WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.060 Good morning, would you pray with me? 00:00:05.759 --> 00:00:12.800 Father, we pray that you would open up our hearts and our minds to hear from you. 00:00:12.939 --> 00:00:15.380 Would you speak to us now through your word? 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:17.800 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 00:00:20.920 --> 00:00:27.160 It's easy to assume that when great or important things happen in the world, 00:00:27.160 --> 00:00:37.140 they happen because of exceptional people who, by a kind of abundance of talent or sheer force of will, 00:00:37.519 --> 00:00:39.359 simply make things happen. 00:00:40.460 --> 00:00:46.460 I remember when I visited Rome years ago, and I went to see the Sistine Chapel 00:00:46.460 --> 00:00:51.879 where Michelangelo painted these incredible frescoes of the biblical narrative on the ceiling. 00:00:51.880 --> 00:00:57.280 And when you look at them, it is easy to think of Michelangelo's accomplishment 00:00:57.280 --> 00:01:01.080 as this sort of preordained work of genius. 00:01:01.960 --> 00:01:09.740 But what people often forget is that when the Pope commissioned Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel, 00:01:10.379 --> 00:01:12.140 Michelangelo was not interested. 00:01:13.260 --> 00:01:16.340 In fact, he didn't think of himself as a painter. 00:01:16.340 --> 00:01:18.380 He thought of himself as a sculptor. 00:01:18.540 --> 00:01:24.680 And he was so overwhelmed at the thought of this task that he fled from Rome to Florence, 00:01:24.680 --> 00:01:28.840 and it took two years before he actually began to commence the work. 00:01:28.880 --> 00:01:31.820 And that was under the insistence of the Pope. 00:01:32.780 --> 00:01:38.020 And so the Sistine Chapel only happened because somebody made Michelangelo do it. 00:01:38.019 --> 00:01:42.099 Or think of Abraham Lincoln. 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:49.459 I was not getting choked up at the thought of Abraham Lincoln there. 00:01:54.159 --> 00:01:58.340 Many regard Lincoln as the greatest of all American presidents, 00:01:58.340 --> 00:02:06.280 and it's natural to think that what he accomplished was the result of sheer political talent 00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:08.420 or this sort of force of vision. 00:02:09.319 --> 00:02:16.620 But when historians rate presidents on things like conflict avoidance or people-pleasing, 00:02:17.039 --> 00:02:19.039 Lincoln is off the charts. 00:02:19.140 --> 00:02:21.259 He's right there at the very top. 00:02:21.360 --> 00:02:25.340 He devoted hours each day to holding office hours with citizens. 00:02:25.340 --> 00:02:29.020 He pardoned deserters in the Civil War. 00:02:29.120 --> 00:02:33.819 He agonized for six months over whether he should actually free the slaves 00:02:33.819 --> 00:02:36.620 before he signed the Emancipation Proclamation. 00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:45.259 Or think of Martin Luther King, Jr., who only wanted to be a pastor 00:02:45.259 --> 00:02:50.060 and eventually a college president but not a civil rights leader. 00:02:50.060 --> 00:02:55.379 But after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat at the front of a bus, 00:02:56.000 --> 00:02:59.180 an association was formed to launch a bus boycott, 00:02:59.340 --> 00:03:04.439 and one of the attendees nominated King to be president of that little association. 00:03:05.300 --> 00:03:06.840 And King later wrote, 00:03:07.099 --> 00:03:09.719 It happened so quickly that I didn't have time to think it through. 00:03:10.039 --> 00:03:13.680 It's probable that if I had, I would have declined the nomination. 00:03:13.680 --> 00:03:22.120 King described himself as possessed by fear when he had to start giving speeches to the community. 