Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary 25
(In-Person @ 637 S Dearborn St or Online)
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary 25
(In-Person @ 1218 W Addison or Online)
I didn’t come today for an ultimatum from Jesus. Life is hard enough the way it is. I need some good news, some hopeful news. I need some positives, not all the “cannot’s” from Jesus we just heard. You cannot be my disciple unless you give up all your possessions. Unless you hate your family. Unless you hate your life. Unless you take up your cross and follow.
Yikes! These words are jarring—not only to us, but probably even more to the first crowds who heard them. In Jesus’ world, family was the foundation of life. It was your safety net, your identity, your livelihood. Family was survival, and to suggest turning away from family would have been unthinkable.
Guilty as charged. That’s how I felt when reading the scriptures for today. Guilty of preferring the places of honor and privilege–at tables, at sporting events, concerts and plays. I mean, who doesn’t like having access to the good seats, amiright?
In our first reading today, the people have turned against God. And snakes are biting them as punishment. They want to be healed and forgiven. So God tells Moses to take a snake made out of brass—and put it on a pole. When the people look up at it, they would live and not die.