Life in the Wilderness

In the second grade I went sledding with my cousin on one of the hills behind the high school in Frankenmuth. Now these hills were big. Almost as big as the ones you would find in Colorado. But we were brave thrill seekers and so we didn’t mind getting up there with our toboggan and staring death in the face. We get on the toboggan and we launch ourselves down the hill. We are just flying down this thing with great speed. And then suddenly we realized that we were literally flying through the air. My cousin says, “this isn’t good.”

Someone had built a ramp, that we did could not see from the top of the hill. But we hit this thing dead on, and since toboggans aren’t really made for flying, they don’t exactly do the best job of landing either. It kind of hurt. But that is just how things go sometimes. Sometimes they don’t go exactly according to plan.

What do you do when things don’t go according to plan? Do you panic? Do you roll with the punches so to speak? Are you one of those who is laid back? Do you become cynical? For others it is a matter of longing for the good old days.

Ah the good ol days. You remember the good ol days right? If only things were today the same way there were back then. Everything would be well with the world. Everything would be the way that it is supposed to be. Everything would be perfect.

Of course the problem with the good ol days is that they are not always exactly the exact way we remember them. We arrive at the good ol days through a process called “selective Historical Re-creation.” This is where we pick and chose which historical facts we want to selectively remember and which ones we want to pretend didn’t happen, so that we can re-create a past reality that, while it may not be accurate, will ultimately help you to prove your point. I understand that husbands are naturally very good at this.

And this Selective Historical Re-creation is what is happen for children of Israel as they find themselves wondering in the dessert. They have quite a history. God called their ancestor Abram and he went in faith to a land where he did not know. God made a special covenant with Abram and with his family. Because through Abram all the nations of the world would be blessed. God told Abram, who had no children at the time, that his descendants would be as many as the stars in the heavens.

Isaac was born. Latter Jacob and Easu. Jacob had twelve sons, and many daughters too, but he had twelve sons, one of whom because the second most powerful man in Egypt, which meant that he was the second most powerful person in the world. Because of a great famine, Jacob and his family moved down to Egypt where they settled and grew.

The family that came from the man who had no children, now numbered in the hundreds of thousands. But they had also become slaves to the Egyptians. And they had been so for generations. And then comes Moses. God works through him and brings the people out of slavery and toward the promised land. This whole time they have seen some amazing things. The plagues. They passed through the sea on dry ground. There is the tabernacle, God’s presence in the midst of their very camp. And manna. Bread from heaven.

And yet, that Selective Historical Re-creation thing is in full swing. They are sick of the manna. I guess that is not too difficult to understand. I mean there are only so many ways that you can eat manna. For breakfast there is scrambled manna with a side of hickory smoked manna, or manna-cakes with maple syrup. Or just a plain bowl of manna-Os. For lunch you can go to subway and get a foot long manna ball sub on toasted manna. Or maybe even a McManna sandwich with a side of manna fries. And for dinner a nice slab of manna roast. Or Manna-roni and cheese. That’s some good eating right there.

Being in the wilderness is difficult. Some of the people just had about as much as they could stand and we see their Selective Historical Re-creation kicking in. You can almost hear them, can’t you? Remember the good ol days? Remember being back in Egypt? There was a lot of good food there. We had meat, and fish. There were cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. Now there is nothing here but this manna.

Of course they had forgotten the fact that they were in slavery in Egypt, and that life was difficult and hard. They had forgotten how Pharaoh had ordered that all male babies were to be instantly killed. They had forgotten about making bricks and rough task masters. But as I said, life in the wilderness is though.

On occasion we can find ourselves wondering in the wilderness. It is never a fun or pleasant place to be. After all it is a desolate place. From a spiritual perspective being in the wilderness is being in a season when you feel like God has deserted you. That’s why it is called the desert!

There are usually two times that we will end up in a spiritual wilderness. The first is after a crisis. The second is after a huge victory. Moses experienced both in his life. The first time was after a crisis. He had just murdered an Egyptian, and so he ran, into the wilderness. He lived there for forty years, until God had called through the burning bush. The second time was after two really big victories; the Passover, and the parting of the sea.

Some times in our lives we find that a tragedy will take us on the path of wilderness wandering, and other times we will experience an amazing spiritual faith boost like God using us in a special way, or when we come home from a mission trip or servant event, and then all goes quiet and we find ourselves back in the wilderness.

