September 6, 1998
Devotion to Jesus Christ is such joy! Such joy! But at first blush, the lessons today seem to us a little ominous. First of all, Moses said, as his people are beginning to cross the River Jordan, "If your hearts turn away from God, you will perish." Jesus says to us today these very hard words, "If you do not hate your father and your mother, even life itself, you cannot be my disciple. You cannot be my disciple."
On first reading it seems that Moses and Jesus are both issuing threats. None of you, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all of your possessions. (It is tempting to have the ushers come forward and take up today's offering after that kind of word from the Lord.) However, as we read these words and first hear them as terrible, terrible words of judgment against us, as words of threat about eternal loss, if we turn around for a moment and read them again, this time from the perspective of the speakers rather than the listeners, the message is no threat at all. It is a warning, but it is not a threat.
Remember Moses had spent 40 years in the wilderness with these people. Prior to that, he had gone back to Egypt where he was a wanted man, wanted for murder. He goes back to Egypt to demand of the pharaoh that he release the Hebrew people from slavery and let them go to a land that God had promised. Through all the plagues and all the warnings against the pharaoh, he finally leads them out and into the desert land. He loves these people. Yes, he had spats with them. There was that occasion when they complained about the amount of food, and God gave the manna. There was the occasion when the people grew tired of the manna and complained about the quality of the food and Moses said, "Oi-ve! God, am I their mother that I have to put up with this?" God is none too happy either and he says, "They want meat — I will give them meat until it comes out of their ears and noses!" It's a wonderful passage and the quail are provided.
There was that occasion when they complained of thirst, an incident which kept Moses from entering the promised land because God said to Moses, "Show them my power, speak to the rock at Meribah. Just speak to it and it will give forth water." But Moses had a bad morning, he struck the rock with his staff, and water came out. Because he struck it, it gave the possibility that he was responsible rather than God, so Moses would not be able to enter the promised land because of that incident.
He loved those people, and he loves them still as he bids them farewell and sends them on ahead with Joshua across the Jordan. He says, "Remember, people, what happened to you in the wilderness; remember what happened to you, that God brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of slavery. He tested you and strengthened you in the wilderness and he is sending you into the land he promised to Abraham, your father. You must worship him. Choose life, worship God. If you choose another route, if you choose to fall away from the God who has preserved you, it will be death for you." That is not a threat. Those are words spoken through a veil of tears by one who cares deeply for his people.
We read the words of Jesus. Jesus the son of God, God incarnate who comes into the world to save the world, not to condemn it. Jesus who says these words today to us. "You cannot," (not you may not) "be my disciple." It is as if he were saying if you do not do it my way, don't do it at all. Jesus is saying to us... if you have anything else that takes first priority in your life other than discipleship, you simply will not be able to choose discipleship. Choose priorities in their proper order. It is the same Jesus who says , "I came to bring life and life abundant." It is the same Jesus who made the water into wine to prolong a wedding party.
Paul is writing in prison to his friend Philemon. Onesimus was Philemon's slave and had run away, an act which was deserving of death in the laws of the time. Onesimus had run to Paul, had served Paul in prison, and now has been converted and is a disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ. And Paul says, "Onesimus, you must now go back to Philemon, but take this letter with you." Paul pleads with Philemon not to observe the law of the land, not to be harsh with his slave, but to welcome him home as a brother. The name Onesimus means "useful" and Paul says he is now useful to you. Once before he was useless, but now he is truly useful because now he is a brother in Christ Jesus. Welcome him home as such.
These are the people who speak to us this morning. People who love us and who want the best for us. Discipleship in Jesus Christ is not one filled with fear. It is instead, a life of joy, true joy! Moses: choose life, choose life, not death. The words of one who loves his people. The psalmist reminds us that happiness is to be found in following God's way, not in following the best six out of ten, the ten are still there, but in following God's way. Not because the law is there to constrict us, but because the law is given to us as a gift to define what freedom was about, and living within the law we find ourselves truly free. Happiness is to be found in freedom, not in slavery. To step outside is to invite slavery and danger.
Paul: Show mercy to those who need it, not to those who deserve it. You won't find many of those. Show mercy to those who need it. Our Lord Jesus Christ tells us, as he did last week, to put things in their proper order and everything else will make sense, once we set the first order. Last Sunday, you remember, he said whenever you go to a banquet, don't assume that you are the most important or the most honored guest invited, but look around. If you are truly honored, you do not need to go and claim a place for yourself. If you truly know that you are God's beloved child, you do not need a place of honor. So give that place to someone who does not yet know it. Sit in the lower place. Put others before yourself, not because you are worse or they are better, but because you are the beloved child of God and you need no further honor.
This Sunday, Jesus says to us put God above all else and everything will be added to you. Devotion to Jesus Christ is such JOY! An acronym of "JOY" that I learned in kindergarten and I suppose many of you did, too: Jesus first, Others second, and Yourselves last. Place yourselves in that order where the word of God and the Lord's call to us is first, where our concern for others is second, where our claiming deference for ourselves is dead third.
Our Lord says to us today - you cannot live in a house until you have built it and you cannot build it until you have laid the foundation. Discipleship is about laying foundations, building spiritual homes and living in them - in that order. Things in the proper way to make sure that they last. Discipleship is following after Jesus rather than following our own egos and our own agendas. It is being open to God speaking to us, whether it is in dreams or prayer or in the voice of another person around us. And the Scripture today reminds us, the Scripture calls us today to properly arrange our priorities, to do first things first. To be patient with God's time because God would lose no one. He calls us all and waits for us all to come. Patient preparation means that the Lord's end will be reached in the Lord's way. Let us focus on the upward call of Jesus Christ. Let us place that as our first priority, and then all else, all else, will be added to us.
AMEN
The Rev. Dr. Robert Certain
rgcertain@stmargarets.org