Following Jesus Christ is costly.  Count the cost.  Think through what you will be giving up to be a Christian.  Jesus Christ wants disciples to rise up, giving up the bad decisions of the past, giving up destructive patterns, giving up priorities contrary to the calling to follow Jesus, giving up the easy life….

You may be called to give up your life. /to a life of poverty.  / people disagreeing with you.  /Hating you.  The word HATE used in this scripture  is disturbing. It is supposed to make us uncomfortable. I am saddened by how many preachers water down the word HATE because it can’t possibly mean to be as harsh as Jesus uses it. When you make a commitment to Christ you may be called to put aside that which you love.  / be a different person. 

Jesus wants people whose commitment is long term, when the world gets messy, when the people you immerse yourself in keep on being stupid.  People who don’t quit.  I heard about a guy that quit his job at the helium factory. Why, asked the boss.  I’m just so tired of the way you talk to me in that tone of voice…. 

The scripture today is centered around a natural question, a curiosity question: How many are going to be saved by Jesus Christ?   READ Luke 13:22-23. It is an implicit question followers of Christ and curious people are still asking.  
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We cannot put a percentage on how many will be saved, but the Bible is clear: some will be saved and receive eternal life and others will perish.  It is a sobering truth that does not sit well with those that want to believe a loving God surely must save everyone.  For those who deny God altogether it is ridiculous to believe there is life for anyone beyond this world.  The truth of the Bible: Some will live forever with the Lord and others won’t.  As we work through this scripture, I am not going to put a percentage on it.  I am hoping to flesh out words of encouragement and guidance for how Jesus teaches us to approach the question.  We will discover only God knows the ultimate answer.  We are called to take stock of our own relationship with Jesus Christ.  We are to live with hope, and expectation and share the most amazing message with the world that in Jesus Christ there is life.  Ultimate hope is found in Christ Jesus.  Amen!

“Walk with God” is one of the earliest phrases used to describe a person who is committed to God.  A list of descendents of Adam is given early in Genesis.  Gen. 5:24: “Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him.”  Four generations later, another an is said to Walk with God, Noah.  Gen. 6:9: “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.”   Today, it is not rare to find people who Walk with God. Join the army of people who have committed their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus came to make disciples. 
 
This week I prayed with a woman who has walked with God for a lifetime: Bev Teshera, Annie’s mother.  She is in the Lynden Christian Health Care Center.  She always knows me even though she has dementia.   As I left I offered to pray for her.  “Of course” she said, and she moved to the edge of the bed and took my hands.  I prayed.  Then as I ended she prayed.  I will never forget her words: “Thank you Lord for this fine boy….”  She went on to pray a beautiful prayer for me, my family, ministry wherever it takes me.  I thought I was going to bless her, but she blessed me.  As I left the room I thought about Bev’s years of service with George, New England, Santa Cruz, the Philippines, Lynnwood, Bellingham… I knew of her high standards of faith as a young woman… her mind may be slipping, but her faith is as strong as ever.  Bev has spent a lifetime walking with God.  If you see her, ask her to pray for you, and see what happens!  

Do not cut yourself short!  God hasn’t given up on you, so why do you?  One of the most destructive attitudes you can have is to think that you can’t change!  TRUTH: You can become a different person.  The way you think can change.  The way you act.  The things you do.  The way you see life.  Depression can turn to optimism.  Living for yourself can transform into sacrificial giving for others.  Anger and fighting can give way to reconciliation on the horizon.  A life of worry can become acceptance to appreciate whatever the good Lord puts on your plate. 
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You can be a changed person.  That is the message of gospel.  2 Cor. 5:17 proclaims: “…those who become Christians become new persons.  They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone.  A new life has begun!”  (NLT).  The promise of God is that the way you think, your values, your behavior, the way you respond to drama, can be transformed.  God does not give up on you, don’t you give up on yourself, don’t you accept bad behavior, sinful thoughts, destructive patterns.  Don’t you dare say, “this is just the way I am and I can’t change.”  You can, because the Lord Jesus Christ promises to be with you.  The Lord Jesus Christ came to redeem you.  Redemption is not only a future glory of eternal life with God, but it is a present transformation so that you become a different person.  

