"Now great multitudes accompanied him’  and he turned and said the them,  “If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters,  yes,  and even his own life,  he cannot be my disciple.  Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me,  cannot be my disciple.”

                                                                                  Luke 14: 25-26

Sue, Beth and I were at Virginia Tech College last Saturday for the opening football game of the season.  It was the first formal gathering for the alumni and others since the massacre of 32 students and staff last April 16th.   In late August a memorial of 32 stones was unveiled on the drill field, each stone with the name of a victim on it.  A sizable crowd came for that,  but nothing like the 65,000 that showed up on Saturday.  It was a formidable sea of maroon and orange on campus.  They visited the memorial site,  they toured the campus,  they bought VT t-shirts in the book store, they congregated at the sportsplex at noon and packed the place out.

They gathered not just for a football game…they came to find healing.  The entire Virginia Tech community was grieving those 32 deaths and they came to be healed.  They came to show their Hokie spirit and to affirm the words printed on the memorial ‘We will prevail…We are Virginia Tech’.   One sportcaster put it in plain language:  ‘Virginia Tech is healing with the help of football.’ So this football team had a big job to fulfill.
A short powerpoint tribute to the victims was shown on the jumbotron,  followed by a  moment of silence,  a fly-over by two jets,  the release of 32 orange balloons into the stadium,  the National Anthem and the game.

    Everything went off without a hitch…except for the game.  The VT offence couldn’t find their game until late in the last half.  There was poor passing,  fumbles, interceptions and handovers and even half way through the game it wasn’t at all clear who was going to win.   It wasn’t that East Carolina played exceptionally well – it’s that the Hokies couldn’t get it together.  At one point there were even some boos from the crowd but I didn’t join in and most of the crowd didn’t either.   Afterall, we were asking an awful lot of these players.  We weren’t just asking them to go out there and play football,  we were asking them to be focal point of the healing and renewal for the entire VT community!   That’s a lot of weight for a college football team to carry onto the field!

    Is it asking too much?  That’s my question.   It’s the same question I ask about today’s passage in Luke.  Is Jesus asking too much when he says to the multitudes following him around ‘If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters,  yes,  and even his own life,  he cannot be my disciple’?    Those aren’t the warmest, most welcoming words Jesus ever spoke,  are they?  You won’t see those words quoted on the roadside signs of many churches!  In fact,  I’m not especially excited to have to preach on them the first Sunday back in the fall!  Still,  here they are. 

    Jesus draws a line in the sand.  He puts himself on one side and puts everything that we value on the other side …our family,  our friends,  our possessions, our money, our creature comforts…and then he says ‘you choose – which side will you stand on?’

    Now to be fair to the context,  I understand why Jesus says these words at this point in his ministry.  He’s been all over Galilee teaching,  healing and proclaiming the good news of the gospel and he’s attracted a large following of people.  They are following for a host of different reasons. Some are fascinated by his miracles and want to see more ‘hocus pocus’.  Some were there for the feeding of the 5000 and are hoping to get another free belly full of bread.  Some are intrigued by his teaching.  He didn’t teach like the scribes or Pharisees,  he taught in parables that challenged the status quo and they liked that and wanted to hear more.  Some are there because of the crowd,  or because their friends showed up.  And  some are there because they really believe in Jesus…they understand who he is and they want to follow ...they want to be his disciples.

And at this point in his ministry Jesus is turning away from Galilee and towards Jerusalem.  He knows what lies ahead and he knows that most of these people won’t follow him there,  certainly not all the way to the cross.  Most are not disciples in any sense of the word.  Some are disciples,  some would like to be ,  if only they knew what was expected.  So Jesus decides the time has come to tell them what it costs to be his disciple…and it isn’t cheap!  It costs everything.

