June 29, 2025
READINGS & MESSAGE
2 KINGS 2: 1-2, 6-14
We begin our readings today with, what I think, is ‘awe-inspired’ writing and awe-inspired writing over the uncontrollable…no one is irreplaceable, and though it may be impossible to fill the shoes of a prophet like Elijah, we are expected to fill our own shoes…but when things happen all around us, we can sometimes struggle with the right words to use…well folks – it’s not about words anyway – just being there and witnessing the event itself, is enough…it becomes a blessing… when the hummingbird comes to the feeder…when the rainbow shines brilliantly after a thunderstorm and the air is totally quiet…you can’t receive the ‘prophetic mantle’ unless you’re there to experience the whole event…this is the story of Elisha and Elijah…
GALATIANS 5: 1, 13-25
So in reading the Epistle Lesson this morning, you can really tell that Paul is not very happy with the folks in Galatia or as we know it today, a letter to the Celts…he speaks a little bit about slavery and the slavery which he speaks of are all the vices which we live by – jealousy…anger... envy…carousing…impurity…and the list becomes longer and longer…
So Paul flips this list of vices upside down and takes away the slavery to offer us freedom…freedom through kindness, gentleness, self-control, peace, and so on….and all this will happen if we allow ourselves to be guided by the Spirit…well truthfully, there are some saints among us whose fruitful spirits seem to need no nurturing…well, the rest of us have to work at it…don’t we?...
LUKE 9: 51-62
I kind of like the language in this Gospel passage because, for me, it really proves that the old rules don’t apply anymore…there is to be a whole different way of living…maybe we could put this into our society somewhere and begin coming closer to the peace that we’re looking for…what I find interesting is that in this Luke passage, the disciples want to rain fire on the ancient enemy – the Samaritans and of course, Jesus rebukes them or tells them that they are ‘off-centre’…strangely enough, when the day of Pentecost happens, what rains over all of the people?...fire of course…and it did include the Samaritans so in essence, Jesus is taking this situation and making it, eventually, into a teaching moment…the Samaritans receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and they become full members of the family of God!...cool!...
DECLARING THE DEPTH OF OUR FAITH COMMITMENT
Faith is an interesting word indeed…and it always surprises me when I see someone catapulting themselves off of a stage and having faith that in the MoshPit, the folks are going to catch you and carry you hand-by-hand, arm-by-outstretched arm into safety…faith…trust…hoping… well, faith can be expressed and experienced in a variety of ways, but there comes a time in each person’s journey when it is necessary clearly and unequivocally to declare the depth of your commitment – your faith commitment…God’s place in our lives is neither a matter of convenience nor something that can be taken for granted – or assumed..
Our commitment to God is a heartfelt matter, rather than the result of a logical decision-making process…when we choose to go with Jesus and to ‘turn our face to Jerusalem’, we are making quite a statement are we not?...and what happens is that love and grace play a far greater role than length of association or depth of knowledge…a life of discipleship is not a part-time or momentary commitment – it’s life-changing in its direction and its priorities…our lives become subservient to the call of peace and justice…but we have to always remember that we are human and this means that we have the tendency to resist…if Jesus resisted, we wouldn’t be here…and in the beginning of this Gospel passage, we are introduced to a major transition in Jesus’ ministry and his life…he’s been teaching the folks about the sacrifice which he is going to make – the sacrifice which was required of him but now he comes to that point of realization and he ‘turns his face to Jerusalem’…holy smokes!!...it’s really going to happen!...and what he in essence is doing is declaring the depth of his faith…well, in our own lives, we also face significant times of transition do we not?...times where the wheels come off and we need to reinvent ourselves or do a complete turnaround…early in our faith journey we are often focused on Scripture or possibly the church and possibly what it means to be a child of God…and it’s wonderful and we have this fabulous fellowship with others and we feel renewed and nurtured and fulfilled…and as our faith grows and matures, our life in Christ slowly merges with our life in the world…we come to realize that in living in The Way, it’s more than a private endeavor, no matter how meaningful it may be…it becomes our identity – we must recognize and live it in every part of our being…no matter what are gifts are or what are imperfections are, the mature Christian must willingly walk along- side Jesus, even if that journey compels us to make difficult choices that a more secular existence might otherwise avoid…now how’s this for wrapping your head around?....and in this Gospel passage we are introduced to three scenarios with three different what I may call exuberant fans along the way…the first one says, “I will follow you wherever you go”…now those are loaded words if ever heard them!... yet in some of our prayer time these words may come out – yes, I will follow!...but the big question is what does that mean?...is it simply a matter of listening and learning or is there a deeper commitment involved?...well guess what?...if some folks followed, they wouldn’t have a place to call home anymore, either physically or culturally and hey, Christian values and service are not always politically correct or – culturally popular…in the second scenario Jesus simply states, “Follow me”…but someone has to go and bury their father first…so commitment is really right now and don’t be giving me a million excuses….and in the third scenario, those priorities take the form of family needs and obligations…what initially seems a reasonable request is actually another obstacle to living out one’s call…these excuses represent a request to go in a different direction…what Jesus is ultimately offering is an opportunity to follow on a journey of faith…
So in closing, the Christian journey does not demand that we reject our responsibilities to family and vocation but, rather, encourages us to see those needs in the light of our faith and through the lens of our deepening commitment to Christ….Amen.