00:03:22.360 --> 00:03:27.159 And his most famous speech, his I Have a Dream speech that he delivered in 1963, 00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:33.960 only occurred because a colleague proposed that Dr. King should be the closing speaker of the March on Washington, 00:03:33.960 --> 00:03:38.939 and that colleague gathered a coalition of other leaders to advocate on King's behalf. 00:03:38.939 --> 00:03:50.139 We love to tell stories about heroes, about larger-than-life figures who make an impact on the world 00:03:50.139 --> 00:03:51.900 because of their talent and their drive, 00:03:52.039 --> 00:03:55.900 but the reality is that the way that most people impact the world, 00:03:56.199 --> 00:03:59.379 including those that we look up to the most, 00:04:00.139 --> 00:04:03.860 is often far more complex. 00:04:03.860 --> 00:04:12.900 As Church of the Advent moves closer, 00:04:13.780 --> 00:04:14.840 we're not there yet, 00:04:14.940 --> 00:04:18.740 but moves closer to purchasing a building in the center of the city, 00:04:19.740 --> 00:04:21.680 again, hasn't happened yet, we need to keep praying, 00:04:22.639 --> 00:04:25.100 the prospect of a permanent church home 00:04:25.100 --> 00:04:27.000 has many of us thinking about 00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:30.240 what kind of long-term impact 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:33.000 we as a church want to have on the city. 00:04:33.860 --> 00:04:39.540 Last week, I had the chance to drive by the outside of the church that we're hoping to buy. 00:04:39.540 --> 00:04:41.860 Anybody else done any drive-by viewings? 00:04:43.139 --> 00:04:46.020 And I found myself looking not just at the building, 00:04:46.280 --> 00:04:48.860 but looking at everything that surrounds it. 00:04:49.540 --> 00:04:52.500 The neighborhood streets that are stacked with row houses, 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:54.680 with thousands of people living in them. 00:04:55.080 --> 00:05:00.379 The charter school across the street that is serving at-risk kids in our city. 00:05:00.379 --> 00:05:04.040 Some of the homeless, or what appear to be people who are homeless, 00:05:04.699 --> 00:05:08.639 sitting on the sidewalks just a few streets away. 00:05:10.139 --> 00:05:12.339 And standing outside the church, 00:05:12.439 --> 00:05:13.980 I found myself wondering, 00:05:14.540 --> 00:05:19.079 how should we be thinking about mission in our city? 00:05:19.079 --> 00:05:23.620 As we move, hopefully, into a new neighborhood. 00:05:24.259 --> 00:05:26.339 Being new kids on the block, 00:05:26.459 --> 00:05:29.479 but hopefully being there for a long time. 00:05:31.479 --> 00:05:33.060 What should be our mindset? 00:05:35.159 --> 00:05:38.680 And if we believe that impact isn't accomplished 00:05:38.759 --> 00:05:44.259 simply because talented, driven people show up to make things happen, 00:05:44.259 --> 00:05:48.259 how does effective mission occur? 00:05:49.039 --> 00:05:53.800 And in particular, how does effective mission occur through the church? 00:05:57.560 --> 00:06:01.199 And our gospel lesson from this morning's lectionary readings, 00:06:01.300 --> 00:06:03.560 I think, has much to teach us about that. 00:06:04.599 --> 00:06:07.439 We are in Matthew chapter 10 this morning, 00:06:07.579 --> 00:06:11.199 but I want us to take a moment to think back to our lectionary readings 00:06:11.199 --> 00:06:14.699 from the past two weeks from Matthew chapter 9. 00:06:15.360 --> 00:06:17.360 And we might think about Matthew chapter 9 00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:19.519 as something like a Jesus highlight film. 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:22.159 The chapter is packed with him, 00:06:22.360 --> 00:06:24.800 performing one miracle after another, 00:06:24.879 --> 00:06:26.599 from one scene to the next. 00:06:27.039 --> 00:06:29.480 The chapter opens with Jesus healing a paralytic, 00:06:29.480 --> 00:06:33.539 which is right before he invites Matthew to be one of his disciples. 