September 9, 2007
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The Norwegian
Lutheran Memorial Church What does it cost to be a disciple of Jesus? According to the Master himself, one shouldn’t make the decision to follow Him without having considered the price. That discipleship has its expenses. Jesus mentions a couple of comparisons. He says that it resembles somebody going to start a building project. Or a military leader considering waging war. Both these are examples of extensive, expensive enterprises. It should not be done without “coverage of the account.” Today is a day of joy at Mindekirken! A child is being baptized, and we are receiving several new members in our congregation. I’m assured that you who today chose to join our congregation, have considered what this means, both when it comes to commitments on one side, and advantages on the other. You have weighed plusses and minuses against one another and made a decision: Yes, you want membership in Mindekirken. To us in the congregation this is a great joy! We get a supply of “new blood”, we get stronger. God’s congregation in the Bible is called a temple of living stones. If we use that picture, we can say today that new stones are being joined into the wall. So dear new members, before you came, something was missing. Your presence makes our fellowship more whole. I think about our church tower, where there now are some stones missing after the strike of lightning. We see a gaping hole where the stones are missing. A tarpaulin temporarily covers the empty space. To prevent that rain or the birds can do any damage. It is not a permanent solution. New stones have to be put in to make the wall whole again. It is the same with the church of God on earth, too. Maybe you have heard it said about Nidarosdomen Cathedral in Trondheim: It never gets finished. It is so big, and there is something all the time that has to be fixed, there are always new building projects. In the worldwide church, not only maintenance is needed, but additions, extensions, new wings. We hear today about how Jesus addressed the crowd that followed him. He reminded them that he was on his way to the cross and grave, and that those who wanted to be his disciples had to consider what the costs would be for them, too. I was surprised when I realized that the English translation that we use in our church service, NRSV uses the word “to hate”. That someone who wants to become Jesus’ disciple, must hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even life itself. In my opinion, this is a very unfortunate and misunderstand-able translation! It is absolutely not a Christian virtue to hate one’s own life or one’s family. On the contrary we experience that the Christian faith is a resource in daily life. We see that Jesus promotes life, not hampers it. Likewise, Christian faith strengthens marriage and family boundaries. Faith in the triune God helps us to be faithful as spouses. Our faith is also a help to adults to be more caring parents to our children. So “hate” is not adequate in this connection. Then the new Norwegian translation of verse 26 in the text of today is much better with the expression “to put higher”. It is when someone or something in our life comes in between us and God, that things go wrong. Either things or persons. We must obey God rather than any human authority. (Acts 5:29). God and his kingdom are to be put above all, as Luther says in the Small Catechism, more specific in the Explanation of the first commandment: “We should fear, love and trust God above all things.” To those who wanted to be Jesus’ disciples at that time, 2000 years ago, the claims connected to the following were put forth very uncompromised. When he claims that his followers even shall put the kingdom of God higher than their own life (v.26),how is that to be understood? It has to be seen in connection with the shortness of Jesus’ time on earth. Especially as we consider that his public appearance was limited to three years. That’s why his disciples had to put everything else aside to follow him. So it cost them a lot! Some chapters later in Luke (18,29-30), Jesus says that there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not get back very much more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life. So he assures that their offer is not in vain. In the Christian tradition and in the gospels, Jesus’ apostles have been seen as the starting point and the originals of the Christian church. While Jesus’ supporters otherwise play a more marginal role. Even so, everybody who met the Master, was called to get eternal life, we know that God wants everybody to be saved. But then there was a selected group that had a specific mission that was so important and so limited in time that extra sacrifices were required. We read about the first disciples; that they left their nets and their boats and everything to follow Him. This changes after Jesus’ resurrection, as he gives the apostles the mission to go out and make all peoples in the world into disciples, through baptism and Christian education. When Jesus no longer can be followed literally on his wandering from place to place, then the demand to leave family and belongings no longer can be understood as a general order to celibacy and foregoing possessions, valid for all Christians at all times. It is not by accident that the expression give up all your possessions is used in the last verse of our text. He doesn’t ask them to sell it immediately, but give it up. This word points out a fundamental attitude that all Christians should have towards our belongings. That the material things should not trap us, come in between us and God. No generation before us has surrounded themselves with so many things, belongings and equipment to make life easier and more comfortable. Commercials try to create a need and a wish in us to have the last and best issue of everything that modern life is so full of. So we live in a dangerous time! But as I said, I do not think Jesus calls Christians not to own anything. That he depicts material poverty as an ideal. On the contrary, the rich are to use their wealth and their belongings to the glory of God, and to help those who have less. One more thing: Jesus talks about carrying the cross and following him. A true Church of Christ will never become unambiguously popular in this world. Likewise it is for the individual Christian, we cannot expect applause for everything Jesus calls us to say or do as his followers. Many of our brothers and sisters in faith around the world have to pay high costs for being Jesus’ disciples. Especially in some Muslim countries it is not easy to confess a Christian faith. If fact, is it life threatening. Persecuted Christians need our support and intercession. And if the situation should call for us to have to carry the cross, so let us search ourselves and pose ourselves a question, that I would like to be hanging there at the end: Are we ready to bear the expenses? Glory be to the Father and the Son and The holy Spirit, who was, is and shall ever be one true God from eternity to eternity. Amen.
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The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church · 924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 · (612)874-0716 |