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Sermon September 8, 2019
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers,
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s
Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost Track 1, Proper 18
http://www.lectionarypage.net/YearC_RCL/Pentecost/CProp18_RCL.html
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. Luke 14:26
Please be seated.
On Friday about 4pm, my plane landed in Philadelphia. I spent two weeks in Ireland. So, I do know it’s Sunday, but not sure what time it is yet.
I saw many things in Ireland, but the most moving and interesting part of the trip was watching my friend Mike connect with so much of his family. While Mike knew his maternal grandparents came from Ireland, he had never really connected with the family there. Two years ago, he did the Ancestry DNA test and early in 2019, a woman, Sarah, contacted him saying they were probably related. They exchanged photos that each of them had and began to identify people they hadn’t known. Sometimes Mike would know the people that Sarah didn’t know.
Mike had some letters that were written and scanned them and emailed them to Sarah, but Sarah said that one of the letters was not from her side of the family. It must have been from Mike’s Grandfather’s side of the family. Mike’s grandfather, John Gallagher, had been killed in an accident in 1929, when Mike’s mother was not even 4 years old. As far as Mike knew, all contact had been lost with that side of the family.
But Sarah suspected this unknown letter was from a nearby village and after a couple of connections, Mike reached relatives on his grandfather’s side of the family. Emails continued throughout the time Mike was planning our visit.
We received an amazingly warm welcome. I was moved by how happy everyone was to connect with Mike. They wanted to know all about his family. They welcomed us into their homes, made dinner for us, and showed us around Achill Island. We visited cemeteries and tried not to run over any sheep.
But the thing I found most moving, involved Mike’s grandfather, who had died in 1929, nearly 90 years ago. The family we met who were related to John “Jack” Gallagher had kept a photo of him prominently displayed in their homes all of these years. They were so happy to have the family connected again.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus cautions his followers. I read that the word “hate” wasn’t used like we use it today, but mostly meant to leave the family. Jesus says that being his disciple means we may lose our families.
Now, we know that not all families are wonderful. Yet, what I witnessed this past week was the deep ties of family, even after 90 years. I saw the excitement of connection. I saw the hope that they would see each other again. I saw the sadness that they lived so far away. Losing precious family like that seems a lot for Jesus to ask. It reminds us that following Jesus has a cost, one that seems almost too much to bear.
Jesus is telling us we must love him and follow him and be taught by him more than anything else in our whole lives. This discipleship does not necessarily make us popular and even strong family ties risk being broken.
Today, Jesus also reminds us to think about the cost of being his disciple. We should know as much as possible, how our discipleship will change our lives. We should be prepared as much as possible. We should not be surprised.
We are also challenged to give up everything that gets in the way of our discipleship…that gets in the way of loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Everything, even our very lives.
I suggest Jesus is saying that family isn’t much if we don’t love God first. Jesus is saying that life isn’t much if we don’t love God first. Loving God and being a disciple of Jesus and listening for the Holy Spirit’s leading is truly the best life.
Amen
