First United Methodist Church
June 29, 2025
Rev. Lauren Hall
Follow Me on the Path of Love
There is a great scene from the musical Fiddler on the Roof, which is a play about a Jewish family living in Russia in 1905. The author, Joseph Stein, tells the story of Tevye, who is attempting to raise his five daughters within a changing a society while maintaining his religious and cultural traditions.
Tevya and his wife Golda, who were married through an arranged marriage, did not meet each other until their wedding day. Now they have watched as two of their daughters have married for love. This leads Tevya to ask his wife the question, “Do you love me?” She attempts to deflect the question as nonsense, but he insists, and finally she categorizes all the things she has done for him over the years, all the hard work that goes hand in hand with daily living, and concludes, “If that’s not love, what is?”
Her point is clear — love is action, and actions speak louder than words.
Our gospel this morning continues our journey with Jesus. As Jesus sets out for Jerusalem, he attempts to enlarge his party. After being rejected while trying to enter a Samaritan village, Jesus and his disciples continue on their way. Then they encounter a quick succession of three persons. Each person is invited to join Jesus’ group of disciples, but it seems as though Jesus’ expectations are too high, wanting people to give up too much too soon.
In each case, Jesus seems unduly harsh, allowing that there is absolutely no excuse – there is nothing so important that it should get in the way of following Jesus.
Jesus keeps calling people to become a disciple of his, to follow where he leads to learn what it means to live and bear witness to God’s kingdom, and time and time again the answer of these individuals is either, “no” or “maybe, but let me do something else first.”
I have to admit, that when I read passages like this one, I’m a little conflicted. Jesus really challenges us here. I want to call him out and say, “Really? I can’t even give people time to say good-bye or even bury their loved ones? This seems kind of cold and impersonal. Where’s that compassionate God I keep preaching about?”
As a human being, I realize that sometimes we have a few things that need to be tended to before we jump on the discipleship bandwagon. We need time to grieve, we need to take care of our loved ones, and sometimes we just aren’t ready to make the necessary changes in our lifestyles to become fully committed disciples. We need to manage our businesses and households. Sometimes we just need time.
It reminds me a little of the way we used to go swimming when I was a child. We lived on an island off the coast of Maine, and the ocean water was really cold. In order to go swimming you had to get used to the water first. So you waded in to your ankles, let them get numb, then up to your knees, then your waist, etc…until you were ready to dive in. Once you were in, you were fine. But getting to that point required a little bit of time and patience.
But then I try to imagine this text from Jesus’ point of view. Not from a historical perspective that highlights Jesus’ own situation, but from the urgency of God’s purpose. Jesus is trying to tell us that every minute matters for those to whom it really matters.
What if we recognize that Jesus sees the importance of time, of a minute, or even a second, not just for the sake of the urgency of his ministry, or the urgency of the kingdom he wishes to bring into its fullness, or even the urgency of making sure that all will know God’s grace before some disaster occurs, but because simply being human means such urgency – in other words, our world and our lives are so out of control that every moment counts.
Michael Phelps is one of the most decorated Olympian of all time. While we might observe from the sidelines and think, “Oh, what at talented guy,” it’s what goes on outside of the public eye that has made the real difference in his life.
Because Michael Phelps followed the same familiar path that many elite athletes follow – early success, popularity and fame, followed by the introduction to drugs, alcohol, and partying. He lived life as if he didn’t have any concerns in the world. As long as he showed up for practice and worked hard, everything seemed to be just fine. But two years ago, his swimming career almost ended when he was pulled over for excessive speed and drunk driving. It wasn’t his first arrest, and his family and friends finally decided to intervene. After several months of rehab, Michael emerged a changed man. He now realizes that every moment matters – those in the water as well as those on land. There is nothing more important than living life fully committed to being the person that God created you to be.
For Michael, that life means being a father, a husband, and a swimmer, who is both a role model and a leader. For you, it most likely means something different, but every moment we put off fulfilling our purpose is another moment that we put our lives at risk.
When we realize the truth of our lives and our purpose, suddenly our lives seem very fragile. We are so frail, so desperate, and every moment counts. We may think we have important personal business that needs our attention, or we may think that we can put off making the commitment until we finish this one thing, but the truth is that every moment counts. In the reality of ministry and meaning that take on every context and circumstance of our lives, every moment counts.
Every moment has to count because God made the decision to become one of us. Jesus’ call is not an insensitive plea to abandon the things which are important to us, or the people who matter to us, or everything else that makes a difference for us. Jesus’ call to let go is a promise – a promise that God becoming human means that moments matter. Time makes a difference. Even seconds matter to God. Why? Not just for the sake of your service alone, but for the sake of your being in the kingdom that God imagines. Every moment matters because every one of us counts. God doesn’t want us to live our lives alone. God wants us to follow Jesus on the path of love.
God loved the world so much that he gave his only son so that we could live fully and completely and have a whole and lasting life, not just now, but eternally. Is your life worthy of the sacrifice of our Lord? Jesus says it is. Let us pray…
Pastoral Prayer
Merciful Lord, we know that you want the best for us. It must really disappoint you when we fail to be the kind of devoted followers that you want us to be. You know of the needs in this world and the capability that we have of meeting those needs and bringing words of hope and healing through actions of compassion and justice. Yet sometimes we are hesitant in our commitment to you and to ministries of peace. We want good things to happen. We just aren’t sure that we are up to the tasks you set before us. Forgive us when we so easily doubt your call, your presence, and your abiding love. We need your healing love today, Lord. Lift us up from lives of self-pity and self-centeredness, and bring us to you with hearts filled with joy, praising you for opportunities to witness to your love in our service to your people. Hold us gently. Heal us and restore us and enable us to truly be your disciples. Lord, as we pray today, we also lift up our loved ones who are hurting. We pray for [names]. Surround them with your healing touch and offer each person your mercy. May each person feel and experience your love at this moment. We pray this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Invitation to Discipleship
Although following Jesus is difficult, you can be assured that God is always with you, bringing you encouragement, strength, and peace. Go home today and be a witness to that love. Go in peace.
