Discipleship vs Membership
Luke 9:57-62
October 4, 1992
My text for the Loyalty Day Sermon comes not from the Bible, but rather from a line in Robert Ballah’s new book, The Good Society, ‘The issue,” Bellah says, Por the local parish is whether membership has a claim on one’s very sense of self – involving a loyalty that can persist through difficulties or whether membership is merely instrumental to individual self-fulfillment and, like some current conceptions of marriage, can be abandoned as soon as it doesn’t meet our needs.”
The other day, a family came to my study for a prebaptism interview. It’s our policy to see parents before baptizing their children. I had never laid eyes on these people, and they quickly communicated that I would probably not see them again except next Sunday at the baptism. I got quite bold and asked them why they wished to have their child baptized. They said everyone did it, and they had finally gotten around to making the decision to get it done. I replied that baptism wasn’t about a decision, it was about a life, and I interpreted the promises they would be making in terms of one’s life in the church. The parents got up, thanked me for my time, and said they would be thinking about what I had mentioned, but not to count on them for baptism next Sunday.
Several years ago, an old member of the parish asked if I would stop by. She said she was upset with the parish. she felt there were too many new people and the clergy had too many new ideas. Back in the good old days, the clergy were there to serve us, should serve us in our spiritual needs, and this meant visiting her a few times a year at least. She understood there were so many people, but still felt if we didn’t spend so much time on community problems, we would have more time for the real members of the parish.” I replied in as loving a way as possible…that Jesus called us for service…not to serve… us – meaning present members. And the clergy’s role was to train and empower people to be owners of the Christian mission, not customers of a club named St. Philip’s. I’ve never seen her in church since that afternoon.
One of my favorite advertisements is the one for a credit card. It goes this way: “Membership has its privileges,” and so it does for credit card holders and for SL Philippians, For Christians, the membership privileges are symbolized by the words of Jesus when he says “Come unto me…all you who are heavy laden,” (that’s me – O Lord — that’s me) and what a privilege it is to be part of spiritual home, a place where we
can be comforted. But we often forget that Jesus is more He’s more concerned with obligations than privileges, with a life than with a decision, with the long haul than with a short-term gain. Membership has its privileges, but discipleship has its cost. And that’s probably why we have so many members, but so few disciples.
A while back, I read a short story called Summer People. It was about a young mother who took her son back to her hometown for his first visit. Her hometown was a beach community that swelled during the summer. Her son got to know many local people and visitors during their stay. As they left, the son observed that he had been treated differently when people found out he was her son and not what the natives called “summer people.” ‘What does ‘summer people,’ mean?” the boy asked.” ‘Summer people’ are the ones who go home before the responsibilities set in,” the mother said. ‘They are the ones who don’t fight the battles, bear the weight, pay the price.” On this Loyalty Day, the task of the preacher is to convert people from summer people to natives. from casual members to committed disciples, and it is difficult when people can abandon the church when we make great demands.
A casual inquirer came up to a missionary requesting to be baptized. “Maybe if I am baptized and become a member of the church, I will be able to know God,” he said. The missionary took him down to a nearby river, put his head under water, and held it there for almost a minute. The man began to struggle. Finally, the missionary let him up, half-drowned. The inquirer said, “Why did you do that?” All I wanted was to be baptized.” The missionary said, “When you want God as much as you wanted that air, you will find him and become his disciple!”
I know that stories like the last are not popular. Demands, high pressure, and pressing for a long-term commitment are not the “in” thing on the religious circuit. We live in an era where we have pampered athletes, pampered citizens, and pampered parishioners. We’re not ready for a costly anything. We’ve reduced our Christianity to its easiest form, and we kid ourselves into thinking that God simply wants a half-hearted response. Good people, the deepest tragedy of life is not the foolish things we do or the many wise and good things we fail to do. The deepest tragedy of life is when we settle for membership when Jesus calls us to be disciples.
In Matthew’s version of our Gospel, the first person who speaks to Jesus was a scribe, a very important figure, a key community leader, a good person to have supporting your cause. He’s the kind of person churches generally are careful not to offend. And the man actually volunteers, “I will follow you wherever you go..” And do you recall what happened? Jesus puts him off. “Foxes have holes in the ground, and the birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to put his head.” In other words, it’s not going to be a cake walk. I’m only interested in those who are in for the long haul. (You’ll notice that Jesus didn’t say, “Well, if you can’t join me, at least put a token donation in the plate.’)
And so it went. As each person volunteered to become a member of his group, he upped the ante. One said, “Lord, let me first go bury my Father.” A reasonable request, but Jesus said, “Let the dead bury the dead.” And still another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to those at my home.” And Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of heaven.”
That’s heavenly marching orders for you. We want to gradually ease into being Christians, and Jesus says, “I want easy and Jesus says, “Run – do not walk – to the kingdom.”
In hard times like ours. It’s much more difficult to establish what is universal in loyalty to our Lord. As someone recently said, “We are faced with a period of recession, not only in our economy, but also in our Christianity.” There are a lot of unemployed Christians, and the cost of discipleship seems to be inflated.” it doesn’t cost much to be a member, but the price for disciples seems to be ‘ spiraling.”
On Loyalty Day, we talk about discipleship, commitment, loyalty, and following Jesus. The task of the preacher is to issue a challenge to the congregation. And I don’t think I’ve ever heard it done better, in a contemporary way, than in a speech made by Jill Fluckelhaus at a national women’s political caucus. One or two words might be changed, but it’s a magnificent challenge. Listen to her words: ‘We are Asking you,” she says, ” to come in for a very, very long haul. I am asking everything you have to give. You will lose your youth, your sleep, your arches, your strength, your patience, your sense of humor…and occasionally, the understanding and support of the people that you love very much. For return, I have nothing to offer you, but your pride in being a woman and the certain knowledge that at the end of your days, you will be able to look back and say that once in your life, -you gave everything you had for justice.”
I think I might change two words and give that as my days, you will be able to look back and say that you gave everything you had for the sake of Jesus. For remember, remember, ho said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow (or joins the church) and looks back is fit for the Kingdom.”
Amen