My daughter Bianca told the story of some of her friends in college that were coming home from a trip back to Newberg, OR.  They went right instead of left, heading east instead of west.  100 miles later they discovered their error.  That’s lost! 
 
This is the season of Advent, anticipation of the coming of Jesus Christ at Christmas.  Many Christmas sermons focus on the WHO of the Christmas story and the wonderful lessons of Joseph, Mary, Shepherds, The Wise Men, Baby Jesus and the other inspiring characters of the Christmas story.  Other sermons emphasize the WHEN, the coming of Jesus foretold through the prophets, the times in which he was born.  The HOW of Christmas, the virgin birth, the flight to Egypt, the search of Herod, the worship of the Magi.  WHERE involves Bethlehem, Egypt, Jerusalem, Israel, Egypt…

This Advent season, a simple reflection of WHY Jesus came.  The story of the birth of Jesus Christ is more than a heartwarming story of a young couple that traveled to Bethlehem and gave birth to Jesus in a stable and was greeted by ordinary folks from near and royalty from far.  WHY Jesus came is the bottom line truth the world needs to hear.  Not Who was at the stable, not When it took place, not the details of How it happened, those are all wonderful elements of the Christmas season, but if we stop there then we have missed the point.  

During a training session for soldiers who were about to make their first parachute jump, the sergeant explained how to open the reserve chute if the main chute didn’t open. A private nervously raised his hand and asked, “Sergeant, if my main chute doesn’t open, how long do I have to pull my reserve?”  The sergeant looked directly into the young private’s eyes and replied, “The rest of your life, soldier. The rest of your life.” (Reader’s Digest, Feb., 1982.)
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The most important decision you will ever make is to trust Jesus Christ, asking him to forgive your sins, and inviting him to be the Lord of your life.  How long do you have?  Make the decision now. 

Illustration from FB posting from my friend Yolande Petersen:       An amazing chapter of a rather dramatic story unfolded this week. Earlier in the semester, one of my students, "Emily," left the classroom, presumably to use the rest room. When the class concluded, she hadn't returned, so her classmate, "Lynn" packed up her things and volunteered to wait until she returned. As I was locking up the room, Emily appeared, in tears and with bleeding wrist. Lynn and I rushed her to the nurse (just downstairs from us).
      While she was being tended to, Lynn suggested that I check the restroom, where Emily might have left something behind. On the way there, I was frantically accosted by "Sue," a student from a different class, who is also a believer. She told me, "I noticed shoes facing the wrong way, and Jesus told me to ask her how she was doing. She told me she was OK, but He told me not to let her go, so I kept asking if she was sure she was OK, and she ran out of the stall." I was able to assure Sue that Emily was receiving medical attention. And we both continued to pray.  
     Last week, Sue shared with me that she saw "the shoes" and approached Emily to ask how she was doing. Rather than being defensive, Emily thanked her for saving her life and shared something that brought Sue and me to tears. Shortly after "the incident," another friend of Emily's shared the Lord with her and brought her to church. It was there that she gave her life over to Christ.
      Emily's problems (including ones that contributed to "the attempt") have not magically disappeared, but she has someone to walk beside her and carry her through them. Our Lord is great, and He cares for people in so many different ways. And I'm grateful that He let Sue and me see a little more of the story.

What does a life look like that is “Rich Towards God”?  READ Luke 12:21.  (Ask for responses from Congregation about what the phrase means.)

Consider the godly wealth that is yours. Luke preaches discipleship ~ what it means to be a follower of Christ.  Jesus Christ wants us to feel secure ~ a spiritual security.  The Lord wants us to have peace, based on His love for us, not in what we have accomplished or accumulated.  This scripture contrasts the person who is seeking security by gathering a bit more vs. the person who finds peace and satisfaction in seeking after the things of God.  The Monster Called More ~ Greed ~ does motivate people. 
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Once there was a burglar who was caught and brought before a judge. He was found guilty.  The judge asked the man  if he had anything to say before he was sentenced. He said, “Well, you know, Your Honor, it’s like this. The more a man has, the more a man wants”. The judge replied, “Is that so? Well, I tell you what. I’m going to sentence you to 15 years in jail. How many more would you like?” 

