The Costs are Just Too Great

Some exciting things are happening at Bethlehem, the Holy Spirit is really moving there.

This last week was newsletter week, when one of the members spends a good portion of the week in the office putting together the monthly newsletter.  It is exciting to see so much being planned for this fall, especially after a fairly quiet summer.  I have had a few people remark that Bethlehem has never had this much going on before.

I have also had some wonderful conversations and emails about children's ministry and confirmation this last week which I'll post a full post about later this week.  But in a nutshell, I've gone from having no incoming confirmation students to 4!  Pretty impressive for a small church!  And there is some interest in a new ministry we are starting in a few weeks.

Then I sent out an email to the congregation this week asking for their vocation/occupation so they can be included in a prayer for those who labor on this Labor Day weekend.  And I had a wonderful response from one congregation member who is currently unemployed but has found wonderful purpose and joy in delivering meals to some of our homebound members.

Plus for the past month or so, most weeks at the end of announcements before we begin worship with confession and forgiveness I have asked people where they have seen God this past week, how has the Spirit been moving in their lives.  The first week when I asked where people have seen Jesus this last week, after a few moments of silence, my wonderful husband loudly said "in a potato chip" (yep that is Bob's sense of humor).  But today the stories that people told, and the number of people who talked and hands that continued to be raised were remarkable.  The Spirit is moving at Bethlehem and I'm so excited to be a part of it!

Below is my sermon from this morning, which is focused on the gospel, Luke 14:25-33.  At one point I say that following Jesus is about passionate spirituality.  These moments shared earlier are passionate spirituality which is growing each day!

Enjoy!


You must hate your family in order to be one of Jesus’ disciples! You must carry the cross in order to be one of Jesus’ disciples! You must give up all of your possessions in order to be one of Jesus’ disciples! Those are some awfully big demands.

I mean let’s be honest, there have been times that I have been angry at my parents, siblings and even spouse, but to hate them? I think even in the worst times, even when I have told them that I hate them that I haven’t really hated a single member of my family. Granted the word “hate” here does not means “hate” as we normally use the term, it means to put in lower regard than to Jesus. But even then I still have times where it is hard to hate my family members.

And what does it mean to carry the cross? I mean I wear one around my neck, does that count? As an acolyte and worship assistant I have carried many a cross up and down sanctuary aisle, does that count? Am I supposed to unearth that huge cross outside and carry it? Well I’m not sure if I have the physical strength for that. Or does it mean being willing to die on the cross like Jesus died on the cross? Ummm as strong as my faith is, that is VERY painful way to die. Can I choose a different method of my demise? Maybe one a little more instantaneous or hops me up on so many drugs first that I don’t feel the pain?

And let’s not get started on giving up all of our possessions. Am I suppose to live off the land? And well get gets pretty cold in Connecticut during the winter, where am I suppose to live? And what am I suppose to wear? And what am I suppose to eat? And what about my computer and car and ipod and….what about the dogs?

So maybe I can’t be Jesus’ disciple. Maybe I am not worthy to follow Jesus. The costs are just too great.

But I get the feeling that I’m not the only one who is not able to be Jesus’ disciple, who is not worthy. Are any of you able to say that you can hate your family, carry the cross and give up all of our possessions?

And I bet you that there was no one in the crowd listening to Jesus that could do those things either.

For no matter what we do we will always fall short. There will always be someone that we do not hate. The cross will always be too large to carry regardless of how strong we are physically or spiritually. And there will always be a possession that we will hold on to. The costs are just too great. The price is just too much. The requirements are more than we are able to bear. Being Jesus’ disciple is impossible.

Or is it?

God is the one who makes the impossible possible. God is the one who has paid the cost. God is the one who has borne the requirements to follow Jesus. Jesus carried the cross. Jesus paid for our sins through his death on the cross.

Being a disciple of Jesus is not about making sure that we live up to these requirements. Being a disciple of Jesus is not about sitting down first and making sure that we have what it takes to follow through with our initial plan. Being a disciple of Jesus is not about planning a strategy to make sure that it is a worth-wild endeavor.

Being a disciple, a follower, of Jesus is about passionate spirituality. Being a follower of Jesus is about following Jesus loyally even when we realize that we are not worthy to do so. Being a follower of Jesus is about realizing that we will never be able to pay the cost of discipleship, but understanding that God has already paid those cost for us. Being a follower of Jesus is about falling in love with God, with Jesus Christ, over and over again.

And when we fall in love with Jesus, when we acknowledge the love that we have for him, but more importantly the amazing overwhelming love that he has for us, then we will try to pay for those cost. When we are in love with Jesus, we try to love Jesus above all others, including our family, our father, mother, spouse, children, brothers and sisters. When we are in love with Jesus, we try to carry the cross, even if it is a weight that we alone cannot bear. When we are in love with Jesus, we try to give up all of our possessions, giving them back to God, realizing that they are God’s first. When we are in love with Jesus, we also realize that we will never be able to completely do those things regardless of how hard we try. And even though we fall short, Jesus still loves us, and that is just one more reason to love him.