The Fork in the Road

Yogi Berra

Baseball’s Yogi Berra once said “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” That’s true enough, but which fork? There are choices to be made at all those forks in the road we come to in our lives. You go one way or the other. Oftentimes, the Christian fork is the road less traveled. It may not be easy to take that road. It’s not easy when the Christian road looks long, and at first glance, rather unrewarding. And it turns out that we are faced with choices like that in our lives every day. The choices are not always black and white; sometimes they are in shades of gray. But there are always forks in the road when we can choose to go one way or another. But which fork? That’s the question.

Jesus Paths

As Jesus traveled along from one village to another, he stopped along the way to teach the growing number of people who followed him. He realized that some tagged along because of the miracles. Maybe they wanted to see what he would do next. Maybe he’d pull off a miracle for them; healing what ailed them, providing bread for their tables, money in their pockets, a solution to the political and social problems of day.

For many in those crowds it was more a “what can you do for me” mentality than a love for Jesus or a desire to spend their lives in his service. So he stopped along the way from time to enlighten them on what following him would mean.

Attractive and Challenging Teachings Some of his teachings were attractive and exciting. Promises like; “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Or “Whoever believes in me will never be hungry or thirsty again.” But others of Jesus’ teachings were not exactly pleasant. Sayings like; “If anyone wants to be my disciple, they must sell everything they own, give the money to the poor, take up a cross and follow my example.” Or “Love your enemies, don’t hate them.” Or “If someone takes your coat, give him your shirt as well. If someone hits you on the left cheek, offer him the right cheek as well.”

Those are hard sayings. The followers, who were attracted to Jesus when he was turning water into wine, and feeding the multitudes free fish and bread, became less enthused when they heard of the cost of discipleship; the giving of oneself, the sacrifice and surrender. Many were not willing to sign up for that kind of life, so they bailed out. They came to a fork in the road, and chose to take another way..

And There Were Twelve It was then that Jesus turned to the few who remained and gave them the opportunity to leave as well. “’So Jesus asked the twelve ‘How about you? Do you also wish to go away?’” Now the disciples were at that fork in the road. Perhaps some of them thought about it for a while, wondering if they made a mistake when they left their families and their homes behind in order to follow Jesus. Should they continue on as disciples of the Lord? Should they take some alternate route?

Dad’s Story Have you ever had a real heart to heart talk with someone who professed to be an atheist? My dad shared a story about what such occasion he had as a pastor some years ago.

“The man was terminally ill, but still home. His caregiver, thought he should talk with a pastor. Evidently the subject had been brought up with him numerous times. Finally, he gave in, probably to keep that relative from bugging him about it.

“I was called and asked to make that visit. On the way over, I was a bit apprehensive, not sure what to expect. It turned out that he was very willing to talk. He shared the story of his life; stories from childhood, stories related to the work he and done and his travels. We talked about all kinds of things that afternoon.”

“Eventually, we talked about his dying. He brought up the subject. He told something of what he believed and what he didn’t; about life, about death. ‘My philosophy,’he said, ‘is that there is no heaven after we die. This life is all there is. When it’s over, it’s over.’ I listened. He listened as I answered some of his questions about my faith. Neither of us tried to argue with the other or somehow force our beliefs onto the other.” In the end, he thanked my dad for coming over and asked him to come again.

What Now?

I want you to imagine for a moment that what the atheists believe is really true…that there is no hope of life beyond this life, that the bible is a hoax, and faith is really fiction. What do you do?

What is your life like now? If God doesn’t exist, to whom will you pray when you are lonely, or afraid, or dying? And when a loved one dies, do you just go on with your life, without hope for that one or for yourself?

You see, that’s what Peter was talking about. “Lord, if we don’t follow you, where else can we go? There is no one else. You have the words to eternal life. You’re it; all or nothing.” These weren’t just words of significant faith, it was Peter recognizing that without Jesus there was no hope. There was no one else to turn to. When Peter came to the fork in the road, both paths were laid in mystery for him but Jesus was calling him to follow. And so he did… because… where else would he go? It really wasn’t much of a choice for Peter… he realized that. All or nothing.

The Choice

And now, the choice is yours and mine. We cannot come to a fork in the road and take both roads. We cannot continue to worship the gods of this world and the God of Creation as well. Joshua said it this way “Choose this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Peter said it this way “Lord, there is nobody to follow but you.”

The disciples became anxious about Jesus. They might have said, "We like him, but can we do what he is asking?" Jesus called the twelve together and asked them, point blank: "Do you also wish to go away?"

Sometimes, no matter how strong our convictions are, or how great our desire to journey with Jesus may be, we may want to walk away, to find a spot in the wilderness away from the pressures around us. Peter doesn’t just come out and say, “well, now that you mentioned it, yes, I want to walk away…but he is honest about his uncertainty and his fears. And he is well aware of being at one of those forks in the road.

To Follow

There is a choice to be made. He can continue to follow Jesus, to give his life in the Lord’s service…or he can turn away. He struggles with that, but not for long. For he is convinced that life, real life, is found in Jesus. If he parts from Jesus, where would he go? What is the alternative? After all, Jesus is the Lord and giver of life; life that world cannot give. So Peter comes to the fork in the road and finally chooses the way of Christ.

Desmond Tutu One name that comes to mind when I think of forks in the road and commitment to following the Lord is the South African Archbishop, Desmond Tutu. Many years ago, he preached in St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa.

The wall was lined with soldiers carrying guns, waiting for the opportunity to close the service down. The cathedral was filled to capacity.

Bishop Tutu spoke of the evils of apartheid. Near the end of his sermon, he pointed a finger at the soldiers and said, "You are powerful. You are very powerful. But you are not gods and I serve a God who cannot be mocked. You have already lost!"

Before the soldiers could react, Bishop Tutu, with that wonderful smile that God has given him, came out from behind the pulpit and began to bounce up and down the aisle with glee.

As the congregation moved into the aisle, dancing with him, he spoke to the soldiers again, "Since you have already lost, we invite you to join the winning side," The soldiers melted away. They broke rank, many leaving the cathedral… but some staying.

Bishop Tutu was inviting those soldiers to cross over and be servants of the Lord. Some of them did.

So day by day we come to those forks in the road. There are decisions to be made about all kinds of things. We can make those decisions on the basis of which way is easier. We can make them on the basis of which way is more profitable, least costly, most enjoyable.

But as followers of Jesus we are called first of all to follow the way he would have us go; even if it is not the most profitable way, or comfortable.

And why do we make such choices when we come to those forks in the road? Because of what the Lord has done and is doing; because of what he has promised to do.

· God our creator has made us and all that exists.

· Jesus our Savior has redeemed us and reconciled us into a new creation.

· The Holy Spirit sustains and transforms and binds us together s one body.

· And God continues to bless us and be present in our lives.

For all of this and more, we can show our thanks when we come to the forks in the road. Because there is truly only one way for us to follow as Christ invites us onward. Come to the table. Taste and see the love poured out for the world. Hear the promise of the one who has the words of eternal life. Amen.