This was not a pleasant thought.
In Luke 9, Jesus encounters a couple of would-be followers. One, he warns that the way will be long and hard. From Luke 9 we get the saying, "Foxes have holes and birds have nests; but the Son of man has no where to lay his head."
Another promises to follow, once he has buried his father. "Let the dead bury the dead." Jesus tells him.
The third asks for enough time to say farewell to those at home. "No one who puts their hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
As our LCM Leadership Teams met last night, one of the growth areas for us is increased participation in the monthly fixing and distributing sandwiches to the homeless in Greenville. "Friday night is not a convenient night." someone acknowledged. "But Saturday is the day they don't have lunch - unless some group like ours serves them."
Please do not allow this morning's reflection to trump my continued reminder to all of you that your lives are too busy and that there are way too many things clambering for your time. However, not all those things are of equal value. And I want to lift up for you the value of serving others. The importance of doing what Jesus would do.
Luke 9 would teach us that to follow Jesus is an all consuming endeavor. Luke 9 would challenge us to look to the call to follow as the prime commitment in our lives.
We might want to say that the world has changed since the days of Jesus. That contemporary disciples can't be expected to live the say way as those first disciples. But I am not sure such arguments would hold water.
We have come a long way. But we have even further to go. The journey begins with a willingness to set aside all things and follow Jesus. Where will he take you today? And, will you be willing to follow the way he reveals to you.
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