Latest / Belin Memorial UMC / Rev. Dr. Sandra Stevens Poirel - "Somebody Knows How to Turn the Lights On"

Transcript

Rev. Dr. Sandra Stevens Poirel - "Somebody Knows How to Turn the Lights On" · Belin Memorial UMC

• Belin Memorial UMC: The scripture lesson this morning comes to us from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 10, verses 24 through 39. Jesus turns to his disciples. He has just called them at the first part of this chapter. We have that record. He has sent them out. And now in this portion, he is telling them what is about to happen. Some of it will be hard for him to say, some of it is hard for them to hear. But he directly names the cost. He does not pretend it away. He basically is saying, follow me, sign up here. It's going to be difficult. But in the midst of all of that, listen carefully at how many times he repeats, do not be afraid. Jesus said, A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master. 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 Beelzebu, 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. What I say to you in the dark tell in the light, what you hear whispered proclaim from the house tops that 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. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny, yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your father? And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid for You are of more value than many sparrows. Every one therefore who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my father in heaven, but whoever denies me before others I also will deny before my father in heaven. Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace to the earth. But a sword. 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, and one's foes will be members of one's own household. 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. And whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it. And those who lose their life for my sake will find it. This is the word of God for the people of God. Sevilla Martin was married to Walter Stillman Martin, an evangelist who led revival meetings around the country. Sometimes they would actually write hymns and compose music for these services. While traveling in the spring of 1905 in Elmira, New York. Sevilla Martin told of their meeting a couple while they were there, the couple's name, Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle. The Doolittles and the Martins developed a deep friendship, a deep relationship, a lot of respect for one another. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for about twenty years. She her care, she was completely dependent on Mr. Doolittle. Her husband, Mr. Doolittle, was an incura he was incurably physically challenged. Every morning he had to get himself up, he dressed. Prepared the day for her, then he would prepare himself for the day, and he would go back and forth to his business every day in a wheelchair. Despite the challenges, the Doolittles lived a happy, faithful life. They brought inspiration and motivation and comfort to so many people. Finally, one day, Sevilla Martin had the courage to ask Mrs. Doolittle how they managed to keep such bright hopefulness in the context of their situation. As Mrs. Doolittle was speaking to her, there was a window in front of her, and she looked out the window and she pointed. And this was her response. His eye is on the sparrow. And I know he watches me. This simple expression, boundless faith, spoke deeply to the Martins. It gripped their hearts. So Sevilla went back and she wrote down those words that she had just heard from Mrs. Doolittle. His eye is on the sparrow. And I know he watches me. Now she knew that that was inspired, Matthew 10, verses 29 through 31, which happens to be the key verses of this particular passage today. And you know the hymn well. It it is now when we hear his eye is on the sparrow, we immediately think of the beloved hymn. And you know. These are some of the lyrics. Why should I feel discouraged? Why should the shadows come? Why should my heart be lonely and long for heaven and home? Not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your father knowing it. These are the words from Jesus. Not a single sparrow can fall without your father knowing it. So don't be afraid. You are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. This text today is actually part of a very long discourse of Jesus. It is known as the mission discourse or the little commission. As compared to the Great Commission, which comes, of course, in chapter 28 at the end of Matthew. But this particular passage, this portion of the mission discourse or the little commission, opens with the calling of Jesus' 12 disciples. Then Jesus sends them out. But how does he send them out? He sent them out with nothing, no money. No overnight bag horrors. Wait till you hear this. No cell phone. No GPS. Nothing. He sent them out in faith, in mission, to preach and to heal. Now, he's still speaking to them. They have courageously left the security of their homes to follow Jesus. Whatever that means, they don't really know yet, but they're following and they're going to parts unknown. Now Jesus knows humanity. He knows they are going to experience fear. They're going to have difficult times. He knows that there are going to be times of discouragement, and he addresses it directly. He names