Sermons for the Month
DATE: September 6, 1998
SERVICE: Pentecost XIV
TEXT: Luke 14:25-33
A. Mount Vernon
B. Williamsburg
C. Virginia Beach
D. Potomac Mills
Sermons for the Month
Deep Discount Disciples
DATE: September 6, 1998
SERVICE: Pentecost XIV
TEXT: Luke 14:25-33"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 Pop quiz: Which of the following four sites is NOT a major tourist attraction in the state of Virginia? A. Mount Vernon
B. Williamsburg
C. Virginia Beach
D. Potomac MillsTrick question! They are all major attractions, and Potomac Mills -- one of the world's largest outlet malls -- is among the top destinations for domestic and international tourists. Does this surprise you? It shouldn't, since we live in a consumer culture. Tourists want to visit not only Washington's Mount Vernon and Jefferson's Monticello, but also outlets for Barneys New York, Spiegel, J.C. Penney, The Nature Company and Polly Flinders -- some of the more than 220 stores at Potomac Mills. They are interested in Martha Washington and Thomas Jefferson for sure, but also Christian Dior, Levi Strauss, Perry Ellis and Calvin Klein. Travelers want more than leisure and learning; they desire "world-class savings" of 20 to 60 percent every day! A craving for saving has made this particular outlet mall a destination that attracts 3,000 group and chartered tours annually. And this phenomenon is not limited to Potomac Mills. "Outlet shopping malls are becoming major attractions for U.S. travelers, with nearly 40 percent of all leisure and business travelers saying they visited a discount outlet mall in 1997" (Travel poll by TIA: the Travel Industry Association of America). "According to a survey of 1,200 U.S. adults conducted in December 1997, 37 percent of travelers said they visited a discount outlet mall in the past year. This translates to 55 million discount outlet travelers out of a total of 149 million adult travelers annually." Says William S. Norman, president and CEO of TIA: "Our research has shown for years that shopping is the number one activity of people when they travel, so in a sense, these figures on discount outlet shopping malls are not surprising. What is interesting is how outlet malls have become so integrated into the fabric of U.S. travel and tourism." Tourists can find malls similar to Potomac Mills in Chicago, Philadelphia, Florida and California, and for the super-serious shopper there is always the Mall of America in Minnesota: a shopping center large enough to enclose an entire amusement park! Around here there is Aurora Farms, Buckeye, and I am told there is one in Grove City . In Luke 14, our gospel text for today, large crowds are traveling with Jesus, probably desiring the same sort of "world-class savings" that American tourists crave today. Immediately, Jesus turns to them and says that he wants followers who are willing to pay full price -- not deep-discount disciples. There are no sale prices on salvation, no discount outlet malls with faithfulness marked down 50 percent. Nope, Jesus says, discipleship requires a willingness to cut family ties, to face radical self-denial, and to give up one's material possessions. It is difficult, painful, tough and expensive. But Jesus wants nothing less from the travelers who are interested in following him. "Some churches, preachers and TV programs present the gospel as though they were selling a used car," writes R. Alan Culpepper of Mercer University. No money down! Attractive terms! Low, low monthly payments! "They make it sound as easy as possible, as though no real commitment were required. Jesus' call was far different. He was not looking for superficial commitment or a crowd of tagalongs. Instead, he required his followers to be totally committed if they were going to follow at all" ("The Gospel of Luke," The New Interpreter's Bible [Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995], 293). Even today, the call of Christ is for full-price followers, not deep-discount disciples. Benevolently Jesus then advises would-be disciples to count that cost before jumping into the market. If you are not ready to lose your shirt, don't get in. No one, he says, would build a tower or march into battle without first estimating the full cost, and the same is true for discipleship. The Church Council always asks for more than one bid before proceeding on a project. There is an ironic punch line that is said between two astronauts as they lift off for space from Cape Canaveral. "Here we are on a ship all put together by the lowest bidders!" But what exactly does it mean to pay full price as we follow Christ? 