Your Mission, Should You Decide to Accept It...

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Berryville, Arkansas on Sunday June 22, 2008, the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time. This reading is also the subject of the first sermon I delivered at First Presbyerian in Berryville three years ago.

Genesis 21:8-21
Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17
Romans 6:1b-11
Matthew 10:24-39

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen

I’m pretty sure all of us remember the game show “Truth or Consequences.” It began on radio in 1940 and started on television in 1950, running through the late 70’s with even one more stint in the late 1980’s.[1] As the game began, people were asked a silly trivia question. If they were unable to discern the truth, they would have to face the consequences in order to gain the prize. Often the stunts were the “seltzer bottle” variety of embarrassment, and when completed their prize awaited.

In the case of our scripture reading, the conclusion of the instructions to the twelve apostles we began reading last week; Jesus not only tells them the truth, he tells them there will be consequences. This isn’t “or consequences,” but “and consequences.” The apostles are being sent into the wild, wild world and when they go even wilder things are going to happen. Jesus promises.

Jesus begins by telling the apostles the truth; he tells them what their mission is. He tells them what it takes to be his disciple in the world. Jesus begins by telling them that they will have to take up the cross and follow him. He tells them if they do not take up the cross, they will not be worthy of him.

What does it mean to take up the cross? Some New Testament language scholars see taking up the cross as the beginning of discipleship. We are to do in our lives as Jesus does on his journey. Literally we, his disciples and his slaves, are to follow his teachings and his example as our teacher and our master. Others compare this cross to taking on an ox’s yoke, the mantle of the yoke representing the horizontal piece of the cross. Others believe it has militaristic characteristics, being in the words of the old spiritual, soldiers in the army of the Lord.

In the times after Jesus’ death, at the time of the writing of this gospel, some scholars attributed this phrase to a popular expression of the day which was originally applied to the zealots and later to Jesus’ followers; used perhaps as a sort of curse (Ahhh, go take up the cross…) or rallying cry (Take up the Cross!). In the day of the writing of this gospel, others believed that people would associate the Greek letter “Tau,” which shared the shape of the common Roman cross, with a cultic symbol that represented a seal of the protection of the Christ.[2]

Whether physically or spiritually, the call to take up the cross and follow is a call to see Jesus, know Jesus, and follow Jesus. We are to follow him into the world; his causes are to become our causes. His love is to shine through us, continuing to bring life into this sin stained world.

Jesus tells us it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher; and in turn he warns us that as the teacher is treated the students should expect no different. If the world calls the master “Lord of Dung,”[3] one possible translation for Beelzebul, that would make us what gets picked up after taking the dog for a walk, wouldn’t it. If that makes you feel insulted, don’t worry about it. Jesus warns us that this is how people will speak of his apostles and his disciples; if the master is called Beelzebul, how much more will we be maligned?

Jesus warns us. He doesn’t tell us to leave our families and leave everything behind. But he does remind us that we are to love him more than we love anything else. Matthew’s gospel gets this piece right when we read that if we love anybody more than him we are not worthy of him. The Lord must come first in our lives, and because of this, there will be consequences.

Jesus warns us that families will be split. I guess we all can imagine what this means, and I know that to a degree some of us have experienced a little crack in the family veneer when we accepted Christ. Shoot, some of us experienced this by simply changing denominations. But our examples pale next to a young man named [name removed]. We learned about this young man last year when the Session asked the congregation for a special offering to support his studies in America.

You see, [name removed] family is Muslim and when he came to America he accepted Christ as his Lord. When [name removed] became a Christian, his family was split. “His father disowned him, making it clear he was no longer welcome in his home and was never again to speak to his mother or his siblings. He withdrew all funds from [name removed] U.S. bank account, arranged to cancel his son’s U.S. sponsorship and college scholarship and even drew up legal papers declaring [name removed] is no longer his son.”[4]

In this case, Jesus did come with a sword and the family has been cleaved. We may talk about splits, but usually this means we don’t talk to someone for a good long time. This man was disowned by his family. This sort of conversion is the radical allegiance Jesus requires, and the extreme consequences which follow.

In a note, the Session has recently received an update on [name removed]. He is doing well in classes at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, earning all A’s and B’s while taking the survey courses everyone takes when entering college. He plans on pursuing a degree in international relations.[5] In a way, [name removed] lost his life. He lost his old life. His home, his country, and his family are no longer his. But in this loss, he has gained life in Christ. He has received new life.

