The Gospel of Matthew 10:24-39
Jesus said: “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!
“So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
“Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. (Micah 7:6)
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.NRSV The Gospel of our Lord.
Following Jesus
If you asked a marketing expert how to excite people, woo them, get buy-in, chances are, they would not point you to this passage from the Gospel of Matthew. But then… Jesus isn’t interested in gaining market share. Instead, Jesus is interested in you, not just the Sunday morning you, not just a piece of you, but your whole life. Jesus is calling you into discipleship.
In our Gospel, Jesus warns that it won’t be easy; he tells followers not to be afraid, and then challenges us to a life of discipleship, which means not only learning the way of Jesus but then also actively following Jesus….so that we may truly live.
Susan Beaumont, a pastor consultant, shared a story about an ordinary follower of Jesus named Ada Mae, the matriarch of a congregation she once served. As the story goes, early in the church’s history, the church had fallen on hard times – the attendance dwindled and they couldn’t even afford a pastor. But… faithfully, every Sunday, Ada Mae went and lit the candles in the sanctuary and every year she filed the paperwork so that they could stay open as a congregation. This was the story that everyone knew about Ada Mae. They told the story when celebrating their anniversary. They told the story to new members. Everyone knew about Ada Mae and how she lit the candles and filed the paperwork until the church grew again.
But Susan wondered: Well… how did the church grow again? What happened? She asked the pastor. He didn’t know. She asked the council. They didn’t know. She asked some long-time members. They didn’t know either. The only story that anyone seemed to know about their past was that Ada Mae faithfully lit the candles and filed the paperwork until the church grew again.
Susan then asked the office volunteers if they could check the archives to find out what happened. How did the church start to grow again?
They did. It turns out that something else did happen. One year, Ada Mae and the handful of the faithful members of the church who were left, decided that they needed a pastor if they were going to grow. So, they prayed – a lot. But that’s not all. Then they moved into action. Ada Mae – and this group of faithful members -- gave sacrificially until they had enough money saved so that they could hire a pastor.
And then the pastor joined them in giving sacrificially and in going out into their neighborhood to invite people to worship. But that still wasn’t enough for them to grow. So they prayed some more. And then, Ada Mae led the charge to sell the building and join with another congregation so that together they could minister to and with the neighborhood.
And THEN they grew – by a lot. Ada Mae was an ordinary person who people remembered for lighting the candles and filling out the paperwork. But it turned out that she did other things too. She prayed; she gave; and she dared to try something new for the sake of Jesus. That’s discipleship.
Discipleship, following Jesus, is about putting God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – first in your life, above all other things and all other relationships. It means trusting in the Word of God and letting God’s spirit guide you. - even if it isn’t popular, even if it will raise eyebrows, even if it goes against the authorities of the day.
So, how do we follow Jesus in this day and this time filled with fear of the pandemic, anxiety about a slow economy and an awaking to the reality of injustice, especially to our black and brown brothers and sisters that is captured on film and proclaimed on the internet?
Although we began this year with a theme of “Seeing with 2020 vision” and mission, it is now clear now that we can’t see what lies ahead. I don’t even know when we will be able to worship in the church in-person! But that unknown has forced us to try new things: online worship; Holy communion with zoom and at your doorstep; worship at home; worship in the parking lot with a radio transmitter that.. usually works. We have had to change. We have had to adapt.
We are in a changing time. But that also brings opportunities.
I wonder, if we are also able to change the way we as a country treat people who are black and brown because of the injustices that we now see, thanks to technology. Because of technology, with horrified eyes, we can’t help but see the injustices our black brothers and sisters endure and have endured.
Jesus tells us not to keep silent but to proclaim it from the rooftops. Or from the internet… or in letters written to the editor of the paper or to the elected officials.
In the 1930s, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor, in response to the horrors of Nazi Germany, refused to keep silence. In The Cost of Discipleship, he challenged fellow Christians to adopt costly and not cheap grace, saying “Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves… Cheap grace is grace without discipleship… Costly grace is the Gospel.” Further, he writes that the life of discipleship is obedience to Jesus Christ and Jesus’ call to love God and love the neighbor.
Friends, Jesus calls you and me into a life of discipleship. It might be you are called to pray and give and encourage like Ada Mae. Or it may be that you are called to protest or to write letters or make phone calls. I can’t claim a clear 20/20 vision for exactly how you should live out this call of discipleship. But I do know this: 1) Jesus has promised to be with us – and so we don’t need to be afraid; 2) Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to guide us as we listen both to scripture and to our neighbors; 3) Jesus is calling you to a life of discipleship, following Jesus. Brothers and sisters, siblings in Christ, let us follow Jesus in loving God and loving our neighbor – all of them -- so that we can live in the beloved community where God’s will and God’s way rather than our will our way is done. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran Church June 21 Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane