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God Cares for You

God is All-Knowing & All-Loving

     Matthew 10:24-39  Pentecost 6 Year A

Scripture: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.  And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.   (Matthew 10:29-30)

Intro:

          How many of you remember the Sunday I brought a container full of jelly beans and people took turns guessing how many there were?  Wouldn’t it be amazing if someone could take one look at a container of jelly beans and tell you exactly how many were in it? That would be pretty amazing, but let me tell you something even more amazing than that! 

          The Bible tells us that God knows exactly how many hairs are on your head.  Look around the room, some of us have a lot of hair and some don’t have very much. It doesn’t matter how much or how little hair you have, God knows how many hairs are on each person’s head. The Bible tells us that God knows exactly how many birds are in the air and if one of them dies and falls to the ground, God knows it! 

          If God cares when a little sparrow falls to the ground, can you imagine how much he cares for you?Well, I’ll tell you how much God cares for you– He cares for you so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that you could have everlasting life. Now, that’s amazing love!  Aren’t we thankful to have a God who knows everything about us and loves each of us so much that He sent His Son to die for us?

          In today’s Gospel, Jesus continues to prepare the twelve disciples for the continuation of his mission. He is both teacher and master and His disciples are the students that need to be trained, instructed and equipped for the work of the ministry.  There is so much to learn and so they need to pay great attention to Jesus’ teaching.   They know and realize that Jesus was persecuted for things he said and did. And now they are being prepared for their own persecutions that will follow.

          Jesus cautions them not to be intimidated.  In fact, now is the time to proclaim all that Jesus had told them privately.  It was time for them to spread their wings and go out on their own to proclaim the good news of the gospel.

Jesus instructs them, “Do not fear your persecutors, for they can only end your physical life, rather hold God in awe, for He can destroy you totally if you do not do His will. Jesus reassures them that God cares for the life of even a sparrow and that you are worth more than many sparrows.    And even though Jesus’ words bring comfort to his followers, they will realize that spreading the gospel will not be ‘a walk in the park’.

A few Sunday ago we celebrated Father’s Day, a day when sons and daughters and families show their love and appreciation for their dads.  And even though some of our fathers are no longer here among us, we remembered them with loving thoughts. But part of the gospel today speaks of tension and division within and among families. We hear Jesus say: “For I have come to turn a man against his Father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter in-law against her mother -in-law, a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.”

          Did we hear right?  It sounds like Jesus doesn’t want us to love our family. It sounds like He doesn’t want us to get along with them.  Could this be right?  But if we pay closer scrutiny to this passage we will discover that this is not what Jesus was saying at all.  In fact, what Jesus is really saying is that Christians must put loyalty to Him above family loyalties. 

          Let me explain. 

          In our day and age we see examples of families where one or two of them go to church and the others stay home.  Those who go to church still love their family as much as anyone else. They want to spend time with them and enjoy being around them. But Jesus is first in their lives.  They’re love and commitment is to Him first and foremost.     Sometimes people who go to church are persecuted and judged by the rest of their families and that must be hurtful for them. But even so, they continue to be faithful in their worship of God. The love of one’s family is very important. We need each other’s love, we were created to love and to be loved. 

          But God first created us to love Him and by loving Him we end up doing His will for our lives. Jesus said, “Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will find it.” That is the cost of discipleship.  We must take up our cross and follow Jesus. The real test of value is how well something holds up under the wear and tear, and abuse of everyday life. Those who stand up for Christ in spite of their troubles, in spite of persecution, in spite of what others think of them, will receive the greatest reward, the crown of life in glory everlasting.

           “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. Amen.

          Prayer:       Our Lord God, we thank you for all your blessings, for life and health, for laughter and fun, for all our powers of mind and body, for our homes and the love of dear ones, for every- thing that is beautiful, good and true.  But above all we thank you for giving your son to be our Savior and Friend.  May we always find our true happiness in pleasing you and helping others to know and love you, for Jesus Christ’s sake?  Amen+