Saturday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year 2 2024
Ordinary Time • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewAll of the call stories of the OT overawed the person called, revealed their weakness, and yet empowered them to obey. Jesus does not overwhelm, for it is before the resurrection, but calls us to serve even though reviled or brought to judgment for we are being like him, and not to fear, for they can only kill us. God knows our every act, our this-world fate, and we are valuable to him. All we need to do is confess Jesus in world and deed. And so as this age darkens we are called to do as the church does around the world and did in the west in past ages, to remain faithful at great risk. So let us “arm up” and do not fear, for all we have to do is acknowledge Jesus in word and deed and God takes care of the rest.
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Transcript
Title
Title
Called to Fearless Humble Witness
Outline
Outline
I love the call-visions in the OT
I love the call-visions in the OT
Yet at the same time they make me tremble. No one called stands upright before God. No one called thinks of himself as worthy. Not even the cherubim do that in Isaiah. And yet the mere obedience or in Isaiah the willingness to obey is all God asks of them.
Yet the sending by Jesus is in some ways riskier
Yet the sending by Jesus is in some ways riskier
Jesus has previously named the Twelve, then given them their mission, which we all share in, and them warmed them of judicial persecution, yet in every case pointed to the deliverance and presence of God.
Yet now we learn that we will not get off better than our Master but as disciples can only aspire to be like him. Our Master was indeed called Beelzebul and God did not vindicate him until the resurrection - and we deserve that name in a way he never did.
We are not to fear, for all will be revealed in the last judgment; no fake news or photoshopped images there. In anticipation we make known those things Jesus said in secret; he said them in secret often because they could bring down Herod’s persecution. But not to worry, “do not be afraid of those who kill the body” for they can only kill the body. We tremble at least a bit before the one who can kill both body and soul.
The good news is that God values us: he knows all about us, every hair, and he values us more than many sparrows. Yet he is talking about sparrows sold for sacrifice or food, so again it only makes sense in the light of the resurrection.
The only thing he asks is confession of Jesus as Lord in word and deed. And that is absolutely critical: “Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
If that were not somber enough, Jesus goes on to say that he has not come to bring peace but a sword!
The commission, the call, then is to “ride into the valley of death.”
The commission, the call, then is to “ride into the valley of death.”
And it is to do this because we can see beyond death, we can see resurrection and final judgment.
This is not just a rebuke to those claiming that one has a right to health and wealth and prosperity now - just claim it.
This is a realistic call to arm up for battle to all of us because the battle will be difficult and we will not hear the final “well-done” unless we remember that Jesus told us it would be like this, that our Father is fully aware of our difficulties, and that we will be well rewarded in the resurrection.
That may be an important word for the Church today as it was for the Church in WW II when priests and religious were martyred and the Vatican risked all to funnel Jews to safety, as it is today in India and Sudan and Nigeria and Pakistan, to name a few. And as it was when the Underground Railway in the USA funneled people to safety from church to church.
Just acknowledge me in word and deed and do not fear “them.” That is all that Jesus asks. That is all we need to do.