the cost of discipleship. And then the plot thickens. He's telling them sign up here, follow me, I will be with you. But this is not going to be easy. In fact, it's going to be diff very difficult. So, this is the context into which this portion of this very long speech by Jesus is set. This passage is also one of those passages. It's a text that is not saying at first glance what it appears or seems to be saying. What Jesus is doing is he's looking at his disciples and he is preparing them for what is about to happen. He's already told them if they call the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more Will their difficulty be in his house? So he's preparing them for what is about to happen. And as you heard in this text, some of the words are sharp. But he knew he had to get their attention. The message was too important to miss. It was certainly too important to dismiss. What he is talking about is what we now know as the cost of discipleship. He is letting them know in advance that there are going to be times when they will be treated the same way he is being treated or will be treated. Now he's preparing them to live out a life of faith. Even through hard times and through discouragement. But he also has comforting words for them and for us, with the reminder that the Triune God will be present at all times, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in the midst of our great accomplishments and successes, those leaps of faith that go very well, and in what we consider our failures, take comfort. In all of the above, God is still present, and even when When we consider it a failure, God is still active and will work through it. He is reminding them of this. But then he tells them great truths and shares knowledge. Now, when Jesus spoke about bringing a sword, this is the portion that we hear the part about him referencing the family. Hear this very clearly. Jesus is not against family. Jesus loves family. N. T. Wright even reminds us not everyone who follows Jesus will be cut off from their families. These disciples have gone to follow Jesus. But even Jesus and his disciples, while they are moving around and they are called to move around, we just had a team go to Guatemala and they have all safely returned home. And I see some of you sitting out there. Thank you for that and thank you for being willing to do that. But Jesus and his disciples were also dependent on the people who did not travel around and they were staying home, and as they traveled, they depended on their hospitality and provision. What Jesus was quoting was actually a passage from the Hebrew Scripture, Micah seven, six, which they would have recognized, and it was about trust within families sometimes collapsing, which would create a division in families. What Jesus is talking about here is a priority system. He's prioritizing. There is only one number one spot. There can only be one number one in our lives, and he's reminding us that he needs to occupy that. Nope. Excuse me. Jesus is talking about prioritizing and family. But remember that this is the same Jesus who, in at least three passages, has said, honor your father and your mother. This is the same Jesus, while dying on the cross, commended the care of his own mother from the cross to his beloved disciple. So the words are stark. And they pinch and they catch our attention because they're hard to hear. But they're filled with promises. We are to love him above all else. Because here is the promise from him. Those who lose their life for my sake will gain it. Those who lose their life for my sake will have it returned, and we will be more alive than we ever have been. And when Jesus says, I come not to bring peace but a sword, he is not advocating disruption in families. He's not advocating disruption in relationships. What he's doing is preparing them for a reality. He knows that following him is not going to be easy, but he's promised he will be present. And when Jesus says, take up the cross and follow me, take up your cross and follow me, hear this clearly. This is a passage of scripture that sometimes is quoted to mean, to, in an example, to mean something it doesn't say. Jesus is using a particular first century practice. In the Roman world, it was understood that when someone was carrying a cross, they were headed to their execution as a consequence of some choice they had made. Now, in a few weeks from this, Jesus will be making that same trek. They considered that it was from choices he made, but Jesus was being very faithful. But on the criminal side, it was understood, thank you, that the isn't that nice. Thank you, Ben. It was a consequence of a choice that a person had made, and it was a costly path for that decision. So when someone says, Well, that's just my cross to bear, or that's just your cross to bear, please hear this. If it is something that is not of your choosing, if it is illness, if it is grief. It is pain, it is circumstantial that has been given to you. That is not what that's your cross to bear. That what Jesus is talking about is the cost of Faithfulness, the path of faithfulness being costly. Cost of discipleship. He knew what lay ahead for him. He knew that just in a few weeks, and he was preparing his disciples for it, there will be a day not very long from now that he knew he would not be with them. He is preparing them for this, and we hear this all