Indifference

St. Paul’s Church in Bergen, Jersey City NJ
July 1, 2007

Year C: The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, BCP Proper 8
1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Luke 9:51-62
Psalm 16:5-11

Indifference

A couple of weeks ago I was walking home at around nine o’clock at night. When I got near the mosque that’s on West Side Avenue just off of Sip Avenue, I saw dozens of people making their way to say evening prayers. Maybe some of you have seen the same sight at other times of the day. As I walked the last few blocks home I began to think how amazing this was. All these people were interrupting whatever they were doing to come and say their prayers – to come and worship God. It appeared that they were putting God first. And if they’re faithful Muslims they interrupt whatever they’re doing five times a day to say their prayers.

Since that night I’ve thought a lot about this kind of commitment to God. And I’ve contrasted it with my own commitment to God, my own commitment to prayer and worship. I’ve contrasted it with the kind of commitment that most of us Christians show – or don’t show – day in and day out. I mean, what would it take to get dozens of us to drop what we’re doing and come to church to pray every night at 9:00? Let’s be honest, we have a hard enough time getting people to come here once a week on Sunday morning!

Of course, we may not agree with all their beliefs and practices, but I think there’s a lot that we can learn from our Muslim brothers and sisters. Most important is their commitment to God and to their faith. This is the kind of commitment that Jesus is calling for in today’s gospel lesson from Luke. Luke paints the scene with almost no details. Someone who wants to be a disciple says to Jesus “I’ll follow you but ‘first let me go and bury my father.’” And Jesus responds with words that to our ears maybe seem harsh and unfeeling, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” With these seemingly harsh and unfeeling words, Jesus is calling this disciple and calling us to make our relationship with God the most important in our lives. Jesus is calling us to make our commitment to God first and foremost. Jesus is calling us to be disciples.

Over the past few Sundays we have been making our way through the gospel of Luke. We heard Jesus teach his famous “Sermon on the Plain” – “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you.”

Then Jesus put those teachings into action by performing three miracles – healing the centurion’s slave, raising the widow’s son from the dead, and forgiving the woman who bathed his feet with her tears. After all this teaching in word and deed, last week we heard Jesus ask his disciples “Who do you say that I am?” In other words, after all you have seen and heard – do you get it now? Do you understand what I’ve been trying to tell you, what I’ve been trying to show you? Luke tells us it’s Peter who gets it – at least for now. Peter says that Jesus is “the Messiah of God.”

And now we come to today’s passage when, as Luke puts it, Jesus has set his face to go to Jerusalem. We know that this isn’t just any trip to the capital city. Jesus has set his face to go to Jerusalem. Jesus has set his face to go to his destiny on the cross. Jesus has made the total commitment to see his mission through to the end. And so now Jesus challenges his disciples to make the same kind of total commitment. And so now Jesus challenges us to make the same kind of total commitment.

Jesus is calling us to make our relationship with God the most important in our lives. Jesus is calling us to make our commitment to God first and foremost. Jesus is calling us to be disciples.

And let’s make no mistake about it; Jesus is giving us a choice. It’s the most important choice in our lives. But, we can say no. Luke makes sure we understand that we have a choice by pointing out that the Samaritans don’t accept Jesus. As Luke puts it, the Samaritans don’t receive Jesus. The disciples want the Samaritans to be punished for their choice but Jesus refuses to go along with that. We are free to say no to God. We are free to say no to making God first and foremost in our lives. We are free to say no to discipleship.

Why would we say no? Well, St. Paul offers quite a laundry list of reasons in his letter to the Galatians, doesn’t he? He includes idolatry in the list, but maybe idolatry could sum them all up. What is idolatry but putting something, or someone, in the place of God? For some of us, our idols might be money or sex or alcohol. For some of us our idols might be anger or jealousy or quarrels. Paul warns us that if we choose to put these things in place of God we will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But we all knew that already didn’t we? We all knew that the “works of the flesh” that Paul lists in his letter to the Galatians were not good for us.

But, Jesus goes even further than Paul. Jesus doesn’t tell us that we have to place our commitment to God above bad things like drunkenness and carousing. We all know that already. Jesus goes even further than the story of Elijah and Elisha that we heard in today’s Old Testament reading. Elijah allows Elisha to go and slaughter his oxen and feed the meat to the people – and then to follow Elijah. Sounds reasonable – but it’s not good enough for Jesus. Jesus tells us that we have to place our commitment to God above even good things – above feeding people; above saying good-bye to our loved ones. Jesus tells us that we have to place our commitment to God even above very good things – very good things like taking care of loved ones who have died.

Jesus is calling us to make our relationship with God the most important in our lives. Jesus is calling us to make our commitment to God first and foremost. Jesus is calling us to be disciples.

So what? What’s the point of all this? Why should we make our relationship with God the first and foremost in our lives? Why should we be disciples?

It seems to me that St. Paul answers that question at the start of today’s reading from Galatians. “For freedom Christ has set us free.” If we put God first in our lives, then we are truly free to love and serve as fully as we can. If we put God first in our lives, then we are no longer so concerned about ourselves and our own needs. If we put God first in our lives, we can really be available to live out the great commandment to love God and to love our neighbor.

If we put God first in our lives then we are truly free and truly alive.

Someone else who understood why we should our relationship with God first was Ignatius of Loyola, the 16th Century founder of the Jesuits. The past few months I’ve been reflecting a lot on Ignatius and I believe he has important things to say to us today. Ignatius believed that to be a Christian disciple we need to be “indifferent” to all created things.

Now “indifference” is a funny word. We usually mean it as “uncaring.” But that’s not what Ignatius means. Instead, he means that we should set aside anything – or anyone – who prevents us from loving and serving God as fully as possible. Once we are free of those attachments – attachments even to good things and good people – then we are really free to love and serve. Then we can be truly free and truly alive.

Years ago I remember a Jesuit friend of mine telling me that he wanted a new radio but he had to ask his superior’s permission first. I remember thinking how silly that seemed. I mean, it’s just a radio! But it wasn’t really about the radio – it was about the danger of becoming too attached to material possessions. And this attachment could prevent him from loving and serving as fully as he could.

Ignatius of Loyola himself modeled this “indifference” when he sent his closest friend, Francis Xavier, to serve as a missionary to India. Once Xavier left for India these two friends knew that they would never see one another again. Very difficult. But indifference even to their own friendship gave them both the freedom to love and serve as fully as possible – to be truly free and truly alive.

So, my friends, Jesus has set his face to go to Jerusalem. Jesus has made his commitment to fully love and serve. Jesus has set his face to go to his destiny on the cross. Jesus has made the total commitment to see his mission through to the end. And today Jesus is challenging us to make the same type of total commitment.

How will we answer? Will we be like the Samaritans and say no? Or will we say yes to God? Will we put God first and foremost in our lives? Will we allow ourselves to be fully free to love and serve? It’s the most important choice of our lives.

Amen.