A young man wakes up in the morning and hears the birds singing. He realizes how fortunate he is. Recently, he has been reading about Jesus’ call to his discipleship in the gospel of Luke, which is today’s Gospel reading, that reads: “Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”
What does this mean for me? He was reflecting.
This young university student decided that morning that he would take Jesus’ words seriously and personally. He had lived a privileged life. God had given him many gifts. What should be his response to those words from Jesus?
The young student continued his studies. He gained a doctorate in philosophy and later in medicine. One day in 1904, he was reading a missionary magazine where he came across again that same reading from Luke’s gospel.
This young man’s name is Albert Schweitzer. He went to Lambaréné in Africa as a medical missionary and established a small, humble medical clinic there.
Schweitzer served and saved thousands of local patients until he died at the age of 90 in 1965. That humble clinic he had founded in Lambarene was expanded later into 60 buildings of a general hospital.
In the scripture passage this morning, Jesus said to the disciples and to the large crowds. “Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”
Simply put, “Carry your own cross and follow me. Otherwise, you will never be my disciples.” Carry your own cross and follow me. Otherwise, you will never be my disciples.
We can’t just quit our jobs and lives here, and go overseas as full-time missionaries. But the reading this morning still helps us to stop, think, reflect on our lives here on earth as Jesus’ disciples.
In today’s Lukan reading, Jesus demanded that his followers carry a cross and follow him. Jesus was very direct when he called people to follow him. Salespeople focus on the good parts and hide the bad parts and the cost to sell more products to their customers. But Jesus was upfront about the high price of being his disciple.
He wasn’t offering an easy deal. He made it clear that following him would be a difficult journey. He did not hide the cost of being a disciple. Instead, he said we should give up a lot… to live our lives on this planet as Jesus’ followers in all aspects of our lives.
The main issue for us is that we’re often too focused on what the world offers: money, better life, better jobs, or better retirements. But Jesus had only one focus: bringing God’s kingdom into the lives of people and the world.
A question for us this morning is: How can we practically simplify our complicated lives to focus on God’s kingdom in this 21st century, just as Jesus’ disciples did back in the first century?
What should we do more, and what should we give up more, in order to bring that life into our reality and share it with those around us?
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And more importantly, Jesus asks us to be ready for the cost of being his follower. He tells a great story to show how we should prepare for this journey.
He says in verse 28, “If you’re going to build a tower, you first sit down and figure out the cost. You need to know if you have enough money and materials to finish the job. If you don’t, you won’t be able to finish it after laying the foundation.”
This message is critical. Believing in Jesus as your Lord and Savior is one thing; being a disciple is another. We have to constantly figure out what it takes to be his disciple and how much our faith should be a part of our lives. This isn’t just for our spiritual journey—it applies to all areas of our lives.
Christianity isn’t just something you do on Sunday mornings. It’s a lifelong pursuit of God and his kingdom from Mondays to Saturdays, even to the point of risking everything. It challenges your foundations, changes your priorities and even your habits. It can even put you at odds with your friends and family, often making you feel like strangers in this world.
I’d like to conclude my talk for you with another reading from Deuteronomy. We haven’t read it this morning. It says, “Today I am giving you the choice between life and death, between God’s blessing and God’s curse, and I call heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Choose life. Love the Lord your God, obey him and be faithful to him.
Friends in Christ, in our Christian journey, cross is not death. In Christianity, cross is life. Let’s choose life! Choose God’s Kingdom life in everything you do and have. Amen.