What Does It Cost You? - Sermon on Luke 14:25-33

Listen to the sermon here. 

Luke 14:25-33

25 Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them,²⁶ "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.²⁷ Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.²⁸ For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?²⁹ Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him,³⁰ saying, "This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'³¹Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand?³² If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace.³³ So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.

SERMON

“When Christ calls a human, he bids him come and die.”   These are no doubt powerful words. Anybody familiar with that quote?  Do you know who wrote it? “When Christ calls a human, he bids him come and die.”  When put into context, these words are all the more powerful.

In 1937, at the height of the Nazi Regime, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a well known book called “The Cost of Discipleship.”  Bonhoeffer was German pastor and theologian, and perhaps most well know for his resistance and opposition to the Nazi party.  From the beginning, Bonhoeffer publically and passionately opposed the Nazi party. Even more so, he was deeply troubled by the misuse of the gospel message and power of Christianity to justify mass genocide.  He was worried that the secularization of faith and grace was a cause for complacency and indifference - that the cost of our salvation was taken for granted, that forgiveness was an endless gift, and therefore and failure or shortcoming as disciples of Christ was shrugged away under the gift of grace.  He called this cheap grace. Grace that is abused and taken for granted. Grace that abounds despite our own sinfulness, our indifference, our hatred, and inability to act.

So, Bonhoeffer spoke adamantly of costly grace.  Grace that convicts us to live into the crucifixion of Jesus and rise again to work towards the kingdom of God, despite the costs.

In his book, he wrote. “Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ.

 It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'Ye were bought at a price', and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.” 

In the mid 1930s, despite being a vocal and public opposition to the work and belief of the Nazis, Bonhoeffer returned to Germany.  For several years to risk his life traveling from town to town, educating and training clergy and church leaders in underground seminaries.  By 1940, he was shut down by the Gestapo. Banned from Berlin. He was silenced.

He accepted a job at Union Theological Seminary in the US, where he would be safe from persecution.  But within a few short years he said, “I have come to the conclusion that I made a mistake in coming to America. I must live through this difficult period in our national history with the people of Germany. I will have no right to participate in the reconstruction of Christian life in Germany after the war if I do not share the trials of this time with my people ... .I must choose but I cannot make that choice from security.”  

By his convictions as a Christian, and at a cost, he returned to Germany to proclaim the gospel and the grace of Christ.  He was silenced. Harassed. Arrested. Imprisoned in concentration camps. And eventually he was hanged.  

“When Christ calls a human, he bids him come and die.” 

I suppose today’s reading calls to question, what is the cost of being a disciple.  What does it cost to be a Christian. To be a follower of Christ. And I mean that seriously, myself included, what does it cost us to be disciples and followers of Christ?

You don’t have to answer out loud if for no other reason than I don’t know what my own answer would be.  And to be clear, I’m not talking about an hour in worship and a few hours a week of service. I’m not talking about your 10% tithe or charitable giving.  It’s so much more. And it’s what Jesus talks about in front of a large crowd today, what does it cost to be a follower. A disciple.

And I would venture to guess, that once most of us had a chance to think about it, the answer would frankly be “nothing.”  It doesn't really cost us anything. Being a Christian, being a disciple is not in and of itself a risky endeavor. On a day-to-day basis, it cost most of us nothing to be a part of the body of Christ. 

Since baptism, God claimed us and named us, grafted us into the body of Christ.  Into the one mission we share. We were called to be God’s children. And from that day forward, we’re Christians, followers of Jesus, free to invest as much or as little of ourselves, our time, and our possessions as we choose.  And we can be as Christian as we want without it costing us a thing.

But, given today’s text, shouldn’t it cost us something to follow Christ?  Should there be some sense of risk involved? Why doesn’t our discipleship stir up a bit of trepidation or hesitation?  Is following Christ really that...easy?

The word “follow” has taken on such a different meaning in the context of today’s world.  Our cultural and social media dominate life has almost redefined what it means to follow. With the click of a button you can follow almost anyone you want.  And just as easy you can broadcast all of your life for anyone in the world to follow you. Status is gained by having a higher number of followers.  

When we think about Instagram, Facebook, twitter...whatever it is, we are invited to follow the lives of whomever we want.  Famous movie stars, and athletes. Musicians, friends, hobbyists...whomever. With one click we become a follower. A subscriber. 

More importantly, we follow at a distance.  We can watch their every move, read and hear what they have to say, we can like or ignore whatever we do or don’t support.  We follow at a convenient distance. We become subscribers of content.   And the larger the following the more powerful the person we follow.  But this sense of following is actually simply observation, empty and vain.  And it cost us nothing.  

