indignant, after all WE were called, WE were in the right!
v.55 But it is the closed followers of Jesus who got the rebukes. If
we keep in step with Jesus, no doubt we would receive more correction
from our Lord than others.
v.56 The people who rejected us, they just didn't understand. God will
visit people, but because of rejection, He may just move on and visit
some other people. It's the rejectors who will miss out, no fire from
heaven is needed (atleast until the judgement day).
Starting from here, we see three types of people who wanted to join
our company of the followers of Jesus.
v.57-58 is the case of the one that is not ready yet. Oh, how many
times we see people want to die for Jesus while not ready to live for
Him quite yet. The person had his own genuine initiative, but Jesus
was not willing to take him in, citing the tough physical condition
his follower will have to take.
v.59-60 is the only case where Jesus actually call someone. Here he
was hand selected, and has the potential to come in at the ground
floor of apostolic work to build the Kingdom of God. Yet, he was not
ready to make that committment. "Let me go and bury my father!" A
reasonable request. Under normal circumstances we are trained to
foster family committment first, before any ministry. This same
reasonableness is why we baffled at the demand of Yaweh for the
sacrifice of Issac. Family ties, even what we hold dear, may be the
exact reason holding us back from doing what God wants. Let's face it,
in my own life, many times I could argue and chose to brush God's
counsel aside, but countless times I would say "Yes Dear" and fulfill
my spouse's wishes, even when I know that it's not right to do so.
"Let the dead bury their own dead!" How could dead people do anything?
Unless that everyone living is considered as dead. Then we who is
alive, should focus on the livelihood of the Kingdom, for that where
life came out of.
v.61-62 This last one case seems to be a halfway between the first and
the second cases (Jesus wanted him for the "Kingdom of God" repeated
here and the 2nd case, and he is willing to go just like the 1st
case). However Jesus' response here also did not leave any
"reasonable" wiggle room either.
From this context, Luke seems to challenge us that if we want to
follow Jesus, we will need to be as committed as Jesus did, in
"setting our face to Jerusalem". For Luke, Jesus life calling was
headed to Jerusalem, to redeem the world. For us, that should be our
same committment.
Lord Jesus, I must confess that I am not as committed to you as I
should. Especially in my own areas of "reasonableness" in follow you.
And I have hope that if it takes 25 years for Abraham to get to the
point of completely trusting you and offering Issac on the altar,
eventually I would be able grow in my trust in you to get there as
well.
Coho, Midway City.
To Whom It May Concern:
Thank you in Love for your concerns; i take them in Love, of course!
"In LOVE for your congregation, I hope you don't preach like you
ramble on here..."
That is SO good and so right: In Love of...! Therefore HOW you hope is
right: you hope in Love and your Hope is in Love! hmmmm WHO are you?
smile Not that it matters! smile
And you are even more right: I am a rambler!
So how can you help me to non-ramble?
By the way, do you know how i know that you are right in identifying
me as a rambler? It takes one to know one!smile Remember, i am your
mirror!
Now if your LOVE is unconditional, you would ALREADY love me as a
rambler and as a nonrambler and be hoping in Love that I wd preach
like I ramble and that I wd ramble as I preach: in Love!! Yep, I
preach in Love, and ramble in Love and preamble in love and am
longwinded in Love and am a broken record in Love just like God is:
the words in the Bible are the same all the time: God is boring in
Love!! 2 timothy 4:1-2! That Love makes him interesting even when he
is boring! 2 cor 12:10. hmmmmmm
So I think that your hope in Love shd really be about this:
In Love of your congregation, I hope you don't hate ramblers, and I
hope that you are teaching your congregation to love themselves as
ramblers so they can love you are who you also are! For you, oil, are
one!smile
'while it may be helpful for you, I find it distracting from the
message-'
I believe you do and that you might hate distractions! I so love you
as a distractor and detractor: distractions distract and detract from
the message! and as a distraction, that you distract me in Love and TO
Love and you never can not ever distract me away from Love!!
So, do you love or hate distractions or distracters or subtractions or
interrupters or interruptions or inserions or interjections or tares?