00:06:34.159 --> 00:06:37.279 In the next scene, Jesus is being asked to heal a ruler's daughter, 00:06:37.279 --> 00:06:40.259 but before he can even get to the man's house, 00:06:40.619 --> 00:06:42.699 another woman touches him along the way, 00:06:42.859 --> 00:06:45.779 touches the hem of his garment, and he heals her. 00:06:46.919 --> 00:06:49.339 And then when Jesus finally gets to the house of the ruler, 00:06:49.599 --> 00:06:53.679 the daughter has now died, so Jesus brings her back to life. 00:06:54.439 --> 00:06:56.159 And then in the final two scenes, 00:06:56.439 --> 00:06:59.599 two blind men approach Jesus, followed by another man with a demon, 00:06:59.899 --> 00:07:01.879 and he heals them all. 00:07:01.879 --> 00:07:06.759 Now, by the end of Matthew chapter 9, 00:07:06.819 --> 00:07:08.639 you could just stop the story, 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:13.360 mic drop, and Matthew 9 would be an inspirational success story 00:07:13.360 --> 00:07:15.860 with climactic music at the end. 00:07:17.139 --> 00:07:18.779 Jesus on a mission. 00:07:19.319 --> 00:07:21.560 Jesus impacting the world. 00:07:24.360 --> 00:07:27.060 But that would not be the full account. 00:07:27.060 --> 00:07:32.259 Because in nearly every single scene in Matthew 9, 00:07:32.759 --> 00:07:36.839 Jesus is faced with trouble and difficulty and complaints. 00:07:37.699 --> 00:07:39.699 He's teaching, he's healing, 00:07:39.920 --> 00:07:43.759 and you would think that everyone would be happy about it, right? 00:07:45.639 --> 00:07:46.699 But they're not. 00:07:49.639 --> 00:07:52.639 So the chapter opens with Jesus healing the paralytic man, 00:07:52.720 --> 00:07:54.199 and the paralytic man is happy, 00:07:54.199 --> 00:07:57.039 but the religious officials are not. 00:07:57.120 --> 00:07:58.180 And they tell Jesus, 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:00.180 would you please stop announcing to people 00:08:00.180 --> 00:08:02.099 that their sins are forgiven when you heal them? 00:08:03.599 --> 00:08:05.219 And when Jesus calls Matthew, 00:08:05.379 --> 00:08:06.579 Matthew's pretty happy, 00:08:06.719 --> 00:08:08.959 but maybe just a little surprised. 00:08:09.459 --> 00:08:11.000 And everyone else is upset 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:13.579 that Jesus is overthrowing social conventions 00:08:13.579 --> 00:08:15.279 to eat with sinners and tax collectors. 00:08:17.219 --> 00:08:18.939 And when Jesus brings the daughters, 00:08:19.560 --> 00:08:21.099 the ruler's daughter back to life, 00:08:21.180 --> 00:08:22.919 the family is filled with gratitude, 00:08:22.920 --> 00:08:24.840 but everyone else who's gathered there 00:08:24.840 --> 00:08:28.400 mocks Jesus for his clearly mistaken analysis 00:08:28.400 --> 00:08:29.720 that she is merely asleep. 00:08:32.039 --> 00:08:34.420 And then when Jesus frees a man from demonic oppression, 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:36.659 rather than celebrating with the man, 00:08:37.019 --> 00:08:39.320 those in power question Jesus' motives 00:08:39.320 --> 00:08:42.159 and accuse him of using demonic powers 00:08:42.159 --> 00:08:43.720 to accomplish such deeds. 00:08:44.779 --> 00:08:45.980 In other words, Jesus, 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:48.720 the incarnate Son of God, 00:08:48.720 --> 00:08:51.000 going from village to village, 00:08:51.240 --> 00:08:53.100 doing amazing stuff, 00:08:54.100 --> 00:08:56.139 in nearly every case, 00:08:56.279 --> 00:08:58.360 gets decidedly mixed reactions. 00:08:59.920 --> 00:09:01.960 People like some parts of his ministry, 00:09:02.139 --> 00:09:03.100 but not other parts. 00:09:04.660 --> 00:09:05.820 Some want the miracle, 00:09:05.980 --> 00:09:06.700 but not the teaching. 00:09:07.639 --> 00:09:09.100 Others want the healing, 00:09:09.440 --> 00:09:11.660 but not on this day, 00:09:11.800 --> 00:09:12.800 or in that way, 00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:14.060 or for that person. 