Sermons for the Month
I beg your pardon? Jesus said what?
DATE: 6/23/02
SERVICE: Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
TEXT: Matthew 10:24-39“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
No rose garden. That's the title that another preacher, *Richard Donovan, gave to his sermon on this text. The idea came to him after hearing Senator John McCain, a maverick Republican, comment on the lack of ceremony when President Bush signed the McCain-Feingold Bill into law. Senator McCain had fought hard for the Bill, which focuses on campaign finance reform. The Bill was signed without fanfare, and when a reporter asked the Senator how he about that he said, "They never promised me a rose garden", implying that life is not easy and we do not always expect to get our way. I personally would not have connected that phrase with a political event. When I hear it, probably because I was raised in a place where there was nothing on the radio but country music, I hear a twangy female voice singing. She proclaims, "I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden, along with the sunshine there has to be a little rain sometimes." And for some reason it always seemed to me that the emphasis fell on the first four words, "I beg your pardon," as in "Excuse me, but…" or "What were you thinking?" And I think that's how we, and perhaps the first disciples too, respond to the words of Jesus in today's Gospel lesson. "I beg your pardon, Jesus." It's not that we want Jesus to repeat what he said because we didn't hear it, it's that we want him not to say it. We say, "Excuse me, Jesus, but that's a bit much, don't you think?" And Jesus says, "No, excuse me but when were you told that being a Christian would be easy?" I beg your pardon, but I never promised you a rose garden. But that's what we want, a beautiful rose garden, taken care of by someone else, so that we can stroll through it, soak in the sights and smells, and say, "Isn't this pleasant?" I beg your pardon, but…. Jesus reminds his first followers who have just been sent out to proclaim the Gospel that they should expect to be treated as he himself has - and will - be treated. Included are such pleasant activities as arrest, torture and death. Yet, he tells them, their focus should not be on these things - on what human hands can do to them. They are not to fear other people who only have partial control of their lives. Instead, they are to openly proclaim everything that Jesus had taught them in secret. Their priority is on proclamation and their focus is to be on God. There are two reasons why their focus is to be on God, and on announcing the Good News in the face of danger. The first is that God's love is constant. God is always present. Jesus illustrates this love when he says that God knows whenever a sparrow "falls" to the ground. It's interesting to note that this not mean that the sparrow has died. It means that every time a sparrow lights and hops on the ground, God knows it. Now, if God is that aware of the sparrow's activity, God certainly will be watching over the disciples. But there is a second reason why the focus should be on God, rather than on people and what they can do. Only God has any control of people's lives beyond this one. For those who were listening that day, denying Jesus would have saved them from arrest, torture and even death at the hands of the Romans. After all, being hung on a post and set on fire because you are a Christian is not an attractive proposition. On the other hand, denying Jesus would deny them life after death. Jesus was saying that no punishment of humanity compares to the fate of one who fails to acknowledge him. To be separated from God forever is a long time, and for that reason they need to get their priorities straight. They must trust God's love, boldly proclaim the Good News in spite of the danger they faced. Doing so will create conflict, not peace, in their lives. In the early days of the church Christians were frequently estranged from their families, typically the last refuge. Jesus says his followers must be prepared for that, and love him more than they love their own parents, children and siblings. Can't you just see the disciples, with open mouths upon hearing this lecture, say, "I beg your pardon?" But - in spite of what I said earlier - perhaps we are not inclined to say it ourselves, since this text is so tied to a particular time and situation that dates back 2000 years. After all, we have not been maligned in our faith. No one has threatened our lives. Being a Christian for many Americans has had positive results. It meets a need, it doesn't require too much of us, and if it is suggested by some out-of-touch pastor that being a Christian requires sacrifice, some would be quick to note that such a thing is somehow unreasonable. We say to Jesus, "I beg your pardon, but, I have a life you know." So, when Jesus asks us to proclaim the Gospel in the face of opposition is may seem like a mute point; there's no opposition. And, when Jesus tells us that doing so must be our first priority, we might be inclined say that in the 21st century such commands no longer apply. And yet … we have witnessed American airlines hijacked and flown into American buildings killing thousands, and the threat of terrorism is so real that government agencies are being restructured to address that fear. Somehow, in the face of that the words of Jesus, "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul," ring true. We hear the assurance that God's love is constant, and that's all helpful. But if those words are true in 2002, then it's also true that we are called acknowledge Jesus before others and to work at being disciples, making it a priority above all those things and people that we so value. And doing so will not be a pleasant stroll in the rose garden. We will be required to constantly buck the system, living in ways that other people laugh at. It means that attendance in worship and giving of our time and talents will not be something we fit in only if there is nothing better to do, or as long as it fits our schedule, or on the condition that we leave feeling happy and entertained. It means that we decide how we will financially support Jesus' ministry first, and then determine where we will live and where we'll vacation and what clothes we'll buy based on what's left, rather than just giving God the leftovers. In other words, everything else comes second and strengthening our relationship with God is first. "I beg your pardon???" Excuse me, but that's a bit much, don't you think??? Yes, it is a bit much. There's no rose garden except the one that we help create. And, of course, there is the promise of sharing the Glory of God in this life and the next. The reality that underlies this passage is that truly happy people live for something larger than themselves. That's why Jesus says, "Those who lose their life for my sake will find it." Jesus may not have promised us a rose garden, but what he has promised is worth much more and lasts long after the flower fade. *"No Rose Garden" by Richard Donovan, Sermon Writer for Proper 7A, www.lectionary.org.
AMEN