In today’s Gospel text Jesus continues his journey to Jerusalem.  Word has spread about the things he has done and said. People continue to gather around him and the crowds follow.  Now we don’t know how big the crowd was, but it was big enough for the gospel writer to make mention of it. Jesus turns to them all and offers some very blunt words about what is at stake if they desire to be his follower.  

After all, Jesus has his eyes on Jerusalem, where he’ll be arrested, beaten, tried, and crucified.  This journey is not for simple onlookers, marginal observers, and curious inquires. No, Jesus is ushering in a new reign of God, a kingdom that will rattle the foundations of the known world, unsettle the bedrock of the cultural, societal, and political norms.  And if, IF you desire to continue to follow Jesus, you must be honest about what lies ahead, and that it might cost you your very life. 

“When Christ calls a human, he bids him come and die.”

In Jesus’ day, it really was a costly decision to follow Christ.  I think we too often make light of it because in the beginning of the gospel Christ calls and the disciples drop everything and follow.  No big deal.  

But the reality was, following Jesus often meant encountering conflict...with family, friends, coworkers.  It meant forsaking or changing your life-long beliefs about the Messiah and what to expect.  It meant denouncing the ways of a sinful world, challenging powerful systems, venturing to hostile territories, dining with sinners, accompanying the unclean, caring for the oppressed, loving the last and least, finding the lost, and healing the broken. 

Following Jesus truly and literally meant following in his footsteps.  It meant, as the definition goes, paying close attention to Jesus, acting according to his example, conforming to his ways, and striving for his witness.  Following Jesus meant you were bid to come and die. Die to the old ways of life, be transformed by his radical witness of love and justice, and live in proclamation of God’s kingdom.  

So when we ask ourselves what does it cost us to be a disciple and follower of Christ and our answer is nothing, then I think we must re-encounter the gospel message, reassess Christ’s call to come and follow, reevaluate our identity as Christians.   I suspect that when Jesus laid out the cost of being a disciple to the crowd, several people turned around and said never mind. I bet they went on home where life felt safer, easier, and more content.  

Friends, being a Christian, a disciple, a follower of Christ is not something we should take lightly or for granted.  Because the truth is, the call to discipleship has in fact cost us our lives.  

In the waters of baptism we drown to the old way of living and rise again, claimed and named into a new way of life.    And baptism isn’t simply a Rite of initiation. We don’t haphazardly click subscribe to be a Christians and follow safely from a distance.   Leaning in when convenient or beneficial. Stepping back when too risky. 

No, we’re in the thick of it.  IN the footsteps of our radical, counter-cultural Messiah, we’re on a journey to Jerusalem, where our very lives are stake.  Believing in the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus changes the way we see the world. Being washed in the waters of costly grace and fed at the holy banquet table, where we receive a foretaste of the feast to come transforms the way we live out our life.  Our calling. Our discipleship.  

And in part, that’s exactly what God’s Work. Our Hands day is about.  It’s not just a time of church wide service. It’s not simply about giving our time and resources to intentional serve our neighbor.  God’s Work. Our Hands. Is intended to be a public affirmation...a re-affirmation really that we are called, claimed, named, and appointed disciples of Christ.  

As followers of Christ we don’t just choose to get our hands and feet dirty in the muck of the world, we absolutely cannot help but engage with the brokenness of the world.  

As followers of Christ we cannot help but forsake the lifelong teachings of sinful world, Can’t help but denounce sin, death, devil, and all the forces that defy God.  

We cannot help but challenge unjust systems of power, venture into hostile territory, break bread with sinners, accompany the unclean, care for the oppressed, and love the last and least.  We cannot help but heal the broken and care for creation.

And the truth is, this calling may cost us everything.  Following Christ, being a disciple may cost us everything.  And for many of the apostles and early church leaders, it did.  It cost them their lives.  

My siblings in Christ, our world is bent, broken, oppressed, and in desperate need of healing.  And as the church, the incarnation of God’s costly grace, we absolutely must engage. We must pick of the cross, take the risk, and harken Christ’s bid to come and die. 

Because through death is the promise of resurrection.  And at the cost of following Christ, God promises hope.  God promises forgiveness. God promises grace. God promises everlasting life.  And thanks be to God, it is freely given. 

Amen.