Have you ever found yourself in the wilderness? Have you found yourself in that place where you feel like God has deserted you? Maybe the bills are burying you, or the illness keeps persisting, or you find yourself faced with the reality that that dream is turning to disappointment. Or you were on that mission trip and everything felt great and you were felling really close to God, and since you have been back, you just haven’t been able to recapture that feeling.

While being in the wilderness is not very much fun at all. I mean we are not exactly dealing with a prime vacation destination here. It can be very painful even. But that does not mean that being in the wilderness is always bad. Because it is in the wilderness that we learn to let go of those things that we place our hope and trust in, until all we have left is God and we realize that in him we have all that we need.

But getting to this point can take a long time. And we don’t necessarily like to wait. Right? I know that patience in s a virtue, but if I wanted patience I would have been a doctor. For the people of Israel in the dessert, they are putting too much importance on their stomachs. They are too concerned with the menu. Not that I blame them. I catch myself focusing way too much on food. This is something that I can relate to. But if life were only about food, that would be a pretty sad life. Life is not about food. We eat to live, not live to eat.

So the people do what comes oh so naturally to us, they complain. And they go to the door of Moses’ tent and they whine at him about manna menu. And Moses, does what any good leader would do, he goes to the Lord and he whines and complains. “why are you doing this to me? Did I conceive these people? Did I give birth to them? How am I supposed to give them their food? I didn’t sign up for this. If this is the way that it is going to be, than just kill me now. Not that I blame Moses either. This is something that I can relate to. I like things to be neat and in order. A place for everything and everything in its place. Things are good if there are no problems to deal with or take care of and everyone is happy. But life is not always about not having any problems to deal with.

You see, when we find ourselves in the wilderness, it is not because we are being punished for our sins. God doesn’t work that way. But when we find ourselves in the wilderness, we are there because God is preparing us for the next thing that he has in store for us.

Have any of you ever run a marathon? Do you just get up the morning of the race and start running? I wouldn’t recommend it. You have to work at it. And it is hard work. There is pain involved and you have to be really dedicated to it. And yet, once you have completed your training you are ready for the race.

So we can think of these wilderness experiences in our lives as times where God is preparing us for the next thing he has in store for us. It is not fun to go through, but when we come out, we will be prepared to do what it is that God has given us to do. For the children of Israel in our text, they are being prepared to enter into the promised land. They are moving from being slaves in a foreign land to being free people in a new home. They are moving from being in life in Egypt to life lived in relationship with God and with him dwelling in their midst.

Now if you jump ahead between several hundred years, we find in our scriptures another wilderness story. This one stars Jesus. After his baptism he enters the wilderness and is there forty days. Now in one sense he is re-living the history of Israel. He is reliving the history of God’s people. The difference is that where they got it wrong, where they messed up, where they sinned. Jesus got it right. He lived this perfectly. He experienced the wilderness. Not only did he conquer the wilderness, but he also conquered sin, death and the devil through the cross and his resurrection three days latter.

This means that he not only knows what it is like to be there, but it means that we never have to face those experiences alone. Being in the wilderness is not easy, it is not much fun, but it is an experience that prepares us for what God has in store for us. It is an experience that will remove from us anything that we hold more closely than we do to our God.

And even when we are in the midst of it he is there. His love and grace and mercy and forgiveness, in Jesus are there. They sustain us. They feed us. They nourish us. They give us all the strength and security we need. And being strengthened and sustained by these things, knowing that Jesus is all that we need, we can boldly and confidently follow down the path where he is leading and guiding us. We may not know exactly where we are going, but we know that his hand is leading us and guiding us all along the way.

So when we find ourselves feeling a little dusty and tired from wondering we can learn from the experience of the Israelites in this story. That is why we gather every week. Not just to offer our thanks and praises to God, although we certainly do that. But also to receive the gifts that he so graciously pours out into our lives. His love and forgiveness and restoration that we have for the sake of Jesus. We gather to remember the way that God works in our lives, to receive the gifts he gives to us in the sacraments, and to recall his promises and his faithfulness. Because in remembering the ways that God works in our lives and the promises he gives to us, we will always find hope and comfort, no matter if we are in the wilderness or safe at home. Either way we can then always say, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Amen.

