Scripture/Sermon of the Day

“A disciple is not above the teacher nor a slave above the master; 25 it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!

“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered and nothing secret that will not become known. 27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. 28 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, fear the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 And even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

“Everyone, therefore, who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.

For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,

37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me, 38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

I. I grew up in a house where certain emotions, like anger, were unacceptable. If my sister or I were angry, mom would say, “Don’t be angry!” It was confusing because my mother was often angry as she said it. If one of us said, “But you’re angry,” she’d shout, “I’m your mother!” If dad was angry, mom would say, “He’s not angry. Your father just has a loud voice.”

II. I’ve talked about this before, growing up in a home where the meaning of words was arbitrary. Anger wasn’t anger, but loud talking. And sadness could be overcome, for a little while,with a smile and a Milky Way candy bar!”

III. In college, I took courses in psychology and counseling — thinking I could fix all this confusion and craziness I’d learned.

In counseling 101 I learned when someone tells you what they’re feeling, you don’t tell them not to feel it, as if that were possible! If someone says, “I’m angry!” — you don’t smile and say, “Cheer up!”

IV. I worked on a hotline once. We had a lot of training because people who called were in crisis, sometimes suicidal. If someone said, “I’m feeling hopeless,” you don’t say, “Oh, things aren’t that bad!”

V. So it bothers me when I read the Bible and angels — nd even Jesus — tell people not to feel what they’re feeling! Like when an angel stands in a tomb, glowing, looking like a little man, telling these two scared-to-death women, “Don’t be afraid.” Of course they’re afraid little man! Because they think you’re an alien who just ate a dead body and now will eat them!

OR today, JESUS SAYS if we follow him, people will think we’re evil, our families will reject us, and we will have to carry the device that will be used for our execution! But he says “Don’t let these things bother you.”

VI. Remember when God called Abraham? What’s the first thing he told him? “You must leave home. Leave your parents, your relatives…everything. So all your focus will have to be on me and our relationship. Do this, and will bless you and make you a blessing for others.”

THIS IS WHAT JESUS TELLS US TODAY, with harsher language. “You must love me more than your parents, you country, your political party — even your children. Because I didn’t come to bring peace, but the sword.”

One of my memories, when Maria was born, is the doctor handed me a scissors and said, “Here — you want to cut the umbilical cord?” I didn’t want to — but she pushed the scissors in my hand, stretched the cord between her two hands, and said, “There — cut it!” And I did — I cut the cord! That’s what Jesus is doing here in our reading — what God did to Abraham — what has to happen to us if we are to grow spiritually —

THE SWORD OF JESUS cuts the umbilical cord that connects us to everything that is not him, that is not God. And Jesus says, “There — now all of your strength will come from me — now you can be my disciple. Now you will be a blessing to others.”