Kingdom Building

September 7, 2019

Scripture Reading: Luke 14:25-33

Now large crowds were travelling with him; and he turned and said to them, ‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” –Luke 14:25-30

Tough language consistent with other words Jesus said about taking discipleship seriously. There is no such thing as a lukewarm Christ follower. There are times, whether we like it or not, when people have had to choose between following Christ or continuing relationships with others.  There are people who have sacrificed their lives for their faith. I do not think Jesus is emphasizing such situations in this scripture. I think he is saying that serving God comes first in all disciples lives and everything else is ordered within that context. Most of us are probably Christ followers today because a parent or spouse introduced us to the Christ.

The idea I think Jesus is trying to make clear is we need to understand and grow in the understanding of what it means to be a Christ follower. He shared similar thoughts in the telling of the parable of the sower*.  The sower spread seeds on all kinds of ground but the seeds only sprouted plants when sprinkled on land ready to accept it fully and completely.  In our scripture today Jesus compares being his disciple to building a building which requires planning and setting aside resources to pay for the land and building materials. Regarding being his disciple, he is talking about making a commitment for the long haul as we strive to build the Kingdom of God on earth.

As I write this the USA East coast and the Bahamas are suffering the consequences of a hung hurricane, another mass shooting just occurred in Texas, thousands of refugees are fleeing terror in their homelands searching for safety not only at our southern border but at several borders all over the world. Addressing the needs Jesus outlines in Matthew 25 of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, restoring the prisoner, and welcoming the stranger, is not for the faint of heart. It is the way to create a world ruled by love where everyone has enough, and we are the disciples called to make it happen with the help of God, the model of Jesus, and the support of the Spirit.

Prayer Creator God, you made us a little lower than you** and equipped us with skills and talents that we may not even know we have for the facing of this hour. Guide us as we make plans and develop resources to fulfill your call to building a Kingdom ruled by love. Amen.

*See Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15
**Derived from Psalm 8:5

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.