    Jesus’ way of recruitment certainly isn’t my way.  When I want to get someone on board my tendency is to underestimate the cost.  I set the bar low.  “Oh, it’s not a big commitment,  just a monthly meeting,  that’s all.”   I onced asked a fellow to chair the church’s capital campaign.  I said ‘It’s a monthly meeting and we’ll likely be done in 6 months or so.’   Two years later we were still meeting!  It was so long after that I’d forgotten that I’d told him 6 months…but he hadn’t!

So maybe Jesus is just being straight-forward and honest here…telling it like it is.  I remember when I told my home town pastor that I was thinking about going into the ministry,  one of the things he said to me was ‘be sure of your decision because once you put your hand to the plow you shouldn’t look back.’   There’s was professor up at Union Seminary who used to say to the students ‘if you can do anything else other than be a minister,  go and do it’.   Those aren’t ringing endorsements are they,  rather they give one pause.  And maybe that’s Jesus’ intention here…he’s telling them to pause,  to count the cost before following him any further.  And that may be disconcerting,  but there’s also refreshing and honest about that too.  It reminds me of Winston Churchill’s first speech to the House in May 1940 when he announced war on Germany.  He said:  ‘I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this government: "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."

 And there are times to stop and truly count the cost.  To ask ourselves,  how far am I willing follow Christ?  Will I follow him when I get to school on Monday?  Will I follow him at work this week?  When the road gets rough will I turn back?  When the crowd thins out will I turn back?  When I get weary or disillusioned will I turn around?  When I can’t hear his voice calling anymore,  will I give up?  A new book has just been published featuring the private letters of Mother Teresa called Come Be My Light.  Mother Teresa heard God’s call to go to Calcutta to care for the poor and needy and she served there for about half a century.  According to her letters however,  she experienced an intense spiritual emptiness for much of that time…didn’t hear God’s voice or sense God’s presence.  She confided in a letter to a friend saying:  ‘…as for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see, — Listen and do not hear…’      Atheists are lifting this book up as further evidence that God does not exist.  But the Catholic church encouraged this book be published,  not because it confirm anything about God,  but because it affirms the importance of faith …the willingness to follow even when God’s assuring voice is not audible.  I believe Mother Teresa’s words will strengthen many people who like her,  struggle with the journey of faith.

And today we celebrate the ordination and installation of 14 new elders and deacons at Hidenwood.  Last Thursday, each of them shared something of their own faith journey with the Session.  I wish you could have all been there…it was a wonderful experience.  Hearing faith stories builds faith in others and we ought to share our faith more often.  This is an exciting time to be serving as an officer at Hidenwood because this will be a happening place over the next three years.  God has blessed us and will continue to bless us,  and your leadership is part of that blessing to us.

  As ordained officers of our church you should know that we are looking up to you…you are the example of discipleship for the whole church.  As ordained officers we trust you to follow Jesus,  not the crowd,  so don’t make decisions to based on what you think the majority want,  rather, make decisions based on what you think or Lord wants.  As ordained officers remember that your position is not one of privilege as responsibility.  Our Lord said ‘those who want to be first must be last,  servant of all.’   So we look for your leadership,  not just at Session or Diaconate meetings,  but in the kitchen making sandwiches for Kid’s Café, in the Sunday School as teachers,  in the sanctuary,  singing in the choir,  in Biloxi on our mission trip. 

Are we asking too much?  Perhaps.  But sometimes people ask for more than is fair,  sometimes they ask for what is needed. That’s what happened last Saturday at Virginia Tech.  We asked a college football team to help heal the community,  and at first they buckled under the weight of the burden of it,  but then they rose to the call and delivered.  I’m not talking about winning,  although they did,  I’m talking about reflecting the fighting spirit that the Hokies are known for.   Healing happened in Virginia Tech last Saturday.  Today we are asking you to rise to the call of God…to be stretched as a person,  know that with God all things are possible. 

And remember that God calls you all.  So let us all rise to the call,  let us all be stretched so that healing,  new growth,  new life might happen in this place and beyond.   

Amen