Entering a relationship with Christ -- and that’s what living Christianly is all about -- has its own demands. And its own cost. Nobody has to follow Jesus -- to choose to be a Christian disciple. Jesus himself extended the invitation, and he did so knowing that following him would not be easy. You don’t have to accept, but you are invited!

Living as a Christian sometimes means making uncomfortable choices, for our choices are governed not by our own preferences, or by our culture’s standards, but by Jesus Christ. Sometimes these choices affect our lifestyle, the way we think about things, or do things. Our jobs. Friends we choose. Our popularity. The way we view people who are different from us.

I had an interesting experience with this when I was in San Francisco. I was walking toward a plaza when suddenly dozens of police materialized out of nowhere. Then came noise like the roar of the crowd at a football stadium. Thousands of marchers began to appear -- striding peacefully but purposely down the street. Wave after wave of protesters passed us by. I looked into their faces and saw folks that looked a lot like you and me, a lot like our sons and daughters.

They were protesting the California Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold Proposition 8. They were asking for gays to be able to marry. Many of them carried signs -- I’ll never forget one of them. It simply said: “My mom and dad married the person they loved. Why can’t I?”

I know this is a highly charged topic for many, and people are divided on the issue. I know standing there watching thousands of people protest took me way out of my comfort zone. I also know as I searched the faces of the people marching that somewhere in that sea of people there had to be the face of Jesus, walking alongside those who were hurting.

I believe it is time that evangelicals get out of our simplistic cocoons where we swallow ready made answers that are neatly provided to us by others who would manipulate us. The media and many religious and political folks want us to follow them rather than do our own thinking. As a disciple of Christ trying to live Christianly in these very complicated times we must consider what a compassionate biblical response is to gay marriage and all the other really difficult questions of our day.

Living in a relationship with Jesus Christ has a cost. Being faithful has always required a price to be paid. Living Christianly today means we dare not settle for easy answers to the enormous challenges our generation faces. The one thing we can depend upon is Jesus being with us. As we follow him in faith we can always look up and see his face.