​Are we living in the last days? /// YES.  But it’s God’s timetable. I don’t know if the Lord will come today, a year from now, a hundred years.  My heart tells me I don’t know how much more this old world can take.  But I have absolute confidence in my spirit that we have God on our side and he is on the throne so we can withstand anything.
 
Earlier this week I woke to a chirping sound.  Two quick chirps then silent for 30-45 seconds.  It was the unmistakable sound of a battery running low, a smoke alarm perhaps, or the refrigerator door open, or some other electronic.  I could not get back to sleep with the intermittent chirp chirp.  I got up.  Stood in the hallway till I hear it again.  Chirp Chirp. Then the kitchen.  Listen for 45 seconds. Then a spare bedroom.  Then the garage.  Then back to the kitchen.  on and on it went.  I gave up, went to the office to work, and an hour later when Sally got up she found it (it was the phone on the coffee table).  There is a lot of chirping in our world, a lot of noise, can’t locate it, listen, wait, frustration, give up, try again, return to where you know it’s not.  

A great sub-title for today’s scripture: Jesus meets a thin-skinned lawyer.  Last week met a religious leader, a Pharisee, who invites Jesus for a meal in his home; he is surprised Jesus does not conform to the standard practices of the Jews of the day.  Jesus warns the Pharisee that the purpose behind the rituals is what is most important and not doing things for their own sake.  It was a lesson on holiness and purity, becoming like Christ… at the same meal is an “expert it the law” (i.e. a lawyer) who listens in on Jesus warning to the Pharisees and take offense.  He is a thin-skinned lawyer.  READ Luke 11:45-54.
 
Consistency from Christians is a needed quality.  Practicing what you preach will give confidence, peace and assurance in Christ.  We all know what it is like to behave contrary to what we believe.  Don’t you get tired of kicking yourself? 

Jesus answers the thin-skinned lawyer, READ Luke 11:46.  That is a sad statement.  Consistency.  Helping others.  Practice what you preach.  READ Luke 11:52.  

The Pharisees take center stage in today’s scripture.  The Pharisees are the religious leaders of a popular brand of Judaism in the days of Jesus ~ We tend to think of the Pharisees as the Rodney Dangerfields of the New Testament: they get no respect.  But there is something about the Pharisees that is good.  Be careful about a blanket condemnation of the Pharisees ~ we may be more like them than we’d like to admit…. The purpose of this story is not to cast stones at the Pharisees, pointing out the flaws in others, but the purpose is to consider our own walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is easy to blame others for our own sins.

I like the legendary story of an elderly woman, traveling by bus, who had a layover. She purchased a package of Oreos from a vending machine in the bus terminal and sat down, placed her cookies on the table, and proceeded to read her newspaper.  She was joined by a young man, who, to her surprise, opened the package of Oreo cookies and began to eat them. The woman, saying nothing, gave him an icy stare, and grabbed one of “her” cookies. The young man, with a funny look on his face, ate another cookie. The woman again glared and grabbed another cookie. The young man finished the third cookie and offered the last to the woman. Completely appalled, she grabbed the cookie and the young man left. Outraged, the woman threw down her paper, only to find her unopened Oreos on the table in front of her.

I do not know how to change society, but I can ask the Lord to constantly correct me, to show me the better way, to continuously ask the purposes behind my patterns.  The way forward is to ask the Lord to give me a genuine and true heart before him.  

Underline Luke 11:35, NIV translates “See to it” I like another translation, “Be Careful”  This the only command in this scripture… Be careful.  Jesus is instructing his followers (us!) to be careful about the purity of our heart and mind. 

Jesus is with his followers.  In Luke 11 the emphasis is on overcoming evil ~ as we minister in the name of Jesus, we are confronted by opposition.  There are many ways to respond when things do not turn out as we imagine: give up, overreact, depression, doubt, inaction….One person described humankind accurately: “We are – each and every one of us – a tangled mass of motives: hope and fear, faith and doubt, simplicity and duplicity, honesty and falsity, openness and guile” (Richard Foster, Streams, pg. 87).  Jesus is teaching us to overcome evil by becoming more like Christ within, a transformation of our hearts.