Let Go and Go

What? That’s all the voice on the other side of the phone said. The question was surrounded by silence. My dad and stepmom bought me a fender Stratocaster for my birthday last year. Of course at the time my stepmom had not yet been informed about the birthday gift that she purchased for me. So a couple of weeks post purchase my Dad calls me and asks me how the guitar is doing. I said, “well I think it’s broken.” Silence. What? More silence. Well, I said. I have the same kind of guitar that Eric Clapton has. But when I play it, mine sounds nothing like his.

When we ask the question, “What?” It’s usually because we are craving clarification. As in, “He said what?” “You did what?” or sometimes the shock is so great that you get just that one word and it pretty much sums everything up. “What?” That’s a question I’ve heard a lot in my life.

You’ve got to imagine that this was a question that people were asking about Abram quite a bit too. “You’re going to what?” Don’t you find that question on your lips as you hear the story of this guy? In Genesis chapter 12 we meet Abram. We’ve talked about him a few times this summer, but it’s a great story, and doesn’t hurt to talk about it again. Do you remember what the name “Abram” means? Exalted Father.

This exalted father has no children. He is 85 years old and he is living in the land that is in the modern day country of Iraq. You have to imagine that life is pretty good for the guy and he and his wife are well cared for in his father’s household. Things are going well, no big deal, we are comfortable, we are secure, we have everything we need…

And then God shows up. “Go to the land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation.” And Abram goes. But you got to figure that there were some people who knew this guy that were saying, “What?” You can almost picture how the conversation would have gone with his wife Sari. “Hi honey. An interesting thing happened at the office today. The Lord told me we are going to move. Not sure where but start packing.” Silence. What? Silence.

Sometimes it can seem like the things that God want us to do are too much. The things that God asks us to do are too risky. I mean for Abram to leave his home and all the securities and the benefits that come along with it. That’s asking for a lot. That is taking a really big risk. I mean you don’t just do that kind of thing. What’s wrong with you? And wasn’t it just a couple of weeks ago that Jesus warned us about not counting the costs? Don’t just start building something unless you know you have the resources to complete it. Don’t just march off to war unless you have a big enough army. So how is this any different?

Well, the difference is in who is deciding to build or to march or to go as the case may be. In the examples that Jesus gives, it is people making decisions on their own. In the case of Abram it is God who is telling him to go. And because God is who God is, when he tells us to go or to do something, we can do it. Because he always gives us what we need in order to be able to do it. We never do it on our own, or in and of ourselves. But it can be really scary at the time. What is it that God is asking you to do right now?

A man is walking along the edge of the grand canyon when he trips and falls over the side. On the way down he is able to grab onto a branch that is sticking out of the side of the cliff, and momentarily delays his descent. He is too far down to climb back up. He is too far up to survive the drop down. So he begins to call for help. “Help! Help! Is anyone there?” After several minutes, his throat is starting to hurt and his fingers are numb, and he is just about to let go when he hears a voice. “Hold on a minute. I see you. It’s me God. I am going to help you.” And the hiker says, “Thank you. Thank you.” The Lord responded, “You will be safe. You no longer have to worry. So go ahead and let go of the branch and I will get you back up top.” Silence. What? Silence. The Lord said, “Let go of the branch and I will get you back up top.” There was a long pause and then the man screamed. “Help! Help! Is anyone else up there?”

Sometimes the things that God ask us to do seem like the risk is too big. It would certainly be foolish to embark on such things if anyone else asked us to do them. But when the request comes from God, when the risk belongs to him, we can let go. We can pack up and move. Because God is worthy of our trust. He will not fail us. He will not let us down. He is more sure and sturdy than anything else that we would be tempted to be secure in. Therefore when God asks us to go or to let go, we can do so, just as Abram did.

Of course Abram did but this doesn’t mean that everything was moving along perfectly from that point on. One of the great things about the scriptures is the honesty that we find in them. They don’t pretend that people like Abram were perfect and that he never made a mistake. He didn’t always get it right. There was one time where he was a visitor in another land and he told his wife Sarah to tell the people that she was his sister. He did this because he was afraid that they would kill him and take her for themselves.

Now is that the act of trusting in God? No. Not at all. But Abram was not perfect. In fact he does the same thing again, but at a later time and in a different country. God’s people are not perfect. We get it wrong. We mess up. We act out of fear. We act in our own selfish interests. And yet God in his grace and love does not abandon us or give up us. Nothing that we are faced with, nothing that we find ourselves contending with is too big or difficult for our God to handle. We can say this because we know that our God has defeated the biggest problems out there that anyone could ever be faced with: sin and death.