 © Pastor Daniel Locke, Preached on Sept. 8, 2019 @ St. Mark's Lutheran JAX, FL

Come, Let Me Show You - Sermon on Mark 8:27-38 - 09.16.2018

Listen to the gospel and the sermon here.  Mark 8:27-38

27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" 28 And they answered him, "John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."29 He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Messiah." 30 And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. 31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." 34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

Who do you say that I am?  This is one of the most notable conversations of Jesus, and certainly one of his most memorable interactions with Peter.   Who do you say that I am? It is a question within scripture that I suspect most of us are familiar with. Some say you are John the Baptist, some say Elijah, some say a prophet, or other.  But, you, Jesus asks, who do you say that I am?

Today we find Jesus and his disciples on the road again.  They are making their way from Bethsaida to Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus will begin to transition to Jerusalem.  This moment of walking and talking serves as an interlude between Jesus’ public ministry and Jesus preparing the disciples for his impending death.   And it’s on the road, on the way, that Jesus asks the disciples “who do people say that I am?”

So the disciples offer some answers based on their experiences with the crowds.  They’ve witnessed first hand all that Jesus has done and they no doubt have an ear to the ground and the rumblings of the crowds.  They have a handle on the crowds expectations and interpretations of who Jesus is. Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, some a prophet, or other…

But you, inner circle, whom I have called to be my disciples, my followers, first hand witnesses...who do you say that I am?  Peter steps up and quickly replies, you are the Messiah! Without hesitation, out of Peter’s mouth comes this declaration of faith, You are the Messiah!

I suspect most of us think nothing of it because, of course Jesus is the Messiah...we know that.  Why wouldn’t Peter know that?

“You are the Messiah.”  I often wonder what makes Peter respond in such a way?  I wonder what it is that allows…empowers him to respond to Jesus with such a profound and decisive   proclamation of faith?   His response is more than a recitation, or simple answer. Rather it is a response of faith and confession. And I always wonder, why now?  What changed for Peter that helped him to see and understand? I mean, he and the disciples don’t have the best track record for knowing who Jesus is...So what changed?

Somewhere along the journey, Peter has come to know and profess Jesus as the Messiah.  That’s who Christ is….or, for Peter at least, the Messiah is who wants Jesus to be.

We often praise Peter for proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah, but I think that’s only because we A) know the ending of the story, and B) have a different understanding and expectation of a Messiah because we know the ending of the story.

And as confident as Peter may be in declaring Jesus as the Messiah, it all blows up in his face when Jesus tells them that the time has come for the son of Man to undergo great suffering, be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, the scribes, and be killed.   This doesn’t sit well with Peter, so he gets in Jesus’ face and rebukes him. You’re wrong, Jesus! No Messiah of mine will be defeated! My messiah absolutely will NOT undergo suffering. He surely wouldn’t be rejected by those in power. And my Messiah absolutely will not, cannot be killed.

For Peter, there is a drastic disconnect between his naming of Jesus as the Messiah, and Jesus’ actual reign as a Messiah.  Peter can not reconcile who he thinks and says Jesus is with the actions and impending future of Jesus as the Messiah.

Jesus responds, “Get behind me Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things!”  This exchange isn’t about Peter’s deep love for Christ and the prospect of a broken heart if he has to watch his friend, mentor, and rabbi die.  No, Peter’s reaction is because the future Jesus paints is NOT the future Peter wants or expects of Jesus as Messiah. Peter is selfishly professing who he wants, needs, implores Jesus to be rather than understanding who Jesus says he really is.

For Peter and the Jewish tradition of his day, Messiah was an anointed king, a ruler in the line of David that would come to reign over Israel.  He would restore Israel from the Gentiles. He would reclaim their independence and glory as God’s chosen people. He would overcome adversaries and oppressors.  He would rule like no king before. For the Jewish people, this is what the longed for. This is how they interpreted the prophets. And for Peter, Jesus was the hoped-for Messiah. Challenging authority, leading with confidence and power, teaching and healing in the name of God. Nothing was going to stop Peter’s expectation of Jesus as Messiah.

But the problem is, that’s not who Jesus is.  That’s no what Jesus will do. In fact, nothing to this point in the gospel of Mark has given any indication to Peter that Jesus will reign in this way.  Rather, Peter has set his mind on human things, selfish desire. Calling Jesus the Messiah carried such connotations and expectations, and every one of Peter’s expectations were crushed when Jesus told him what is to become of the son of man.

Peter confidently declares Christ as Messiah, yet his naming is selfish.  It’s rooted in his own understanding, his own hope and expectation. Jesus, you’re our Messiah, long awaited, and our expected Messiah is you are and will be for us.

