Try it God's way, and live a little! "...there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last" Luke 13:30

Beware!!!

A man who was suffering from constant headaches visited his doctor. "Doctor, I don't know why I keep on getting these awful headaches," he said. "I don't drink like so many others do. I don't smoke like so many others do. I don't run around at night like so many others do. I don't overeat like so many others do. I don't..." The doctor interrupted at this point. "Tell me," he said, "this pain in the head you complain of, is it a sharp, shooting kind of pain?" "Yes," the patient replied, "that describes it perfectly. A sharp, shooting kind of pain!" The doctor then made his diagnosis: "Simple," he said, "your problem is that you have your halo on too tight. All you need to do is loosen it a bit."

We like to think we're a "cut above." We like to be "out in front." We like to be "looked up to" which, very often, is another way of saying we "like to look down on." This is what concerns Jesus about His own people in today's Gospel Lesson. He is talking to His fellow Jews about this because they have grown accustomed to regarding themselves as God's "favorites," and to classifying most others as "enemy." And Jesus is trying to give them a more enlightened perspective on God's ways.

"The last shall be first...the first shall be last." Jesus is telling them that the genuine exaltation they see as their destiny will not be realized until they have paid the price. "Try your best to enter by the narrow door," He says (Lk. 13:24). They must bear the high cost of acknowledging that the light of God's love encircles all of humanity: no exceptions.

One Sunday morning, the pastor of a large parish announced to the congregation that Jesus Christ Himself, in person, was going to visit them the following Sunday. A record crowd showed up for the big event. They could hardly wait to hear the Lord preach, but when introduced He only said "Hello." The pastor offered Him hospitality for the night, as did many of the parish leaders, but Jesus politely declined their invitations. He announced, however, that He would spend the night in Church -- alone. And everyone thought, "How fitting!"...

Early the next morning, Jesus quietly slipped away, unnoticed. When the pastor discovered that Jesus was gone, he and the parish leaders went into the Church and they were horrified by what they saw: the Church had been vandalized. All over the walls, the word "Beware!" had been scribbled. The word was everywhere -- on the doors and windows, on the pulpit, on the altar, even on the floor. Wherever one looked, there it was, "Beware... Beware... Beware... Beware."

Everyone in the parish was shocked and confused -- even terrified. What did it all mean? What were they supposed to beware of? And, although they decided at first to wipe out every trace of the scribbled words, nevertheless they finally thought better of it. After all, Jesus Himself had done the damage with His own hand.

Gradually, the word "Beware" began to sink into the minds of the people when they came to Church. And they began to search the Scriptures for clues as to its intended meaning. In so doing, they found passage after passage in which Jesus warned potential followers of the price they would have to pay in order to be His true disciples.1

"Follow Me!" Jesus said, but beware...

Anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve (Mt. 20:26-28).

"Follow Me!" Jesus said, but beware...

It will be hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven... it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Mt. 19:23-24).

"Follow Me!" Jesus said, but beware... Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted (Lk. 14:11).

"Follow Me!" Jesus said, but beware...

Anyone who does not welcome the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it (Lk. 18:17).

"Follow Me!" Jesus said, but beware...

You must love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you (Mt. 5:44).

"Follow Me!" Jesus said, but beware...

No one can be the slave of two masters...You cannot be the slave of both God and money (Mt. 6:24).

Now, so the story goes, when you drive past the Church that Jesus visited in Person, you can see a single, shocking word blazing above the Church in multicolored neon lights: BEWARE.

Being Jesus' disciples means that we voluntarily accept the cost of discipleship as well as the rewards. We need to remember that Jesus turned away many people who were not willing to pay the price. People came to Him because they wanted the benefits, they wanted the healing, they wanted the excitement, they wanted the comfort that came with discipleship. But when they began to make excuses for avoiding the inconvenience, Jesus simply said "No!"

There is not a single person who is forced to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. You and I are free to accept His call or reject it. But if we accept it, part of the cost is this matter of giving ourselves to others and doing for others -- family, stranger, friend and foe alike -- even when it hurts. We don't need to be grim about it. We don't need to project a martyr complex about it. The fantastic thing about it is that the life of true discipleship is the most fulfilling, most glorious life possible. And if many of us are not experiencing that kind of life, it is because we've only come half way.

