Sermon: "The Cost of Discipleship"
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

There is a cost involved in being a disciple of Jesus Christ. We need to remember that message - as long-time church members, as recent Christians, as Rite 13 candidates, or as newly confirmed Episcopalians. There is a cost involved in being a disciple of Jesus Christ. In our Gospel reading, we are encouraged to count the cost, to anticipate what the demands will be and what sacrifices are required …that is, to be realistic about the cost of following Jesus Christ.

The examples in our reading may not be immediately applicable to us, but they make the point, nevertheless. One person prepares to build a tower, and secondly, a king makes ready to go into battle. The point that Jesus makes with those examples is that we are wise to plan ahead. The cost should be anticipated before going on with the project of building a tower … or, before marching into battle. "Count the cost" is the message presented by Jesus.

In the early Church, the possible cost of being a disciple of Jesus was one's life - and many people did indeed die because of their discipleship. More recently, Dietrich Bonhoeffer - who wrote a book entitled The Cost of Discipleship - was among modern-day Christian martyrs. More recently still, a priest in our diocese recently visited friends in Saudi Arabia, where individual church members know that discovery of their Christian practice by the state will mean certain death.

Thankfully, in our society, the cost of discipleship is not so threatening, in terms of life or death. And yet, there are costs to us for true discipleship. Dangers and obstacles are not so obvious, but they are quite real, nevertheless.

A question raised for us by our reading is this: "How do my priorities - those things I value in life - keep me from being the follower of Christ that I am called to be?" Or, "What is the cost for me to be a disciple of Jesus Christ?"

Not many years ago - about this time of year - I remember being encountered by some concerned parishioners. They wanted me to try "to put the fear of God" in other church people, as they put it, in order to encourage them and their children to attend church school. In fact, that request came on an annual basis, about this same time of year. As I recall, I usually resisted that temptation, while sharing a similar, secret desire to do exactly what they asked.

However, I did note this about the behavior of parishioners. I have seen families, who state their good intentions about attending church and church school, never make that a habit in their lives. And then, I have also seen the children of those families later drift away from the church, as so often happens in young adulthood. But the sad thing in such cases is that the children of those families - once they become adults - never find their way back to church like those from families for whom church and church school had once been habitual. Put another way, those young adults do not have the choice of returning to church because they never were really a part of something to go back to.

There is a cost to discipleship. And the cost involves not only the institution of the church and the tradition - learning the story and becoming part of it. The cost is also personal.

A favorite story of mine makes the point that our history, tradition, and liturgy are not enough. Our practices must also be personal. A particular man made the decision to become more serious about his faith. As an indication of this decision, he went into his bedroom and read his Bible every morning. He needed this time to be alone and to be quiet, because for most of his life he seemed to be rushing about from place to place and from one responsibility to another. Thus, early each morning, he went into his bedroom, and he closed the door. His only companion during this time of quiet was the family cat.

After several weeks of this discipline, the man made two additions to his routine. First, he took some additional time to meditate after reading the Bible. And secondly, he leashed his cat and tied him to the bedpost, for he had become too distracting. Therefore, with these two additions, the man's routine became a matter of great significance for the practice of his faith.

Years later, the man's daughter realized that she had become too immersed in all the busy things of her life. And she remembered - with a sense of longing - what her father had done for years. So, she attempted to copy his faithful routine. Each morning after breakfast she went into her bedroom. She read her Bible, and she tied her cat to the bedpost. However, she found that her life was too busy to give herself time to think about what she read, so she did not follow that part of her father's practice.

Many years later still, the woman's son realized that he had become overly busy in his various activities. He, therefore, decided to try to follow the examples of his grandfather and his mother. And so, each morning after breakfast he went into his bedroom with his cat. He tied the cat to the bedpost, but he discovered that he never had enough time to read the Bible or to meditate on it.

What is the cost of discipleship? One cost is time. To be a disciple of Jesus Christ does take time. Another cost is commitment. It is not enough simply to remember the traditions and heritage of those who have come before us, our ancestors in the faith. Our call is to live that Faith … to make it our own … to go beyond the forms and to claim the substance of the Faith as well.

At the beginning of a new program year here at St. Timothy's, this is an important lesson for you. It is appropriate to confront the cost of our discipleship - involvement in the church program; giving of time, talent, and treasure to the work of Christ through the Church; participation in Christian education.

There is a cost to discipleship. And if the cost is too cheap, then the value of what we receive will not be worth very much either.

There is a cost to discipleship … discipleship of the One who is Lord of life … the One who offers love and joy and hope, eternally. There is a cost to following Jesus Christ. What is it worth to you?

Copyright © 2001 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee