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15. Sunday after Pentecost, 09/05/2010
Sermon on Luke 14:25-33, by David M. Wendel
Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, [26] "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. [27] Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. [28] For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? [29] Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, [30] saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' [31] Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? [32] If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. [33] So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Cost of Building
The truth is, I came out of seminary determined to never, ever be pastor of a congregation that was having a building program. Why? Because pastors who had been served such congregations lamented the time and the effort and the stress, and cautioned us young clergymen to avoid building programs at all costs! Which is fine advice, if you're pastor of a stagnant congregation which never grows, or pastor of a dying congregation which never needs to expand. When I came to Saint Luke's, we were trying to just keep the doors open, and meet all our financial commitments, and the small building that was the size of our present sanctuary was sufficient--for the first few years. But then, as we grew, it became clear that more space was needed for our growing ministry, and at some point you realize, guess we'll have to build. And so we did--once, twice we tackled major building programs within the last ten years, and while there were great joys and tremendous excitement, I certainly came to understand what those seasoned pastors were talking about, when they said, "avoid a building program, if you can!"
Because as our Gospel lesson is all about counting the cost before you begin to build-so that you may be able to finish your building project, and not come up short, I remember well how every day of our building programs, I would come into the church, look at the great structure going up outside, and the words of Jesus would haunt me-"for which of you, intending to build a tower, doesn't first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow-these people began to build and were not able to finish'." Maybe some of you could come and go during our building projects and never give a thought to whether we would have enough money to finish, whether we had calculated accurately, whether we'd overstepped our anticipated income-- but I dwelt on it every day. And I knew there were several of us, at least, who lost sleep, and became preoccupied with concern for how it would be finished, and how much it would take when all was said and done-and not just whether we would be able to complete the building program-- but whether we'd then be able to pay for the thing when the last wall was painted and the last floor tile was put in place! Believe me, we all struggled to be thorough and judicious and cautious to anticipate every dollar that had to be spent, and every bill that remained to be paid, so that we would have enough to complete the project, and meet the new mortgage-but still, you wonder, and you run the numbers, and you check and double check the estimates. And then this bill comes in higher than you thought, and giving to the building fund lags a bit, and someone who pledged moves away, and you do worry that at some point, the lender, or the contractor or other members will point, and say, look they began to build and were not able to pay for it!" The words of Jesus this morning are a vivid reminder to those of us who were here, involved in one, or both of our major building programs, as Jesus seemed to be speaking to us directly, calling us to be diligent and faithful as we counted the cost, and worked together, to get the job done. But our building programs aren't the only connecting point with our Gospel text today. For in a congregation such as ours, with so many active duty and retired military folks, we also understand deeply what Jesus means when he cautions against going to war without first sitting down and considering whether we are ready to pay the price, financially, but also in terms of human life and energy and will, to win the war.
The Cost of Waging War
These last few years since 9-11, we have struggled with the ups and downs of limited engagement in Afghanistan and Iraq, and we've seen how hard it is to actually defeat an enemy while trying to hold back, or to refrain from putting our all into winning a conflict. After Viet Nam, we thought our nation had determined never to go to war, unless we were prepared to do whatever was required, to win. But still, at times, in our well-meaning desire to lessen the human toll, to keep the costs down, we go on the cheap, with too few soldiers and too little funding, and, well, we see that no king, and no country can win a war like that. And without taking a political position one way or the other, without intending to say we should or shouldn't have done this or that-we have learned all too well, the lesson that Jesus presents in our gospel lesson: we must count the cost first-before any military action. For it is all too easy, to engage, and then begin to count the cost, and lose our resolve and falter. The point Jesus makes is, always--count the cost first. See whether you have what is needed to complete the task, to finish the mission-and if you don't, then don't begin, lest someone ridicule you. And of course, Jesus' words are not aimed just at church building programs, or at our nation's military commitments-it's aimed first, at us-as people who will, or will not, be his disciples. And this comes about, it seems, because Jesus sees the large crowds who are traveling with him.
Large Crowds vs Few Disciples
Now in the Church today, and in churches today, the conventional wisdom is--large crowds are a good thing. Today, pastors and congregations are all about having the biggest congregation. Evangelism strategies, and ministry workshops and pastor's seminars are almost all aimed at getting more folks in the door, so that your congregation will be larger and larger. Which wouldn't be a bad thing, if your congregation is growing because the Word is being preached in its purity, and the Sacraments are being administered rightly, as the Augsburg Confession, Article VII defines the one, holy and true Church.
The difficulty with the so-called church growth movement today is, the guiding principle seems to be, "whatever it takes to get them in the door." Pastors and congregations who buy into the church growth model buy into such strategies as, "less Scripture is better"; "the Lord's Supper ought not be offered on Sunday, if at all"; "liturgy and ritual is passé', if not downright anachronistic"; "no one likes traditional music, but only music that has catchy tunes, sounds like what you hear on the radio, and has a strong beat". And this last proposition always gets me: the church growth movement assumes worship must be dumbed down, because people today are evidently, not intelligent, educated, capable of concentrating more than three minutes at a time. All of which is why so many churches are making Sunday services more, what's called, "seeker friendly"-to try to bring in more and more who are unchurched, by having "lowest common denominator worship", that is friendly, warm, easy, comfortable, and upbeat. In other words, "happy".
