June 29, 2025
Proper 8 – Katharine Armentrout
No Turning Back
This week’s Gospel reading makes clear that Jesus has not read Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” He doesn’t wrap his invitation to discipleship in slick or comfortable words. He doesn’t minimize the costs to attract more followers. “He doesn’t hide the hard stuff in fine print,” as one writer put it. Debi Thomas, “Journey With Jesus”, Proper 8, Year c, 2019.
In fact, it seems as if He almost pushes potential followers away: “I’ll follow you anywhere!” an eager young man says and, in response, Jesus tells him basically, “You have no idea what you will be getting yourself into.”
This week’s readings are not easy.
They challenge us and make clear that if we want a disciple’s life that is comfortable rather than costly, and stable rather than transformative, then we don’t really understand what Jesus wants from us as His disciples.
As we encounter Jesus this week in the readings, His face is set like stone for Jerusalem.
His face is set for confrontation with the powers of both church and state – the Rulers of the Synagogue and those of the Roman Empire.
He knows his life is coming to an end and that his ministry on earth will be ending too. So…He is anxious to ensure that His ministry which powerfully demonstrates God’s loving kingdom will be continued by those who come after Him.
Disciples are on his mind – those who have been with him and those that he still has time to call to Him.
And He doesn’t hesitate to let them know what will be demanded of them.
In other words, Jesus’ interaction with those he encounters on his way to Jerusalem is a “truth-in-advertising” moment about discipleship in the kingdom of God – he does not mince words.
First, we get a lesson in the nature of God’s kingdom and its demands: We get a sense of that in the encounter in Samaria.
The Samaritans, who worshipped differently from those in Jerusalem, saw that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem and would not be staying to minister to them on this journey, so they decided not “receive” him.
The reaction of James and John who were with him was “hot” – Remember these are the twins that were called the “Sons of Thunder”; they could be quick-tempered and feisty.
James and John were deeply offended by the Samaritan refusal to welcome Jesus,
They knew that failure to offer hospitality was a violation of sacred Jewish tradition. Hospitality was always to be offered.
They were so incensed that they wanted to call down fire on Samaritans. Maybe they thought that since the prophet Elijah had called down fire on those who had been sent to arrest him that it would be appropriate…that it would be appropriate.
So who did Jesus “rebuke” for that denial of hospitality? Not the Samaritans…Why you might ask?
Because violence and retribution are not the way of the Kingdom. The call, Jesus reminds them and us, is to bring life, not death –
Even to those who reject us…the way of Jesus is to practice forgiveness and forbearance, not retribution and revenge.
Love and forgiveness are the way of Jesus – forgiveness, tolerance, patience in our dealings with those who challenge us – – that is the way of Jesus.
Next we get a lesson from Jesus on the hardships we might expect as we walk the way of His discipleship –
An eager young man (I am assuming he is young just because of his exuberance)- comes running to Jesus, saying, “I will follow you wherever you may go!”
Jesus, instead of saying “Welcome, brother, sign up here!”, warns him. “ This will not be a day at the beach – no place really to call your home, no guaranteed welcome, not even an assurance of safety.”
As one writer put it, this young man may have been amazed by the miracles and astounded by Jesus’ teaching – the walking on water, the multiplication of the loaves and fish, the Sermon on the mount. And who wouldn’t follow a man who could raise the dead and turn water into wine?
This man appears sincere in his desire to become a disciple but …he has not yet counted the cost.
Jesus wants to be certain that he understands that the life of discipleship may be hard, may be uncertain, without amenities, and often not subject to the kindness of strangers.
It may not be the path to a life of security, stability, and success that is valued so highly in many cultures.
Next, Jesus actually calls out to another man whom he encounters. He says: “Follow me”.
And that man’s response? “Yes,…but”.
“Yes, but first let me bury my father”, which in the Jewish culture is a sacred duty and in our culture is absolutely expected.
And how does Jesus respond to that seemingly reasonable reply? He replies in a curt, almost dismissive way, saying: “Let the dead bury their own dead”!
I don’t know about you, but that strikes me at first that it was not Christ-like, that it was a harsh, unfeeling response.
But, given what was on the mind and heart of Jesus at that time, I think Jesus wanted the man he called, and he wants us, to understand that when we sign on to follow Him,
there may be times when our discipleship will distress, disrupt or disappoint our families, or times perhaps that it might cause a fracture of a long-time friendship.
But Jesus was a man-on-a-mission who wanted, and still wants, His followers to share His same intensity for God’s world.
He then encountered a third man who also was willing to join Him, but this man wanted to say “good-by” or “farewell” to his family first.
But Jesus said, again in what we hear as harsh tones:
“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Now for those of us unfamiliar with old-fashioned farm equipment, apparently in order to plow a straight furrow for seeds, you were required to keep your eyes straight ahead…not turn back to see what you left behind. In other words, you needed to stay focused.