00:09:14.059 --> 00:09:19.139 Jesus brings a holistic mission 00:09:19.139 --> 00:09:21.019 in both word and deed, 00:09:21.019 --> 00:09:22.479 and it is never, 00:09:23.519 --> 00:09:26.779 never a slam dunk success. 00:09:28.979 --> 00:09:31.199 Jesus' mission is always embedded 00:09:31.199 --> 00:09:33.279 in difficulty, misunderstanding, 00:09:33.799 --> 00:09:34.699 and resistance. 00:09:34.700 --> 00:09:37.500 And now, 00:09:37.700 --> 00:09:40.180 in our passage from this morning's reading 00:09:40.180 --> 00:09:41.520 in Matthew 10, 00:09:42.200 --> 00:09:43.860 Jesus warns his disciples 00:09:43.860 --> 00:09:45.940 that their ministry 00:09:45.940 --> 00:09:48.580 is going to get exactly the same reaction 00:09:48.580 --> 00:09:49.640 as his ministry. 00:09:51.700 --> 00:09:52.780 He's commissioned them 00:09:52.780 --> 00:09:53.840 to do what he's been doing, 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:55.780 teaching and preaching the kingdom of God, 00:09:55.900 --> 00:09:56.540 healing the sick, 00:09:56.840 --> 00:09:57.600 casting out demons, 00:09:57.740 --> 00:09:58.960 and then after commissioning them, 00:09:59.180 --> 00:10:01.879 he says in Matthew 10, verse 16, 00:10:01.879 --> 00:10:04.620 Behold, I'm sending you out as sheep 00:10:04.620 --> 00:10:05.659 in the midst of wolves, 00:10:05.919 --> 00:10:07.419 so be wise as serpents 00:10:07.419 --> 00:10:08.659 and innocent as doves. 00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:10.519 Beware of men, 00:10:10.820 --> 00:10:12.679 for they will deliver you over to courts 00:10:12.679 --> 00:10:14.879 and flog you in their synagogues, 00:10:14.899 --> 00:10:16.460 and you will be dragged before governors 00:10:16.460 --> 00:10:18.279 and kings for my sake. 00:10:19.639 --> 00:10:20.639 And then in verse 24, 00:10:20.740 --> 00:10:21.460 he goes on to say, 00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:23.379 A disciple is not above his teacher, 00:10:23.480 --> 00:10:24.899 nor a servant above his master. 00:10:25.259 --> 00:10:26.639 If they have called the master 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:28.240 of the house Beelzebul, 00:10:28.460 --> 00:10:30.639 which is what the Jews refer to as Satan, 00:10:30.639 --> 00:10:33.360 how much more will they malign 00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:35.340 those of his household? 00:10:41.720 --> 00:10:45.840 I want to take seriously 00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:49.299 what Jesus is saying here, 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:52.139 that kingdom ministry always occurs 00:10:52.139 --> 00:10:54.080 in the midst of resistance and difficulty, 00:10:54.819 --> 00:10:58.100 and that what Jesus faced in his ministry 00:10:58.100 --> 00:11:00.220 will be faced by those who follow him. 00:11:00.639 --> 00:11:03.740 And I want us to reflect for a moment 00:11:03.740 --> 00:11:05.039 on what it might mean for us 00:11:05.039 --> 00:11:07.639 and for our mission as a church. 00:11:08.500 --> 00:11:10.480 And I'd like for us to notice two things. 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:17.899 First, our human tendency 00:11:17.899 --> 00:11:20.620 is to want to approach mission 00:11:20.620 --> 00:11:23.319 from a position of strength 00:11:23.320 --> 00:11:24.660 and effectiveness. 00:11:27.379 --> 00:11:30.000 We spend most of our working lives 00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:33.000 oriented around competency and success. 00:11:34.440 --> 00:11:36.060 But Jesus seems to assume 00:11:36.060 --> 00:11:37.560 that when it comes to kingdom mission, 00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:39.980 not only is it going to be marked by difficulty 00:11:39.980 --> 00:11:42.080 rather than immediate outward success, 00:11:42.420 --> 00:11:45.120 but also that true effectiveness 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:47.060 will come from a power 00:11:47.060 --> 00:11:49.180 that is beyond our own abilities. 