Greetings! It’s great to see you all again from this vantage point, here in the pulpit. Well, our youth programming has kicked into gear here at the Church of the Redeemer. And I have a very important announcement to make: I love kickball. I always have and I always will. I’d call it one of the better perks of working with young people. Speaking of young people, the last time I saw you from the pulpit, we were celebrating Vacation Bible School Sunday and we heard a whopper of a Gospel lesson; one similar to the one we heard today.
I remind you of this because unlike a few weeks ago, today I cannot deftly or glibly sidestep one of Jesus’ more difficult teachings by leaning on the epistle or parish-wide event. And, to boot, I’d rather like to avoid doing some rhetorical hocus-pocus that might pacify a teaching, at first reading (or hearing), would offend our sensibilities. Let’s instead talk about how surprising Jesus’ family values would be to his original audience. We’ll start by investigating something I like almost as much as kickball: are you ready?
Kinship systems!
The hearts of our anthropologist friends in the congregation are all aflutter! Really all I want to say about kinship is that throughout most human societies, much of what governs status, authority, access to resources, and a whole host of other things is defined by some reckoning of a person’s family relationships. This is as true now as it was during Jesus’ earthy ministry in first century Palestine. For the crowds hearing Jesus’ teaching, they would have lived their lives with their families, they would have understood that all of their support, their comfort, their very livelihood was bound up in the people closest to them: fathers, mothers, spouses, siblings, and children. When Jesus says to the crowds, unless you hate them, he is not exactly talking about affection, though that may be an implication. Jesus is rather talking about a reappraisal of the very kindred ties that his followers would have taken for granted as the support structure for the journey of discipleship ahead of them.
Then, of course, he mentions that true discipleship has something to do with a cross. Jesus is being pretty tough!
The short illustrations following, one about building a tower, the other about a king taking the field, allude to a person making correct preparations. I think this has to do with the disciple having a firm grasp of whence security and support really come. By following the hard path of being Jesus’ disciple, kinship ties change. God in Christ is the source of stability and the Church becomes the disciples’ family. Now, for those of you who have spent a long time in the Church, this might seem fairly obvious to you. But imagine for a moment, being a new follower of Jesus, back then and now.
Imagine, that this teacher was basically wrecking all your expectations about how and who is involved in sustaining you. Also, think about how the teaching “Whoever comes to me and does not hate etc. etc., jibes with what Moses brought down from the mountain in the fifth commandment: Thou Shalt Honor thy…father and mother. What I’m getting at is that Jesus was not, and is not, interested in the status quo, not when it comes to the disciples, not when it comes to doing the work of the Kingdom.
Now I asked you to imagine what this would sound like to a new disciple in the 21st Century. What if, inspired by the teaching and ministry of Jesus, a challenging word from him (even an affront to good manners) came not as a deterrent to discipleship, but as an indication of a life that is to come at the feet of Jesus. Imagine that the prospect of this life was exciting, precisely because it is challenging. Imagine that this Jesus, who asks his disciples to be prepared by setting aside natural affiliation, by resting in God’s Good News in Christ, and by being ready to give everything over in order to work for him, this Jesus kindles the fire in the hearts of a new disciple for Christian service.
What I am getting at is that the parts of Jesus’ teachings that offend our sensibilities are meant to call attention to the life that we are called into as Christians, is difficult. It’s costly. It might even be impossible. But I think that’s why it is so compelling: we as Christian disciples are tasked with the impossible, and then given license and fully empowered to do it. We are tasked with loving like God does, and ministering like He does: bringing all things back to him to give Him glory. We do it with his help; we do it when we make the decision to make Jesus our kin; when we act as if he is the bridegroom.
Now, I know a little bit about changing some familial roles. I mean I showed up at a place and a bunch of people I don’t know started calling me Father, which is unsettling on a number of levels, I can assure you. As a young Christian, both in years of service and years on earth, I want to tell you that if you are out there thinking that God doesn’t want to do something impossible with you, I must protest. For me, serving in the kingdom meant putting on a collar and talking to you from a pulpit from time to time…and of course not to mention getting on a bus with a bunch of teenagers to ride Space Mountain while Christian Rock blares over the sound system of a major American rodent-based theme park. You know – radical stuff!
For you, doing the impossible in the Kingdom might be as far flung as forgiving a repentant friend, or are making a commitment to Christian integrity in business, or embracing simplicity in lifestyle. It might mean turning your stray thoughts to prayer, or carefully planning your life around acts of kindness, small or large. It certainly can mean that you give everything over to God, so that you gain a perspective which inches towards things eternal. It might even mean having a conversation with God about how to sign up. If you’ve never had that conversation, and need some help, I’d love to be there. If you’re nervous about that one, worried about what He’s like, or what He might think, I remember my first talk with Him. He was nice. He gave me a job after all. Why not check in?
That is where I leave you this week! Consider what challenges you have over the week while walking with God. Count them all to joy, dear brothers and sisters, as we work together with God in building His Kingdom. And don’t forget about kickball. Get some time to play kickball.
And while out there in the vineyard, keep each other in your prayers.
Amen.
Sermon preached by the Reverend David S. Bumsted
The Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota, Florida
16th Sunday after Pentecost
8 September 2013