Jesus seems to be saying in an urgent voice: “Things that make you hesitate or take away your focus on ministry, then those things diminish the ‘sense of urgency’ or sense of mission for the Gospel.”
And wouldn’t some of us respond: “Sure Lord, I’ll follow you, but first I have a number of really important things I have to get done. Then I can really be your disciple.”
The list of things in our lives that seem important can be endless and that’s precisely Jesus’ point.
“If our ‘to-do’ lists end with Jesus instead of beginning with Jesus, we may never get to Jesus at all.”
So…what are we to make of all of this?
I can almost hear Jesus asking each of us as individuals and as a church:
“Are you willing to walk with me as Disciples? Are you willing to go where I lead you and not count the cost?”
I think these readings are calling us to take our own spiritual-discipleship inventory…
Just as those in AA try to take an inventory of their lives, maybe we are called to look at our lives, both individually and as a church, to see how well we are making Jesus’ call a real priority.
To see how are we living out Jesus’ call “to love one another” in thought, word, and deed. How close to His call of “discipleship” we are.
For many of us, I think, we really make an effort to live lives of caring and thoughtfulness. We come to church, we donate to wonderful causes, we volunteer at CARES or the Weekend Snack program, we check in on our neighbors, we vote but…but…
Are we serving sacrificially and loving extravagantly, as Suzy McCall, the founder of the Lamb Institute has said:
that is how Jesus and the Apostles define discipleship.
How wide is our circle of love and inclusion?
Are we attentive to the broken places in this world?
And do we hesitate to speak up – to speak up for justice, to stand up for those that our world rejects?
These are the priorities of God’s kingdom and I wonder how well we are doing?
I know that at times the issues may seem overwhelming and any response we might give as adding little, but Jesus would not think so.
We may worry that we don’t know how to respond, but I can hear Jesus saying, “Just follow me, just try!”
Brain McClaren, a powerful author and pastor, recently wrote about discipleship. He said, “We’ll be tempted, no doubt, to let ourselves be tamed, toned down, shut up, and glossed over .
But Jesus means for us to stand apart from the status quo, to stand up for what matters, and to stand out as part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
He means for our lives to overcome the blandness and darkness of evil … And our good works, instead of drawing attention to ourselves, those good works will point toward our Lord… And many, I hope, will hear the call to become real followers of Jesus’ way….Brian McClaren (June 22, 2025 Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations)
Jesus’ call is not easy, but…it is oh so powerful and so full of God’s Love. So…let us go, let us follow Jesus. No turning back. Amen
June 8, 2025
Whitsunday – Year C – Bill Harkins
The Collect of the Day
Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Gospel: John 14:8-17, 25-27
Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.
June 1, 2025
Seventh Sunday of Easter – Year C – Katharine Armentrout
Revealing God and Our Lord Jesus Christ
One of the gifts of working on a sermon is an “aha” moment that can come…not always but sometimes.
And this past week, as I have been reading, studying, thinking and praying about the scripture we have, I had such an “aha” moment.
Like many of you, for years I have studied Jesus, his parables, his miracles, his intellectual skirmishes with the Pharisees, His prayer times.
And it has been about “Jesus” and what He was doing, and is doing for us. It was clear to me that Jesus was faithful to what He believed God was calling Him to do and to be.
But this week, it became clear to me that all this time in Jesus’ ministry it was much more: He was revealing to those he was with, and to us, the very nature of our God!! Who our God is, what our God desires, what our God wants.
Now… for many of you that might not be a revelation but it was to me.
Jesus, when he fed the 5,000, when He healed the paralytic, confronted the authorities, comforted the widow, raised the daughter of Jairius, He was not only being Jesus, Son of God, not only showing us the priorities of our God
but He was revealing the very nature of our God…
the very nature of our God.
May 25, 2025
Sixth Sunday of Easter – Year C – Byron Tindall
This section of John’s Gospel is a portion of what is called the final discourses. Among other things, Jesus is preparing his disciples for what is about to take place in Jerusalem. He is also getting them ready to take over his ministry after he is gone.
In 2 weeks, on June 8, we celebrate our yearly remembrance of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. To me, it’s the birthday of the church. Jesus’s work on earth is done. He has returned to his Father in Heaven, wherever that is.
This is the arrival of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, about which Jesus discusses with his disciples in the Gospel lesson from John appointed to be read today.
The spoken word and action-teaching of Jesus is rapidly coming to an abrupt halt with his arrest, death, resurrection and ascension. But fear not, Jesus tells his followers. The Counselor, The Spirit of Truth, the Holy Ghost, and there are other names applied to her, is going to help the disciples, AND US, understand what Jesus was trying to teach them and us all along. Unlike the disciples, we don’t have to wait for that arrival.
“Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives,” Jesus told his followers. When you stop and think about the peace of Rome,