5^th Sunday after Pentecost – Year C

(1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21, Psalm 16, Galatians 5:1, 13-25, Luke 9:51-62)

 Grace and Peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen

There is a great quote that comes from an 18^th Century essayist named Michel de Montaigne, which reads, “There is a power in the universe forever on the side of those brave enough to trust it.”  Now for some people, this quote might make them remember Star Wars and Obi Wan’s call for Luke Skywalker to put his trust in “the force”.  But for Christians, the faithful version of this bold call to trust comes to us from God himself. 

God calls us to discipleship.  Christ calls us to follow him.  It’s not an easy thing to do, and some of us have a problem with making that commitment to God.  This is not just a modern problem however – although it often seems to be getting worse in our world!  But even in Jesus’ own day would be followers fell by the wayside because they could not, or would not, sacrifice everything in order to respond to Christ’s call of “Follow me”.  It’s not an easy thing to do.  But yet, it’s not impossible – with help from the Holy Spirit.  First century believers knew of examples from the Hebrew Scriptures of people leaving all behind and embarking on a new path.  They were brave enough to trust God in a bold and totally committed way.

The prophet Elijah is given three tasks to perform for God.  He sets out to obey and today we hear of how he accomplished the third task.  He is able to do so because the Spirit of God is with Elisha.  Elisha is willing to follow the prophet and receive his mantle of authority.  Unlike Jesus in today’s Gospel, Elijah is OK with Elisha going back to say goodbye to his parents.  Elisha is then so committed to his new life as a prophet the he destroys what held him to farming.  He slaughters the oxen and cooks them over a fire built with the wooden yokes of the animals.  Elisha feeds the whole community with the meat and then he leaves town with Elijah.  There is no returning home.

First century believers also knew of the witness of the psalmist who voices his absolute trust in the Lord.  Psalm 16 is similar to the 23^rd psalm with its beautiful theme of trusting in the Lord.  But psalm 16 has more of a theological edge to it.  For the psalmist not only voices his firm trust in God, but he also argues against the temptation to run after false gods.  “It’s not worth it!” is his point.  Those who remain loyal and faithful to God and turn to the Lord whenever they need help are holy people and are a delight to the Lord.  But those who worship idols have sorrow upon sorrow in their life.  Those who are committed to the Lord receive benefits in this life and in the next.

Early Christians knew that Christ was the person who alone could guarantee them eternal life.  Christ blessed the faithful with his presence in Word and Sacrament and in the prayer of the community of faith.  Those who were committed to God above all else would be rewarded in the end.  The martyrs held strongly to this belief and it spiritually empowered them as they sacrificed all to follow Christ.

In Luke’s gospel, Jesus wisely warns us today that following him faithfully will cost us dearly.  Be prepared to suffer and be persecuted.  Persecution can be obvious or very very subtle, but it will come into your life when you are committed to Christ.  Be prepared to live a life of uncertainty and be prepared to miss your family and not be available to them in order to do even traditional duties that are otherwise exemplary.  Christ trumps them all.  He is more important and more valuable than any temptation in life.  He’s also more to be desired than any other good in this life.  Caring for ones’ parents, having a safe and stable home life, and caring for your loved ones still pales in comparison to Christ.  He demands more because he is able to give us more. 

As Peter famously said once, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”  Christ expects us to keep our lives focused on him without distractions.  Someone who’s plowing a field needs to keep his attention on the blade of the plow in order to ensure that it is following the proper line.  Looking backward over your shoulder would only result in wavy rows in the field – not a good thing for any farmer.

As I learned years ago when I rode my motorcycle, you go where you look.  Look where you want to go – not at the danger you’re trying to avoid.  The same principle applies in our faith life.  Stay focused on Christ and on Christ alone.

Now – as you know – we are sinful, selfish human beings, who do not want to be faithful to Christ above all else.  We would much rather live life gratifying the desires of the flesh.  Left on our own, that’s what we would all descend into.  It is only through the spirit of God that we are able to throw off that yoke of slavery (and burn it) to live the life that God wants us to enjoy.   

He loves us beyond measure. We are his children from the moment of our Baptism into him and he wants to bless us as a good father gives wonderful gifts to his beloved children.  Our commitment and our trust in him does not go unnoticed or unrewarded by God.  The Holy Spirit helps us to become the faithful disciples that God calls us to be.

It’s a process.  It’s a life long journey to be sure.  But it is not impossible.  Life lived guided by the Holy Spirit is a life of dedication to the Lord and of service to our neighbors.  God frees us to love him above all else and to care for each other as faithful Christians are called to do.

That does not mean that we are free to do whatever we want to – because, after all, Christ will forgive.  Instead, we love the Lord and live by his ways because he first loved us with a commitment and dedication that we did not deserve or merit.

The Christian life is demanding.  Christ is expecting a lot from us in our daily lives.  But we don’t follow him by our own strength alone.  We depend upon God’s grace to open our hearts to God’s love so that we grow in our commitment to Christ and place him first above all else, even above family, stability and tradition. 

For only the Lord can fulfill our deepest desires.  Only the Lord can exceed any other good in this world.  Only the Lord gives himself to us completely.  He gives us his body and blood on the Cross and in the Eucharist.  We are then empowered by the Spirit and set free to love him totally and completely with a dedication that surpassed by nothing else.

May we set our faces to follow Christ and follow him in all of his paths.  May we be faithful, dedicated, and focused on Christ alone.  Whenever this happens – the glory belongs to God, but the benefits will be ours, together.  Thanks be to God!

Amen