From Fearful to Courageous
This is the sermon I preached today, 6/2120 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church's Drive-In Service. If you would like to see the video of the sermon, it is here. The gospel text is Matthew 10:24-39. Have no fear, little flock; have no fear, little flock, For the Father has chosen to give you the kingdom; Have no fear little flock (ELW 764). YouTube link Jesus says, “have no fear of them.” Who are the “them?” They are the religious leaders of the time that accused Jesus of healing and performing miracles by the power of the devil. They were the ones who persecuted Jesus and arranged for his crucifixion. Jesus is saying, “If they do this to me, they’ll do it to you.” At the time, the disciples didn’t really get what the future would hold. Do any of us? A year ago, could we have imagined months of quarantine or shortages of household supplies like toilet paper? Could we have imagined race riots like we had in the 1960s? “Have no fear of them.” Jesus is preparing h...