God loves them and wants us to get rid of the sin of hate for tares
rather than getting rid of the tares:matthew 13,
and when we love all of them, nothing can distract us from the Love of
God nor detract or subtract Love from us!... romans 8:35... and we can
see God in the distrations and see distractions in Him! If we hate
them, we were already distracted and disrupted from God's Love and
already off of God's Love-track[t].
'if all your interruptions into the text were truely meant to be
there.....
then they'd already be there!"
Ha! So I KNOW how you must read John 8:32 and rev 22:18-19! And you
must hate those who hide the truth: normally called liars or
concealers or deceivers! romans 4:17. LIKE A KID, God loves to play
Hide n Seek! matthew 18:1-3. So your concerns are logical and honest,
and just mistaken!
It is BECAUSE they ARE meant to be IN there that they are left OUT by
God for US to put in: He knows that only those who obey God by loving
all words and opposites/enemies can and will put them in and get the
truth out: the truth comes out of Love!!
1 Corinthians 16 14 Let all your things be done with Love.
God in Love of us made his word interesting and so hides stuff in it
for us to seek and find, and puts stuff in for us to rightly divide,
and leaves stuff out by coding it for us to put in and decode it!!
Proverbs 25 2 It is the glory of God to CONCEAL a thing: but the
honour of kings is to search out a matter.
Isaiah 28 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept;
line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this
people.
12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary
to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept,
precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little,
and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be
broken, and snared, and taken.
John 10 34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said,
Ye are gods?
35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the
scripture cannot be broken;
[Codes are normally what have to be broken: so the Bible is written in
the Code of Love! God wrote every word in Love! 1 corin 16:14: "Let
all your things be done with Love." So to decode it, I have to 'in
love' it! HOW do YOU read it? Be careful HOW you read it: Luke 8:18
"Take heed therefore how ye hear." When we read it, we are hearing God
speaking in Love to us! He speaks in love to us...always! ephes 4:15.
No one in Hate can break the code: they won't even try: and there are
none who so can't as those who won't!]
Colossians 2 1 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for
you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my
face in the flesh;
2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together IN LOVE,
and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the
acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of
Christ;
3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Ephesians 4 15 But speaking the truth in love, ...:
16 ...maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Ephesians 5 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, ....
Hope in Love that that helps you too! One turn deserves another! smile
So, in Love of being a helpless rambler, I am looking fwd in Love to
help from you on HOW i shd not ramble! smile
oil: One In Love
If a psychologist is of the Freudian school he is said to be a
disciple of Freud, if a coach is a student of the “West Coast Offense”
he is said to be a disciple of Walsh, if a person believes along the
lines of a particular theologian she is called a disciple of Luther or
Calvin or Wesley. This all follows the line of thought that states,
“To be a disciple is to give intellectual assent to a particular
teaching.” I do not think this definition is adequate in describing a
disciple of Christ. The reason for this is to be a disciple of Christ
describes a relationship first and intellectual assent second. Jesus
wasn’t just calling these would be disciples to leave behind family
and the such, but to enter into a relationship with him. Once we enter
into this relationship we cannot but move forward in order to proclaim
the Kingdom of God, because it is the relationship that propels us
forward. To be a disciple is to not only have a head full of
knowledge, but more importantly a heart full of compassion.
On a different website I read, “On the Australian coat of arms is a
picture of a emu and a kangaroo. These animals were chosen because
they share a characteristic that appealed to the Australian
forefathers. Both the emu and kangaroo can move only forward, not
back. The emu’s three-toed foot causes it to fall if it tries to go
backwards, and the kangaroo is prevented from moving in reverse by its
large tail. Those who truly choose to follow Jesus become like the emu
and kangaroo, moving only forward, never back.”
Grace & Peace, Badlands Paul
I remember being impressed by a guest instructor’s presentation in one
of my religious studies’ classes in college. He was explaining his
take on the dividing line in Mark’s Gospel at Chapter 8. John has been
beheaded, and Jesus goes off to pray. He then sets his face to
Jerusalem. According to the visiting instructor, It is time to
confront Jerusalem with the truth that “The Kingdom of Heaven is at
hand. He knew it was not going to be easy
As I read the Lukan Lection for this week, this passage showing Jesus
setting his face toward Jerusalem, and His followers, the disciples
not understanding it (They don’t get it until he is “taken up.)”, I am
reminded of my own journey; My journey as a disciple. Very early in my
life I realize that Jesus is my Savior, and that I could not let
anything be put in the way of what He has called me to do. As a high
school student, my testimony verse was, “I am crucified with Christ,
nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life I
now live, I live through the Son of God who loved me and gave himself
for me” (memorized) Galatians 2:20.”
