Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
There’s an ironic phenomenon in our highly technological and digital age. Now more than ever, we have the ability to be connected with just about anyone. Within mere seconds and with very little effort, we can be talking to someone on the opposite side of the world. Space is no longer a hindrance. We can see our family and friends anytime we want with video chats. But even with this constant and immediate contact, it seems more and more people are feeling isolated and alone. This can even be felt in the Church. We can be sitting right next to family and friends in a full sanctuary and still feel alone. But no matter what you’re feeling, you’re never alone in Christ’s Church. Your Lord, He is always present; preserving you and His Church through His Word and in Sacraments. And you, you’re always connected to your brothers and sisters in Christ, even when you’re apart.
We often get the idea that since we’re part of God’s Church that everything is going to be fine and dandy for us: we’ll never suffer need, we’ll always get along with everyone, life will simply be wonderful. But this kind of prosperity gospel isn’t proclaimed anywhere in Scripture. In fact, what our Lord says about following Him is completely different. There’s a cost of discipleship. There’s a cost to following Him. And in the Gospel reading today, we hear Jesus talk about that cost.
One man came up to Jesus and said he’d follow Him wherever He went. But our Lord revealed that this man wasn’t ready for that cost of discipleship, because it’d mean giving up the security of an earthly home, not even having a hole or nest to live in like the animals. Jesus is very clear here. If you think material blessings and prosperity will come your way because of the faith, then you’re greatly mistaken. If our Lord had nothing, what makes us think then that His followers will have more? Faith in Christ is no guarantee of earthly riches. And in some cases, faith in Christ leads to a loss of riches.
But it’s not just the material things that we’re devoted to that we might have to give up for the Lord. Sometimes the cost is our relationships. When Jesus called the second and third men to follow Him, they said they’d go, but first they had to go back home to bury their father and say goodbye to their family and friends respectively. Neither of these things were bad in and of themselves. In fact, honoring parents, including caring for their burial, that’s something Jesus encourages in the Gospel. And of course, there’s nothing wrong with saying goodbye to family and friends. So Jesus isn’t saying that we shouldn’t do these things. What He’s addressing though is that following the Lord isn’t based on our own terms. These men tried to set their own conditions for following Christ, but that’s not how it works. We don’t get to set our own terms. We don’t get to decide for the faith. Our Lord calls, and we follow.
Following the Lord can come at a cost, and that cost may even be our relationships. We all know of times when divisions arise between friends and family because of the faith. And yet, at the same time, when we follow the Lord, relationships aren’t just lost, they’re gained; new relationships based on the everlasting life of Christ. One of those relationships the Lord graciously gives is that between His people and pastors.
I’ve been greatly blessed by the Lord since He called me to be the Associate Pastor here 7 years ago. When I was deciding to go to the seminary, Katie and I knew there'd be the chance that I could be placed anywhere in the country. And so, part of the decision to go to Fort Wayne was so that we could be closer to family a little bit longer. After that call night, when Grace Clarksville, TN was announced, we knew we wouldn’t be able to see our family as much as we had in the past. That was the cost of following the Lord’s call. But He knew what He was doing. He was bringing me here to you, creating new relationships based on the love of Christ. And since day one, you’ve all welcomed us into God’s family here.
We’ve been able to celebrate life’s joys together: births and Baptisms, including those of my girls; graduations and weddings; new jobs; the list could go on and on. And we’ve been together through the sorrows of life too, praying for each other and supporting each other. This is part of God’s plan for us, to live in relationship with one another. In the Garden, He said it wasn’t good for man to be alone, so He created Eve, He created family. That family He is established in His Son, and it will never be broken.
The reason why total strangers can come into the church and be treated as family right away is because of the love of Christ. They say blood is thicker than water, but the blood of Christ, shed on the cross for your forgiveness and the water of Baptism that gives you new life, that is thicker still. God brings you into His holy family. He unites us all into one. And He will forever keep you and this family secure, even when you feel alone; just as He did for Elijah.
Elijah thought he was all alone. He thought he was the only one left who trusted in the Lord. And in that loneliness he despaired and had no hope. But he wasn’t alone. The Lord was there with him, and the Lord was preserving His Church; 7,000 others in Israel who still followed Him alone.
The Lord continues to preserve you and His Church today. Through His Word and Sacrament; through the Gospel of Christ, His very death and resurrection for you and your salvation, the Lord preserves His Church. He gathers you together into the family of Christ, and in this family, you’re never alone.
It’s hard to deal with feelings of loneliness. It’s hard to say goodbye to family and friends. It’s hard when the cost of following Christ is personal relationships. But in Christ you have an everlasting relationship with your Lord and with your Brothers and Sisters in Christ. You’re never alone in Christ’s Church. He’s always with you. His saints are always with you. And together we celebrate His forgiveness, life, and salvation; even when we’re separated by space and time. In Jesus’ name…Amen.
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