Many of you are probably familiar with a programme called Grand Designs; here the participants take on a large renovation project or a new build, pouring thousands upon thousands of pounds into the project; sometimes living onsite in quite primitive conditions maybe camping or having to fork out rent whilst continuing to build. Most of these are extremely ambitious and run into problem after problem; from not being able to get the planning permission, to obtaining the right materials (and in time) to finding dry rot/damp/subsidence, you name it. Always these projects go way, way over budget and I wonder where on earth do they find the money from? Do they live forever after in debt and how many of these types of projects do go to the wall or have to be sold on subsequently? Even with a healthy budget and much planning all is not plain sailing.
The warnings are clear especially in our reading from Luke 14 “For which of you intending to build a tower does not first sit down and estimate the cost to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise when he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him saying, ‘this fellow began to build but was unable to finish’”.
So first you need to estimate the cost. Then it is advisable to have a little extra in reserve for when times get harder and throw up the unexpected.
As with life, so with faith. How many of us though, weigh up the cost of discipleship before entering upon the Christian journey? And how would we, indeed should we?
As we study the scriptures hard and read carefully we can begin to see the human cost of discipleship adding up. Those who’ve given up home, family and livelihood to follow Jesus – not just the twelve disciples, but the seventy that were sent out and the women who catered for the Lord out of their own resources.
Those whose lives were changed forever: Legion restored and returned to society, the woman with haemorrhages likewise, Lazarus raised from the dead, a life changing (or death changing) experience. All paid a price; for them following Jesus was costly on a personal level.
And for us, well, we cannot really know what may lie ahead, or exactly what our discipleship will cost us, materially, emotionally, or socially; we just know that it will not be an easy ride.
There will be many pitfalls many detours, many complications and unexpected trials along the way – that is when we will need to draw on our reserves of strength and of faith – we may have to pool our resources with other Christians so the load is spread, the cost shared. We need to put something aside for the harder times, time to study, time to pray, time to commune in order to shore ourselves up for the next stage of the journey. This is one life project that we should not sell out on, nor abandon when the going gets tough – this is one journey that we need to complete in order to fulfil God’s grand design for us and to achieve eternal life. Whoever wants to be the Lord’s disciple must therefore pick up his cross, whatever that cross may be and follow.
Let us bow our heads in prayer.
Lord help us to build a strong and true faith on the sure foundations of your love. Be with us each and every step of the journey whatever life may throw at us until we receive our ultimate reward in your eternal kingdom.
Jan (Lay reader)