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Follow Me ~ Being an Ordinary Radical Continued

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost Year C June 26, 2016

Introduction
I have to stop watching so much news as it is really starting to bother me. I
am normally a fairly optimistic person but I look at what is being said and done and
it is just crazy talk. Just this past week members of the Westboro Baptist Church
show up in Columbus with their signs and brand of hate to protest at the Unitarian
Conference. Last week they were in Florida at a funeral for a shooting victim from
the Orlando shooting.

The question is, where can one find an authentic Christian?

The book we are using for part of our Sunday messages challenges us to be
Ordinary Radicals. Claiborne tells of a friend in college who told him, I have given
up Christianity in order to follow Jesus. (Claiborne, S. 2016, p. 62.) There is a
great deal packed into his comment. Psychoanalyst Carl Jung once said, One of
the main functions of organized religion is to protect people against a
direct experience of God.

It would almost appear as if the people of the

Church along with the clergy have formed a conspiracy to avoid really hearing the
Gospel and taking it seriously.
What if St. Paul was serious when he wrote that it is no longer he who lives
but Christ living in him. (Gal 2:20.) What if Jesus really meant the things he said,
taught, and died for? (Claiborne, S., 2016, p.64)? What if we also decided to
believe and follow what he tells us?

What if the clergy believed his words

and example instead of saddling up alongside political leaders whose

words run counter to Jesus example and teachings?

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What if we were to call out against the root causes of war, oppression,
injustice, and poverty just as Jesus did? But far too often we have forgotten the
prophetic role of our Baptisms and the Church is filled with silence out of fear we
offend or disturb others.
The psalmist writes, During the day when I am in trouble. At night
when my hands are still outstretched and do not grow numb; my whole
being refuses to be comforted. Then in verse 9 he asks, Has God forgotten
to be gracious and in his anger, shut up his compassion?
The answer is no and the psalmist comes to this conclusion in the very end.
He finds hope in God, not in things, and not in leaders. I would add that as he
called Elijah and Elisha, he calls us to be part of the solution.

The Roots of our Fears and Anger

The news reflects a great deal of fear, uncertainty, and anger in our nation
and world.

This comes from misplacing hope and looking for freedom in the wrong

places. Ordinary radicals plane the ri hope and look for freedom in love and
services. Saint Paul writes in Galatians (5:15), The Law is fulfilled in a single
statement, love your neighbor as yourself.

Simply put this means being

able to value yourself and your neighbor equally and being able to see all people as
your neighbors; even that person who seems completely different, if not mysterious
you and that other person are connected. We must begin to see that the
roots of our fears and mistrust do not lie out there but within each of us.

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Saint Paul goes on to tell us we must be guided by the Spirit (Gal5:16) that
is Christ living in us.

Greed, hate, manipulation, and divisiveness we see

in our world is the result of living against the Spirit.

For Paul writes that

the gifts of the Spirit are love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

(Gal 5: 22 23)

So how do we get there? The answer lies in the old Vaudeville joke where the
man asks the cab driver, How do I get to Carnegie Hall. His answer, Practice,
practice! We have to be open to the Holy Spirit, grace, and practice. There is
part of us that resists the Spirit and in our spiritual journey we work to die to this
part of ourselves so a new part can rise above it all. This is Christ loving us and
living within us. It takes practice and time:
Can you be willing to be patient with yourself until God gives you the grace
to be patient with others?
Can you accept and love yourself and not become your own
adversary?
Can you bear serenely the distress and personal trial of knowing that you
have the weakness of impatience?
Success in virtue is not the point. Love love of other, in their weaknesses
and love of yourself in your inadequacies that is the point.
[Adapted from Thrse of Lisieux as cited by Richard Rohr, OFM, Blog:
Two Halves of Life Week 2 June 24, 2016.]

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Follow Me
A Demanding Task
None of this is easy and in fact can seem overwhelming. Lukes Gospel
points this out today as Jesus highlights the demands of discipleship and for us
being an Ordinary Radical. Some people want to follow Jesus and he points out how
demanding it is: Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man
has no place to lay his head.

A Sense of Urgency
There is a degree of urgency to his message, too. The Kingdom of Heaven
and the Gospel cannot wait. There is no time to bury the dead as the living
are in urgent need of this news. Their lives depend on it.
Life Changing
One cannot take time to say goodbye the past is the past. Jesus mission is
life changing. Once called and started on this mission, one cannot look back.

Conclusion
To believe what Saint Paul and Jesus said and lived is to take a major step
toward being an Ordinary Radical. Far too many have opted for Safe Christianity
one that is watered down, does not offend, does not challenge, and has little or no
impact. I believe Jesus would say it is salt that has lost its taste. (Matthew 5:13)

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Shane Claiborne got to meet and work with Mother Teresa before she died in
1997 but he notes she died long before that as it was Christ living in her. You know,
it is that same Christ who lives in you and he lives in me, too!
The advice Mother gave him was, Calcuttas are everywhere if we only
have eyes to see. Find your Calcutta. (Claiborne, S. 2016. p.79.)
Mark Savickas, an expert in career counseling noted that the world is filled
with uncertainty and fear. I would propose that we in this very wealthy world do not
have to look very far to find our Calcutta, that spot where need is so desperate.
We have something to offer and Jesus speaks to each of us follow
me.
References:
Claiborne, S. (2016). The irresistible revolution: Living as an ordinary radical. Grand
Rapids MO: Zondervan.
Wrencher, B. (June 2016). Sojourners magazine. Living the Word. P. 49.

Lectionary Readings for this Sunday:

2Kings 2:1-2, 6-14
Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Luke 9:51-62

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