Called to follow (Lk. 9:51–62)
If I ask any one of you how you’re going, as is customary in Australian culture, your most likely answer (other than “Good, thanks.”) would be, “Oh, pretty busy.”
Our kids are probably the busiest of everyone with school to go to most days, along with things on after school and often sport on the weekends. Kids can’t be busy, though, without busy parents to drive them everywhere they need to go on time.
Adults who aren’t parents will probably try to find work as close to full-time as possible so that they can earn money and make their contribution to society. I also hear retirees saying that they’re busier than they ever were!
As busy people in a busy world, it is crucial that we are organised. If we’re not organised, we’ll disappoint people when we forget to show up to things.
How do you organise yourself? Do you have a handy pocket-sized diary where you jot down every appointment and birthday? Do you have a whiteboard on the fridge with a strategic map of how to navigate the week? Do you have a calendar on the toilet door? Are you like me, relying on your phone calendar for everything and when it’s not in there, it doesn’t happen?
Being organised becomes even more of a challenge when things clash. All of us have experienced the odd clash of events. You might’ve arranged to have coffee with a friend but then something urgent comes up at home, or you get offered a shift when you really wanted to just chill and watch TV at home.
These clashes often feel like lose-lose situations, but a choice must be made in that moment. Hopefully your friend will understand, and you can reschedule, but you wouldn’t want to make a regular habit of making that friend second, would you?
We generally have our priorities ordered. Immediate family, extended family, close friends, less-close friends, work, school, hobbies… They all fall into some kind of order, don’t they? Maybe the order shuffles around at times, depending on the stage of life you’re in.
When Jesus says, “Follow me,” he is asking to be the top priority. Even family, culture, and tradition comes second. Jesus doesn’t mince his words either. It’s easy to feel a bit taken aback by what we just heard, but let’s look a little closer.
Jesus calls his followers, not the other way around.
There are three would-be disciples here. Jesus invites the second guy to follow him, but the other two commit to it without his invitation—they initiate the conversation. “I’ll follow you, Lord, but first…”
Notice how none of Jesus’ twelve disciples became disciples by their own commitment. Jesus called each of them. He initiates the conversation. From the very beginning of our Christian journey, the power lies in Jesus’ invitation, not our commitment.
Luther says in his explanation to the Third Article of the Creed:
I believe that on my own I can never come to Jesus Christ my Lord, or believe in him, no matter how hard I try. But the Holy Spirit has called me to Jesus by the good news about him. The Spirit has led me to know and trust Jesus, made me holy, and kept me in the Christian faith.
In the same way the Holy Spirit creates the Christian church all over the world.
The Spirit calls people to Jesus, brings them together into the church, makes them holy, and keeps them with Jesus in the Christian faith.
In the Christian church the Spirit keeps on forgiving all my sins and the sins of everyone who believes in Jesus…
Through his Spirit, Jesus calls us individually, but not so that we remain individual. Following Jesus means being a part of the whole gathering of disciples. God does not want us to be alone in our following. He gives us a community to be a part of to pick us up when we fall—that’s the church.
It’s of course our baptism that gives us that certainty that we all belong here together. It’s the tick of approval, the certification, if you like. The body of Christ is made up of all sorts of different parts—just look around—but we all have the gift of baptism in common.
Jesus calls his followers, not the other way around.
God’s kingdom is more important than anything else.
Jesus makes it pretty clear today that even family comes second to God’s kingdom. Does that apply to us too? How does that play out?
Does Jesus want us to neglect our families? Is he asking us to ignore them when they need us? Does he want us to abandon the communities we live in, and the culture we’re a part of?
It sure sounds like that, but let’s think about how Jesus exemplifies this for us. He was deeply engrained in culture. He participated in all the Jewish rituals and festivals. He wore the appropriate clothes and probably grew a beard like he was meant to (that’s what all the pictures say, at least). But none of this was ever at the expense of God’s kingdom. None of it took away from his service to God and his will.
Things like family, culture, ritual, and tradition are all a necessary part of life. We find so much meaning and joy in being a part of something bigger than ourselves, a story longer than our own lifetime.
Jesus is reminding us that these things can sometimes become more important than God’s kingdom in our lives. We can put other things before God, breaking the First Commandment. These are not bad things in and of themselves, but we sinners have a way of making good things into bad things. It’s not something we can help sometimes, but we can be aware of it and ask for God’s forgiveness.
The simplest practical example to think of is whether you decide to come to church or not. After a big week, Sunday morning might be your only chance to rest. There’s nothing wrong with that at all—God isn’t only at church—but how does God come into your life that week, then? What time or space do you have in your busy schedule for your heavenly Father?
Putting God’s kingdom first isn’t about doing things for God. It’s about making space in your life for him. He is always standing at the door, waiting for you to let him inside. Sometimes he’ll patiently and quietly wait for you to realise he’s there. Sometimes, he might ring the doorbell, or he might even just let himself in.
God’s kingdom is more important than anything else.
The past is less important than God’s future.
The heaviest machinery I’ve ever operated is probably a paper guillotine, but I’d imagine that operating heavy machinery requires both hands and your full attention. I guess that goes for the guillotine, too.
There’s no question that our past has value. Our heritage has so much meaning for us. When we start our Foundations course on Sunday afternoon, we’ll be reflecting on how our story shapes who we are and the great things God has done for and through us in our past. He has the power to change lives in a matter of seconds, let alone well over 100 years of this congregation’s lifespan.
We find so much meaning and value in our past that, at times, it becomes our measure for everything. We don’t have as many kids as we used to… We don’t run as many programs as we used to… We don’t have as many pastors as we used to… Our pastors aren’t as old and wise as they used to be… Whatever it is, the past is always our direct comparison, and it kills us.
We look back and see the glory days—even I can do that in my 20’s. We can desire how it used to be so much that we get ourselves down about how things are now. We feel like we’re failing. And if we measure against the past, we are.
The success or failure of any church is not about the numbers. Less or older people does not mean we’ve failed. Nor does more people mean we’ve succeeded, mind you. We measure our success by our openness to God’s will for us. The Spirit does not often stay stationary for long. The Jesus train keeps moving.
Jesus doesn’t ask people to stand behind him. He says, “Follow me.” That must mean he moves. Following him means moving with him, where he leads.
The past is how we can see how God lead those who came before us to great and wonderful things. We cherish that story and find encouragement in it. But don’t get stuck in it. Put both hands back on the wheel and focus on the road ahead. We’ve got a job to do in this town that God is equipping us for.
The past isn’t all positive, though. We have a history of conflict, disagreement, and pain as well, as a church and as individuals. We all have our regrets and mistakes. What does Jesus have to say to that?
“Let the dead bury their own dead.” Let the past deal with itself. I’ll forgive you for any wrong you’re sorry for. Don’t get hung up on the past—we have a future to get on with.
The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. Jesus was a traveller, moving from place to place according to God’s will for him. That life of movement continues by his Holy Spirit, who now lives in us.
We don’t walk alone into the future. We have Jesus to lead us and the Spirit to guide us. He’s called us to be followers after all.
