February 18, 2008
Passage:Matthew 10:24-33
‘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 unperceived by 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. In the days following the September 11 attacks, one hymn that kept being used again and again was “A Mighty Fortress is our God,” written by Martin Luther. Based on the Psalm 46, this hymn gave comfort to people in an uncertain time. Sometimes I do wonder if this hymn is also an act of defiance against the evils of this world. Look at verse 4:
And tho this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph thru us.
The prince of darkness grim –
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure –
One little word shall fell him.That word above all earthly pow’rs –
No thanks to them abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Thru Him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still –
His kingdom is forever.It’s as if Luther was saying, “Go on, do your worst. Take my house, take my family and friends, take my own life! But you won’t win, God’s truth will win in the end!”In today’s text, Jesus tells his disciples to not be afraid. Boldly proclaim the gospel and don’t worry about what they will do to you. But that’s hard to do at times. We do worry. We fret. We wonder if would be better to just keep quiet and not be so bold about being Christ’s followers. But Jesus reminds us that God, our Parent, treats us just like, well, just like a Parent would treat their children, with care. God will always be with us during the hard times. He knows the number of hairs on our heads, which is a nice way of saying, God intimately knows us and loves us.Jesus would soon face the cross for boldy proclaiming God’s love. He lost his friends. He lost his life. And yet in the end, evil didn’t have the last word. “God’s truth abideth still, God’s kingdom is forever.”We may never face a cross as Jesus did, but we will face tough choices in following Christ that will result in loss of friends and sometimes the loss of our very lives. But we can take heart that we are not alone and that evil will never have the last word. “God’s kingdom is forever.” Indeed.
God who is our Fortress. Remind us that you are with us as we face challenges and trials. Amen.
Dennis Sanders is the IT/Communications Specialist for the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. He is also an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
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