This is a hard one. In my young adult years, I wanted what every young
woman wants; a husband, family, and children. Now retired, as I look
back, I realize that I did what the man who told Jesus he had to bury
his father did. In other words, “Jesus, I want to follow you, but I
want to do what everyone else in this society does also. I want to be
an outstanding citizen, take care of the necessities of cultural
living. Good men Jesus ‘Honor their Fathers and Mothers’; do the
duties of natural family living, which includes the plans for my
parent’s end of life.”
I do believe God took my insistence on marriage, and put it to good
use, used it for the furtherance of God’s True Rule (another name for
God’s Kingdom). I entered into marriage and had 4 children (who are
all grown and doing a fantastic job, following God’s direction for
their own lives).
When recently illness entered my immediate family, I did what I always
had done, intensely divided my time between my ministry and my family.
But when my family suddenly said, “they didn’t need me,” I was
devastated. I’m slowly realizing, I had been doing this all my married
life, and both my ministry and marriage had suffered.
So God has led me to rectify the situation. Let the family be the
family, and you follow me. As I continue this journey, I realize
(though it is painful, hard and tough), that a certain kind of peace
is coming, and Galatians 2:20 has comes back into focus in my life.
Shalom
Bammamma
Tammy in Texas,
I grieve with you. Your loss unites us all in prayer that God will
bring you to healing.
Bammamma
Your testimony is also moving and so wonderfully appropraite to this
text. Your interpretation of the disciple "wannabes" in the second
half of this text is marvelous. I suspect the issue has little to do
with the particulars of their excuses for delay. The real issue is,
they wanted to divide their commitment to Christ with commitments in
this world and Christ would have none of it.
An interesting outline of this passage was sent to me. It's sort of
formed the early framework of what I'll be sharing.
Jesus knew (1) What He was to do (2) Where He was to be and (3) Who
would be joining with Him. In the same way, we are to (1) obey what
the Father would have us do, (2) be where the Father would have us be,
(3) watch for those who He might have sent to join us, but be aware
that not everyone we meet will be joining us.
On this third point, it inspires me to know that not all who come to
church are called of God to remain there. Jesus used a bold honesty to
call people, not the "marketing" techniques used in our day to attract
people. I'm in a very small church and it's quite possible that is by
His design. We strive to grow, but not to compromise His message or
His call to do so.
JG in WI
DPSers, I will be beginning my first appointment this sunday and I am
trying to figure out what I will preach on. What are good scriptures
to preach on for a first Sunday, or do you see ways that this lection
will work? I know that the first sermon is usually about yourself
mostly, but I am looking for a great place to start.
NE Preacher Dude (soon to be MO Preacher Dude)
My three-point alliterated outline has blossomed again.
Overcoming Obstacles to Obedience
1) Look to your Heavenly Home - Living life with an eye toward heaven.
Isn't it sensible to travel with the destination in mind? Notice that
though Jesus' time of being "taken up" may refer primarily to His
Ascension, as I noted earlier, it refers to all that leads up to it.
Jesus had just spoken of His death with Moses, Elijah, (Luke 9:30-31)
and about the same thing with the disciples (v. 44). As He went to
Jerusalem, however, He looked at returning home to be with the Father.
(see Hebrews 12:2)
2) Look past Heardened Hearts - Jesus did not let His rejection at
Samaria deter Him from His destination. He knew where He was headed
and a small detour was of no account. Call down fire from heaven? Of
course not - Jesus has a goal and nothing will keep Him from it. His
goal - to bring salvation to all people, including those in Samaria
who had rejected Him.
3) Look from the Half-Hearted - Those who would follow Jesus must be
prepared to count the cost. Christ has paid the price for our
salvation, but calls us to a very costly discipleship.