Sometimes people are disappointed in me.  I have been no to say or do the wrong things too often so the disappointment makes sense, but often the disappointment has to do with false expectations ~ the thinking is I should behave in a certain way that is not possible.  A month ago, on behalf of the church, I helped a man get situated including paying a small amount to buy him rental space for a week.  Later he called me and wanted me to go to Lynden, buy a certain item for $40 more dollars, then take it to him.  I said no and suggested another solution.  He told me, “But it’s your job to help me.”  “Excuse me….” I said, and he got a lecture….

False or unfair expectations of other people lead to disappointment.  We do that to our leaders.  Our schools.  I like what Mark Johnson, Superintendent of NV Schools, said a couple months ago.  At a gathering everyone introduced themselves.  Mark’s turn: “I’m Mark Johnson, Superintendent.  I think sometime people think that means I have more authority than I really do.” 

We become discouraged with God when we have unfair expectations of the way the world is supposed to turn; when God doesn’t follow through the way we imagine, we are disappointed.   We are like the man in a hot air balloon that realized he was lost:  

Doctor Seuss: “The young Zoad”, a tale of a poor fellow who could not make a decision and ended up in a most embarrassing way: 
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Did I ever tell you about the young Zoad?
Who came to a sign at the fork of the road?
He looked one way and the other way too -
the Zoad had to make up his mind what to do.
Well, the Zoad scratched his head, and his chin, and his pants.
And he said to himself, "I’ll be taking a chance.
If I go to Place One, that place may be hot
So how will I know if I like it or not.
On the other hand, though, I’ll feel such a fool
If I go to Place Two and find it’s too cool
In that case I may catch a chill and turn blue.
So Place One may be best and not Place Two.
Play safe," cried the Zoad, "I’ll play safe, I’m no dunce.
I’ll simply start off to both places at once."
And that’s how the Zoad who would not take a chance
Went no place at all with a split in his pants.

Fence sitters, skeptics, doubters… There are a number of ways people resist making a commitment to Christ:  They deny the obvious, calling evil good and good evil.  They put a decision off declaring they aren’t convinced and need more proof Jesus is who he says he is.  Others rely on either their own strength/logic or their own goodness.  Anything short of a full commitment to Christ is like walking around with a split in your pants.  

A story of unexpected power:  A man working the midnight shift walked home every night.  One night he was in a hurry, so he took a short cut through the cemetery.  Unfortunately, he fell into a freshly dug grave.  He wasn’t hurt, but the hole was so deep he was unable to get out.  Nobody heard him yell. He decided to wait till the morning so he huddled in a corner to try and sleep.  An hour later he was awakened by the falling of a second man who stumbled into the grave.  The first man watched as the second man frantically tried to climb out.  After a few minutes, the first man felt obliged to comment, so he said, “You’ll never get out that way.”  Guess what?/  He did.  ////

The unexpected power of prayer.  A supernatural strength.  God is at work all the time.  Prayer makes us aware.  Prayer changes us.  Prayer gives us a mindset of expectation.  Prayer gives us a boldness.  Prayer creates in us an attitude to not give up…. 

​Greetings, the text we are going to look at today comes from Luke chapter 9 verses 57-62. In it we find a story about three individuals who encountered Jesus and were given the opportunity to follow him. Imagine that for a moment. Imagine being able to see and talk with Jesus. What would you say? What do you think he would say to you? One of the great things about scripture is that when read it we are allowed to imagine ourselves in the story. It’s not against the rules. We can be King David or Esther, or John. We can be Moses or Ruth we can be Samson or Delilah, or we can be one of these three people in our text today. Luke actually encourages this. He tells us nothing about each of these people. He grants them anonymity. Matthew doesn't, he tells us that the first person to encounter Jesus is a “teacher of the law” and he tells us the 2nd character in our story was a disciple. He leaves the third character in our story, completely out. Luke leaves these details out. Why? Because he is inviting us in. We are allowed to see ourselves in the story. To imagine how we might have responded in their situations. Lets go.

​At my house, there are several places I set down my keys at the end of the day.  How many times a week do I want to get in my truck and have to go back and forth looking in all the likely places for my keys.  Not long ago I spent five minutes wearing a path in the house searching ~ at last I brushed up against the corner of the hallway, heard a familiar tinkle of the key sound, and found them/// on my belt loop! 

