The 6th Sunday after Pentecost - Keeping Your Hand on the Plow and Your Priorities Straight

         Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

         What do we plow with these days? A tractor? A rototiller?  Certainly anyone who starts running either one of those pieces of equipment and doesn't look straight ahead will quickly get into trouble.  So putting our hand to the plow and not looking back can be understood as a way of saying something like "Keep looking ahead . . . don't lose your focus . . . make sure your priorities are correct."

         In the gospel reading Luke shows us what Jesus' priorities are.  Jesus rebuked James and John for suggesting that the Samaritans who refused to show Jesus hospitality needed to be destroyed.  He didn't want to use power to make his point that God's reign had begun with his ministry.  He also said that following him and being part of the reign of God must come first in his would-be followers lives.  Keep looking ahead . . . don't lose your focus . . . keep your priorities straight.

         Jesus sounded a bit cranky, because he knew the journey ahead for his followers would be difficult and require real commitment.  We know that even the disciples closest to him failed the test of keeping their hand on the plow and not looking back.  After he was arrested, they either denied knowing him or ran away.  Until the Holy Spirit came upon them and gave them the spiritual power they needed, they were fearful and unable to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, the long awaited Savior.

         When you begin a family and bring a child into the world, you start on a challenging journey.  No one is truly prepared for this commitment.  We have put our hand to the plow to use the image Jesus did.  To not look back, but to look ahead and plan how you want to nurture your child--this is critical!  How important it becomes to not lose your focus on what seems best to do!  And, yes, you must figure out what's most important for your child and set that as your priority.

         Today B-- and K-- have chosen for D-- to become part of the Christian community here at St. Nicholas.  She's too young to understand the promises they are making on her behalf.  But K-- and B-- do understand them and are making a commitment to teach her what they mean.  "Do you turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as your Savior?  Do you put your whole trust in his grace and love? Do you promise to follow and obey him as your Lord?"  These are the questions I will ask.  The parents and godparents, speaking for D--, will answer, "I do."  She will learn about God's love in Jesus through her family's teaching and example.  When they bring her to St. Nicholas, she will also learn about God's love in Jesus from us as well.  This must be a priority for D--'s family and for us.

​         I want to share a story with you about how this happened for one child and one congregation.  It comes from a book called Godparenting: Nurturing the Next Generation by Nancy Ann McLaughlin and Tracey Herzer.  The story was told by an Episcopal priest named Debra Kissinger:  “When I was the vicar of a small church in Connecticut, there was a three-year-old boy, Jeffrey, who came to the altar rail week after week with his mother . . . Jeffrey’s mother was reluctant to allow him to receive the sacrament ‘until he was old enough to understand.’  Week after week, the little boy would extend his hands to receive, and week after week his mother would pull his hands back to his chest with a thump.  But one Sunday Jeffrey was not to be denied.  He extended his hands.  His mother pulled them back. Not once but three times . . . And then it happened:  Jeffrey yelled at the top of his lungs, ‘Jesus, Jesus! I want Jesus, too!  Give me Jesus!’ and thrust his hands forward again to receive the host.

​         You could have heard a pin drop.  The [Holy] Spirit silently danced through the church.  I looked at Jeffrey’s mom, both our eyes brimming with tears.  She nodded her consent.  I barely choked out the words: ‘The Body of Christ’ as Jeffrey took Jesus into his hands and pronounced a loud ‘Amen!’ for all to hear . . . Jeffrey knelt in awe before Jesus that day, and we were each filled with awe as we searched our own hearts and shared his experience.”

         From this story we see how important a community can be to helping a child to get his or her priorities right. Let us be faithful in our following Jesus, so D-- can see the light of Jesus Christ in each of us. In doing this we are keeping our hand on the plow and our eyes securely on Jesus.