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Matthew 10:24-39 Common English (CEB)

24 “Disciples aren’t greater than their teacher, and slaves aren’t greater than their master. 25 It’s enough for disciples to be like their teacher and slaves like their master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, it’s certain that they will call the members of his household by even worse names.

26 “Therefore, don’t be afraid of those people because nothing is hidden that won’t be revealed, and nothing secret that won’t be brought out into the open. 27 What I say to you in the darkness, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, announce from the rooftops. 28 Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell.

29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for a small coin? But not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father knowing about it already. 30 Even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 Don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.

32 “Therefore, everyone who acknowledges me before people, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. 33 But everyone who denies me before people, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

34 “Don’t think that I’ve come to bring peace to the earth. I haven’t come to bring peace but a sword. 35 I’ve come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against 2 of 10 her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 People’s enemies are members of their own households.[a]

37 “Those who love father or mother more than me aren’t worthy of me. Those who love son or daughter more than me aren’t worthy of me. 38 Those who don’t pick up their crosses and follow me aren’t worthy of me. 39 Those who find their lives will lose them, and those who lose their lives because of me will find them.

This is the word of God for the people of God, Thanks be to God. 3 of 10

Let us pray: God, you who created the universe and even us, help us hear the comfort of your love hidden in these difficult words of this scripture. Give us courage to live as you have called us. In ’ name, Amen.

These verses from Matthew are some of the most difficult to read and digest.

These words disturb me. They speak of the disharmony that awaits us as disciples of Jesus Christ - name calling, threats of death, discord, and isolation from our families. When you hear these words, you may say, surely that is not what Jesus meant. These words disturb me because for most of my life, I thought that being

Christian meant that we sit around at a church building singing songs, eating casseroles, and talking about the Bible. I thought the point of being Christian was to be nice and agreeable. I mean, as children, aren’t we taught to be at peace with our families and those around us. Aren’t we just supposed to be quiet and go with the flow? The words of the , don’t support this way of being Christian.

Christians exist to love God and our neighbors and through this love to make the world a better place, to do our part in establishing the reign of God on Earth. This love, however, has always been a source of conflict. Jesus of Nazareth traveled throughout the land of Palestine preaching the good news of the kingdom of God.

He healed the sick, brought sight to the blind, he preached the Word of God and transformed the souls of those who were oppressed, yet he was killed on a cross. 4 of 10

He knew that the violence of people would not be able to destroy him, and so here we are, 2000 years later, heirs to his promise of life beyond death.

The writer of Matthew and his community knew what it meant to be persecuted and this scripture was written for them as a comfort. The early

Christians were attacked for their lifestyle and beliefs by the Romans and some

Jewish sects. Reminding the people of the sovereignty of God and the power of

God to raise Jesus from the dead made the early Christians a problem for the

Romans rulers since the Christians would not bend to the laws which called for them to act as if Caesar were god.

Our text is situated in a part of the gospel just after Jesus sends the twelve disciples to cast out demons and heal the sick. He cautions them that they will meet opposition, but to continue their mission of healing. It is so strange to read that they will experience opposition as they go out to heal people. What is at stake when we go out to heal people or communities? No matter how much we wish it were otherwise, every community, home, business has a status quo, a level of homeostasis that is maintained. Even one who enters hoping to make things better is usually met with conflict. Think about how you react when your doctor encourages you to change some habit you enjoy so that you might have a healthier life. We humans don’t like change, even when it is better for us. We generally react negatively to change, even if it helps us in the long run. The challenge of the gospel is that God is calling us to health, to wholeness, to salvation. Frankly, that 5 of 10 means a lot of us need to let God change some things in our hearts, words, and actions.

As Christians, we must have a radically different value system from many of the world’s systems. The good news of Jesus Christ -- that there is radical, gracious love poured out equally on each of us by God leading us to love one another -- is deeply opposed to the messages and values of our culture which is deeply vested in competition. Our economic system is based upon competition and the problem is that the values of a competitive system have shaped our understandings of every other aspect of our lives. I am not speaking against the economic system, per se, but against how we have allowed it to influence our relationships with people and the earth. We view one another as competition for perceived scarce resources like jobs, spouses, grades, healthcare, money, food, and power. This perceived scarcity generates fear.

We fear the things we cannot understand or control. We fear the unknown.

Is it any wonder then, that when Christians come, professing the good news of

Christ, that those of the status quo fear us and seek to maintain that which they know and support? Though I urge us to have compassion for those who fear the love of Christ and the power of God, let us be sure to understand that there are people who will go to any length to stop the work of love in this world.

The scripture acknowledges the reality of the risks to those who share the good news. We risk our bodies for the freedom of our souls and of the bodies and 6 of 10 souls who come after us. Imagine where we would be if Jesus chose not to sacrifice his body for our salvation. Imagine where we would be if the first

Christians had not stood up against persecution.

