SERMON TITLE: I Must Be On My Way
Preached by the Rev. John Lee on March 4, 2007 at DPUC
SCRIPTURE
READING: Luke 13:31-35
13:31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you."
13:32 He said to them, "Go and tell that fox for me, 'Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work.
13:33 Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must
be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of
13:34
13:35 See, your house is left to you. And I tell
you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is the one
who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
I Must Be On My Way
Originally the season of Lent is the time of preparation for baptism, a time of study and prayer before baptism at Easter Sunday service. It was also a time of preparation for the entire community to welcome the newcomers or returning friends.
In today’s Gospel reading, the Pharisees
came to see Jesus and advised him by saying "Get away from here, for Herod
wants to kill you." We are not told what it was that bothered Herod.
Jesus’ response is like this: "Go and tell that fox for me. I must be on my way, because it is
impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of
Jesus was baptized at the river
What then is his way? His way means to proclaim the good news for the poor. (Luke 4:18) When he spoke the truth of God to hometown people, they were filled with rage and drove him out of the town. The Bible records like this: “But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.” (Luke 4:30) Jesus speaks what he believed is truth, and walks on his way.
Another day, Jesus was beside the
Jesus continued to walk on his way to be
with the poor and finally he looked up at his disciples and said: "Blessed
are you who are poor, for yours is the
To be faithful to walk on his way, Jesus prayed a lot. What we learn from his life is that he prayed persistently at the separated time and place. Jesus went up the mountain to pray and came down to be with the crowd and healed the sick. (Luke 9:28-43) Jesus continued to be on his way faithfully.
This is a brief picture of Jesus’ early ministry, and then comes today’s story. Let’s take a detailed look.
The Pharisees came to see Jesus and warned,
"Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you." It seems like that
the Pharisees were helping Jesus. But we also remember that Jesus’ getting away
from there was also what the Pharisees wanted. We can read a double threat to
Jesus. So his way to
Jesus did not worry
about the threat of death from the King and a hidden threat from the Pharisees.
He did stay his course on the way to
We know that the world
choosing the well-traveled road of playing it safe. But Jesus takes the road
less traveled, the road of danger, the way of the cross. It is a road of
boldness, not timidity; risks, not sure bets. It is a road that leads to death.
It is this path of danger and risk that Paul also chose for the sake of the
gospel (Phil 3:17—4:1). It is the path that God invites Abram to walk,
accompanied by a promise: "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield"
(Gen 15:1).
It is the path that
Jesus asks of his followers elsewhere in Luke: "For those who want to save
their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save
it" (9:24). We believe that this road ultimately leads to life.
We are invited by Jesus to follow him and his way. In this season of Lent, Jesus calls us to look within ourselves and calls us to ask the question: "Who lives in me?" It calls us to be honest with ourselves and admit that even though we claim to be citizens of heaven, we often live as strangers before God.
Who lives in me? To make sure that we must be on our ways, to
make sure that I must be on my way to follow God’s will, we have to ask
ourselves who lives in me. This is the question for us to address this Second
Sunday in Lent. Who lives in me? What guides our decisions? What sets the
course of our life? What determines the way we think and treat others around
us? What is my way that I can say confidently, “I must be on my way.”
Who lives in me? Think back over the
decisions we've made this past week. Who made them -- a citizen of this world
or a citizen of heaven? Let us recall the way we spoke to those around us and the
way we treated others. Who was present then? What about the offering we bring
for God’s mission, our time, passion, energy and money? What kind of
relationship with God does it reflect? What is my way that I can say
confidently, “I must be on my way.”
Who lives in me? What stirs us each day of our lives? We'd like to answer that
it is our Christian faith, but can we? For the Christian faith is more than
just a set of doctrines, more than some creed that we recite, more than
assertions we study. Our Christian faith is the lives we live -- the set of
moral principles that guide our decisions and are reflected in the words we
use. It is our response to the poor around us. It is our record of worship, our
interest in Scripture reading, our attention to prayer. What is my way that I
can say confidently, “I must be on my
way.”
Jesus tells us that two kinds of people cannot live in peace with each other. "No one can serve two masters," he says. Either we live as people whose lives are oriented to the world, who strive for fun and happiness and fulfillment in the things of this world, who search the pleasures and possessions of this life, or we find our peace and joy in Christ. Both kinds of people cannot live under the same roof.
We cannot live with our hopes and dreams,
our aspirations and goals for life tied to the material possessions of this
world and yet claim to be citizens of heaven. We cannot live dividing our
priorities between serving ourselves and serving God. We cannot live as
citizens of heaven and be strangers to God. Jesus says, "Either you will
hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other.
No one can serve two masters."
To be a child of God is to allow God to be our Father and Mother. To live as a
citizen of heaven is to allow Christ into our hearts. For when we have the love
of Jesus in our hearts, we know a life of discipleship and devotion, of faith
and faithfulness, of conscience and commitment will follow. But we must allow
Christ in! We must allow the love of God to rule our lives, direct our
thoughts, and guide our actions.
On this Second Sunday in Lent, we are
called to discern what is our way that we can say confidently, “I must be on my way.”
Who lives in you?
May we all say, "Christ lives in me for I live in him."
Amen.
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Updated March 4, 2007