In community organizing circles, folks talk a lot about “self-interest.” It’s critical, when committing to a campaign to make social change, that our motivation is clear.Have you ever said “yes” to something because you thought you should? Often when we do that, our efforts don’t last long. We give up when faced with a barrier or a challenge, or just get distracted. I’m certainly wary of “shoulds” in the life of the church. I find there’s a toxicity that arises when people do things they don’t really want to do. On the other hand, can you think of something you’ve continued to be involved in no matter the season? Why have you stayed invested in that thing? Self-interest is not the same as selfishness. It’s not simply a transactional mindset, a “what’s in it for me?” attitude. I heard it said recently that self-interest lies somewhere between selfishness and selflessness. Honoring our self-interest means recognizing that it matters who we are and the specific gifts we have to offer, and that it is highly motivating to act in alignment with our deepest values.

As we discussed this week’s Gospel passage in Bible study I really felt the question of self-interest arising for the group. Someone asked, “what if I’m not ready to give up everything? Is there any room for me in this? Is Jesus just telling me to go away?” Someone else commented that this passage feels like it is all stick and no carrot! There’s no question that Jesus asks a lot of his followers. So I think it’s fair question – why would anyone choose to be his disciple? How does it align with our self-interest? What will we receive in return?

Let’s look at the text, keeping these questions in mind. “Large crowds were following Jesus, so he turned to them and said, ‘the ones who come to me must put me first, above all others.’” I imagine many in that crowd knew Jesus as a wonder-worker who healed the sick for free; who fed the hungry poor who preached liberation and justice. I believe Jesus was making a distinction between those who prefer to admire and appreciate his work from afar and those who choose to be part of it, those who decide to “walk the road with him.” He’s not interested in being everyone’s hero. He’s seeking partners, co-conspirators. He aims to build a community, to spark a movement, to train a force that has the skill and power to [peacefully] resist the powers of empire and change the world.

“To walk the road with me, they must love and respect me above their own fathers and mothers, wives and children, and aunties and uncles.” Jesus makes it clear – here and in many other places – that he is forming a new sort of family. The bonds of kinship among his followers will overcome segregation by gender, religion, culture and class. As Paul says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”. The followers of Jesus give their deepest loyalty to the values of God’s household – sharing, humility, mutual care and service, and appreciation for the gifts of those society deems disposable. It seems to me that what Jesus offers in return for a commitment to “walk the road with him and learn his ways” is an experience of profound belonging. Held in the community of Jesus followers, we know, deep in our bones, that we belong to God, to each other and to the earth. The leaves on today’s bulletin cover are an image for this belonging. They are clearly kin. They all have the same basic shape, the same jagged edge, the same pattern of veins, the same color scheme. And yet looking closely at the leaves, we can see their marvelous diversity. We notice that each one is utterly unique, that there are infinite variations within the one foundational design.

Here at First Church we’ve been working on a new statement of purpose that expresses our reason for being, our “why” as a congregation. You might even say, our self-interest. It will have something to do with belonging. As we’ve worked on this statement, I’ve noticed references to belonging popping up everywhere. When I went to create an account for a new app this week, a little tagline popped up under the login. Guess what it said? “You belong here.” It seems that as a culture, we are hungry to belong, and the marketing folks have figured that out. So we are right on track. And we have the opportunity to cultivate belonging that isn’t transactional, but rooted in the authentic way of Jesus.

Jesus wants his disciples to understand that belonging can’t be casually acquired, bought and sold at our convenience. He wants us to know what we are getting into if we choose to invest our lives in the new family he is forming. “Only the ones who are willing to follow me and carry their own crossbeam are ready to walk the road with me and learn my ways.” Following Jesus means refusing to go along with the violent, oppressive ways of empire. And such non-violent non-cooperation has consequences. In Roman times, the practice of crucifixion was a standard way of silencing political opposition. Standard enough that historians believe the vertical part of the cross was planted permanently in the ground, so that the condemned person would carry just the horizontal crossbeam to the site of their own execution. I think you can see how Jesus’ call to non-violent non-cooperation with empire resonates with our present circumstances. Perhaps our version of “carrying our crossbeam” is engaging in the risky work of opposing the authoritarian takeover of our democracy through Indivisble’s “One Million Rising campaign” and through our organizing with ISAIAH.

Jesus says his followers “must love me even more than their own lives.” In this saying I hear Jesus the wisdom teacher speaking. People like Richard Rohr introduce us to a contemplative Jesus, a Jesus who embraces paradoxes like: “Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25) In fact, most spiritual traditions call humanity toward an experience of belonging that reaches beyond our small, isolated selves. The individualism, greed, and fearful self-protection of the small self are a sort of mass delusion we’re all drawn into. What we are losing and hating is a false experience of ourselves and of the world. Embracing our deeper identity we discover the interconnection of everything. Real life (life that is vibrant and whole) brings union with the divine that no external circumstance can disrupt, not even death

So, Jesus, in calling his followers to carry our own crossbeam, is not glorifying brutal executions. He’s saying it is in our self-interest to show solidarity with those empire persecutes. He’s inviting us to be willing to bear witness to the radically inclusive love of God because we ourselves are yearning to be held in that love. And he’s acknowledging that it takes tremendous courage and energy to stay faithful to our own deepest values amid adversity and danger. Thanks be to God that, in these times, we have each other, and that we can we walk together together. Amen.