Jesus defeated the powers of sin and death. There is nothing that is too big for our God to handle. But again, this is a perspective that we often need to be reminded of again and again and again. It is all too easy for us to get caught up in the situations that we find ourselves in and in so doing we lose sight of the bigger picture.

Abram has just literally survived a war. He went in to rescue his nephew Lot. Maybe it was a bit of a reality check for him. There is still no child. And he is questioning what God is doing. God comforts him by saying to him, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” And Abram responds and says, “What difference does it make? I don’t have anyone to leave it to?”

Then God takes him outside and shows him the stars of the heavens and tells him. “Count them if you can. That is how many your descendants will be.” And Abram believes God and it is counted to him as righteousness. He believed God. Even though everything around him suggested that what God said was not possible. Abram believed. Why? Because he had a reliable source.

Faith is not just a synonym for believe. But faith is more than that. For us, faith is the hand that holds on to the promises of our God in Jesus. Nothing can take that away from us. Nothing can lessen that. In that faith there is salvation. There is forgiveness, life and restoration. In that faith there is life, real, true, abundant and full. This kind of faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit. This kind of faith can’t help but bear fruit. Any more than a fruit tree cannot bear fruit, or bears a different type of fruit.

Faith in our lives will take risks, when God is the one that asks us to take them. Faith in our lives will hope, even when everything else around us seems to be hopeless. Faith in our lives will let go, because we know that all we need is our God and nothing is more important than he is.

Abram eventually becomes Abraham. And he eventually has his son, Isaac. I think he eventually understands the whole faith in God thing to because when God asks him to take his son Isaac up a hill to sacrifice him Abraham does not respond with silence. What? Silence. No he goes.

I can’t even begin to imagine this. The thought as a parent of losing a child is bad enough. I saw a video on youtube this week. It was just a dance to the Steven Curtis Chapman song, Cinderella. I cried like a baby. So that thought is difficult as you look at this situation. But beyond that also is the thought that Isaac is the culmination of everything that Abraham had been waiting and hoping for at least fifteen years.

Isaac asks where the lamb was for the sacrifice, and Abraham responds by saying, “The Lord will provide.” And just as he raises the knife, and angel steps in and stops Abraham. There is also a ram that has gotten stuck in a nearby bush, and so that lamb takes the place of Abraham’s son. This picture ultimately points us to what our God does for us in Jesus. Instead of Abraham sacrificing his son, God ultimately ends us sacrificing his only son. He did it because he loves the world so much, and that whoever believes in him will not perish, but will have life that never ends.

It’s an amazing story. And one that we live in today. The God of Abraham is our God too. He makes promises to us. He is faithful to us. He asks us to do some things that may cause you to scratch your head a bit. Or to respond with silence. What? Silence.

For us, as a congregation we can consider what it is that God is calling us to do in this place, and at this time. The mission is God’s. It does not belong to us. But we are included in the work that God is doing in this place. He has blessed us greatly. But with that blessing there is also responsibility.

The ministry that takes place here at Faith Lutheran Church is not the responsibility solely of the staff or the professionals. The ministry of this congregation belongs to the people of this wonderful congregation. It is all of ours together. We each have a role, a play, a job, a responsibility to support, care for and enable the ministry of this congregation to take place. Not for ourselves, or for our own sake. Not to build ourselves up or to be able to say how good we are (although you are pretty good). But so that we can touch our neighborhood and our world with the greatest news that has ever been announced.

Is this a risky prospect. Of course it is. No more than what Abram faced in leaving his home and comfortable surroundings in the land of Ur. Is it a little unpredictable? Sure. But this is not of us, it is from God. So that means there is always hope. Will it be hard to let go? It can be. But again. With God, we can and know that he always provides.

What an exciting journey this is for us. And I can’t think of any group of people, that I would rather be on this journey with. The more time I spend with you, the more my love for you grows. This is a wonderful congregation, made up of wonderful people. I see God in you and his love flows through you and the things you do. May we together have the grace to hear God’s voice. To take those risks. To hold on tightly to hope. And to let go of everything else that would get in the way. And in so doing may we know our awesome God more deeply, more closely and more fully.

May our answers not be: silence. What? Silence. But yeah and let’s Go. And may we be greatly blessed in that. Now and Always. Amen.