00:11:49.179 --> 00:11:53.739 Jesus tells his disciples, 00:11:53.959 --> 00:11:55.579 I am sending you out as sheep 00:11:55.579 --> 00:11:56.719 in the midst of wolves. 00:11:58.139 --> 00:11:59.599 To be a sheep 00:11:59.599 --> 00:12:02.819 is to be in a position of powerlessness, 00:12:03.219 --> 00:12:05.539 not conquest. 00:12:05.539 --> 00:12:09.459 As Woody Allen once said, 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:11.480 the lion may lie down with the lamb, 00:12:11.539 --> 00:12:13.059 but the lamb won't get much sleep. 00:12:15.139 --> 00:12:17.039 Jesus says his followers 00:12:17.039 --> 00:12:18.439 will be delivered over to courts 00:12:18.439 --> 00:12:19.500 and dragged before governors. 00:12:21.500 --> 00:12:22.860 Now that may literally happen 00:12:22.860 --> 00:12:24.639 in some places or in some eras. 00:12:24.719 --> 00:12:25.939 It certainly did for the disciples 00:12:25.939 --> 00:12:27.099 and in the early church, 00:12:27.139 --> 00:12:28.459 and it happens in other parts 00:12:28.459 --> 00:12:29.240 of the world today. 00:12:29.240 --> 00:12:31.680 But the reality is that 00:12:31.680 --> 00:12:33.060 in any era 00:12:33.060 --> 00:12:34.759 and in all places, 00:12:34.980 --> 00:12:36.200 we can be assured 00:12:36.200 --> 00:12:37.680 that kingdom mission 00:12:37.680 --> 00:12:39.080 will come into conflict 00:12:39.080 --> 00:12:41.240 with systems of power 00:12:41.240 --> 00:12:43.200 that oppose that mission. 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:48.580 Not too long ago, 00:12:48.659 --> 00:12:49.879 I was sitting down 00:12:49.879 --> 00:12:51.039 with the executive director 00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:51.960 of one of the largest 00:12:51.960 --> 00:12:54.019 faith-based affordable housing 00:12:54.019 --> 00:12:56.539 organizations here in Washington, D.C. 00:12:56.539 --> 00:12:59.679 and he was describing to me 00:12:59.679 --> 00:13:00.699 their newest efforts 00:13:00.699 --> 00:13:02.799 to provide affordable housing 00:13:02.799 --> 00:13:05.699 specifically for returning citizens. 00:13:05.899 --> 00:13:07.779 People have been released from prison 00:13:07.779 --> 00:13:09.939 and are now returning home 00:13:09.939 --> 00:13:10.599 to the district, 00:13:11.319 --> 00:13:13.899 often after years of being away. 00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:16.519 One of the leading predictors 00:13:16.519 --> 00:13:17.120 of whether or not 00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:17.959 returning citizens 00:13:17.959 --> 00:13:19.899 will be able to rebuild their life 00:13:19.899 --> 00:13:21.139 or will re-offend 00:13:21.139 --> 00:13:22.599 and return to prison 00:13:22.599 --> 00:13:23.459 is whether or not 00:13:23.459 --> 00:13:25.099 they can find a place to live. 00:13:25.100 --> 00:13:26.120 And often, 00:13:26.460 --> 00:13:27.399 they have burned 00:13:27.399 --> 00:13:28.240 so many bridges, 00:13:28.540 --> 00:13:29.180 he told me, 00:13:29.460 --> 00:13:30.740 that they no longer have 00:13:30.740 --> 00:13:31.600 family or friends 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:32.360 to stay with 00:13:32.360 --> 00:13:33.300 and they need a place 00:13:33.300 --> 00:13:34.139 to call home. 00:13:36.340 --> 00:13:38.139 But he described to me 00:13:38.139 --> 00:13:39.240 the powerful interests, 00:13:39.759 --> 00:13:41.080 the economic forces, 00:13:41.480 --> 00:13:43.340 the real estate development objectives 00:13:43.340 --> 00:13:44.960 that must be overcome 00:13:44.960 --> 00:13:47.139 to create such housing. 00:13:49.580 --> 00:13:51.519 Now, these powerful barriers 00:13:51.519 --> 00:13:52.960 were not erected 00:13:52.960 --> 00:13:55.240 by people with evil intentions 00:13:55.240 --> 00:13:56.220 or by people 00:13:56.220 --> 00:13:57.060 who don't want 00:13:57.060 --> 00:13:58.120 returning citizens 00:13:58.120 --> 00:13:59.800 to have affordable housing. 00:14:00.820 --> 00:14:01.740 And it's not to say 00:14:01.740 --> 00:14:02.519 that economics 00:14:02.519 --> 00:14:04.740 and real estate interests 00:14:04.740 --> 00:14:05.580 don't matter. 