The easy way out

Luke 17:5-10 (the text for next Sunday, October 6)

Jesus never said that it would be easy to follow Him - to live what He commanded.
It takes great faith to believe that Jesus' Way is a better way for us and the world than is empire.
It takes great faith to believe that God will provide enough, and that humanity will not again live by greed, lust for power and status.
It takes a great deal of faith to believe that we CAN love one another with Agape Love, and because of it:
    make sure that ALL have enough of what they need in order to live a life of well-being,
    consider that equally shared power is a better, sustainable way than a few abusing power, and
    live in humility and find the equal value in ALL people around us.
Empire divides and destroys the lives of some for the sake of the abundance of the few.
The Kingdom lifts all up and provides sustainable community values toward the Shalom of ALL.

It takes great faith to believe in that way of living and it takes great courage to work toward it.

His disciples wanted the easy way out.
They wanted their faith to be increased by Jesus and not through their own striving.
They had been given faith as a gift from God, but according to Jesus had not exercised it so that it would grow and allow them to do incredible things.

Jesus taught them a strong lesson about their role and about humility in it.

We are not servants so that we can call down supernatural interventions that enhance our own lives.
We are not servants so that we can give imperatives to the one we call "Lord" of our lives.
We are not servants so that we can imagine that we are, ourselves Lords.

As a friend of mine used to say to his adolescent son when he thought he should make decisions for himself, apart from his parents: "That is a decision for management, and you are not management."

Empire would make me believe that it is all about me and that I am to be lifted up with more wealth, power and status than others around me.
The Kingdom of God and Jesus teach me humility in service.  I do not command the Lord to increase my faith.  I do not ask the Lord to supernaturally intervene on my behalf, rather than make me learn the lessons of faith that come from exercising my faith in the world.
I serve.
I approach this Lord of my life, who has at great cost given me redemption and salvation out of Agape, and humbly ask how I may serve.  It is a response to that gift of the Cross.  It is out of gratitude for Grace and the Love of God, and it is an acknowledgement of who God is and who I am, who God ain't and who I ain't.

I may not like the service God has relegated to me.
It may be hard and require struggle and challenge and even pain.
It may not look like some ministry that rewards me personally, gives me more wealth or power or status.
It may not be that which makes me feel good all the time.
It is my service to God.  It is that to which God has called me and for which God has prepared me.

I know who and what I am.
I know who God is.
"I know what I deserve.  Don't give me what I deserve, please. Give me Grace, baby.  I need Grace!" (Tony Campolo)

God lifts me up so that I may lift others up.
That is putting Agape Love out in the world around us.
Being God's little "special ones" separates, divides and destroys lives, ultimately.
It may make it easier for the few, but always makes it harder then for the many.

I don't want the easy way.  I want the faithful way.
Following Jesus in the living of Agape Love toward the Shalom of all is not easy.
It is faithful.

Pastor Jamie