Walking in God’s Word

Two guys are out hiking on a trail. As they make their way around a bend they see an enormous brown bear 75 years up the trail. The bear sees them and begins running toward them. One of the hikers drops his backpack, sits down, throws off his boots and starts lacking up a pair of running shoes. His friend says to him, "what are you doing? You will never out run the bear." The first hiker replies, "Don't worry about it. I don't need to outrun the bear…"

An English teacher asks one of her students to conjugate the verb "to walk" for the class. The kid says, "I walk…um…you walk…ah…he walks…" The teacher interrupts and says, "How about a little faster?" The student says, "sure! I run…you run… he runs.

Are any of you out there runners or walkers? People run or walk for many different reasons. Some of us do it for our health. Others do it because our job forces us to. Others do it simply because they enjoy the opportunity to be in God's creation. Or because you have a dog and he will tear up the house if he doesn't get his exercise.

Whatever the reason you have for doing it, walking or running is good for your health. It helps to keep our weight in check, our hearts strong and our blood pressure at a reasonable level. It's also a good way to deal with stress, and in our world today that is something that is much needed.

Of course we can know these things about walking and running, we can even agree with them and that they are good, but that doesn't mean that we will necessarily do anything about it. Have you ever said or thought, "I should really get more exercise;" only to put it off for one reason or another? It's not enough to want to walk or run, you got to actually get out there and do it. By the way, do you know the most popular day for diets and exercise programs to begin? Tomorrow.

We are not actually talking about physical health today, although it is an important topic. Nor are we talking about physical exercise, although that is a good thing too. Today we are talking about walking though, we are talking about walking in the Word of God. Psalm 119:105 tells us that "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." This is appropriate as we begin our Journey together through the Bible in 90 days. Now that may feel like you are trying to sprint your way through a marathon, but I promise you, not only can you do it, but you will be glad that you did

Our God gives us an open invitation to be in his word. He is there with us to lead us and guide us. As we read his word we see unfolding before us a great story that tells us who our God is, how he sees us, what he does for us, and what he desires for our lives and world. We learn our place in this wonderful story and see God's heart for his creation, and for you and me.

My prayer is not just that we will make it through the next 90 days, because I know that we will; it's also not just that we will enjoy it, because I know that that will happen too; it's my prayer that we will find a deeper desire for and joy in God's word. That as we carve out time over the next 90 days to read the Scriptures that we develop a habit that will stick with us well beyond those 90 days.

Have you ever felt that daily Bible reading should be a regular part of your day? You will find that once you've completed reading the whole thing in 90 days, spending 15 minutes to a half hour is a piece of cake. And imagine what would happen to your spiritual life, to the life of this congregation when we have this daily walk in the scriptures as part of our lives.

Time in God's word nourishes our souls. It enables us to grow in our faith and secure us in what we believe and know to be the truth. It will keep our congregation strong and healthy and enable us to carry the good news into our community and into the lives of the people around us. What is God doing in our community? What does God want us to do right here in Port Huron?

For congregations in Cleveland Ohio, one answer to this questions is City of Hope. This project is supported by the LWML and local churches. Lives are changed through this ministry that reaches out to children and families with Saturday Schools that provide a weekly round of music, crafts, and Scripture memorization along with a meal. But knowing how to answer the kinds of questions about what God is doing and wants us to do requires that we be spiritually healthy, so it is good for us to be walking in God's word.

Our time in God's word brings into the light those obstacles that hide in the dark along the path that we are walking. As sinful human beings we can all too easily get caught up in wanting our own way and thinking that we know best. Our own pride and sin can so easily get in the way and take over. We can stumble and fall and even get off course. But God's word brings those things out into the light so that we can then confess them to God and receive his awesome forgiveness. It is not a pleasant experience, but that does not mean that it is a bad experience either. Because this great Word not only shows us our sin, but then it also shows us our savior, Jesus. Who through this perfect life, death on the cross, and resurrection from the dead, forever defeated the powers of the devil and sin in my life; in your life; in our world.

This message comes into our lives and fills us up. Then we are able to go out and share it with a world that needs to know of the love and grace and mercy and forgiveness that comes from our God. The same love and grace and mercy and forgiveness that are ours in Jesus is also for the people of our world and we get to share it with them.