 “You long for what you already have…”  I watch people searching for peace, answers, satisfaction, desiring rest….  You already have what you need!  You are discontent, wanting more, wear a path searching for that elusive something to make your life complete, and not realizing that what you are longing for is already within your grasp.
 
Today’s scripture is a story with a purpose.  The only story in the gospels from Jesus’ boyhood, Jesus is showing us how to enlarge our view of God in our lives, to grasp God who is waiting for us to see…to be at home with God. 
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Discontentedness is a curse of our age.  Unrest.  Hurriedness.  Incompleteness.  It turns out that what we long for is within our grasp.  We need God.  An awareness of Christ takes time, listening, asking questions, patience… and the irony, we long for what we already have…God is waiting…

Anna the prophet has the final word in the nativity stories in the book of Luke to underscore the importance of the world changing birth of Jesus Christ. What burns within Anna is the need to tell others about the life transforming salvation offered through Jesus Christ.  Simeon, in last week’s scripture, knew Jesus was all about Salvation, but he held Jesus in his arms and responded by saying my life is complete, I can now die in peace (Luke 2:29).  Mary, the mother of Jesus, famously responded to her newborn child by “pondering in her heart” what it all means (Luke 2:19).  She knew something amazing had taken place, but she is not a prophet and is not able to put it all together.  Anna response is different, READ Luke 2:38.  “spoke about the child…” 
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I am reminded when Esther, our oldest was born.  Sally’s mother had come from California.  The truth is that Sally and I are private people.  I may stand in a public setting every week but there is much you do not know about our family life because we are both introverts.  A few days after Esther was born we went to Bellis Fair with her very proud grandmother.  I will never forget strolling through the mall, and Lucia is so excited about Esther, she starts telling every stranger we meet, “This is my grandchild… this is my new grandchild…” and she tries to strike up conversations with people we’d never met….  

​The cross of Christ is central to the Christian faith.  It is both a symbol of shame and a symbol of victory ~ a symbol of shame because it represents death and punishment.  Nobody brags that the one they love is in jail and sentenced to die.  One N.T. writer called it “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to gentiles” meaning it gets in the way and it makes no sense.  Yet we are invited to embrace the cross on the pathway to victory for it is on the cross Jesus Christ willingly hung.  Jesus died on the cross because of his great love for us and it is on the cross that he took our place paying the price of sin.  Today in this Christmas season we celebrate the cross of Jesus Christ.  A wise man, a forward looking prophet, sees beyond the stable as he holds the baby Jesus in his arms and he prepares the mother of Jesus for what is to come.  

​The story of two sisters, Martha and Mary, is simple.  There is more to the story than the importance of housekeeping.  Although there are a number of great memes/posters: “Instead of cleaning, I just watch an episode of ‘hoarders’ and I realize how fantastic my house really looks.” OR, “I’m starting a group meeting at my house for people with OCD.  Not because I have it, but surely one of them will be bothered enough to clean it.” OR, “A clean house is a sign of a broken computer.”  This is not about housecleaning!  It’s about priorities. It’s about choices.  It’s about the huge need to LISTEN.  As Jesus travels, the sisters open their home:  READ Luke 10:38.  I included Luke 10:5-7 because I think Jesus entering the home of Martha and Mary is an example of the principle expressed to the disciples about entering homes.  

Ah, young love.  A true story with a  made up name: Brenda had a guy friend in middle school. They decided to sorta kinda date even though it didn’t seem they belonged together.  Brenda figured that out before the guy.  After weeks of sorta dating, she told him it was over.  He was crushed.  He tried to change her mind.  She remained firm.  A few days later the guy called Brenda with one more plea to change her mind.  He ended the conversation with these words:  “There is a Brenda shaped hole in my heart.”   

What is the shape of love? In this scripture we are given a godly shape of love.  Love looks like the Good Samaritan who bandages the wounds of the helpless.  This story told by Jesus is perhaps the best known story of the Bible.  Many people don’t even know what a Samaritan is, but the phrase, “The Good Samaritan” has become iconic.  Hospitals, nursing homes, churches take on the name Good Samaritan, indicating the desire to bind up wounds, care for the weak, nurse the sick. 

I love the encouragement to love others, to give…  There’s a meaningful wrinkle to this story, however, most people miss.  The lesser application of helping others, is awesome.  But there is something more important.