September 9, 2007 - Pentecost 15, Year C
Saint James Episcopal Church, Saint James, NY

Welcome back. It’s good to see you all here again
at the beginning of the school year —
and good to see those of you who were here over the summer too!
Today is the first day of Sunday School;
it’s also the beginning of confirmation classes,
and there is a welcome back coffee hour
and an introduction to our adult ed program for the fall.

This week,
as I’ve been preparing to teach the confirmation class
the thing that has kept coming into my mind is,
what does it mean
to be a Christian?

In both our baptism and our confirmation services,
we go through the public ritual
of making a decision to follow Christ
but I sometimes wonder
if we realize what we are doing.
Do you ever think
what it means
for you to be a follower of Christ, a Christian?

For most of us,
it kind of happens by accident.
If you happen to be born in America
from some sort of European background, however far back,
and especially for those of us with Anglo-Saxon heritages,
it’s likely
that your family will be Christian.
Unless you make a decision otherwise
it’s just kind of assumed.
And it’s generally regarded
to be a good thing
to be able to check the box “Christian”
under religion.
You only have to watch the presidential race. For all that there is separation
of church and state,
faith takes a prime position in the discussions and debates.
Candidates are expected to be able to talk about their faith
and how it might or might not
shape their presidency.
Prayer and how it helps them in tough times,
the values they received from a Christian upbringing;
all those are regarded as good talking points, guaranteed to win them votes.
I suspect we always knew that Joseph Lieberman didn’t really have a chance; and a big part of it was his Jewish faith;
Mitt Romney has an uphill battle
convincing the voters
that having a Mormon president
would be acceptable.
I suspect, in the end, it won’t be.
And as much as we might argue for tolerance, it’s very unlikely a Muslim will run any time soon: Christianity is too firmly ensconced as our cultural religion here in America.
As far as most people are concerned, being Christian
is somehow synonymous with being American
and being a nice person.

But I’m not sure
that that’s exactly what Jesus meant
by being a follower, a disciple.
At least if you go by what he said in today’s gospel reading.
The words bring us up short. “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. . . None of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions."

Christianity, from Jesus’ perspective
is not just something that you fall into
by accident;
it’s not just something
that happens because you’re born that way.
Christianity is something you choose, and choose
knowing what it might cost you.

You’d be stupid to do otherwise.
Just as you’d be stupid to plan to build something
without making sure you could afford to finish it.
You’d be stupid to get involved in a war
without making sure you had the resources to win.
Though in the current economic and political situation
maybe our leaders would have done well to have listened to Jesus here...
But that’s not the point. Jesus isn’t talking about building projects or waging war; they are just examples of situations
where you should look ahead, and not begin
unless you’re sure what it will cost you.
And Jesus wants to make the point, that the same thing is true
of being a Christian.
Following Jesus is one of those things
where before you get involved, you need to be sure
you’re ready
for what it might cost you.
Your family. Your life. Your possessions.

Which is kind of counter to the sort of Christianity we’re looking for from our politicians, the sort of Christianity that we associate with being a good American. Because that version supports family values, capitalism and a good life. But the Christianity of Jesus
is kind of different.
It’s not so much that if we follow Jesus
we have to cut off all connection with our families, put our head in a noose, or stand destitute on the sidewalk,
what it is, I think that Jesus is saying,
is that if you want to follow him
you’ve got to be ready for some risk.
Following Jesus might mean some risk to your family relationships, some risk to your possessions,
some risk to your life.

Being truly known by Jesus’ name
means a shift in our priorities.
It means that,
and it’s pretty much heresy to say this in our culture,
it means putting Jesus first,
first before your family ties,
first before your possessions,
first before your life.
It’s not that these are bad things — in fact it’s the very reverse. It’;s acknowledging that these are good things
and that these good things
are the gift of God
and we are only stewards of them.
It learning to worship
God himself
rather than God’s gifts.
It’s learning to make God
our priority
and letting these other things
fall into place, trusting them
into God’s care.

It’s about reorienting your life. Being Christian, says Jesus, following him,
is going to make a difference. It’s going to make a difference
in every part of your life,
in your family relationships, in your possessions, everywhere.

Yesterday, a priest in England told me about a conversation he had just had
with a man who recently came out of prison. This is what he said,
“How [this man] looks and by his accent, he would live next door to any of us. The difference being that, while he was inside, he became a Muslim. We talked about this awhile, and he said that, the thing was, he wanted his life to change, he wanted to make a break with the past. When you become a Muslim your life changes, you live differently. As far as héd ever been able to see, when you become a Christian, nothing changes. . . He wanted a change, he needed change; he wanted deep, spiritual change, and Islam is what he went for.”

You see, the Christianity that man had seen
was pretty much social Christianity,
it was being Christian because you were born to it and society supports it.
It was superficial Christianity. And to be honest
that sort of Christianity
doesn’t have a whole lot to do
with what Jesus meant
when he called us to follow him.
Following Jesus is not just a matter
of what we believe. It’s a matter of how we live.
And our lives, and our priorities show
what we really believe.

Every so often I catch a bit of a short segment on NPR. It’s called “This I believe.” Based on a radio program from the 1950s, ordinary people share the personal philosophies and core values of their lives.
And some are chosen to be read on the radio.
They tell of survival after Hurricane Katrina, and of the gifts a woman wants to give her soon to be born child; of living with a birth defect and of human interconnectedness with nature. They tell stories of faith and stories of doubt, of lives lived and lives regretted. They tell stories of doubt and faith, failure and hope, grief and love.

But you don’t have to write an essay to share what you believe.
Your life is an essay. Everything you do, everything you say
tells what
you believe.

If you choose to come to church every Sunday
that says something
about what you believe.
If you come every other Sunday
or once a month
or seven times a year
that says something
about what you believe.

If you put a $20 bill into the plate
the Sundays that you’re at church,
that says something about what you believe.
If you pledge,
that says something about what you believe.
If you follow the biblical practice of tithing, giving ten percent of your income,
that says something
about what you believe.

If bring your kids to church activities
as reliably as you bring them to soccer or swimming,
that says something
about what you believe.
If you volunteer to help someone out,
that says something
about what you believe.
If you stop and pray
it says something about what you believe.

Jesus called people to follow him.
But it wasn’t the sort of following
that was a mail-in membership.
Being a Christian
would be costly. It would change, and shape
their lives.
And Jesus calls us too. Calls us to follow him,
calls us to follow him knowing
that it might cost us.

But when we follow him, we’re called by his name,
and when we’re called by his name
we are forever in his care.
It’s a risk,
but the risk comes with a promise, a promise not just of life everlasting
but of life here and now,
life filled with love
and grace
and new beginnings.

©Raewynne J.Whiteley, 2007