Friday, September 3, 2010

Proper 18

This story/anecdote is kinda corny. I've used it in sermons and talks many times. I actually first saw it in a church bulletin probably 20 years ago. The story goes like this,
A man was walking on the beach saw that it was littered with thousands of starfish. A little boy was picking up the starfish one by one and throwing them into the ocean. He asked the boy, "What are you doing?" The boy replied, "I'm throwing starfish back into the water. If I leave them here they'll dry up and die." The man said, "But look how many starfish there are. What you're doing can't possibly make a difference." As the boy picked up another starfish and threw it into the ocean he said, "Well, it makes a difference to this one!"

See what I mean ... you've heard it before. The boy understands that he can't help every starfish on the beach but he also understands that he can make a difference to at least one. I believe God is using Luke's gospel to tell us to be sure that we know what we are capable of doing. He's saying something that we sometimes tell our children, "don't bite off more than you can chew."

After the preceding explanation you're probably saying, why does the the scripture have to be so disturbing and upsetting? I agree. None among us wants to hear that Jesus is calling us to hate our family members. I don't want to hear that and you don't want to hear that. Families and homes are supposed to be a place where we are nurtured, fed and loved ... not hated. Robert Frost once said, "home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in."

It seems to me that God is calling us to carefully understand that complexities of our commitments to him. In Luke's gospel Jesus is saying, my ways might put you at odds with the ways of the world ... they might even put you at odds with your family! In the 1st century world Jesus was preaching to an audience that had gotten very comfortable with a socially accepted religious tradition. He is telling his listeners this is a new way of doing things. Know that your family and friends may no understand "my way" but stay the course and don't give up. Further, he counsels to understand that "you can't save everybody but your commitment can lead some not all to me."

Jesus is asking us to commit to him as he committed to us. The cross is representative of his extreme and awesome commitment. His resurrection is a commitment to walk us through all the highs and lows of our life and to be with us every step of the way.

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