Each of you had the opportunity to put a sticky note - your mark - on one of the plant stands this morning. Where you put your mark depended on how you answered this question. "Which plant would you choose to represent your ideal life?" Your choices were this green, healthy, full, leafy plant with a couple of peace lillies springing forth from it OR this brown, barely-hanging-on, twig of a geranium with only a single leaf. The options that have been given to you have made your choice pretty much a no brainer as seen by the overwhelming sticky notes on the peace lilly plant.
     Something new we're doing for this fall season in worship is singing the Psalm for the day together as our hymn of praise. The psalm that we sang together today paints a very similar picture to the one that I've set up for us here. This psalm basically sets up a contrast between the righteous and the unrighteous - between one who is happy and one who is wicked. Listen to some of the words again. Happy are they who have not taken up company with the wicked, the sinners or the scornful. Happy are they who meditate on God's word. They are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season with leaves that do not wither. (They are like the peace lilly plant.)
     BUT, it is not so with the wicked. They are like chaff, which the wind blows away. (They are like this almost dead geranium.) The psalmist paints a picture. He sets up two ways to live, but the ways aren't equally valid. There is an obvious better option -- a clear path to take. Of course, we want to do the things that will lead to happiness. Of course we want to be like the strong, tall tree planted by streams of water. This psalm even makes it sound do--able. Pouring over God's word is our ticket to this happiness. Unfortunately, in our real lives, we know that choosing a path and sticking to our journey with Jesus -- our journey of discipleship -- is rarely this easy. For example, let's look a bit more clearly at the gospel lesson for today.
     The crowds have gathered around Jesus and like the psalmist, he lays out some very clear choices that need to be made in order for someone to be his disciple. They hit us a bit differently than a simple request to meditate on God's word. His first words to this crowd are enough to make any of us wonder if someone else's words were copied and pasted into the Bible because they don't sound like they would come f rom the Jesus we have come to know and love. "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple."
      Now, the word that is translated as "hate" has a different meaning than how we think of hate. It's more of an expression that means to turn away from that person or become detached. Knowing this information about the translation softens Jesus' words, but it doesn't necessarily make his request any easier. It's difficult to detach ourselves from the people we love. It's not easy to let all of our other relationships play second fiddle to our relationship with God. Yet, that is what Jesus is telling us must happen or we cannot be his disciples.
     Another translation point. Three times in the Gospel today, Jesus uses those words, "You cannot become my disciple." A possible better translation would be "You are not able to become my disciple." Essentially, Jesus is saying this: "If you are not able to put me before your entire family and even your own life, you are not able to become my disciple. If you do not carry the cross and follow me, you are not able to become my disciple. If you do not give up all your possessions, you are not able to be my disciple." Just like the psalm for today, Jesus is setting before us very clear choices. But just because they are clear, doesn't mean they are easy.
     To go even deeper into the issues of translation, the Greek word translated as "cannot" or "not able" can have two different meanings. It can bring with it a sense that we have a choice. We won't be able to do it because we won't choose to do it. Or, it can mean that we are not able to become Jesus' disciples because it is not humanly possible. As readers and people who are called to meditate on God's word in order to find the happiness spoken of in Psalm 1, this issue of translation is one of the things we get to discern and talk about and decide upon. This can't always happen in an 8 to 12 minute sermon with just me talking, so you are invited to adult education and Sunday School to practice this meditation.
     In closing, I want to share with you something really neat about Psalm 1 -- something that really gets across to us the poetic quality of many of the psalms. It could never be clear in our English translation, but the first word in Psalm 1 begins with the the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet -- the equivalent of our letter A. The last word in Psalm 1 endswith the last letter in the Hebrew alphabet -- the equivalent of our letter Z. Kind of neat, huh? Because of this, Psalm 1 is sometimes referred to as the "A to Z of living the life of the godly." It lays out very clear choices for a righteous and happy life. It gives off a sense that living the life of the godly is even easy. And, thanks be to God, sometimes it is easy.
     But, other times, our lives tell us differently. Sometimes, our realities remind us that making the choices to follow Jesus aren't easy at all, but very difficult, very costly, indeed virtually impossible. The psalm gives us the A to Z information for leading a godly life and it's helpful and full of guidance and thought--provoking. But it's a letter in the middlge that is life saving. It's a letter in the middle that we can cling to in order to find and live our life with God. That letter is "J". And it stands for Jesus. What is impossible for us is possible for God. Jesus was able to put his relationship with God first.
     Jesus was able to pick up his cross and more than that -- die on it for you and for me and for the sins that would be committed throughout all of time. Jesus was able to give away all of his possession. This is the one who calls us to be his disciples. This is the one who lays out the expectations for what it takes to be his disciple. This is the one who when we fail and say, "I CAN'T do all that you ask me to do", picks us up, orients us on our right way and says, "Well, I CAN and you're coming with me." May God give us the grace to respond to Jesus' call for each of us with fervor and delight. Amen.



Grandparents' Day. We want to celebrate all the people here who are grandparents. They are special people. They teach us a lot. They love us without condition. They tend to have soft laps on which we can rest. A lot of them give great hugs.
Have people raise their hands if they are a grandparent. Some of the kids will have grandparents in the congregation -- have them deliver them to their own grandparents. Other kids won't have grandparents there, so then all the kids should just start bringing flowers out to folks who have their hands raised.
Leftover flowers -- bring extra ones to person with the most grandkids and great grandkids.