"The last shall be first and the first shall be last." Who is last on your list these days? Isn't there something you can do this week to heal that broken relationship? Remember, God's thoughts and God's ways are above our thoughts and our ways. Allow God to light up your mind and heart. Let your soul soar to that dizziest of heights, where there is no one to look down on.

Try it God's way -- and live a little!

Look Again Don't forget to turn on Jesus! "Be like men awaiting their master's return ... so that when he arrives and knocks, you will open for h

A wise old pastor was asked by a parishioner, "When do you think Christ will come again?" The pastor replied, "I didn't know He had been away."

"And He departed from our sight," said St. Augustine, "that we might return to our heart and there find Him. For He departed, and behold, He is here!"

We feel the darkness closing in. We feel the threat of it. We don't know how to deal with it. Then God, in His great Love, sends the light! Let there be light at the center of this darkness! And the light that is given is the Spirit of Christ within us.

Light -- ordinary light -- is a form of energy, a source of power which stimulates the nerve-endings of our eyes. Christ, our Light, is the power of God Himself stimulating the nerve-endings of our life, making it possible for us to penetrate the darkness, put things in their true perspective, see what life is all about. More than that, it is a power that gives us strength to cope, strength to live creatively, strength to love unconditionally. When we open the window of our heart to God we can see what the beloved disciple John saw when he wrote, "The Word became flesh And made His dwelling among us, and we have seen His glory: The glory of an only Son coming from the Father, filled with enduring love" (Jn. 1:14).

Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29) ... The real Light which gives light to every man (Jn. 1:19).

Jesus Christ did not go into hiding after He rose from the tomb. He made His dwelling among us. He wants us to see His glory.

"Be on guard," Jesus says in today's Gospel, "the Son of Man will come when you least expect Him" (Lk. 12:40). "Be like men awaiting their master's return ... so that when he arrives and knocks, you will open for him without delay. It will go well with those servants whom the master finds wide awake ..." (Lk. 12:36-37).

We get so busy, we are involved with so many of life's trappings that, in spite of our best intentions, we begin to lose contact with the Master. We are no longer prepared to receive Him when He knocks. If you want to know what human life is about, "Behold! Look at the Christ." What do you see? You see One whose life makes it possible for us to love others in a very special way. You see One who gives us hope for the future. You see One who is the Savior of the world. You see One who is your Savior. You see One who comes to you personally, in an unique, individual way. Behold! Stay awake! Look until you see what God is doing for you through Christ at this particular moment in your life. You can look again, and look again, and no matter where you are in your pilgrimage, you can see something more there. This applies even to the most devout Christian believers, to those who are most faithful, to those who spend time regularly searching the Scripture and learning from it, to those who try to be obedient to the Spirit of God. Even those persons can look again and discover that God is always doing something that can lead them to deeper levels of living and loving. God is always surprising us in this way.

In a large New England parish it was the custom for the Church leaders to go on retreat each fall. There they would plan the major parish activities for the year ahead. At one such retreat, they decided that a big Christmas Pageant would be a good activity. When it came time to map out the production, they got into a long discussion of how to symbolize Jesus in the manger. They didn't want to use a doll or a statue, and they ruled out using a real baby. Finally they decided to put a light in the manger. They did this very tastefully so that throughout the Pageant a warm glow of light would shine out from the manger. On opening night, the house was packed, the audience was expectant and the curtain went up. Immediately, all of the principals realized that something was wrong and there was a moment of silent hesitation. Then, everyone heard the director say, in a loud, raspy stage whisper to the stage manager, "Hey Bill, you forgot to turn on Jesus."

The pastor of a rural Church deep in the Ozark Mountains suggested to his parishioners that they purchase a chandelier. The matter was put to a vote and the suggestion was unanimously rejected. "Why do you oppose the purchase of a chandelier?" asked the preacher. "Well," drawled one of his flock, "first we can't spell it, so how can we order it? Second, even if we did get it, no one can play it. Third, what we really need is more light."2

One of the great things about God is that He knows we need more Light and He never forgets to turn it on. He is constantly whispering to each one of us, "Behold the Christ, the Light of the world!"