1. Strengthen faith-ties. In a statement designed to shock, Jesus demands that disciples hate -- yes, hate -- their fathers, mothers, wives, children, brothers, sisters and even life itself. Cut your family ties, he seems to be saying, and focus only on strengthening your faith-ties. Fortunately, the Greek word for "hate" does not mean anger or hostility; it suggests that a true disciple should value his relationship with Christ over his relationship with family members. We are not to despise our relatives, but we are not to worship them either. A follower who pays full price knows her mission in life. Motivational speaker Tony Robbins encountered Mother Teresa in Mexico, and asked her, "What gives you total ecstasy?" "It's to see people die with smiles on their faces," she answered. The lesson here: "You've got to know what drives you," Robbins says. "What your purpose is in life." (Constance Gustke, "Tony Gets In Your Face," Success, April 1998). A disciple has faith-ties that give her purpose in life, and she follows the call of Christ regardless of what family members think of her. Jim Long took a videotape from the rear of his red, white and blue U.S. Postal Service truck and slipped it into a mailbox on McDow Avenue, a gesture being repeated 1.7 million times across Alabama last Easter Week in an extraordinary campaign of mass-mailing evangelism. Robert Bryce, 24, a student and part-time hip-hop music producer, examined the package. Inside, he saw, was a free tape depicting in 83 minutes the life of Jesus Christ as told by St. Luke in the New Testament. "Sure, I'll probably watch it," said Bryce, a senior at Alabama A&M University, whose father is a Baptist minister back home in Beacon, New York. "Everybody should know about Jesus Christ." Bryce and every other householder in Alabama were on the receiving end of a new approach to spreading the Word, financed by an anonymous Christian [physician] who contributed $3.37 million toward a statewide mailing that eventually cost $5.5 million before the week was out. 2. Practice self-discipline. Jesus calls us to carry the cross and follow him, to accept challenges, risks and sacrifices instead of seeking out comfort. This has been usually thought of giving up meat on Friday's or sweets for Lent. But self-discipline should be focused on constructive Christian behavior, not on some discount sacrifice for the sake of simply sharing Christ's suffering. Philip Yancey tells of a monk who once bragged about his dietary discipline. His spiritual director replied, "Don't tell me, my child, that you've spent 30 years without eating meat. But tell me the truth: How many days have you spent without speaking ill of your brother? Without judging your neighbor? Without letting useless words pass your lips?" ("A Cure for Spiritual Deafness," Christianity Today, April 6, 1998). Bearing the cross of Christ involves walking in the way of Christ. While a deep-discount disciple might bear a little discomfort, a full-price follower knows the sacrifices and sufferings of a truly disciplined life. 3. Show selfless generosity. Martin Luther astutely observed, "There are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, the mind and the purse." Of these three, it may well be that we moderns find the conversion of the purse the most difficult. If Christians give with generosity, we know that they have escaped the discount outlet mall mentality. They see it as a privilege to give -- generously, lavishly, joyfully, recklessly -- knowing that their treasure is in heaven, not on a 60 percent off rack. They have discovered that the greatest joy and satisfaction come from giving to others, as Jesus did. One person who is paying full price to follow Christ is Eleanor Boyer of Somerset County, New Jersey. She has revealed the strength of her faith-ties, practiced self-discipline, and shown selfless generosity in one remarkable act. What has she done? She has given up $8.5 million. Eleanor Boyer is the "73-year-old woman who won the state lottery last November and created a sensation by saying she'd give the money to church and charity. And she is. Quickly. Secretly. Irrevocably." She seems to be taking literally Jesus' call to "give up all your possessions" (Luke 14:33). Explains Boyer: "I have my pension and Social Security. I have everything I need. Why let the money sit in the bank till I die?" "Which explains why," writes Rick Hampson in USA Today, "three weeks after hitting the jackpot, she signed over $5.9 million to her parish, which has 2,800 families, an elementary school and a high school. Since then, she has been giving what's left to various charitable organizations in Somerset County, to needy individuals in her neighborhood and to three nephews -- her only close relatives." Has she kept any for herself? Very little. "She still drives the same faded yellow 1969 Chevy Malibu with the peeling white vinyl roof, still wears the same sensible shoes, beige trench coat and mustard velour hat, still lives in the same gray [house] where she was born in 1924" ("Eleanor Boyer's Generosity Provides Inspiration for Many," USA Today, April 10-12, 1998). She truly believes that she does not need the lottery winnings, and so she is using her fortune as a disciple of Christ should: to help others. With this effort is coming a sense of satisfaction that no luxury limo or marble-floored mansion could ever provide. While some Christians would question her whole participation in the lottery, we certainly have to admire how she handled her winnings. Is it possible to pay full price to follow Christ? Eleanor Boyer proves that it is. In our own way, we are each called to strengthen faith-ties, practice self-discipline, and show selfless generosity. We are challenged to be full-price followers, not deep-discount disciples. If we do, we will discover a life of joy and fulfillment that cannot be found in any earthly discount outlet mall.
AMEN