Luke 14:25–33
Presented September 9th, 2007, by J.D. Kline
The 15th Sunday after Pentecost
300th Anniversary Theme, Church of the Brethren: Surrendered to God, transformed in Christ, Empowered by the Spirit
Warren Groff, retired president of Bethany Seminary, some years ago wrote a book entitled Story Time: God’s Story and Ours. Taking common questions and expressions from everyday life, Warren explores the basis of our Christian faith. One chapter, labeled “Be good! Stay out of trouble!” considers that frequent parental admonition to be good. We’ve all been recipients of such counsel, have we not—and many of us have offered it to those we love and care about on multiple occasions. “Be good! Stay out of trouble!”
My Grandfather Kline had another phrase he occasionally used—Remember who you are. Different words, but a similar intent. Remember the values you have been taught; remember the faith you have embraced; remember the family relationships that have nurtured and sustained you, and live in such a way that your family will be proud of you. Remember who you are.
We stand on the verge of the 300th anniversary of the movement that led to the Church of the Brethren, a time for intentionally remembering who we are. The first Brethren were a small community of eight persons who, in the year 1708 after a significant period of prayerfully searching the New Testament, made the decision to be baptized by immersion in the Eder River in the small town of Schwarzenau in northern Germany. In those days it was a criminal act to reject the state church, yet those eight—and many who followed—became convinced that faithfulness to God centers upon a commitment to following the teachings and example of Jesus as nearly as possible. For the first Brethren, baptism represented the initial act of faithful living, surrendering themselves to the God who loves us with a love that will not let us go.
From early times, this morning’s text from Luke 14 has been a key one for the Brethren, frequently read at the time of baptism. An early hymn written by Alexander Mack, Sr., whom we look to as organizer or founder of the Brethren, finds its basis in the challenging words of Luke 14.
“Count well the cost,” Christ Jesus says, “when you lay the foundation.”
Are you resolved, though all seem lost, to risk your reputation,
your self, your wealth, for Christ the Lord
as you now give your solemn word?Into Christ’s death be buried now through baptism’s joyful union.
No claim of self dare you allow if you desire communion
with Christ’s true church, his willing bride,
which, through his word, he has supplied.Within the church’s warm embrace the child of God is molded.
God’s Spirit lights the infant face and in God’s grace is folded.
With childlike steps, Christ’s plan we trace,
till we grow up in godly grace.
Counting the cost of discipleship—a theme long central to Church of the Brethren understandings of faith. Indeed, sometimes, in remembering who we are, in counting the cost of walking in the footsteps of Jesus, we find ourselves at odds with that common parental admonition, Be good! Stay out of trouble. Being good—seeking to be a people who are in the business of deepening faith, proclaiming peace, embracing community, welcoming others, and serving our neighbor, all in the compassionate spirit of Jesus—this may well lead us into trouble, rather than keeping us out of trouble!
It was true for the early Brethren. Stories abound of significant sacrifice as the initial Brethren surrendered themselves to lives of faithful discipleship. Alexander Mack, Sr., we are told, grew up in a home of some means in Schriesheim, Germany, his father, successful in business, twice serving as mayor of that city. But not long after Alexander Mack and his wife Anna began holding “illegal” Bible study and prayer services in their home, they were forced to flee to Schwarzenau in Wittgenstein, a principality noted for greater religious tolerance. Over time, Mack’s wealth was depleted, as he offered aid to fellow refugees seeking freedom to practice their faith openly. The writer of the article in The Brethren Encyclopedia about Mack asserts of him,
A compassionate person, he freely gave his inheritance to his brothers and sisters in need. A humble person, he refused the honors of the world, asking that even his grave be unmarked. A man of peace, he did not participate in war and violence. Open to new understandings of the Scriptures, he rejected the limitations of creeds and binding theologies. A practical person, he believed the Christian life is best expressed in the voluntary discipline of a loving, Christian community.
According to tradition, John Naas, another early Brethren leader, while on a preaching journey, was taken forcefully, his captors seeking to enlist him in an elite regiment of the Prussian army, apparently because he was a person of great height. Naas refused, and even when tortured, would not relent, saying only that he could not serve because he had already had a captain, Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and John Naas could serve no other.