Peter certainly is the first, nor the last person to define Jesus from his own perspective, hope, and expectation.  For as long as Christ has been proclaimed, the world has found a way to pigeonhole, define, limit, manipulate, or interpret that proclamation to best suit their personal need, agenda, or hope.  For centuries, the name of Christ, the Messiah, the son of God, has been confidently, yet falsely proclaimed to attack, defend, or justify human ambition and action. Human things. And when Christ is interpreted and proclaimed out of personal pride, preference, or perspective, then we abuse both the power and humility of the gospel message.  

And I’m not saying we should fault Peter.  After all, Peter’s hopes for a Messiah aren’t drastically different than our own.  How often do we pray for Jesus to come and rescue us from our troubles. Or pray for Jesus to guide political leaders and elected officials.  How often do we call upon Christ to bring justice to our enemies and righteousness to our actions. How we often do we call upon Christ to end war, calm creation, give meaning and understanding, demolish hatred, and restore us as God’s chosen people.

But the word of warning in today’s Gospel is that Jesus, the Messiah, the son of God and son of man will reign, rule, and resurrect well beyond any of our preconceived notions, preferences, expectations or understandings. We don’t get to define Christ, even in our best of intentions.

Rather we are defined by Christ.  We live, move, and have our very being by grace in Jesus, the son of man, the son of God, the Messiah.  And our Messiah is one who exceeds all expectations, leading with humility and grace. Jesus will restore, redeem, and set free, but he’ll do so in the most contrary way to the world’s expectations.   Rather than lead with force, and power, conquering adversaries and punishing the oppressors. Jesus will willingly and knowingly undergo suffering. He’ll be rejected with humility and grace. He’ll give up his life for the sake of the world.  So all people might have life and life abundant.

This is our Messiah.  And if ever we hope to faithfully proclaim Jesus as our true Messiah, and have confidence in our understanding of the son of God in doing so, then our call is to set aside our selves, and follow.  To lay down our life, and inward, selfish ambition, expectation, or hope, and follow. For naming the messiah is empty if only abstract. It is in the concrete action of serving and following our Messiah that will give faithful understanding to our proclamation.  

This is what Jesus instructs when he tells the crowd to “deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.”  Jesus would have Peter, the disciples, and the crowds turn from their selfishness. Dissolve and preconditions, expectations, or understandings they may have for their Messiah..and follow.  

Who do we say Jesus is?  Make no mistake brothers and sisters, this is a question that the world is asking, and the world is groaning for an answer that is faithful.  Who do you say that Jesus is? What is our response? Is it simply enough to say, “He is the Messiah”?

Well Brothers and Sisters, first it starts much like it did for Peter when Jesus bid him to come and follow.  We too, in the waters of baptism have been named and claimed, marked with the cross of Christ, sealed by the holy spirit, and called to be visible witnesses of the kingdom of God.  

Raised in faith, we too are taught and formed.  We read and discuss the stories of Jesus. We hear Jesus’s sermons and teachings.  We learn from his miracles, parables, and healings. We too, like Peter, come to know, understand, believe in, depend on, follow, and proclaim Jesus as the messiah, the risen son of the living God. Our Faith in Jesus Christ and our ability to proclaim as witnesses to God’s blessing of grace and love is empowered by our daily, tangible experiences of the living God in Jesus Christ.

In worship we are invited to Christ’s table to be consumed by the body and blood of Christ. We are filled again and again by the Spirit, We are fed and nourished, and we are sent out by God to follow Christ with a greater hunger. We follow Christ with a hunger for justice. We follow Christ as he serves a ravished world with love and grace. Follow to feed the hungry, care for the poor, clothe the naked. Follow the Messiah as he advocates for the outcast, gives voice to the oppressed and stands firm in the face of injustice.  

We are called and sent as a church, a body of individuals, empowered by our experience of the living God through the Spirit, to be visible and verbal witnesses to the world that Jesus IS the Messiah, the son of the living God.

It is through this calling that we respond answer who Christ is.  In faithful following and witness to Christ, our naming becomes a confession.  

So, “who do you say Jesus is…”  Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, some prophet.

Who do you say Jesus is? Some the Messiah, a king of kings, a mighty ruler. Some say the son of man and son of God.  Some say Lord, healer, and teacher.  Some say redeemer.

But perhaps the most powerful answer of all might be, “come, let me show you…”

Amen.

© Pastor Daniel Locke, preached Sept. 16, 2018 @ St. Mark's Lutheran Jacksonville, FL