There is truth and there are consequences to proclaiming the gospel. The truth is wonderful and glorious and the consequences can be horrifically painful and disheartening, so where do we go from here? First we must remember what Jesus teaches his disciples about life’s consequences.

Let’s begin with the last point we just covered, Jesus came with a sword and his coming will set family members against one another. Jesus doesn’t say “maybe.” He doesn’t say “this is the worst case scenario.” He says this is how he comes, and with his coming the world is going to split. Our choices are pretty easy at this point, go with him or not. There are just two, and he calls his disciples to only one choice, follow.

Frankly, tell me it isn’t tempting to do what it takes to keep the peace in the family; take the path of least resistance? That’s how water works. When it flows, it goes downhill in what ever channel or trough is available. That’s the path of least resistance. And as the old saying goes, it’s tempting to let the difficult things flow like water off our backs if at all possible.

But this is not the ministry the Lord has called us to. He has called us not to the path of least resistance but to the road less traveled. He teaches us not to fear the one who can kill our body, but to fear the one who can destroy body and soul. This is an obvious turn to the ancient proverb of Solomon, “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” But in yet another turn, this passage teaches us that we do not need to be afraid of life because the Lord is in control of that. The Lord was in control in the past and is in control of the present and the future.

We are told not to fear our lives and those who would make it miserable because of his love. Even that which can fall from our heads so easily, our hair is fully accounted for in God’s care. Sparrows are so small and so plentiful that they cost only a half cent apiece, yet not one will fall to the ground without our Heavenly Father knowing it. Again, only when we lose our lives for the sake of the Lord will our lives come truly into focus. Only when we live in the way and the will of Jesus Christ does our life have meaning.

At the beginning of every episode of “Mission: Impossible” the head of the Impossible Mission Force, the IMF, would receive a recording with the mission. After the background of the mission is outlined, before the mission is described, the voice on the tape would offer this charge, “Your mission, should you decide to accept it.” Against impossible odds, against denial from the Secretary if captured or killed, the leader of the force would be offered the choice of whether to accept the mission or not.

Our mission, should we decide to accept it, is to take up the cross, doing as Jesus did in his journey. We are to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God.[6] This is in fact the theme verse for the 218th General Assembly which began yesterday in San Jose. We are to follow, we are to see, and we are to learn. We are to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. Especially when sometimes it will seem like the ox’s yoke, and others it may even feel like the horizontal piece of the cross.

While we should make no mistake, while it may seem to be difficult choice, Jesus makes it abundantly clear that should we not accept our mission, the consequences will be far worse.

Our mission, should we decide to accept it, is to be the people of God in the world, a world that starts right outside these doors and extends far past the county line.

As our reading taught us last week, our mission should we decide to accept it, is to pray for those who will bring in the harvest. We need to pray for the commissioners to the General Assembly. We need to pray for the Session. And we need to pray for our role as members of the body of Christ, individually, as a congregation, and as a denomination.

Our mission should we decide to accept it is to prepare to be called into service of the Lord in leadership. Whether it be within the congregation, the community, or elsewhere, we are called to be ready to be sent as the apostles were.

Our mission, should we decide to accept it, is to be good stewards of the talent, time, and treasure God has given us. This part of our mission is vitally important to every member of the body of Christ.

Above all, our mission, should we decide to accept it, is to use what the Lord has blessed us with and return it for use to glorify God in the world. Some of us do this with our voices, but more often, we take the gospel into the world with a touch, with good work, and with silent prayer.

But where the head of the IMF would be disavowed by the Secretary if captured or killed, we are promised that when we accept this mission, when we acknowledge Jesus before others, only then will Jesus acknowledge us before his Father in heaven. We are saved by grace through faith. And we are called to take this message of God’s grace into the world with our voices and our hands showing the good news of life in Jesus Christ to the world.

We are called to take Christ into the world. We are called to tell the truth not only despite the consequences, but given what will befall us should we not brave the consequences. This is our mission, should we decide to accept it.

[1] Truth or Consequences, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_or_Consequences, retrieved June 21, 2008.
[2] Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Vol. VII, page 577-578
[3] “Beelzebul,” Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible
[4] Arkansas exchange student accepts Christ, loses family, http://www.christianindex.org/3470.article, retrieved June 21, 2008.
[5] Letter sent by [name removed] to the churches which have helped him continue his study in America.
[6] Micah 6:8