Choose Life
Luke 14: 25-33, Deuteronomy 30:15-20
by Rev. Rick Thompson
Luciano Pavarotti, the immensely talented operatic tenor who crossed the
boundary into popular music, once commented on a lesson he learned from his
father.
“When I was a boy, my father, who
was a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song. He urged me to work very
hard to develop my voice. A professional tenor in my home town took me on as
a student. I also enrolled in a teacher’s college. As graduation was
nearing, I asked my father, ‘Shall I be a teacher or a singer?’
“’Luciano,’ my father replied, ‘if
you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must
choose. You can only sit in one chair.’
“’I chose one’, Pavarotti
continues. ‘It took several years of study and frustration before I made my
first professional appearance. It took another several years to reach the
Metropolitan Opera. And now, I think, whether it’s laying bricks, writing a
book—whatever we choose—we should give ourselves completely to it.
Commitment—that’s the key. Choose one chair.’”
[1]
Isn’t that what Jesus is saying in
the words he speaks today? It’s another hard saying, not unlike one we heard
a few weeks ago about how his coming will bring division among families.
“Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and
children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my
disciple.” Wow, Jesus! Those are hard words—hate our
families? Hate even our own selves? Especially on this weekend, when we are
about to enter a new season of Christian education with our children and
youth—we’re supposed to hate our families? What is Jesus talking about
here?
Well, Jesus is not talking
about being emotionally at odds with our families, filled with animosity and
spite. Language changes. That’s not what the word “hate” meant in
Jesus’ day. Then it meant making clear choices about what’s really
important. And, Jesus is saying, as much as we might love our families and
our own lives, what’s really important is to long for and live for the
full coming of the kingdom of God, which he will bring when he gets to
Jerusalem and suffers and dies. That’s what Jesus means when he calls
upon his followers to “hate” family and self—to love God and long for
God most of all! And that’s a message that is relevant in any
day and age.
As Pavarotti said, we’ve got to
“choose one chair”. We can’t waffle when it comes to what really matters in
life, can’t remain indecisive and still hope to live a significant and
meaningful life.
In our first reading for today,
Moses is giving his final speech to the people of Israel. Shortly after he
speaks these words, he will die. And his message is similar: “Choose, people
of God!
. . . .
