Pastor Cristina Beauchemin invites the congregation to consider Jesus’ stark call to discipleship in Luke 14:25–33: allegiance to Christ comes before even the most cherished relationships and possessions, and it requires counting the cost. She frames the tension with an extended Patty Hearst illustration—how a young woman, traumatized and captivated by a cause, left family and safety for something she believed would help people. While not equating the stories, Pastor Cristina uses the contrast to surface why Jesus uses such severe language about “hating” family: in the Semitic sense, it communicates decisive re-prioritization rather than emotional hostility. Discipleship demands reordering loves so radically that every other claim becomes secondary.

She explains the cost metaphor—building a tower, waging war—and applies it to contemporary public witness: marching for justice, showing up for workers, serving at Pride, and choosing service over comfort. The sermon emphasizes that Jesus is Jerusalem-bound and preparing followers for suffering; some will find the call too heavy, yet the mission remains: love neighbors, feed the hungry, and stand for those who feel unloved by God. The path is hard, but the church is called to carry the cross together, lose lesser treasures, and keep returning when we drift, trusting that God watches over the way of the righteous (Psalm 1).