Jeremiah 20:7-13
Psalm 69:7-10, 16-18
Romans 5:15b-19
MATTHEW 10:16-33
BE STREET-SMART BUT
NOT CYNICAL
This is one of
the toughest Gospel readings to hear which I can think of. Jesus warns the twelve apostles -- and
through them, all who came after them as his followers, including us, that sometimes life is really harsh. And sometimes, life is harsh not because of
natural disasters or the calamities which are part of normal life but because
of persecution – including persecution of believers by non-believers. Including persecution of people who are
trying to do the right thing by those who don’t want to see the right thing get
done. And some of those persecutors, as
Jesus explicitly states, are members of peoples’ own families.
It’s painful, but
true.
The reason we of
St. Barnabas have a year-round collection for the residents of the women’s
shelter is that all year long, there are women in our area who get beaten up by
people so badly that their lives are endangered and they need to go to the
shelter. And this is not by strangers,
but by people they live with and try to love, and in many cases are married
to. Kids, too, get terrorized by these
guys, and often the abuser may say, “I’ll really get you if you tell.”
Naming the evil
can be very risky, in that and many other contexts. The Church of England has just named the Rt. Rev. John Sentamu to
be Archbishop of York, the second-highest post in our sister church, the Church
of England. Bishop Sentamu, who was born
in the East African country of Uganda and has now lived in Britain for 30
years, was, as a lay person when he was living in his homeland, an “outspoken
critic” of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.
That simple act got him imprisoned by Amin in the early 1970’s. He got off easier than the then-Archbishop
of Uganda, who was killed while in
the custody of Idi Amin’s police. Doing
the right thing can be dangerous.
Standing up as a Christian can be dangerous.
So Jesus tells
his followers, “I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be
wise as serpents and as innocent as doves.” I translate that as “be
street-smart without getting cynical.” Christians are not called to be
“doormats” or “stooges”, nor should we become so worldly-wise that we
forget the hope that is in us – that evil may be powerful but it has been
decisively defeated by God in Christ, and ultimately all evil will be
exterminated by God.
If you’re a
“whistle-blower” at work, at school, at home or in the community, you may not
get thanked. You may, in fact, face
difficulties you would not have had if you had kept your mouth shut. But if we all “turn a blind eye” to evil,
will it not get stronger – and claim more victims? May we have the courage to do the right thing, and seek strength
and guidance directly from God and from the church community. After all, Jesus also told his apostles to
hang together and strengthen each other.
And the other key
thing Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel is a repetition of the most frequently repeated command in the entire Bible. Anyone know what that is?
“Do not be afraid.”
Jesus doesn’t
tell us not to be afraid because evil doesn’t exist. It does. He doesn’t tell us not to be afraid because
evil doesn’t have power. It does. Or because we’re invulnerable. We aren’t.
He tells us not to be afraid because evil’s power is limited, both in
extent and in duration, whereas God loves us and God is in charge of ultimate outcomes, including
our opportunity for eternal salvation.
“Be wise as serpents and as innocent as
doves.” “Do not be afraid.”
The Rev. Francis A.
Hubbard
St. Barnabas Episcopal
Church
Monmouth Junction, NJ
June 19, 2005
Romans 5:15b-19
MATTHEW 10:16-33
10:30 service 6/19/05
“Interactive” sermon
with children
BE SMART AND RIGHT
(Kids gather
facing me and with their backs to the congregation in front of the front row of
pews.)
Jesus tells us in
today’s second story from the Bible that everyone will sometimes have difficult
or sad days and everyone will sometimes have days when people are mean to them.
Anyone have a difficult or a sad day in the last few days? (I raise my hand and invite people to raise
theirs.) Anyone ever had someone be
mean to them? (Ditto.) (Then, addressing kids,) Anyone want to share anything
about a sad day or a difficult day they had?
(Responses.)
Jesus tells us
that this will happen sometimes – including to grownups, and including to
people who love Jesus. Life is like
that sometimes. But he also tells us
two important other things in today’s Gospel story. First, we need to be “as wise as serpents and as innocent as
doves.” To teens and adults, I
translate that as “be street-smart without getting cynical”. (Then, addressing kids,) It means to do what is both smart and
right.
Now, how do we
figure out what are the smart and right things to do? And how do we get guidance and strength to do them? Let’s go exploring to find out! (We all walk to the back of the sanctuary
and I bring out a compass.) Can anyone
tell me what this is? (Responses.) Well, there are clues around the church, and
if we use this “spiritual compass,” maybe we can find the answers to where we
can get guidance and strength to do what is smart and right.
(The six “clues”
are posted around the church, such that what I want the compass to point to are
at each stop south of where the kids and I will be standing. At the first clue, the compass points to the
whole congregation. At the second one,
it points to the altar, the third one to the lectionary book, the fourth one to
the pulpit, the fifth one to the door to the outside (God can guide us all
through the week), and the sixth piece of paper “clue” I will stick onto a
willing child to remind everyone that God can guide each of us directly.)
(At the end, I
recap the six ways we can get guidance and strength to do what is smart and
right and then I add:) And the second thing Jesus tells us in today’s story is,
“Do not be afraid.” Jesus will
be with us to help us no matter how difficult a day we might ever have.
The Rev. Francis A.
Hubbard
St. Barnabas Episcopal
Church
Monmouth Junction, NJ