Scripture Reflection, September 9: A Perfect Example of Christian Discipleship

Scripture Readings:
Wisdom 9: 13-18b
Psalm 90
Philemon 9-10, 12-17
Luke 14: 25-33

If we look hard enough in the news—past the debates about the war, the cruel acts of crime, and the celebrity gossip—we find uplifting stories of service and sacrifice. This morning on my drive to work, I heard a lovely story about giving on National Public Radio. Renee Montagne interviewed Bill Clinton about his new book, Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World. The former president told a story of an elderly woman in Mississippi who dropped out of grade school to care for a sick relative. Unfortunately, she never returned to school and started taking in laundry as a means of income. She never earned more than $1 per load. Throughout her long life, though, she consistently set aside money for her savings. When she died she donated 60% of that savings—$150,000—to endow a scholarship at the University of Southern Mississippi for a young person without means to get a college education. This story is the perfect illustration of what it means to be a Christian, sacrificing ones own desires for service to others. Many of us will not be called to such service in our life times. We have means to an education and opportunities for stable employment. Her dire circumstances throughout her life, though, should cause us to pause and reflect upon our attitudes for giving and sacrifice.

In this Sunday’s Gospel from Luke, Christ gives us a warning that a Christian life will not be an easy one. Through parables, Jesus shares with us that our future decisions as Christians will impact our relationships with family and friends and just might keep us from enjoying a comfortable lifestyle. He encourages us to weigh the cost of discipleship very carefully: “Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost and see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’” Christ wants us to be able to finish the journey as a disciple. Many might be eager and willing in the beginning, but once the life becomes difficult, the temptation to back away is great.

The elderly woman who endowed the scholarship obviously knew the cost. She was introduced, arguably forced, into such self-giving service at a young age. She understood that life was not all about her, and she took her responsibilities to her family seriously. Such knowledge and wisdom at a young age are rare, a true gift of grace from God. She had a huge capacity for love and wanted to share it. And she did so responsibly. How many of us complain that our paychecks don’t go far enough? Here is a woman who consistently saved money while earning $1 per load of laundry. She was a very wise steward of her resources and was not tempted to spend it…even to make her life a little more comfortable. Bill Clinton mentioned that this woman pushed a grocery cart to and from her home to get groceries, instead of buying a car. I don’t know if this woman was a professed Christian, but she carried her life’s burdens with grace. And she did not let her burdens stop her capacity for love and for service. She clearly exemplifies what it meant to be a disciple of Christ.

Are we ready to be followers of Christ and servants to others like this woman?

JoEllen Windau