Sermons for the Month
Be An Olympic Christian
DATE: June 27th, 2004
SERVICE: 4th Sunday After Pentecost
TEXT: Luke 9:51-62“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN The 2004 Summer Olympics will capture our attention in mid-August as they are broadcast from Athens, Greece. In the meantime, athletes from the United States are participating in trials for various sports - gymnastics, swimming, soccer, track and field. Just this week there was an article in the newspaper about a Mogadore native, Kim Kreiner who hopes to throw the javelin in Greece, but will have to win that event at the trails in California if she is to fulfill her dream.
Without even talking with her I know that she is training hard for this event. You can bet that she, and others who are hoping to compete in Greece, are not saying to themselves, "Well, if I practice, that's great, but if not, it does not really matter," or, "If I'm tired, I'll take some time off, there's certainly no reason to wear myself out."
And, you can also be sure that those who are coaching Olympic hopefuls are not allowing the athletes to slack off. They are setting requirements concerning practices, expecting commitment and dedication and, during the trail, they would be angry if the athlete did not give his or her all.
We do not think those are unreasonable expectations when applied to the Olympics, or other athletic programs, or even jobs or academics. In fact, we would be surprised if there were no requirements or expectations that a person was committed, dedicated and striving to do his or her best.
But … what if we applied those same standards to living out our faith? Now that makes people just a little bit uncomfortable. We'd like God, our coach, to say to us, "If you want to come to worship, great, but if you don't that's fine too. If you want to give of your time, talents and money, it's a good thing, but if not, no big deal. When you make a commitment, if you are tired or you change your mind, I'll let you off the hook. There certainly is no reason to wear your self out."
In fact, because we are saved by our faith in Jesus Christ, not by what we do, it's easy to convince ourselves that our loving and gracious God really does not care if our commitment and dedication are lacking, or if we fail to give our all to proclaim the Good News. However … today's Gospel lesson reminds us that that's not the case.
As we read phrases like, "Let the dead bury their own dead…", and, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God," we wonder if perhaps Jesus was having a bad day. And, in fact, that may be true since his disciples are continually missing the point. Let's consider some of the things that have occurred just before these words were spoken.
The disciples were given power over all demons and diseases, and sent out by Jesus to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. Soon after they returned Jesus took five loaves and two fish and transformed them into a meal which fed more than 5000 people. These events, combined with many others, led to Peter proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah.
You can imagine that those who were following Jesus are on a high at this point. For years the people of Israel have been waiting for their Savior, and now it seems as if he has arrived. The disciples have seen Jesus do amazing things, and the power of God has even flowed through their hands. They are cocky; they are hyped; they are ready to win. Nothing can get it their way.
So, when some Samaritans refused to receive Jesus, James and John are indignant. They want to make fire descend from heaven to consume them. And, because they are quite full of themselves, they believe they can bring about this punishment. And what was the response of Jesus to their brashness? He rebukes them, which is our first clue that He is getting annoyed. And well he should, His followers have, once again, failed to understand.
Jesus has now begun the journey that will ultimately lead to his suffering and death. That, and the fact that they too will suffer, is what should be on their minds. Instead, the disciples are focused on raining down fire from heaven and getting even with all who have done them wrong.
It is no wonder that Jesus is getting perturbed. They do not understand that those who commit themselves to following him are not going to bask in glory or live on easy street. They cannot make a half-way commitment. Let me say that again. They cannot make a half-way commitment. So, in his response to the three people who they meet on the road Jesus makes this point clear.
First, there is someone who tells Jesus, "I will follow you wherever you go." It seems as if this person has no inkling of the suffering that lies ahead. So Jesus explains that he does not even have it as good as the foxes and birds. They at least have a place to lay their heads at night. For him there is no rest, no peace. He travels from town to town, being rejected or challenged or constantly pursued. And, suffering and death will be at the journey's end. It takes true commitment to do that type of following.
Then, Jesus encounters a person who he calls upon to become a follower. The man answers that he must first be allowed to go and bury his father. In other words, only when certain matters are taken car of will he dedicate himself to being a disciple. The response of Jesus seems harsh, "Let the dead bury their own dead", he says. The point he is making is that proclaiming the kingdom of God is an urgent matter and should never be set aside for a "better" time, even when what needs to be done seems to be of great significance to us.
That is emphasized in the third encounter when a person wants to say goodbye to his family. Once again Jesus gives a firm response. He cannot accept half-hearted service. When plowing a field one must concentrate on the task, looking straight ahead so that the furrow is not crooked. It's the same for anyone who follows Jesus. Nothing must distract him or her from that calling.
Although these words of Jesus sound extreme to us, the principle behind them is not foreign. We understand what it means to set priorities and to be committed and to give our "all" for a sporting event, or a job. Shouldn't we be as concerned about doing so when it comes to living out our faith?
Those who are serious about following Jesus must be focused on developing their faith and on intentionally sharing the love of God with others. Jesus makes it clear that being his follower requires suffering and sacrifice, commitment and dedication. This is not (and this is a vital point) so that the disciples will be glorified. The goal is for God's grace and mercy to transform lives and the world.
So, there are two important, and challenging, things to remember.
The first is that being a follower of Jesus requires the commitment and dedication of an Olympic athlete. Being a disciple should be a priority, and that priority should be reflected in how we live. Second, being a follower of Jesus means that the focus is not on me and on what I want. Unfortunately, it is possible to be committed and dedicated to ministry so that my own needs are met; that's not what Jesus had in mind when he spoke of suffering and sacrifice.
I read a shocking statistic this week. It said that 95 percent of people in a congregation are concerned about "What's in it for me?" and only five percent are truly focused on discipleship for the sake of proclaiming the Gospel. That percentage does not seem accurate to me, but it certainly should cause us to think about our motivation. Whatever "inward" focus we have, and there will be some, should have as its goal building faith and creating disciples who move out with their faith.
Think of it this way - Olympic athletes have been gifted with particular physical abilities; they are committed to using that gift and would not think of doing it half way. We have been gifted with God's grace in Jesus Christ, so we commit ourselves to following him. For us as well there should be no half-way efforts. Instead we should be dedicated followers and strive always to, "run with perseverance the race that is set before us." AMEN