00:14:07.639 --> 00:14:08.940 It's simply to say 00:14:08.940 --> 00:14:10.460 that such barriers 00:14:10.460 --> 00:14:11.639 reflect something 00:14:11.639 --> 00:14:12.720 that the Apostle Paul 00:14:12.720 --> 00:14:14.240 calls in Ephesians 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:16.400 principalities and powers. 00:14:17.460 --> 00:14:19.560 Nameless, faceless systems 00:14:19.560 --> 00:14:21.540 take on a life of their own, 00:14:21.539 --> 00:14:22.919 and even if it wasn't 00:14:22.919 --> 00:14:23.879 originally intended, 00:14:24.019 --> 00:14:25.259 they act as barriers 00:14:25.259 --> 00:14:26.559 to human flourishing. 00:14:28.539 --> 00:14:30.240 And it can feel overwhelming 00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:31.000 to come up 00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:32.360 against these forces, 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:33.480 making you simply 00:14:33.480 --> 00:14:34.519 want to give up 00:14:34.519 --> 00:14:36.000 or not even try. 00:14:36.779 --> 00:14:37.240 Systems, 00:14:37.459 --> 00:14:38.500 by their very nature, 00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:40.139 encourage passivity. 00:14:40.139 --> 00:14:47.779 How do we resist them? 00:14:50.899 --> 00:14:53.360 Not from a posture 00:14:53.360 --> 00:14:54.159 of conquest, 00:14:54.659 --> 00:14:55.240 Jesus says. 00:14:56.919 --> 00:14:57.960 We should, of course, 00:14:58.019 --> 00:14:59.299 be wise as servants, 00:14:59.659 --> 00:15:00.299 Jesus allows. 00:15:00.679 --> 00:15:01.939 We should be smart 00:15:01.939 --> 00:15:02.919 and thoughtful 00:15:02.919 --> 00:15:03.939 and strategic. 00:15:04.419 --> 00:15:06.039 But Jesus is also clear 00:15:06.039 --> 00:15:06.860 that overcoming 00:15:06.860 --> 00:15:08.159 such systems 00:15:08.159 --> 00:15:09.459 will not ultimately 00:15:09.459 --> 00:15:10.879 be the result 00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:12.799 of our own competence. 00:15:14.819 --> 00:15:15.419 Instead, 00:15:15.679 --> 00:15:17.079 Jesus says in verse 19, 00:15:17.219 --> 00:15:18.100 when you are standing 00:15:18.100 --> 00:15:19.399 before those in power 00:15:19.399 --> 00:15:20.659 and seemingly 00:15:20.659 --> 00:15:22.459 at your weakest, 00:15:23.139 --> 00:15:25.579 it is at that moment 00:15:25.579 --> 00:15:27.539 that what you are to say 00:15:27.539 --> 00:15:29.439 will be given to you. 00:15:31.019 --> 00:15:32.860 The spirit of your father 00:15:32.860 --> 00:15:34.759 speaking through you. 00:15:34.759 --> 00:15:42.799 Have you ever had 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:43.679 an experience 00:15:43.679 --> 00:15:46.299 when you were given 00:15:46.299 --> 00:15:47.200 something 00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:48.819 that was beyond you? 00:15:52.700 --> 00:15:54.139 Perhaps it was 00:15:54.139 --> 00:15:56.319 the right words 00:15:56.319 --> 00:15:57.740 at just the right moment. 00:15:59.379 --> 00:16:00.700 Perhaps it was 00:16:00.700 --> 00:16:03.620 kindness that was 00:16:03.620 --> 00:16:05.580 beyond yourself 00:16:05.580 --> 00:16:06.500 in the face 00:16:06.500 --> 00:16:07.299 of mistreatment. 00:16:10.679 --> 00:16:12.159 Perhaps it was strength 00:16:12.159 --> 00:16:14.000 to bear something 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:15.980 farther than you could 00:16:15.980 --> 00:16:16.919 bear on your own. 00:16:20.799 --> 00:16:22.720 Being given something 00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:24.360 from the outside 00:16:24.360 --> 00:16:25.759 is what life 00:16:25.759 --> 00:16:26.919 in the kingdom 00:16:26.919 --> 00:16:28.100 is about. 