This past week our Bishop led a few hundred other United Methodists on a march in downtown Atlanta. I was a little scared because I’ve seen how peaceful protests can turn ugly. I was also afraid of being in such a crowd since COVID19 is still obviously a threat. Clearly what we did was nothing like the early Christians facing death for their faith, but in a small way, many of us took the risk of bodily harm even of social harm to march in support of racial justice. The early christians were being faithful, perhaps having no concern for us 2000 years later. What we do today because of our faith can echo for generations. It can change lives that haven’t even been born yet. Today our faith calls us to act for justice for all people. According to scholar, Marcus Borg, “The God of love is also the God of justice. The two are related, for in the Bible justice is the social form of love. Thus the God of love is not simply “nice” but has an edge, a passion for justice. God loves everybody and everything….To take the God of love and justice seriously means to be aware that prolonged injustice has consequences.”1

We see injustice around us everyday at work, in our communities, in the government, in the marketplace. As Christians, we are called through the covenant of our baptism to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they take.

1 Three simple questions, Job, 18 7 of 10

This is the call of discipleship, but it is hard! Our text confirms that it is hard. We have every reason to have fear, but Jesus tells us not to have fear because the one who calls us is the only one with the power to destroy us. We believe that there is more to our lives than our physical bodies - we are made of body and soul. Our bodies will decline and die someday, but our souls will go on. We make choices to comfort and secure our bodies but often when we only consider our physical security, we damage our souls. Fear silences us into complacency and apathy. We must overcome fear with the knowledge that God is aware of our fear and cares about us - even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid. God would not have called us to be disciples without provision for our lives.

Saying yes to discipleship means saying no to so much. When we choose to follow Jesus, we engage in our relationships differently. Our enemies will become like family and our family may become our adversaries. The ordering of life in

Christian discipleship is backwards and upside down when we try to understand it in terms of our normal cultural values. And to live this way is hard. John Wesley described the Christians in the Methodist movement as being on either the low road or the high road. Most will live their lives doing no harm to anyone and doing good when and where ever they can. Most will attend worship and participate in some kind of study or devotional practice. Very few people are called to make the ultimate sacrifice for love of God and others. Nevertheless, the 8 of 10 heart of our Methodist expression of faith is love in action. What we do in community with others matters.

You may be showing your love for God and others by wearing a mask when you’re in public to avoid spreading COVID19, by donating money to make sure kids can eat while school is out this summer, by joining a task force to bring awareness to food insecurity, by doing your job in a way that exposes inequity and builds community, and many others. We must love God and honor the priorities of love and justice above self-interest. When we hand over our lives to God, we must live by a completely different value system than the broader culture expects us to adopt. The culture of competition expects that each person will strive for more money and power throughout our lives. When we choose to spend time in service to others such as at the church, a shelter, or various forms of civic and economic engagement, we are explicitly saying no to the values of competition. As

Christians, we work for justice and opportunities for everyone, for all of God’s children. I urge you to pray for God to reveal what is next for you in your life of faith. How are you being called in these times and in specific ways to counteract the racial and economic injustices all around us?

I think the overarching effect of exploring this scripture today is that

Christian discipleship is not easy. I would venture to say that if it seems easy, we are doing it wrong. Christian discipleship should disturb you. It should make you stop and think and do some things differently. Remember, the is like the 9 of 10 teacher. Jesus is our teacher. We are to be like him who loved people though they aggravated him and would betray him. He loved them and us enough to sacrifice everything.

Who do you love enough to sacrifice for them? If it is only your family, I’m afraid that falls short of what the gospel calls us to. Jesus came to bring the reign of God on earth to reconcile everybody to him such that there would be transformation in the very structures of human relationship. Jesus did not come to give any of us merely comfort, he came such that all of us, no matter how much money we have, no matter our race, no matter our gender would have abundant life in him. Having life in Jesus means no longer pursuing those things that our markets and culture tell us give us life.

We are called to be like our teacher. We are called to show love through acts of justice. We are called to action. Amen.

Well…This is the end of my last sermon as your associate pastor. I can say that in these past three years, I have seen you acting like Jesus. I have seen you pray. I have seen you make hard choices to sacrifice your preferences for faithful stewardship of resources by retiring CAYA, by voting to sell the chapel and

Sycamore building. I have seen you have faith to try new things in building and running the coffee area. You have been open to Dalton’s leadership and my leadership. You have been willing to entertain thoughts that challenge what you already thought, especially about race…keep going! My prayer for you, Decatur 10 of 10

First, is that you not grow weary in the long work of God’s justice. I pray that you will find joy in discovering again and again how God is calling you to be church in

Decatur and beyond.

You have been an amazing church to serve. You didn’t know it, but I came to you questioning my call. You helped me remember what God called me to be and do. You welcomed my family. You made space for my husband to lead and our sons to be in community. You have everything you need to continue in transformational, faithful ministry. I will miss you. You have prepared me well for what is calling me to do next. God be with you. Amen.