The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

July 1, A.D. 2007


Eternal Priorities


Some years ago there was a little wooden coin that resembled the old wooden nickels. On this wooden coin was printed the words: One Round Tuit. A pastor friend of mine got hold of a bunch of these and when talking to parishioners about getting some things done and was told “when I get around to it” would hand them one round tuit. We all have priorities in our lives, and we all often respond to requests by saying, “When I get around to it.” We all have times when we succumb to procrastination. Today Jesus makes eternal priorities very clear. One day he was on his way to Jerusalem when he was told that he was a persona non grata in a Samaritan village. So, the disciples in typical clueless fashion say “Lord, do you want us to bid fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” Give me a break. In the first place, what makes them think that they have the right or ability to call fire down from heaven? In the second place, they are clueless to what Jesus has been doing or saying. In the third place, Jesus of Nazareth never intrudes where he is not wanted. He stands at the door and knocks. He never goes where he is not wanted. That was so when we walked the dusty roads of Galilee, it is so in our own days, when Christ doesn’t seem to be as welcome or wanted as he once was. I remember some years ago the Lutheran bishops of Africa sent our bishops a message saying: “We don’t think you are very interested in Jesus anymore, so we will send our missionaries to you.” Anyway, Jesus quickly deals with that situation by telling off James and John, respects the Samaritan’s request to say away, when a man comes up and says, “I will follow you wherever you go.” That’s a pretty strong and commendable statement. He obviously saw something in Jesus that was appealing; he obviously wanted to be part of Jesus’ disciples. But, does he know what that means? Jesus lays it on the line by telling him that it is not going to be a nice picnic….”Foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Jesus, Son of God, Son of Man, the Word Incarnate…with no place to call home. The guy, of course, isn’t ever heard of again. To another one Jesus says, “Follow me” and he says, “Lord let me first go and bury my father” to which Jesus replies “Leave the dead to bury the dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Aren’t we surprised that Jesus said that. But, if you look a little further, the man isn’t asking to go to a funeral – he is telling Jesus that he will go be with his father while he is alive and then, someday later, will follow Jesus, when he gets round tuit. Then comes another volunteer, who says, “I will follow you Lord, but, let me first go say farewell to those at may home, I’ll follow you when I get round tuit.” Jesus hits the nail squarely on the head when he says: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Ouch. My brothers and sister in Christ: Today’s Gospel challenges us to look squarely into the eye of discipleship and to see if our hands are on the plow ready to move forward, or if our hands are on the plow but our eyes are looking behind us to the good old times, the good old days, the way things have always been. Jesus has made it abundantly clear that the gospel is an eternal priority that supercedes the way we are used to doing things. I believe that in these days and times the gospel priority is more urgent than ever. So, exactly what is our call to follow, what is discipleship, and how do we put our hands on the plow and go forward? There is perhaps no one who has spoken so articulately about discipleship as Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who lost his life during the Second World War. In a treatise entitled The Call to Discipleship Bonhoeffer addresses today’s gospel. He writes: “Discipleship is a commitment solely to the person of Jesus Christ, a breaking through of all legalisms by the grace of him who calls. It is a gracious call, a gracious commandment: Christ calls, the disciple follows. Discipleship is commitment to Christ. Following Christ means taking certain steps. The first step, which responds to the call, separates the followers from the previous existence. A call to discipleship thus immediately creates a new situation. Staying in the old situation and following Christ mutually exclude each other.” (Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, volume 4, pgs. 60-62) Jesus is asking us to put the hand to the plow and go forward. What it means is going beyond ourselves, going into new places that may be familiar and frightening, and to follow Christ with faith and trust. It means setting Christ as the first priority in our life together here at Immanuel Church. Isaiah the prophet heard the voice of God saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” How would you and I answer that one? Isaiah said: “Here am I! Send Me.” Let us here at Immanuel Church say with trust and faith to the living Christ: “Here we are! Send Us!”