As Jesus sent the disciples out into the world, so too he sends us. We don't go alone, we go together, we go with and in the power of the Holy Spirit. But notice the verb here, we go. We don't stay and wait for the world to come to us, we instead go out into our world. This may meant that we have to walk across the hallway from our apartment or across the street to be the hands and feet of Jesus in need.

It may mean that we have to walk to the next cubical and lovingly share the hope that Jesus gives you and maybe even invite them to worship or to join you in reading through the Bible in 90 days. Did I mention that it wasn't too late to sign up?

Or maybe it means walking onto an airplane and going to another part of our world for a couple of weeks in order to teach someone else English while using that opportunity to share the word of Jesus. These kinds of things are not just for groups like LWML, although they do a wonderful job at this. But this is for all of God's people, it is the amazing to think that God allows us to share in the work and mission that he does in our world.

Just think, something as simple as reading the Bible, can have a profound impact not just on your life but in your community and world too. I don't say this to put any kind of pressure on you. The impact is not a result of your work, but once again, it is the result of God's grace working through us.

The prophet Isaiah wrote, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" We have some beautiful walking feet here this morning who have been give an awesome message to proclaim. We do that as we work together in this congregation, we do it by serving with organizations like the LWML, so that as we work together the people of our world can hear the good news of God's love for the world in Jesus.

So together we walk boldly, we walk lovingly, we walk humbly, as we walk through these next 90 days. May our time in God's word which is for us a lamp for our feet and a light for our path, be for us a constant source of hope, joy, strength and peace. Now and always. Amen.

Grace of the Costly Kind

Previously in the Gospel of Luke we saw Jesus he was at a banquet in the house of some prominent religious leaders and he told a parable where we learned that whoever exalts themselves will be humbled and whoever humbles themselves will be exalted. Now we see Jesus in a different scene. We don't know exactly where he is, but we know two important things. First, he is still on his way to Jerusalem. Why? He is not going for a vacation or a celebration, he is going with a very specific purpose. This is a journey that will end with a cross. So we find him with a serious tone and almost a heaviness in what he says and does in this section.

The second thing that we know is that he is accompanied by a great crowd. Jesus was a popular kind of guy. If you have ever been in the same place at the same time as a celebrity, then you know what a crowd gathered around a person can be like. We took David to meet Mickey Mouse one year and I bet we waited in line for close to an hour. There is something about popularity that attracts people. And Jesus is no different.

You can hardly blame the crowds. I mean he is pretty exciting. First of all he is controversial, and who doesn't love a good controversy? Who is this guy? There is some debate going on out there. Some say that he is Moses. Others say that he is Elijah or one of the prophets. Some think that his being here is a good thing. Others wish he would just go away, because he really has a way of messing things up. Not to mention the people that he hangs out with. I mean this guy has a tax collector as part of his inner circle. Have you ever heard something so ridiculous?

Second, he does some pretty amazing things. Have you heard that this guy goes toe to toe with the demons and they obey him? And do you know what else obeys him? The wind and the waves do. It is absolutely amazing. He heals people who are sick. He cleanses a leper. Heals a Paralytic He teaches in a way that has not been heard before. He teaches as one who has authority. He raises people from the dead. On top of that he forgives sins. And talk about a free lunch. This guy is able to take a little bit of food and provide enough for thousands of people. There will never be a need to cook or farm again.

So here is Jesus making his way to Jerusalem and he is surrounded by a crowd. There are a lot of ideas out there, but for the most part, the people aren't getting it. Jesus understands the seriousness of the journey to Jerusalem and the great price that it will cost him. This is lost on the people however; even the disciples don't really get it.

There are those who are caught up in the controversy and Jesus' challenging of the powers that be and the religious system and customs of the day. Maybe they see this journey to Jerusalem as the chance to jump on the bandwagon and to get rid of the status quo. Sometimes we like a good fight; David vs. Goliath, Redwings vs. Avalanche, Michigan St. vs. Michigan, Jews vs. Romans, Jesus vs. the establishment.

There are also those who are there, because they see a bunch of people gathering together and they want to join in the fun. These are the folks who have no clue about any kind of conflict, any kind of price to pay, and certainly no clue about any kind of a cross. They are there because everyone else is there. If their friends would have jumped off a bridge, these folks would be right behind.

So it is the midst of this confused crowd that Jesus addresses with these harsh words. He is saying to them, "Think about what you are doing here. Think about what you are getting yourselves into. Don't enter into this lightly. This is no small matter we are talk about here. Are you sure you are willing to follow me? Is the price more than you are willing to pay?" He is inviting them to count the cost. Because the cost is indeed great.

