Sermon for First Congregational UCC, Rock Springs, WY 9/5/2010

Doing the Right Thing
By Rev Steven R Mitchell
First Congregational UCC, Rock Springs, WY 9/5/2010
Based on Philemon 1-21 and Luke14:25-33


What an interesting Gospel reading we have this morning as we come together not just for worship but also to partake in Communion. Here we read where Jesus is speaking about our need to “hate” in order to follow him as a disciple, and yet we are coming to a table that, Jesus tells us, comes out of an act of “Love”. IF we are to take this scripture at face value, at the words that are used, then for most of us, we will be totally turned away and unable to understand why Jesus says in order to follow him we must “hate” our mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and even ourselves; all the time hearing that Jesus’ mission in his ministry was to speak about “reconciliation”, of “unity”, of “love”, none of which can occur if “hate” is at the heart of our feelings instead of “love.” So, which is it, Jesus? Are we suppose to hate or are we suppose to love? How can we in good conscience come to an “agape” celebration (agape being the Greek’s understanding of the highest and most pure love), and be in the state of “hate”?
In the Eugene Peterson translation called “The Message”, we hear this with a different, and I hope in a more accurate, language. "Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one's own self!—can't be my disciple. Anyone who won't shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can't be my disciple.” With this type of language, we can then bring into consideration our reading from the letter to Philemon, a letter that is written by the Apostle Paul to Philemon in love and about acting in love; a letter about “doing the right thing.” Not only does the Peterson translation lend itself in bringing both of today’s readings together in unity, but it brings our celebration at the communion table into a cohesive act of what Jesus is trying to teach us; the “cost” of being a disciple of Christ.
Early in my ministry, I would time to time watch on Television the worship program “The Hour of Power”, at the Crystal Cathedral, with Robert Schuller. He, along with Norman Vincent Peale, are the Kings of “Positive” thinking in the religious world. I would listen to him and found most of his messages to be very shallow and what I would call, “sugar and spice and all things nice” Christianity. Then some years later, I had the opportunity to read Schuller’s autobiography, “My Journey”, where I learned more about the depth of Dr. Schuller’s theology and how it has shaped his ministry.
Within those pages I discovered that Dr. Schuller started out his ministry in the style of what we would refer to as the preaching of “hell, fire and damned nation.” It wasn’t until he had a guest speaker from his own denomination, the Dutch Reformed Church of America, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, speak to his congregation who stated that, “Jesus never condemned anyone.” Of course Dr Schuller took exception with that statement and never heard the rest of the message as he was searching through his scriptures in order to correct Dr. Peale. Schuller was never able to find the scripture to repute Dr. Peale and it caused him to re-evaluate his own ministry and theological stance. It was that epiphany that helped Dr Schuller realize that people needed to hear if only for one hour a week, that message that they are good in the eyes of God and not condemned as so many sermons in too many pulpits are preached each week, because, most of us hear all week long about how we do not measure up. This is how the “Hour of Power” ministry was born!
I bring this story up, because, even though God loves us and we are good within God’s eyes, we forget there is a cost that comes with being called “disciples” of Christ. We don’t seem to have too much of a problem when we talk about the “cost” of our freedom that we enjoy here in this country. It is understood that the life we enjoy comes at the cost of defending our soil, and not a cheap cost, but literally the cost of the lives of our young men and women, of our sons and daughters, of our fathers and mothers.
Yet, when we think of the cost of being a Christian, we generally think about how much money are we suppose to give to the church, or how does this affect my willingness to give up my Sunday mornings of staying home and reading the New York Times or which do I attend, a home game of the WY State Football or pay penance and go to church that Sunday? Jesus, isn’t talking about an actual “hate” toward our family, friends, society, or even of self. What Jesus is speaking about is realizing that we have to divorce ourselves from the things, the distractions, the self-desires that keep us from fully incorporating the life and teachings of Jesus into our hearts, minds, and lives. Remember the greatest commandment, “to love your God with heart, mind, and soul and to love your neighbor as yourself.”
For Philemon, Paul is challenging him to grow to another level in his Christian understanding and discipleship, and to change his perception of the slave Onesimus. In this very personal letter to Philemon, we learn that Philemon isn’t just a Christian, but that he has been taught by Paul, that he has worked side by side with Paul, and that Philemon is the head of the house church that is held in his own home. Philemon is a wealthy man and one who is respected within his community and one who also is spreading the gospel of Christ. Paul is asking Philemon not just to “free” Onesimus, but to look at him as his equal, to see him as a brother, not just in Christ but in a social setting.
It is in this letter that we see where Philemon is going to have to choose what the cost of his relationship to Christ is going to be. It means that if he chooses to honor Paul’s request, he will be giving up a slave, who has a dollar value to it, he will also have to face probable ridicule and standing within his community (those who are not living by Christian standards) and ultimately, if he has more than one slave, have to reconcile a consistent standard of, “if I free one slave, how can I then own other slaves?” There is a tremendous cost being weighed here.
What does it mean to us, who call ourselves Christians and members of this church? What does it cost us? Are we really able to “let go of our own selves” to follow Jesus, or are we more of the “sugar and spice” type of person, a person who believes and lives in what we and possibly Jesus would call, “cheap grace?” We may say that we are willing to follow Christ and his teachings to develop a life that is filled with “true rewards”, but it is through our actions that we will truly speak about where our priorities lay.
What does church membership mean to us? These are huge questions as they speak about our commitment and the cost of our commitment, to this ministry, to Christ’s ministry through this congregation. Do we come to church when “we feel like it”, or “when the Cowboys aren’t playing at home”, or when it doesn’t interfere with other opportunities that are placed before us? When we are not town, but in another city, do we go to a nearby church and take time to “Worship” or create a time for formal praise while camping, or do we look at it as a day “off”?
We come to this table this morning because of the commitment that Christ had in his relationship to God. The cost of Jesus’ relationship with God was his life. I remember a line in the movie, “Torch Song Trilogy”, where two lovers were discussing the possibilities of a reconciled relationship that had broken up some years before because of the one person’s inability to be open about his sexual orientation while the other person was totally open and out, and the one man after hearing the plea of his lover wanting a second chance, says, “I just threw my own mother out of my life. All she wanted to do was just not “talk about it.” Do you think I would expect any less from you?” Even when there is love involved, there is a cost to any relationship. When we think by not choosing to do one thing over another, we have made a choice and there is a cost in that choice.
We do not know what Philemon chooses to do with Paul’s plea to free Onesimus and to welcome him into the family as an equal. We have the words of Jesus to each of us this morning about counting the cost to follow him. What will be our response? How much is following Jesus worth to you? Think about it the next time you have the option of deepening your spiritual walk or choosing that which will “not.” Our discipleship comes at a cost. Jesus asks us to think hard about what we are willing to give up to follow him. This table symbolizes the cost that He paid for us, He simply is asking what will we do in return? Amen