A Brief Word About Faith
A Communion Meditation Preached by
Thomas J. Boone, PhD
Central Presbyterian Church, Mobile, Alabama, Sept. 9, 2007
Luke 14:15-35
It doesn’t happen often, but every now and then a preacher must get straight to the point and with as much going on in worship this morning, today is one of those times. In God’s good providence, however, Jesus’ words in Luke need little embellishment to be clear. The only question is do we have faith enough to accept these words of God and take to heart Jesus’ challenge, or not?
The parable opens with a simple assertion from someone who knows he’s one of God’s children and knows where he’s headed. “No matter what happens in life,” he says, “in the end I’ll be in heaven.” It’s a finite person’s way of expressing the mystery and hope of his infinite connection with God. It’s our belief stated in familiar hymns like “I’ll Fly Away,” or “When We All Get to Heaven.”
You’d think that someone affirming his or her hope for heaven would please Jesus, but the parable suggests something else. Jesus tells the story of a man who throws a party, but finds that the people he knows and has invited to the party have better things to do. At first their excuses seem reasonable: one has to take care of his business, another has to make sure his family will be fed, and another has his new wife to focus on. But each excuse results only in infuriating the one throwing the party, which leads to one of Jesus’ harshest statements, “Whoever comes to me and doesn’t hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even life itself, cannot be my disciple.” What sense to we make of all this?
Faith, to put it briefly, doesn’t have as its priority the glory awaiting us in heaven. The party in the parable isn’t in the future, it’s in the present. Likewise, your life with Jesus is about the here and now; it’s about making our lives, regardless of our situation, the place where we encounter our Savior. Jesus wants us to know that we’re with Him not only for what He will give us after death, but during the seasons of life whether they be thrilling, invigorating, dull, or painful. It’s the faith of Brother Lawrence, Mother Theresa, Corrie tenBoom, and anyone else who discovers that faith is about being in God’s presence in life’s most banal and mundane moments.
The Lord expects us to experience the gift of His presence day to day. It isn’t something we look forward to, so much as a reality that happens while we’re caring for our family, tending to our business, or relaxing on vacation. Jesus’ words, which appear harsh, boil down to having our priorities in their proper order. And therein lies the challenge for us. Is God your first adoration, first source of peace, and first cause for comfort, whether you’re battling age, a broken body, financial struggles, threats to family, job transitions, or whether there’s nothing dire that you face?
God first. God always. God in every season. That’s the brief message of faith today and each of us rests assured in a Lord who shepherds us while we learn day by day, from one circumstance to the next, how to make Him Lord today more than we did yesterday. Hallelujah. Amen.