Our Wednesday morning Bible study has been exploring the book of Acts, the record of the early beginnings of the church. Again and again Acts underscores that living lives surrendered in faithfulness to God carries no guarantee of lives trouble-free. Paul and the other early apostles frequently experienced hardship, struggle, even flogging and imprisonment. The Christian faith carries no promise of smooth sailing, but what is promised is that the Spirit of Christ goes with us in tough times as well as in times of calm; the ever-present Spirit strengthens, encourages, empowers, challenges, and renews us.
A popular movie a few years back portrayed a president and his advisors considering potential legislation related to cleaning up the environment. A key aide suggested that it was time to propose something with teeth in it—legislation that would require significant reduction in the levels of harmful emissions into our air. The chief of staff, however, quickly overrode such a notion, asserting, “If the legislation doesn’t pass, there will be a very loud THUD, and that’s precisely what you do not want to happen in an election year.”
Whenever I envision the crowds around Jesus hearing the words that form this morning’s text from Luke, chapter fourteen, I imagine quite a THUD! Whoever comes to me, says Jesus, 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. All this from one who elsewhere asserts that self-giving, risky love is the very heart of faithful living. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your mind, and with all your strength, and with all your soul. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself. What might Jesus have in mind when admonishing would-be followers that they may well need to hate mother and father, spouse and children, sisters and brothers, even one’s own life? How does this fit with the one who calls us to Love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us? Is it not Jesus’ way of asserting that faithful living is to be our primary passion in life? Seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness.
The Greek word translated as renounce or give up literally means say farewell. Jesus is urging us to let go of that which stands in the way of living fully a life of faithfulness, whether that be our most cherished family relationships, our own yearnings for a reputation or notoriety or status or acclaim, or even our intention to be good and stay out of trouble. Surrendering to God demands a willingness to count the cost of discipleship, even when it compels us to stand at odds with the values of the dominant culture around us. Henri Nouwen once observed that the call to life in community is a
call to move away from the ordinary and proper places. Leave your father and mother. Let the dead bury the dead. Keep your hand on the plow and do not look back. Sell what you own, give the money to the poor, and come follow me (Luke 14:26; 9:60, 62; 18:22). The Gospels confront us with this persistent voice inviting us to move from where it is comfortable, from where we want to stay, from where we feel at home.
Brethren have long affirmed what Nouwen suggests, that at the heart of discipleship stands the call to embrace risky living. We celebrate 300 years, not simply to acknowledge past strengths, but to prod ourselves to continuing faithfulness as we move into the future. What might it mean for us to live faithfully in the days to come? What does it mean for us to be a community of God’s people in this place, at this time? In what ways are we being called to proclaim Christ’s alternative vision of justice, peace, compassion, and self-giving love?
In his commentary Luke for Everyone Tom Wright observes, “At every stage of its life the church has faced the challenge, not only of living up to Jesus’ demands, but of placing [the demands] before the world.” And then Wright questions, “Where are the towers, and where are the wars, that our world is hell-bent on building and fighting? How can we summon the human race once more to costly obedience?”
Certainly we cannot do so, if we are not first willing to count the cost of discipleship ourselves. Our challenge is to so surrender ourselves to God that we find the courage and the strength and the power to embrace a new way of living. Floyd Mallot, Bethany Seminary professor from an earlier generation, wrote in his Studies in Brethren History, “The Brethren are truly characterized as a company of people who seek to exemplify the type of life expounded in the Sermon on the Mount …In so far as we are Brethren, we seek to live by the Sermon on the Mount.”
Loving one’s enemies. Going the extra mile in relationships. Seeking first the kingdom of God. Praying passionately for the coming of God’s kingdom, God’s way of life, here and now on earth, even as it is in heaven. Trusting in the God who clothes even the lilies of the field. Choosing the narrow way of discipleship that leads to life. Living and proclaiming peace as the children of God. Being compassionate and merciful, as our God displays compassion and mercy. Hungering and thirsting for justice, righteousness and peace. Surrendering our lives to the God who yearns for us to know life fully and abundantly.
This is our heritage from the past. This is our calling for the present. This is our mission for the future. Amen.