00:16:30.259 --> 00:16:31.279 That something 00:16:31.279 --> 00:16:32.419 from the outside 00:16:32.419 --> 00:16:33.679 inside, 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:34.240 that power 00:16:34.240 --> 00:16:37.479 is available 00:16:37.479 --> 00:16:38.439 to us. 00:16:40.479 --> 00:16:41.599 And our lives 00:16:41.599 --> 00:16:42.379 over time 00:16:42.379 --> 00:16:44.079 should increasingly 00:16:44.079 --> 00:16:44.839 be marked 00:16:44.839 --> 00:16:46.579 by an expectation 00:16:46.579 --> 00:16:47.120 of 00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:48.360 and a reliance 00:16:48.360 --> 00:16:49.339 on that power. 00:16:49.340 --> 00:16:55.280 as we consider 00:16:55.280 --> 00:16:55.820 the prospect 00:16:55.820 --> 00:16:56.320 of moving 00:16:56.320 --> 00:16:56.980 into a new 00:16:56.980 --> 00:16:57.560 neighborhood, 00:16:57.820 --> 00:16:58.399 a new era 00:16:58.399 --> 00:16:59.120 as a church, 00:16:59.300 --> 00:17:00.300 we should remember 00:17:00.300 --> 00:17:01.420 that authentic ministry 00:17:01.420 --> 00:17:02.780 is never a conquering 00:17:02.780 --> 00:17:03.340 crusade. 00:17:05.400 --> 00:17:06.259 If Jesus' 00:17:06.500 --> 00:17:06.940 ministry 00:17:06.940 --> 00:17:07.860 and the experience 00:17:07.860 --> 00:17:08.700 of the early church 00:17:08.700 --> 00:17:09.480 is any guide, 00:17:09.980 --> 00:17:10.960 authentic mission 00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:12.180 will almost always 00:17:12.180 --> 00:17:12.660 be marked 00:17:12.660 --> 00:17:13.880 by difficulty. 00:17:13.880 --> 00:17:17.380 in his commentary 00:17:17.380 --> 00:17:17.980 on Matthew 00:17:17.980 --> 00:17:18.640 chapter 10, 00:17:18.720 --> 00:17:19.280 the New Testament 00:17:19.280 --> 00:17:19.800 scholar 00:17:19.800 --> 00:17:20.600 Dale Bruner 00:17:20.600 --> 00:17:21.680 writes that 00:17:21.680 --> 00:17:22.340 it is almost 00:17:22.340 --> 00:17:22.840 as though 00:17:22.840 --> 00:17:24.120 Jesus expects 00:17:24.120 --> 00:17:25.820 saving mission 00:17:25.820 --> 00:17:26.840 to occur 00:17:26.840 --> 00:17:28.020 more often 00:17:28.020 --> 00:17:28.960 through bad 00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:29.460 things 00:17:29.460 --> 00:17:30.640 than through good. 00:17:36.020 --> 00:17:37.200 Why is that? 00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:41.279 perhaps in part 00:17:41.279 --> 00:17:43.400 because in the life 00:17:43.400 --> 00:17:44.160 of the church 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:45.259 and in our own 00:17:45.259 --> 00:17:46.420 personal lives, 00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:48.100 difficulty 00:17:48.100 --> 00:17:48.940 and trouble 00:17:48.940 --> 00:17:51.200 create 00:17:51.200 --> 00:17:53.039 pathways 00:17:53.039 --> 00:17:54.620 to reliance 00:17:54.620 --> 00:17:55.259 on the Lord. 00:17:57.059 --> 00:17:58.500 It is primarily 00:17:58.500 --> 00:17:59.380 through difficulty 00:17:59.380 --> 00:18:00.779 that we learn 00:18:00.779 --> 00:18:01.779 that our strength, 00:18:02.279 --> 00:18:02.960 our power, 00:18:03.580 --> 00:18:04.319 our competency 00:18:04.319 --> 00:18:05.799 is inadequate. 00:18:07.200 --> 00:18:09.960 it is through trials 00:18:09.960 --> 00:18:10.580 that we learn 00:18:10.580 --> 00:18:11.100 humility. 00:18:13.620 --> 00:18:14.940 There are some 00:18:14.940 --> 00:18:15.380 mountains 00:18:15.380 --> 00:18:16.059 that we 00:18:16.059 --> 00:18:17.200 just cannot 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:17.700 climb. 00:18:20.120 --> 00:18:21.299 And as we 00:18:21.299 --> 00:18:22.480 begin to experience 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:23.279 the Lord 00:18:23.279 --> 00:18:24.080 providing 00:18:24.080 --> 00:18:24.980 what we need, 00:18:25.920 --> 00:18:27.200 those experiences 00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:27.840 become 00:18:27.840 --> 00:18:28.720 part of our 00:18:28.720 --> 00:18:29.200 witness. 00:18:30.740 --> 00:18:31.700 The Lord 00:18:31.700 --> 00:18:32.340 did this, 00:18:32.600 --> 00:18:32.980 not me, 00:18:33.640 --> 00:18:34.240 not us. 