What Owns Us & What Frees Us: the way of the cross or the weight of obsession?

9.7.2025

Year C

Readings and Psalm

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Walk in the way of life and hold fast to God

Psalm 1 They are like trees planted by streams of water. (Ps. 1:3)

Philemon 1-21 Paul says: Receive Onesimus as a coworker

Luke 14:25-33 Jesus says: Disciples, give up your possessions and carry the cross

Grace and peace to you, dear church, those gathered here in person and those worshiping online.

After the Gospel was declared: “The Gospel of the Lord.” And all responded: “Praise to you, O Christ.” So, what is the Gospel of the Lord for us today, the good news that stirs our praise to Christ?

From Luke 14: the Gospel Jesus offers us is the Cross, the very thing that stirs our praise to Christ.

Because of the Cross, the Gospel is not reserved for the few, but extended to all. As we heard in the children’s message: the gift of being loved is at the heart of the Cross. It is through the Cross and through being in love with God and God’s people, that we are set free to be kind to ourselves and to others. And it is through that same Cross, in love and kindness, that you are able to be you, and I am able to be me.

But how does that actually work from knowing about the Gospel of the Cross to experiencing it in our day-to-day life? We can make the Gospel as loud and amazing as we want, but if those who interact with us don’t experience love, kindness, and the safety to be who God created them to be, then we become hypocritical Christians just as Jesus would say to those whose behaviors did not align with what they believed. We all know it takes not only what God offers to us, but also our participation using those gifts to co-create spaces where people experience love and kindness, and where they feel safe enough to be themselves.

That may be what Jesus observed in his own context. It’s what led him to say what he said in Luke 14. He is setting expectations, carrying their own cross as a way to practice discipleship in daily life. By this point, Jesus is gaining popularity. Verse 14:25 says, “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus…” There’s a lot of visible “buy-in.” People are intrigued, drawn to his teachings, miracles, and presence. But Jesus isn’t interested in superficial followers or emotional hype which might resemble how we follow social media influencers today. He turns to the crowd not to celebrate the number of followers, but to challenge their depth in discipleship.

Who would like to be challenged? This makes me think of a pastor, Dr. Derwin L. Gray, I got to know when I attended a workshop on multicultural ministry. From his presentation and passionate message about reaching out to diverse communities, he set clear expectations. To make sure we were really listening, he would say loudly, slowly, and clearly: “Let me say it as graciously as possible: how we practice discipleship has hurt the world badly… badly… let me say it again as graciously as possible: don’t make them like you, make disciples as Jesus has taught.”

Jesus isn’t soft-selling the Gospel here, either. He sets the expectation for the sake of God’s Kingdom. That expectation is to carry our own cross. And that expectation mobilizes us from knowing the Gospel to living out the Gospel so that all may experience it in daily life. It helps the people of God work together like a team to co-create spaces where people experience love and kindness, and the safety to be who God created them to be.

Our current Christian practices aren’t much different from what Jesus saw in the Jewish practices of his time. There were many branches within Judaism, just as there are many denominations within Christianity. Churches all have their own visions of what church should be like. Sometimes, it’s confusing to those who are new to Christianity. Each vision comes with a set of values, and that creates certain expectations for how to live out discipleship. When those expectations are not aligned with Jesus’, and become possessions, they are not life-giving. They become life-distorting.

Expectation matters. Have you ever felt frustrated with a project or decision because of a missed expectation? Two possible causes: one is that the expectation was never defined; the other is that we assume the expectation was understood by every member of a church, a family, a team, or a social group. When expectations are unclear or confusing, energy derails, morale drops, and eventually, people leave.

Jesus said to the crowds that if they want to follow him and be his disciples, they have to do certain things: to give up all possessions, deny themselves, and carry their own cross. And that is the only way.

If asked to name one thing that prevents us from giving up all possessions, denying ourselves, and carrying our own cross, I would say it’s an obsession. Jesus’ teaching is not just about what we own, but about what owns us.

Let’s try applying obsession to the examples Jesus gave: family tied to identity, the tower builder tied to performance, and the king tied to power.

1. We feel we must love our families in a certain way to prove our loyalty. It’s an obsession with approval or belonging.

2. We feel we must succeed in building the tower to prove our capability. It’s an obsession with achievement or control.

3. We feel we must wage war to prove we’re brave and strong. It’s an obsession with pride or self-preservation.

These obsessions aren’t always wrong in themselves. But when they begin to own us, they shape our discipleship more than the Cross does. Jesus invites us to loosen our grip not just on possessions, but on the identities, performance, or power that possess us.

Obsession can be a fixation on approval, success, control, or even ministry outcomes. It’s often rooted in fear or scarcity. It grips us so tightly that surrender to the Cross feels impossible.

The word “cross” appears only on three consistent occasions throughout the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The first is in Jesus’ own teaching on the cost of discipleship. The second is when Jesus carries his own on the way to Calvary. The third marks the moment when Jesus is nailed to the Cross.

The first impression of hearing Jesus ask them to carry their own cross was much different from how we perceive it today. The Cross was a Roman execution tool, and carrying their own cross meant they were walking to their own death. It was a path of shame and humiliation on public display, one that brought disgrace to their families in that culture. It defined failure and criminality, with no turning around.

The good news that Jesus brings is that the Cross sets people free, even though our obsessions can still own us. That’s why Jesus’ life demonstrates to us the Cross is a way of life. The two parables vividly reveal how the weight of obsession can separate people from God’s Kingdom, and even wage war against it.

The vision of God’s Kingdom is generous and inclusive. It invites all and blesses all. No one receives special privilege, and no one receives less, because the Cross makes that vision possible.

So we ask: what situations might place us in the role of the king, waging war against the Kingdom of God? What obsessions or attachments might cause us, like the tower builder, to resist the grace that’s being offered?

When the expectation of discipleship is clear and aligned with what Jesus taught, we begin to see the abundance of God’s blessings, both in our own lives and in our life together, not the scarcity we often fear.

So here we are, still among the crowd like in the Gospel we heard today, still listening to Jesus, still deciding what owns us and what sets us free.

The Cross is not just a symbol of suffering. It’s a way of life: a way that frees us from the need to prove ourselves, frees us from obsession, frees us from fear; a way that invites us to co-create spaces of love and kindness; a way that allows us to be fully ourselves, and to let others be fully themselves too.

Jesus doesn’t ask for perfection. He asks for surrender. He asks us to carry our own cross not to earn his love, but to live from his love.

So,

may we be among those who follow—not just with curiosity, but with courage;

may we be among those who carry—not just burdens, but the grace that sets others free;

and may we be among those who co-create—not just programs or plans, but spaces where the Gospel is not just known, but felt, lived, shared, and celebrated.

For this, we praise Christ for the Gospel of the Cross.

Let the people of God say, Amen.