June 25, 2023
Rev. Mary Erickson
Eleva Lutheran Church
Romans 6:1b-11; Matthew 10:24-39
A Faith Stronger than Our Anxieties
Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.
It is good to be with you today! I bring you greetings from your sisters and brothers in faith at Hope Lutheran in Eau Claire. Pastor Karen and I are excited to engage in a pulpit exchange this morning.
Tea comes in many varieties. There are black teas and green teas. You can drink it hot or chilled. Some teas are more floral, like jasmine tea. Others have exotic qualities, like Earl Grey with its oil of bergamot. There are herbal teas and chai teas. There’s a tea for just about everybody. But there’s one kind of tea that nobody likes: anxiety.
Worry, worry, what have you brewed,
In your anxiety?
Worry, fear, anxiety – in our reading from Matthew, Jesus addresses these emotions. It’s part of Jesus’ pep talk to his disciples. He’s preparing them for the mission he’s sending them on. He’s giving them a very realistic picture of all the perils they’ll face. In the verses just prior to our reading, he says, “I’m sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves.” Not a rosy picture!
Jesus lets his disciples know that as they go about their mission of proclaiming the kingdom of God and acting in Christ’s compassion, they will face opposition. They’ll be vilified and demonized. And being his followers will cause division and conflict – even within family systems.
Then he tells his disciples, “But do not fear these things.” Jesus calls us to a faith stronger than our anxieties.
As biblical scholars read Matthew’s gospel, they ponder who Matthew wrote these words for. Was he merely recording the dialogue between Jesus and his disciples? Was the main audience Jesus’ disciples? Or was Matthew’s main objective to deliver these words to the young church of Matthew’s readers? There was a whole lot of conflict going in in the first-generation church.
Matthew wrote primarily for a Jewish-Christian audience, not a Gentile-Christian audience. As Jewish people came to faith in Christ, it caused division within their Jewish families. Those who remained Jewish were at odds with these family members who were getting involved in this Jesus movement. And at the same time, the Roman Empire wasn’t too pleased with Christianity, either. Christians were facing persecution, even death.
So Jesus’ words to his disciples as he set them out in mission took on a heightened poignancy to Matthew’s readers. And Jesus’ words continue still to speak through the centuries and inspire us. Jesus is addressing the fears and anxieties we experience as we strive to live out our faith.
When I was at my first call, many moons ago in Illinois, I remember a conversation I had with a certain gentleman. We were discussing baptism. His little child was going to be baptized, so we were considering the purpose of baptism. This man believed that baptism would endow his child with a protective bubble. God’s love and blessing would surround his child and create a shield from trouble.
Well, I had to be the bearer of bad news to this young father and tell him that baptism doesn’t operate like that. In fact, baptism is a kind of death! In our passage today from Romans, Paul goes into detail about that. As we dive into the waters of baptism, we’re being buried with him in his grave.
Interestingly, in ancient Greek texts, the verb “baptize” frequently refers to drownings. There’ll be a report of a ship going down at sea. The report will note, “and all aboard were baptized.” Well, the reporter didn’t mean they’d all participated in the Christian sacrament of Baptism before the ship went down. They meant that everyone drowned.
Baptism is associated with death. St. Paul states that, as we go down into the waters of baptism, we die with Christ. And then as we rise out of the waters, we are joined in his resurrection. We die to sin and death, and we rise to new life in Christ.
With that death, sin loses its grip on us. We’re set free from sin. Our old self has been drowned, “baptized.” And now, through that same baptism, we have been born anew in the power of Jesus’ resurrection. Sin and death no longer have a hold on us. Paul says, “So consider yourself alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
Baptism is a death. But it’s a good death in the power of Christ. This death doesn’t only release us from the powers of sin and death. It also frees us from fear and anxiety. WE KNOW that we have been made right with God! WE KNOW that, no matter the messaging or the vilifying or the demonizing the world my hurl at us, baptism tells us that God’s love accepts us and has declared us good. And this, this is our true identity. No matter what the world may say, we hold firm to our identity in Christ. It is a faith stronger than our anxieties.
Jesus tells his disciples not to fear those who threaten them physically. Rather, he says, “fear the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” What he’s saying is this: “Cast your faith upon the one who has ultimate authority. Believe in me, for I have authority over body AND soul AND the gates of hell. Look to me, believe in me, and fear not.”
Jesus assures his disciples that nothing will happen to them that goes unnoticed. Even tiny sparrows are watched over by the Almighty. And aren’t they of vastly more value? Jesus tells them: “You are not invisible, you are not ignored by God. Everything that happens to you, all of your concerns and worries are known and noticed by God.”
St. Peter put it this way: “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.”
The final anxiety-provoking situation Jesus addresses to his disciples is interpersonal conflict. Like the conversation I had with the baptismal father, Jesus doesn’t promise a bubble of protection. In fact, he says, “Don’t think I’ve come to bring peace to the earth. I’ve come to bring a sword!” Jesus is saying that our mission in the name of Christ will, inevitably, create conflict.
Conflict. How do we react to it? We first learn about conflict management in our families. In my own family, I was immersed in two very different models of conflict management. My mother’s family was German and my father’s family was Danish. Those two countries are right next to each other, but they have vastly differing cultures around conflict!
My mother’s side were textbook Germans. They were direct and matter of fact. If they had an issue, they let you know on the spot!
But I am my father’s daughter, and the culture of my dad’s family was typically Scandinavian. And I’m thinking that many of you here in Eleva might know what I’m talking about! Scandinavians would rather cut off their arm than be confrontative! We’re masters of avoidance! Nothing wrenches our guts more than the prospect of conflict.
So, if we’re conflict averse, how do we as a church discuss topics where me might disagree? Do we avoid the topics, or do we find a way to move beyond our anxiety?
Jesus tells his disciples – and us – that there will be conflict. He has called us into the field of mission. And that mission will stir the pot. Discipleship comes with a cost.
The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, once stated, “It is not the Church of God that has a mission, but the God of mission who has a church.”
Jesus sent out his disciples – and us – in mission. We proclaim Christ crucified. We stand in the tradition of the Hebrew prophets who addressed social ills and God’s call to justice. We respond in Christ’s compassion to the scorned and outcast of our day, just like Jesus embraced tax collector Matthew and the Samaritan woman at the well. These things ruffle feathers.
Part of us wants to avoid the whole thing. We’d much rather skirt around conflict or even the potential of conflict. But the disciple is not above the teacher. As Christ’s church, we have been called into God’s mission. So how do we get past our anxieties so that we can live and respond in his name?
We listen to Jesus. We take him at his word.
• He has promised to be with us through all things. We take him at his word.
• Jesus has promised to send us the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. We take him at his word.
• He said, “In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” And we take him at his word.
• He said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” And we take him at his word.
We take him at his word. This is what quells our anxieties. Pastor Karen has a plaque on the wall of her office that speaks exactly to this. It says, “Let your faith be bigger than your fears.”
We have faith in the presence and direction of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will be with us through all things. In faith we pray: guide me, ever, great Redeemer! Pilgrim through this barren land. I am weak, but you are mighty; hold me with your powerful hand.
We take him at his word. And faith in his word is stronger than our anxieties. Amen.
