Psalms 18:1-20 * 18:21-50; Jeremiah 38:1-13; 1 Corinthians 14:26-33a,37-40; Matthew 10:34-42We get a complex picture of Jesus this morning. At the start of our Gospel passage Jesus is talking to "the twelve" and we do not seem to hear from "The Prince of Peace." We hear a Jesus warning and predicting of swords and divisions in families and friends, of a fracturing of the world as we know it.
This torrent of change predicted by Jesus is juxtaposed against the ending verses where Jesus invokes a promise of reward: reward by God for not only acknowledging Jesus but also acting out in the smallest way in following Jesus' instructions about this Kingdom he is founding.
We are warned by Jesus that following him will call derision and division and change down into our lives, but that there is something greater on the other side of that turmoil. What awaits all of us is a God whose love for us is boundless and sure; one in whom we can count on this reward being there for us, providing us strength and courage to face those turmoils Jesus says are waiting for us. Face them we can. Endure them we can. Surmount them we can knowing this love is supporting us.
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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.
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