You've got to count the cost before you do something. If you don't you could find yourself in some big trouble. This is the point of what Jesus is saying here in the midst of the crowd that does not really know what is going on.

Jesus says, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, even their own life, then that person cannot be my disciple." Well now wait a minute. What is going on here? Didn't Jesus say that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind body and strength and that the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves? Then how can he say what he is saying here?

What Jesus is using here is a Hebrew idiom. A turn of phrase. It is like us saying that a movie was cool (now if you are my age) or "sick" if you are my brother's age (he is in high school). But to say that a movie is cool is not to comment on its temperature. To say that a movie is "sick" does not mean that it requires a physician. It simply means that it is a really good movie and is enjoyable to watch.

The Hebrew idiom that Jesus is using here is one of comparison. The word "hate" here does not mean "hate" the way we tend to use the word in our language today, just as "cool" and "sick" with the movies. It is a comparison. So you love one thing and you hate another. In this case we love Jesus and hate everything else.

In other words, if we consider all the loyalties and obligations that we have in our lives, if we consider all the relationships and things that we love and live for, if we consider all the things that demand our time and attention, it is in comparison to these things that Jesus and the gospel are to be loved. And the presence of Jesus in the gospel then redefines the other things in our lives. We are not to get rid of the relationships that we have with the people we love, in fact the presence of the Jesus in our lives and the good news of the gospel should make them even better. But when push comes to shove, and we have to chose between them we should always chose Jesus.

This can be tough though. We don't really want Jesus to be most important. Sure if he fits into the schedule it is nice. But what Jesus is calling us to here is something that is quite costly. So what do we do with this?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor and theologian who lived during the time of World War II. His book the Cost of Discipleship is one of the best books you can read. He opens the book with a discussion on this very topic as he talks about the distinction between cheap grace and costly grace.

Cheap grace is a basic idea that the forgiveness of sin is a cheap covering of sins. It is forgiveness offered apart from repentance. No sorrow is required no desire to be delivered is necessary. Cheap grace justifies the sin without justification for the sinner. Christians who live under a banner of cheap grace look the exact same as the world around them. There is no distinction. There is no difference.

Cheap grace is preaching forgiveness without repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. It is grace without discipleship, the cross, or Jesus living and incarnate.

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in a field, it is so valuable that a person will sell all they have for it. It is the kingly rule of Jesus which is so wonderful that it will move a person to pluck out their own eye because they want nothing to prevent them from being a part of it. It is the call of Jesus that causes fishermen to leave their nets and follow him.

Costly grace is a costly because it calls us to follow. But it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus. It is costly, because it will cost our lives. But it is grace because life lived in this way is the only way to experience true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. It is costly because it cost God the life of his son Jesus. What came at such a high cost for our God cannot be gotten cheaply by us. But it is grace because God did not consider such a price too high to pay for our life, so Jesus was delivered up for us all. Costly grace is Jesus living and incarnate.

Now which one sounds better to you? And that is not a trick question. I do not stand up here today as one who has mastery over this. I too am a sinful human being. I too struggle with the daily battle between my own sinful nature and the desires of my own will, and my own schedule, just as you do. I am no better than anyone else in this room.

However, I do believe that this is something for us to strive for, to work for, to work together on. We challenge each other to live and grow in our discipleship because we believe that in Jesus there is life. We join the disciples I saying, "Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." We believe that there is real and true life. We do not work to earn it. We have it because he paid the price on the cross. But because we daily wrestle with our sinful nature, it is something that we must constantly be working toward to remind ourselves of and to live in. So we do this together with God's grace. Real and true grace. Grace that allows us to live free. But grace that is costly and not cheap. Remember that we did not and do not chose our God, but he chose us. He chose us by grace.

My prayer for us as a community of faith is that God's Spirit, because this can only come by the Spirit, would give us the desire and the strength to grow as disciples and followers of Jesus. That we would experience life lived with God in a whole new way. That we would see the wonderful and beautiful theology that we have come to life and leap off the page. That we would know it and study it and more importantly live it. That we would not only experience God's grace in our lives but that we would invite others to come and see and experience that same grace too. May God grant this to us according to his will, and may it be a blessing and joy to you now and always. Amen.