Dear Friends,
There are certain sermons I wish I could go back and rewrite.
This past Sunday (June 26, 2022), I was making a point that following Christ isn’t an easy thing to do (Luke 9:57–62):
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”
62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
In the sermon, I said, “Following God is not like going on a well-paved highway, but more like going on a narrow sidewalk which is filled with many stones and rocks, wild animals, plants and trees, many ups and downs and many curves.”
The following Monday, I drove on Highway 401, a well-paved highway, to meet a friend in Guelph. As I was coming home, I got stuck in a traffic jam caused by an accident. I quickly realized I was wrong again.
I believe following God is a lot like going on Hwy 401. You never know what to expect. There is always a traffic jam or a collision somewhere on that highway. It will test your patience, kindness, and tolerance. In fact, I believe that there is no place where we don’t need God. Whether it is a well-paved highway or not, we need God and God’s grace!
Following God does not make our road ahead of us challenging. Following God helps us face a tough road ahead with humility and courage. Whatever route awaits us, may God give us courage, wisdom, and humility to embrace it.
—Rev. Chuck Moon
Photo credit: “Highway 401” by Clashmaker. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Taken from the Wikimedia Commons.
A version of this message first appeared in the Saturday, July 3, 2022, edition of Tidbits.