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When I was a young Christian a teenage girl, this story

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was demoralising and frankly scary

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to me.

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Jesus wants me to hate my mum and dad.

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The story seemed to portray Jesus as a

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harsh uncompromising character.

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a bit like a super intense fitness instructor

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as if discipleship were an Elite Sport

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for only the toughest and the most committed follower.

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If not that then Jesus seemed like a stern

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aesthetic type demanding that

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his followers live a frugal minimalist lifestyle

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to demonstrate their commitment.

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And that harsh demanding Jesus seems so

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very different from the Jesus that I'd first encountered

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the Jesus that I was getting to know and learning

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to love.

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The Good Shepherd who extends himself in love to

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every single sheep and will

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go out in search of the one who is lost.

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The Jesus who told the story of a great banquet to

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which all the most unlikely people are

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invited.

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The Jesus who counts every hair on my head.

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and pays attention to the little ones The Lost

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Ones

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It was very hard for me to make sense of

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this.

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How could this loving generous inclusive

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Jesus be the same

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as the harsh demanding one of this story?

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To be honest, I still find it hard to make sense.

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One reason I think why it's hard to make sense of this text

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is that we may not see the

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connections between this story and the larger story

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that it's part of - the narrative of

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Luke's gospel.

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Way back in chapter 9 verse 5,1 we

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read that Jesus sets his

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face to go towards Jerusalem, and this

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is the turning point in Luke - the moment when Jesus

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acknowledges that he's heading towards his

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destiny.

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Towards the time when he will return to the father.

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And from this point as the gospel continues we

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travel with Jesus and his disciples and

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on this journey, this literal journey

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to Jerusalem, Jesus delivers his

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teaching on what it means to be one of his followers.

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Over and over again a pattern emerges

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God initiates,God gives the invitation, God

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seeks out God invites.

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And then those called respond.

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"They accept the call they say "yes" to the invitation.

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Or they do not.

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In today's reading in which Jesus emphasises

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the cost of following him comes straight

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after the parable of the great banquet, a

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feast for all the ones who are

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usually left out of such celebrations: the poor,

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the crippled, the blind and

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the lame.

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Now these folks are invited because the first lot of

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guests made a stack of excuses.

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Apparently they had something important to do -  something that

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they valued more highly than a dinner

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invitation from an honoured host.

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But the ones who do go to the banquet, the ones who do

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get there - they're the ones who really needed the meal.

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They were the ones who usually didn't get invited.

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They were the ones usually left out.

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But now they receive that invitation and

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they know it's exactly what they need. It's what they most

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need.

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And they gladly accepted the invitation.

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It's suggested that today's reading is the

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antithesis or the opposite of the

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parable of the great banquet.

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Instead of an invitation extended far

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and wide here Jesus delivers

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a warning that the way in is narrow.

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And not for everyone.

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It seems to be the opposite, but I tend to think of

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it as the next step.

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First comes the invitation

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and then the next step is our response.

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Jesus invites us on the Journey of discipleship. He

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takes the initiative to begin with as

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he always does.

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And then the ball is in our court.

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Do we think we have something more important to do?

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Or were we recognise that this invitation? Jesus called

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to follow him.

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Is the most important the highest priority for

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us?

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The invitation to the great banquet was made

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to those who knew they were most in need.

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to those who knew what they needed above all else

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a good square meal

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a welcome into a community of hospitality and

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love and grace.

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Because they know this about themselves they don't hesitate to

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say, yes.

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Nothing is going to get in their way.

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And just as the guests who ended up at the great banquet were

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those who knew what they truly needed.

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Those who say yes to Jesus' call to discipleship are

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the ones who know that "yes" is the

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only answer they can give to the most important invitation.

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they have ever received.

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In today's text Jesus takes that teaching and he takes

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it further. He says"I am inviting you

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on this journey of life."

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Follow me in the path of discipleship because

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you know you need to make this choice.Because you

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know that without this choice nothing else

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makes sense."

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Nothing else matters unless you are

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on this journey with me.

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What is your number one commitment?

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your family?

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your life's work?

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your ministry?

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Well think again because if you are more

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attached to those things to any of those things than

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you are to Jesus,

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then you cannot follow Him.

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You cannot, you are not able to by definition.

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To follow Jesus is to make

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your primary commitment to Jesus.

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That is how it is.

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So yes, this is a scary text.

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It's about a big choice - a real choice.

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A choice to say yes.

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or not to the most important

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the best invitation that we

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will ever receive