The Upload
Posted on Sep 02, 2016 by
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
It's really good to be back from vacation – I hope this finds you all well.
I don’t know about you, but there sure are a lot of things I would like to have that I don’t have. I love to cook and, in particular, I love to grill. A number of years ago, a neighbor down the street was smoking some meat on a Friday. The wonderful aroma drifted all the way down to our house where I was mowing our lawn, and needless to say, it was making me really hungry. When I was finished with my lawn, I walked down to his house to visit, and he began to teach me how to smoke meat. I was hooked, but I needed a smoker. Well, being the frugal kind of person I am, I began to research what kind of smoker I should buy and, unfortunately, what I learned is that the one I liked most is really expensive. So, because I am not willing to spend that kind of money on a smoker, I still don’t have a good smoker. Oh, I have purchased a cheaper two-in-one grill/smoker, but it just doesn't work very well.
In many ways, my story of wanting a good smoker is a lot like how we live our faith. In our gospel text for this Sunday, Luke 14:25-33, we are told that there were large crowds following Jesus and that Jesus 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.” Now, when we hear this, we first think, he can’t really mean we must “hate” our families. Well, actually, he does mean it, but he means it in a comparative sense, much like if I have a choice of broccoli or Brussels sprouts, and I choose broccoli because I “hate” Brussels sprouts. Jesus is saying, look, if you really want to be my disciple, then you will always have to choose my ways and me first. Unfortunately, we often want to be followers of Jesus, but not if it means giving up something we really like. We have all kinds of excuses for not giving up our things and our ways, but Jesus says, if it comes down to me, other things or other people, a disciple will always choose me.
This is what Dietrich Bonhoeffer is getting at in his most well-known book, “The Cost of Discipleship.” In it, he identifies what he called cheap grace, which is really what we all would prefer. We preach God’s forgiveness of our sins so strongly that, if we’re not careful, we will begin to believe that it doesn’t matter what we do, God will forgive us, so why worry about doing the right thing? The point is, Jesus said, to be my follower you must always insist on doing the right thing, even if it means giving up your own life. Dietrich Bonhoeffer did that when he stood against Hitler, even though it meant he would be put to death. Bonhoeffer was a disciple of Jesus. The cost of discipleship is priceless, and there is no greater reward than living one's life as a disciple.
Have a blessed and holy week!
Shalom,
Pr. Dave