The problem with that, however, is that it denies what Sunday worship is meant for-disciples! In fact, in the early church, while non-believers-the large crowds Jesus saw in our gospel lesson, were allowed to meet with the believers for the first part of the worship service, through the readings and the sermon, after that, the unbaptized had to leave-because no non-believers were allowed to even see, the celebration of the mysteries-the Lord's Supper. The Christian liturgy was first and foremost, for the initiated-for the Baptized, because these would be those who would understand, for example, words of Jesus, like those in our Gospel lesson today. Large crowds were, traveling with Jesus-not following Him, but going with Jesus, because he could cure the sick, do interesting deeds of power, and generally, put on a good show. We pastors fall into the trap of thinking --our church can also have large crowds, if we'll put on a good show!
But aren't Jesus' words meant to do just the opposite? Doesn't Jesus intend to weed out those who were not disciples, to discourage those who just came to be entertained, so that no one would be deceived into thinking that discipleship, is easy, or comfortable, or suitable for great masses of people? Rather, Jesus says if you want to be my disciples, you must be prepared to leave everything behind, you must be prepared to leave home, and family, and security, and prosperity behind, to come follow me. In fact, says Jesus, "whoever does not carry the cross and follow me, cannot be my disciple". These are the kinds of things we need to be able to say in church-without dumbing them down, or softening them up, for the seekers who might be present, for fear they might find discipleship too demanding or harsh. When the believers gather on Sunday morning for Word and Sacrament, these are precisely the words of Jesus we need to hear, and preachers need to proclaim-so that those who would be Jesus' disciples will be able to count the cost, and consider the sacrifice, and be prepared to renounce all-to be a follower of Jesus! And let no one dare twist the text around a little, or ignore such texts as this, or read only the second lesson, so that we won't turn visitors off, by such a call from Jesus, to take up your cross and come follow! Jesus is saying to you and to me this morning, "This is what it means to be my disciple! It is costly, it demands something of you, it involves cross-bearing and sacrifice and service!" And if you are not willing to be my disciple, Jesus says, then with the large crowds, go your own way-for, it seems, the true church, will always be small in numbers. Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, imprisoned and finally martyred by the Nazis for participating in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, said, "True Christians will always be small in number. The true church will always consist of the few." Which, of course, flies in the face of the church growth movement, and the push for larger and larger numbers that are thought to be the indicator of success and effectiveness. A growing congregation can be an indicator of a lot of things-but it is never an indicator of faithfulness, and true discipleship. While our congregation continues to grow in numbers, I am never so foolish as to think that indicates discipleship, and faithfulness in our members. Nor does a completed building program, or hiring more staff, or expanding our Children's Center. Because discipleship, and the faithfulness of believers, is, in a sense, an individual thing-personal. I can't determine whether you're a faithful believer and disciple. That can be witnessed only by God, examining your heart and life. Which leaves all of us, and each of us as individuals, wondering, how, then, will I ever be found faithful? How, then, will I ever be considered, by God, a true disciple? And the answer is, you won't-because faithfulness, and true discipleship, doesn't come from you, it comes from Jesus Christ, who calls us to come, follow Him.
True Discipleship Comes from Jesus Christ!
Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes, in his book, The Cost of Discipleship, that it is all about Jesus Christ himself, and not about the individual believer. He writes, "The call goes forth, and it is at once followed by the response of obedience. The response of the disciple is an act of obedience, not a confession of faith in Jesus. How could the call of Jesus immediately evoke obedience? For the simple reason that the cause behind the immediate following of call by response, is Jesus Christ himself. It is Jesus who calls, and because it is Jesus, the disciple follows at once. The encounter is a testimony to the absolute, direct, and unaccountable authority of Jesus. Because Jesus is the Christ, he has the authority to call and to demand obedience to His word." Jesus commands simply, "follow me, run along behind me", and the disciple follows in Jesus' footsteps, for the sake of the call of Jesus. (Bonhoeffer, pp. 61-62)
And that is how anyone can be a disciple of Jesus-by Jesus calling us, and we simply follow in His footsteps. By Jesus commanding us to come, and we run behind Him, responding to His power and authority to demand obedient. By hearing His call, and striving to live a Christ-like life, in obedience to that call. Which means, living lives of love, and sacrifice, and service. Which means giving ourselves away, and taking up our cross and coming after Jesus. That's the cost of discipleship-obedience to Jesus-obedience that is not always comfortable, or easy, or entertaining-but obedience that creates in us, and sustains in us--faith-true faith, in God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.