"A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is
worth nothing." - Martin Luther
"[Real] Christianity seldom occupies the attention of the bulk of
nominal Christians. Thus we may expect them to be ignorant also of its
tenets. They will be acquainted merely with those doctrines and
principles that the law of the land commonly holds or sanctions. But
whatever is unique in real Christianity and should be habitually kept
in mind, this men will consider less and less, until it is almost
wholly forgotten." - William Wilberforce
NE Preacher Dude - Will that preach for your first appointment?
JG in WI
Preacher Dude:
This one works GREAT!!!! Think of it: you're beginning a ministry
together - what better opportunity than to preach about our focus on
and commitment to Christ.
JG in WI :
your word "compromise" hit me right between the eyes! I, too, am in a
small church and I'm convinced that they are content to be exactly as
they are and to just go on and decline and bemoan how the big bad N Ga
conference won't "help them out." Who's expected to "compromise" and
what are they "compromising?"
What I find difficult is that in pointing them to Jesus' journey to
Jerusalem, the implication is that their current journey is wrong.
It's difficult to do sensitively and strongly enough to make a
difference.
What people enjoy or commit to isn't always along Jesus' path. (duh -
that's what we've been talking about all week) It's just that it's so
-uh- touchy to tell that to people who are twice your age and whose
concerns of church are more focused on which candle the acolyte lights
first than on setting a face towards Jerusalem.
Why it's difficult is because the acolyte comment came from a woman
who does have a sincere sense of reverence. (By the way, I've never
read in any acolyte book that the "right" candle is the Christ candle
- anyone else know if this is right or if she's just making it up?)
So, how to validate the reverence without validating the pettiness is
difficult.
Maybe I'm just not up to the task.
Sally in GA
RE: Waxing nostalgic
Sally,
In my little Lutheran Church (of which I am a music leader, not a
pastor) I was wondering which candle should be lit first just last
week. It only made sense to me that if you go into a room, you light
the first candle you come to (which in my case is the "house" right
side). In my home I would not walk past one candle to light another.
We have a "seven day" candle suspended over the altar that stays lit
24 hrs a day that is our Christ candle. We also have the Paschal
candle that is down front and is lit for the Gospel reading.
Sometimes I wonder if the Liturgical nature of our service hurts or
helps. It gives people a frame of reference and at the same time
breeds contempt when it's not "done like we used to do it." Sometimes
it leads to a rut that people just go through the memorized prayers
and responses without giving thought to what they say anymore. I have
caught my mind wandering through the Lord's prayer and the Apostles'
Creed more than a few times.
Small church dynamics make every opinion count too much, especially
since I only hear the negative ones. If we had a nickel for everyone
who has threatened to leave over some petty issue, we could skip this
week's offering. The issue of the month is our ice maker that went to
be with the Lord (or perhaps some place a little warmer). The more
they complain about the creature comforts of our building, the more I
think they are trying to make the perfect Country Club. They are
perhaps the ones Jesus is talking to in verse 9:58 above (Will you
follow me even without the comforts of home?).
My Pastor is fond of quoting the Seven Last Words of the Church: We
have never done it like that.
PC in GA (Fighting the good fight to stay out of the ministry)
Preacher Dude --
The other ideas from this lectionary passage for a first sermon are
great, but you might also want to look at the Kings passage: Elijah
passing the mantle to Elisha. Someone made the comment that it isn't
just the mantle to be passed, but it must be picked up. Just a
thought. Good luck in your ministry.
MM in PA
PC in GA,
You're already in the ministry, maybe in the position God wants you to
be, for now. If God wants you in ordained ministry, God will keep
calling until you follow.
Michelle
Tammy,
I remember you telling us that your son had given a donation for your
daughter. I pray that he does not see her death as his failure. You
and your family are in my prayers.
With love, Michelle
I love it. Would you still be interested in worshipping Jesus if you
had do to it on a hard bench with splinters, too cold or too hot, next
to somebody who smelled or was different, and there was no coffee
served afterwards? What if you knew you were going to be asked how you
had picked up your cross that week and followed Jesus a little closer
to Jerusalem?
I think I might borrow this easy life worship idea for the sermon.
Thanks.
