First though,
I invite you to think for a moment about your own life. Are there people who
have been particularly supportive to you at different times? People who have
been “God-with-skin-on” for you? People who have your back?
The guy who
is playing guitar this morning is one of those people in my life. Chuck helped
me a lot when our mutual friend, Pauline, died at the age of 21 from
complications after surgery to replace a faulty heart valve. Pauline’s sister
called to let me know that Pauline had survived the surgery, but was brain dead.
I was 19, my family was away on vacation, and I needed someone to talk to and
cry with. To this day, I’m not sure why, but I took a few deep breaths and
called Chuck.
 |
| My friend, Pauline |
This
morning, in Psalm 139, we hear about how another Someone (with a capital S) has our
back, even more so than Chuck had mine. The person who wrote the Psalm is
speaking directly to God about how much He loves us and wants to be with us, no
matter where we are. Our Creator knows us from the moment our lives start,
right to their end, and She walks with us whether we’re on the highest mountain
or in the depths of hell. Creator is there for us every moment of every day and
then some, and has our back in every way possible.
But what
helps us to understand this invisible Presence in our lives? For me, it’s
always been my relationships with flesh and blood people who mediate God’s love
for me, those people who are “God-with-skin-on,” like Chuck and yes, even many of you here. And I also need the scriptures that so
often tell me about God’s love.
But today is a bit confusing. On the one hand, in the Psalm, we have this God who is so in love with us, She will follow us to the ends of the earth. But then, on the other hand, in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is being kinda hardass, not the loveable, huggable God in the Psalm.
So what’s up with that?
I’ve been
puzzling over Jesus’ words about hating people all week, and the other hard words he's saying, and what I
finally see is that he is giving the folks who are following him a little shock
treatment. He’s telling them, “You’ve been walking with me for quite a while
because you like the nice things I say about God. But what if He asks you to
give up your parents, your spouse and children, and even your own life for a deeper
relationship with Him? What if God wants you to put aside everything that
distracts you from your relationship with Her? What if there’s a cross you have
to carry?”
Jesus is
asking all his followers – us included – “Are you willing to invest in our
relationship from now right to the end, like someone building a tower, who
needs to make sure they can finish it? Are you willing to be like a ruler who wisely
sees that a certain battle is unwinnable, and humbly asks for peace? And are
you willing to let go of everything you own… and maybe not just what you own, but
also the ideas you have about who you are and what makes you important or special in your own mind, and
accept that you are important and special just because you are God’s Beloved?
Jesus is
reminding us that relationships are hard work and that if we want our
relationship with God to work, we have to set aside everything that distracts
us. We have to be in it for the long haul, right to the finish line. And sometimes, we
have to accept and admit our limitations and rely on God instead of ourselves.
The thing
about relationships is that there always comes a point where we have to decide
– are we willing to risk and give more of ourselves, or not? Are we really
willing to rely on the other person? To trust in them? Are we really willing to rely on God? To trust in Creator?
I invite you
to take a deep breath and settle as comfortably as you can into your chair, putting your feet flat on the floor. Breathe
in… and out… following your breath from your lips to the bottom of your lungs
and back. What a miracle God gives us as we breathe!… Relax any tightness in
your body, allow yourself to rest quietly and come to complete stillness except
for the beating of your heart. Close your eyes, or soften their focus if you can…
Picture
yourself walking along your favourite path. What do you see? What do you hear? Where
does the path lead?
As you walk, someone is coming toward you, and you realize that it is Jesus.
“How are you
doing?” he asks, as he comes to walk beside you.
How do you
reply?
“I’m here to
invite you to deepen your relationship with God,” he says.
How does
that make you feel?
“Is there
anything distracting you from Creator’s love for you?” he asks.
Think about
that, and tell Jesus anything on your heart.
“Only the
ones who are willing to carry their own cross and follow me will learn my
ways,” Jesus says.
Think about
the challenges you face, the cross you carry. Ask yourself, “am I willing to
carry it with God walking beside me?”
Spend a few quiet
moments in silent conversation with Jesus now…
When you are ready, say goodbye to Jesus, open your eyes, and return to this space.
Let’s bow our heads and pray together:
Creator,
I know you
want what’s best for me,
even though
I don’t often know what that is.
You invite
me to put you ahead of everything else in my life,
but that
seems like an impossible, beautiful, scary thing.
I want to
trust in your love for me,
I want to
rely on you,
but I need
your help.
Be with me
in all the ups and downs of life,
as I carry
my cross with you, right to the finish line,
and bring
all your people home to you.
We ask this in the name of your son, our brother, Jesus.
+Amen.
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