The readings for the thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost are taken from Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Philemon 1-21; and Luke 14:25-35.
Deuteronomy records Moses’ last words to Israel on behalf of God. Life and good, death and evil are contrasted, plus the results of each. Moses uses the word “choose,” but this choice is not up to us nor are we capable of making the right choice. Moses commands us to choose life and good and God’s commands are effective.
Paul urges Philemon to choose life and good also by receiving his former slave, Onesimus, back. But no longer as a slave, but more than a slave—as a brother. No slave will ever serve as diligently as a person with a soul regenerated in the image of Christ and His powerful love for others at work through the Word and Spirit.
Jesus uses plain language in Luke’s Gospel about what is required to follow Him. Life and good come from following Jesus—though that path is full of hardships and hard service in this world.