So maybe this Gospel doesn’t fit in the cheerful context of “Welcome Back Sunday”. But it speaks with urgency to our lives right now.

We live in a world where trust is hard. Economies fluctuate. Nations arm themselves. Communities fracture. Families strain. And into that world Jesus says: “Trust me more than all of this. Give up your reliance on what will not last. Build your life on me.”

This is not a call to abandon those we love. It is a call to order our loves rightly—to trust God first, so that our love for family and neighbor is not possessive but life-giving – which is what it becomes when it is rightly ordered.

And it is a reminder that the life of discipleship is costly. Carrying the cross is not about small inconveniences—it is about giving up ultimate reliance on anything but God. That is the cost of discipleship. And it is also the only way to freedom.

You can view the sermon directly following this link.