The congregation that I attended when I was growing up was Peace Lutheran in College Station. I have a lot of really good and random memories there. It’s interesting some of the things you remember compared to others. The sanctuary is set in a half circle design similar to ours. I always thought that was really a cool concept. You got to see the other people you were worshipping with. Above the altar area there is a huge dove carved out of wood. During sermons sometimes I would sit and wonder if the pastor and the assisting minister for the day would be able to get out of the way fast enough if it were to fall. And we had the red carpet. I don’t know why, but that red carpet is like a staple in Lutheran churches. I also remember vividly the Fellowship Hall. I spent lots of time there playing different games and doing different activities. There is this one triangle shaped ledge that sticks out over the office area. That was the home run porch for when we played marshmallow baseball. Every time I visit home I wonder if someone finally got up there to get those down or if there is still a stray marshmallow or two still up there. Peace was for the longest time my home congregation. There was, however, this very weird time right when I started here at Shepherd of Life where I wasn’t quite sure where my home congregation was. What will help you understand the weirdness is to understand a part of the candidacy process when someone decides to pursue ordained ministry to become a pastor. One part of the process is having a home congregation that supports you through that time. So even while I was in college I continued to refer to Peace as my home congregation. When I arrived here to follow the call of youth and family ministry, meaning I wasn’t going straight to seminary like I had planned for a while, it wasn’t as important to have a “home” congregation anymore. Shepherd of Life is now undoubtedly my home congregation, but you could see how at first it was a little uncomfortable. I had spent so much time holding on to a “home congregation” for a specific purpose that it took a little bit to transition.
Looking at our gospel lesson today it’s pretty obvious that it can be a tough thing to transition what you consider home. While Jesus is passing through a village, his face set on heading towards Jerusalem, he has three really unique encounters with people. Out of these three encounters we are given three sayings of Jesus that each resemble a soundbyte and are rapid fire. They also seem to be a bit out of character for Jesus. The first comes when someone says “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus then responds rather oddly, “Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” The guy didn’t say anything about wanting to settle down anywhere so the answer at first seems a little out of left field. Jesus then calls to another person using his classic line “Follow me.” That person wants to go and lay his father to rest first, but seems open to the call. To which then Jesus responds “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God” Seems a bit harsh. The last person says “I’m totally down for following you just let me go say goodbye to my folks really quick” to which Jesus essentially responds “Cool, but that means you’re not really cut out for this” What do we make of all this?
What seems like some tough words from Jesus is really him just painting a reality for those he encounters, his disciples that are with him, and for us as followers years later. If you’re going to follow me and do kingdom work then things are going to look much different than you expect them to. I don’t have a place to call home, no set place to lay my head. Chances are you probably won’t either. When you go to proclaim the kingdom and listen to its call it might get in the way of plans you thought about doing…even changing the friendships and relationships you hold close to you now. If you’re concerned about saying goodbye to things now imagine what it will be like down the road when things aren’t as comfortable. This is real talk that we all understand at some level. Think about how your life is different because of your journey of faith. When we take serious the call of Christ to follow it means some pretty radical things. We have to give up and sacrifice some things, mainly ourselves, our pride, our selfishness, our need to control things and make them nice and neat. If you think back to the calling of the first disciples what did they do when Jesus called them. They dropped their nets and immediately followed. What we are seeing today are potential disciples that have potential reservations.
God has been using those sorts of people for years. Every major call story in the Bible when people have been contacted by God for a purpose have had some sort of excuse. I can’t speak well, I’m too young, I’m too old, I’m not good enough, what are other people going to say. That didn’t matter to God though. Through some discussion, sometimes not always the nicest, God has convinced God’s people to do some incredible things. So if you have some reservations like the people in our gospel text today you’re not alone. There is, however, some reality that you will have to face, but it’s not in the fine print. It’s right there for us all to see as we seek to live out and follow the way of Jesus. Jesus’ call to come follow him doesn’t guarantee a simple, straightforward life that has all of the creature comforts taken care of, but what it does speak to us is the fact that we are needed to help bring in the kingdom of God.
There is also a cautionary tale for those of us who are following whether we have reservations or not as many. We see it in the way that James and John react to those who aren’t as accepting. Before the three encounters Jesus and the disciples are going to pass through a Samaritan village. Samaritans and Jews didn’t see eye to eye on everything in Jesus’ day and it usually came out in the form of hatred against one another. For whatever reason this Samaritan village didn’t accept the messengers that Jesus had sent ahead to prepare a place for him. James and John react rather strongly wanting to call down fire from heaven to consume them. They weren’t called the sons of thunder for nothing! As if they could even do that to begin with! Who do they think they are? Sounds to me like they were a bit big for their britches as my grandpa used to say. Some folks have a habit of doing that today as well. When we are met with something different that doesn’t accept us as we are, we are all sorts of ready to call down some fire. Here’s the thing: James and John couldn’t and weren’t allowed to do it and neither are we. We are called to follow Jesus’ example and act in a way that is radically different. To respond with holy love instead of holy fire.
So if we follow on this road that will be twisty, curved, complicated and filled with radically different responses to things, what are we going to find along the way? I was reading a blog post by one of my favorite musicians Michael Gungor this past week. He and his wife Lisa along with some of their musician friends have gotten together and created the band Gungor. They create some awesome music that is different than mainstream Christian music, but talks deeply about the mystery of our faith. He was telling a story about a time that they were playing for worship at a Catholic youth festival and they were invited to participate in the evening Adoration. During this service the congregation lit candles and spent around 20 minutes in silence facing the cross simply adoring Christ. He didn’t know all of the details, but what Michael did feel and understand was the mystery of it all. Then, of course, I had to go down and read the comments… All of them were really positive, many thanking Michael for speaking positively about a church that often is the target of a lot of hate. One phrase kept popping up that really struck me “Come Home.” Comment after comment imploring Michael to “Come home” That caused a lot of questions for me namely: since Micheal didn’t grow up Catholic, how could becoming Catholic suddenly be coming home? It helped me realize a promise that Jesus talks to us about today. When we set off on the road, following his way, we may not find home in a certain place, but we will definitely find home in Jesus. That could be why Jesus reminds us that he has no home. No certain faith tradition or denomination has sole claim over Jesus. This means that who knows what we could discover from those we journey with when we set out on the road. Things might look different and we’ll never know what we could learn and appreciate about others if we call down fire upon them or are held up by our own reservations. What we can be sure of is that we have a home and shelter in Christ who calls us to journey with him. Despite our differences or our reservations we are called to journey together and do kingdom work all while residing at home in Jesus. To proclaim that God has come near. To tell of the good news of God’s love revealed in Jesus Christ. As you journey this week may you remember that wherever you are you are home in Jesus. He’s there to strengthen you with his grace and love. May you also remember that despite your reservations you are called to proclaim the kingdom. May you also learn something different from someone else this week as we journey down the road together. Amen
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