Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? (Luke 14:28)

Read Luke 14:25–35

Are you an impulse buyer? A person who, when shopping for an item will see something they like and buy it and then, on taking it home are faced with some realities – it is too big for the space, the wrong colour, or too expensive to be covered by the money in the bank? Then we are faced with what we can do with the now-unwanted item.

In today’s text, Jesus is making it clear to us that being one of his followers is a serious matter and has consequences far beyond just the decision to make our commitment to him.

It is not a matter of following the crowd and relying on the strength of the crowd to carry us – it is personal, individual, about our commitment to loving and serving Jesus and having a relationship with him. And that has consequences.

Am I prepared to work on this relationship? Am I prepared to listen to God through his word? Am I prepared to serve wherever he sends me and to those he puts in my path? And am I prepared to make him and his will the priority in my life?

This is not easy, but we are not left to flounder our way through this. God has sent his Holy Spirit to guide, strengthen and uphold us on our journey of faith. In Luther’s explanation to the Third Article of the Apostle’s Creed he states, ‘I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but the Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith’.

So, what seems impossible to us to achieve is made possible by God himself, who desires all creation to be made whole and one with him.

By your Holy Spirit, Lord, strengthen me in my faith in you and love for my neighbour so that I may be a true disciple accepting all you require of me, trusting in your grace. Amen.

Faye Schmidt continues her diaconal calling through governance, having served on the Vic–Tas District Church Board, the General Church Board and currently as chair of the Standing Committee on Constitutions and her congregation, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Adelaide. Having lived and worked in many locations within Australia and overseas, Faye has a heart for the stranger and the newcomer and for being open to new ideas, learning from others and responding to needs.

At the time of the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is ready’ (Luke 14:17).

Read Luke 14:12–24

In preparing for an event many of us would rely on a checklist to make sure that nothing is forgotten. However, we cannot achieve perfection as we are not in control of all circumstances – sudden changes to attendees, quality of venue or food, weather, etc. There would always be a qualification whether ‘everything’ was ready.

Some of the most amazing words spoken by Jesus when on the cross on that first Good Friday, were, ‘It is finished’. When facing the end of our days, how many of us would be able to say the same of any event or our life – that all we were required to do had been achieved, and completed?

For us, being mortal, we are not in control of our lives or made aware of all that we could or should accomplish while here on earth. We are bound and limited by our humanity.

Only God knows the completeness of things and these words of Jesus on the cross speak again that this was not just a man being crucified, but the Son of God. All that was required to atone for our sins was made complete on the cross and Jesus’ rising from the dead on the third day, Easter morning.

So, it should not be a surprise when we meet with Jesus at the Lord’s supper that the words we hear after the elements have been consecrated, ‘Come, for everything is ready’.

Everything has been completed that enables us to meet with Jesus at the altar as he comes to us in the bread and wine and we witness God’s grace in this act. There is nothing required of us but to ‘come’. God has made it all possible and we are invited to partake of the feast of victory.

May we humbly accept your invitation of saving grace as you have made everything right with you. May we also be a witness to others and invite those who do not yet know you, to be fellow invitees to the feast of victory over sin and death, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted (Luke 14:11).

Read Luke 14:1–11

There are some events to which we are invited when it is quite clear as to where we shall sit and the position that we hold at the event. When we go to the theatre, we have set seats and hunt for our numbers on the back of the seat. Or, when we board a plane, it is quite clear where we sit, although the people surrounding us can be a surprise! Such positions have been determined by others. We may have set some criteria – for example, a window seat on the plane – but the allocation and position are out of our control.

At other times, we can be unsure. There was a custom previously that when attending a wedding, you were placed on either the bride or groom’s side of the church. Or, if you are invited to a conference as a guest speaker, do you sit up the front, or just wait until called?

Even in church, we can often dither as to where we should sit. This is particularly an issue when visiting another church – as people often sit in the same place each week, it can be unsettling to find that we have sat in someone’s regular place.

The guests in the above text were comparing themselves with the other guests and determined for themselves the position that they considered appropriate to them.

Our decisions are often predicated on how we perceive ourselves – as a special guest, a speaker, etc. But Jesus is saying to us that when it comes to entering his kingdom, we are not the arbiters of our position – he is.

There are many ways in which we lack humility and measure ourselves against others – the suburbs we live in, the cars we drive, academic qualifications, holidays, and career positions. But do any of these identifiers make us more worthy in Jesus’ eyes than our neighbour who is different from us? In Philippians 2:4 we read, ‘Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your interests but each of you to the interests of the others’.

By your Holy Spirit, Lord, turn me from pride in myself to be more like you, seeking to see you in those who surround me so that I may be worthy to be a child of your kingdom. Amen.

Faye Schmidt continues her diaconal calling through governance, having served on the Vic–Tas District Church Board, the General Church Board, and currently as chair of the Standing Committee on Constitutions and her congregation, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Adelaide. Having lived and worked in many locations within Australia and overseas, Faye has a heart for the stranger and the newcomer and for being open to new ideas, learning from others, and responding to needs.