Readings:
Deuteronomy 30:15-end;
Psalm 1;
Philemon 1-21;
Luke 14:25-33

Collect:
God of constant mercy,
who sent your Son to save us:
remind us of your goodness,
increase your grace within us,
that our thankfulness may grow,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reflection

We are all very aware at the moment of the cost of living, with the vast majority of people making decisions about what they can cut back on in order to survive what is likely to be a very difficult winter. For many people the cost of living has reached a critical stage where decisions about eating, or heating are having to be made and even then, this isn’t enough. Anxiety about meeting these challenges is on the rise as we wait to see what help will be available from the government.

One of the problems with the current cost of living crisis is the not knowing what things will cost. We know that energy costs are going to be going up in October but then there will be another rise in January and April. The cost of food seems to go up every time you go shopping and all the time our incomes are tending to remain the same. This uncertainty makes budgeting difficult and helps to increase people’s anxiety even more.

It is hard for us to get away from the cost of living and in many ways it’s the theme of this week’s gospel reading. Jesus is once again on the road and drawing a large crowd to him and he wants to crowd to know that following him isn’t just a passive thing where you just go with the flow and when you’ve had enough you go back to what you were doing before. Instead, following Jesus is an active thing. It’s something you choose to do but in doing so it is costly because it changes your life completely. There’s no going back because you have been changed. It’s not something you just give an hour to on a Sunday morning, but it shapes the whole of your life and the decisions that you make. It will be hard, it could be dangerous, you can face ridicule and persecution, as Jesus says you will need to bear the cross on your shoulders. In other words living with Christ, the cost of being a disciple is your whole self, your whole life and not just a part.

This was challenging to those on the road with him that day and it’s just as challenging for us to. Many of us like a comfortable life, we don’t like being challenged too much, we don’t like a lot of change and this is reflected in our church life – we tend to go to a church where we are comfortable and made to feel welcome, we like some routine in our worship – whether that’s four hymns or a sermon that needs to last at least an hour or possibly two, we like the familiar and struggle when things are different. And yet Jesus challenges this comfortable way of being and challenges us to really follow him. To really open our hearts to what he might be saying to us and being willing to respond to that challenge, take up our cross and follow.

When we do follow, we know that we won’t be alone. The first disciples weren’t alone, they had each other and yes, they may have bickered a bit, but they also supported each other. They also had Jesus walking with them as their guide and their friend. When Jesus left them to continue the journey, he promised to be with them until the end of time. So, Jesus walks with us to as we commit to following where he leads, he’s there as our friend and our guide. We also have each other, for encouragement and support and that is why we are part of a community of faith, which may be imperfect, but at its heart is that commitment to love one another. 

As we face the uncertainty of the next few months, may we take comfort from the fact that we are not alone. We are here to support one another and the wider community in whatever way we can, whether that be creating some warm hubs, supporting the food banks, providing the food pantry, or as I’ve heard in some places people offering to share their oven space. Whatever it is and whether we do this as a church or as individuals we do so because Christ has called us to love one another and our neighbours. May we be open to where Christ is calling us and even though it may be costly, know that Christ is with us each step of the way.

Mike Morris