FROM THE "FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH FILE" In the early years of my ministry
I was an associate working with an interim senior minister. I preached
a sermon on excuses in which I started with the excuses we make for OT
passages, then the moved to the excuses we make for the hard sayings
of Jesus and finally to the excuses we make for ourselves. I've rarely
had such anger turned on me as I had after that sermon! I still think
the excuses sermon is one that needs to be preached and heard but
those who choose to go this route, be prepared for the responses... KC
Bammamma-- Thanks for your comment about marriage and ministry. I know
I wondered if I would have to choose, and said to God, but surely you
wouldn't ask me to pick you over a husband and children? Well, now I
have a husband, a child, and a ministry, and sometimes it is very very
hard. Jesus' sayings are sometimes harsh but always true. Thanks
again, from one just starting out on the women-in-ministry path.
Peace, Beth in Ga
KC
You make a good point. I do not intend to stir the congregation to
anger. After all, these are the people who are in the church, not the
ones who have made the excuses about why they couldn't be there. But a
little dose of humor, using things they can all relate to, goes a long
way to make the point about the excuses we do make for not doing what
we are called to do. As one person on this site might put it, it will
be said in LOVE, and they will know they are loved for who they are.
Sally, I can really identify with your sense of being pulled in two
directions, between family and church family. My family distracts me a
lot, not just when they are in need, but also when they are doing fun,
interesting things. And the distraction can be a problem at times. But
I do feel called to be a mother, just as much as I am called to be a
pastor. Our family is our first training ground in love, and they need
our attention and care, especially when they are young, old or sick.
And we need to rejoice with them as well. It's only when we use our
families as an excuse not to serve, that it's a problem.
On another subject, saying things that can get your congregation
angry: I often try to use myself as a negative example, talk about how
I make excuses as well, then it doesn't seem as though I'm pointing
fingers, but preaching to myself as well.
I'm titling mine "Fit for the Kingdom." Our lesson gives us negative
examples of who is NOT fit. But how do we get in shape to be ready to
follow? I can list some of the obvious things: prayer, study,
self-sacrifice.., but wonder what else can be said?
Thank you all for being there. DGinNYC
I think family is God's gift to us, and he intends us to honor family
responsibilities. It is possible to be more in life than a married
person - you can be a brother or sister, a student, an Optimist, a
golfer and a wage-earner and still be a very, very happily married
person if you know how to use the time you have together to its best
advantage.
Serving God is more than church activities. It is spending time with
God in real ways, loving the people he has put into your life, giving
the best we have to all parts of our lives God has blessed us to have.
I had a Pastor once who insisted all church meetings happen after 8:30
p.m. He had several small children and a wife. He wanted to spend time
with his children before they went to bed at 8:00. So, he left the
office at 5:00, played with his kids, ate dinner with them, helped
them get their baths and into bed, read them all a story, and then he
could go back to the church for some meeting. After the meeting was
time to spend alone with his wife for conversation and their shared
prayer and devotion time. We all knew his schedule, and we all
respected his commitment to his family. Emergencies changed
everything, of course, but barring that, we knew he was available to
us for other stuff between 8:00 a.m and noon, and we might catch him
in his office in the afternoons (visits, hospital calls).
Interesting sideline to that was that other people in the church who
also had children or spouses could use that after-dinner time for
family hour, too. I wonder how many took advantage of that
opportunity, or just grumbled that the meeting was too late?
His sermons weren't all that great (too over our heads), and his
methods of running meetings lacked finesse, but what we all remember
about him is his commitment to his family while still being completely
available to the rest of us.
God got his big chunk of time, church got its time, family got its
time, he got his own time for himself. I see his balancing act as
healthy and Godly. We are not robots, but are multi-faceted. Family
and friends fit into this picture, as long as it is properly balanced
with time for God and serving. It can get skewed either way, including
spending entirely too much time in the God facet. The most lonely and
uninteresting people I have ever met are the ones who are all about
God and little else.
So, as you can see, I am struggling with the idea that this text calls
us to give up everything of value in our lives to follow Jesus. I
think we can effectively follow Jesus and still keep our vital
commitments to others and ourselves - in balance.
Off the soapbox now.
KHC