along the way. Then Jesus states what sounds like a complete contradiction. Whoever loses their life will find it. What? What? Can't you just see them? What? This will be, he's saying, what it will be like if you trust and follow me. then we hear that. And his eye is on the sparrow. Let not your heart be troubled, his tender word I hear. When hope within me dies, I draw the closer to him from care he sets me free, for his eye is on the sparrow. And I know he watches me. So here's the substance of the passage that we don't want to miss. In less than fifteen verses, Jesus says three times directly to his disciples in the midst of all of this: do not be afraid. Three times. And he uses the image of sparrows. The cheapest item in the market. They were sold for what basically was a penny. Sometimes you could buy two sparrows for a penny. And Jesus says, even the sparrows, not one of them falls to the ground without the Father knowing it. And you say amen. You okay? I want to make sure you're still with me. You are not a sparrow. You are loved, you are cared for, you are noticed, you have a name down to every detail, including, Jesus says, counting the hairs on your head. And I know some of you have told me, well, that's an easier job for some than others. But God knows how many hairs are on our head. And you know, we're constantly growing and shedding. And at any moment, God knows exactly how many hairs are on your head. He is the one who knows us by name, down to the tiniest detail. He is the one who will acknowledge you before the Father. That's why it was so important that he get their attention and ours. The heart of the passage is framed with all of these words, and then Jesus reminds us that we are never separated from him. Ever. In closing, there was a story of a young boy on a camping trip with his family. It was in the heat of the summer. Does anybody know how hot it gets like in July? Okay. Well it was hot, humid, sticky. So he and his family decided to go on a this little young man and his family. Went on a guided tour and by their own admission they actually went on the tour because there were some places that they would stop that had this thing called air conditioning. And they enjoyed that. Well, they got to one place on this tour and they took the whole group into ⁓ an enclosure, like a room, no windows, nothing. And they wanted to have the group experience total darkness, like it would be in the wilderness without even a star in the sky. So when they got them they turned all of the lights off. Can you imagine being in such darkness? You can absolute, absolutely see nothing. You you know, wide-eyed nothing. And they just let it sit for a short period. And for some it was terrifying. And in the midst of that deep dark silence, there was a small voice from a young boy who whimpered. And his older brother in that deep dark silence whispered these words to him Don't be afraid. Somebody knows how to turn the lights on. In the deepest, darkest places when we are afraid, when we are unsure, when we're being called to do something that we've never done. We are reminded, we know the one who knows how to turn the lights on. You see, we're part of a faith community sharing the good news of the gospel with others in word and in deed, at home and in places all over the world. We truly are serving as the hands and feet of Christ. And we can only do this. Because we are told by Jesus Himself, do not be afraid. I'll be with you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is your gift and will teach you and remind you of all that I have said to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Do not let them be afraid. And even in the darkest, most fearful times and moments of our lives, even in the mountaintop, the successes, the great leaps of faith that went really well. You see, we know, we love, and we trust thee, somebody who knows how to turn the lights on. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Let us pray. O God, on this Father's Day we come before you to give thanks for the gift of fathers, father figures, and all those living among us or those who have gone on to the eternal home, from whom we have received gifts of love, guidance, comfort, and care, and come to know you even better. You are God who cares for and counts sparrows, and we come to you trusting and knowing that we are not forgotten, that we are known and loved by you completely. We are reminded that our faith, while personal, is not private. Our faith is to be lived and lived out, and we are so joyfully grateful for the opportunities that you provide for us to be in partnership with you and one another in this your church and your ministry. For those who are struggling, grieving, suffering, anxious, fearful, whatever it may be. Provide the assurance that you never leave us. You see everything. You even notice a small sparrow, and you see us. Through many dangers, toils, and snares we have already come. We have traveled this far by faith and Christ walks with us. As we have been loved by you and others, so may we love. Fill us with your Spirit, so that we may honor you and our families, our homes and communities. We are remembered, loved, forgiven, named and claimed by thee one, by you, who knows how to turn the lights on, and who taught us to say when we pray, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power of us. And the glory forever. Amen.