Comfortable?

In our gospel reading a little over a week ago one of the things we heard was, "The building block that was rejected has become the cornerstone of a whole new world." So with that we talked briefly about Jesus being the foundation of our lives. I wonder, though, if people really understand how unsettling and uncomfortable that can be. I wonder, how many people show up at church on Sunday in hopes of making Jesus not the foundation of their lives but of Jesus enhancing their already comfortable lives?

We act sometimes as if Jesus died on the cross so that our kids would score higher on the SAT's, behave better, or become captain of their sports team. We act sometimes as if Jesus died on the cross so that we might get a promotion at work, own that SUV, or have people admire us. If those good things happen for you in life, great! However, I highly doubt that's why Jesus died on the cross.

Part of the panic over the current financial situation is that it makes us uncomfortable. We have led ourselves to believe that following Jesus will make our lives better. We have led ourselves to believe that if act nicely and participate in the church "correctly" our lives will be comfortable. I don't think Jesus came to make our lives comfortable.

Jesus said, "Take up your cross and follow me." That doesn't sound comfortable. Sure Jesus said, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." However, notice that there is still a yoke (work) and a burden (uncomfortable). It seems to me that comfortable isn't the word to describe our lives of following, maybe bearable.

You see Jesus died on the cross so that you might serve your neighbor. Jesus died on the cross so that you would sell all that you have and give it to the poor. Jesus died so that the unrighteous might have a chance at forgiveness. Jesus died so that you might be freed to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, and give shelter to the homeless.

Are you starting to feel uncomfortable yet?