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:39.319 So the first 00:18:39.319 --> 00:18:40.019 thing to notice 00:18:40.019 --> 00:18:40.539 in Jesus' 00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:41.360 teaching on 00:18:41.360 --> 00:18:41.680 mission 00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:42.580 is that it 00:18:42.580 --> 00:18:43.220 almost always 00:18:43.220 --> 00:18:43.860 occurs in the 00:18:43.860 --> 00:18:44.220 midst of 00:18:44.220 --> 00:18:44.720 difficulty 00:18:44.720 --> 00:18:45.779 and any 00:18:45.779 --> 00:18:46.840 lasting success 00:18:46.840 --> 00:18:47.700 will be the 00:18:47.700 --> 00:18:48.779 result of 00:18:48.779 --> 00:18:49.480 God's power 00:18:49.480 --> 00:18:50.220 and not our 00:18:50.220 --> 00:18:50.720 competency. 00:18:54.220 --> 00:18:54.920 The second 00:18:54.920 --> 00:18:55.460 thing I'd like 00:18:55.460 --> 00:18:56.299 us to notice 00:18:56.299 --> 00:18:57.900 briefly, 00:18:58.120 --> 00:18:58.380 however, 00:18:58.819 --> 00:19:00.140 is the greatest 00:19:00.140 --> 00:19:00.759 barrier 00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:02.600 to living out 00:19:02.600 --> 00:19:03.240 our mission 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:04.440 and that 00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:04.960 barrier 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:06.259 is fear. 00:19:08.819 --> 00:19:09.420 We 00:19:09.420 --> 00:19:10.160 instinctively 00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:10.759 fear 00:19:10.759 --> 00:19:11.799 difficulty. 00:19:12.620 --> 00:19:12.980 In fact, 00:19:13.079 --> 00:19:13.799 sometimes the 00:19:13.799 --> 00:19:14.220 fear of 00:19:14.220 --> 00:19:14.660 potential 00:19:14.660 --> 00:19:15.160 difficulty 00:19:15.160 --> 00:19:15.799 is even 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:16.240 worse than 00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:16.700 the experience 00:19:16.700 --> 00:19:17.200 of difficulty 00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:17.599 itself. 00:19:18.599 --> 00:19:19.140 Our human 00:19:19.140 --> 00:19:19.680 nature is 00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:20.359 wired to 00:19:20.359 --> 00:19:21.680 seek safety 00:19:21.680 --> 00:19:22.420 and protection 00:19:22.420 --> 00:19:23.279 and comfort 00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:23.960 and to 00:19:23.960 --> 00:19:24.519 avoid at 00:19:24.519 --> 00:19:25.140 any cost 00:19:25.140 --> 00:19:25.980 the prospect 00:19:25.980 --> 00:19:26.900 of pain 00:19:26.900 --> 00:19:27.700 or trouble. 00:19:29.200 --> 00:19:29.640 And thus, 00:19:29.900 --> 00:19:30.539 fear may act 00:19:30.539 --> 00:19:31.059 as a barrier 00:19:31.059 --> 00:19:31.599 to mission, 00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:32.299 especially if 00:19:32.299 --> 00:19:32.720 we've just 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:33.279 heard Jesus 00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:34.279 himself promise 00:19:34.279 --> 00:19:35.059 that mission 00:19:35.059 --> 00:19:35.460 is going to 00:19:35.460 --> 00:19:35.940 be accompanied 00:19:35.940 --> 00:19:36.579 by pain 00:19:36.579 --> 00:19:36.980 and trouble. 00:19:40.440 --> 00:19:41.399 That fear 00:19:41.399 --> 00:19:42.019 may show up 00:19:42.019 --> 00:19:42.419 in different 00:19:42.419 --> 00:19:42.839 ways. 00:19:43.119 --> 00:19:43.599 We might 00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:44.000 fear that 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:44.599 the comfort 00:19:44.599 --> 00:19:45.799 and predictability 00:19:45.799 --> 00:19:46.680 of our lives 00:19:46.680 --> 00:19:47.700 might be 00:19:47.700 --> 00:19:48.980 disrupted 00:19:48.980 --> 00:19:50.220 by certain 00:19:50.220 --> 00:19:50.659 forms of 00:19:50.659 --> 00:19:51.000 ministry. 00:19:52.399 --> 00:19:53.180 We might 00:19:53.180 --> 00:19:53.740 fear getting 00:19:53.740 --> 00:19:54.659 overwhelmed by 00:19:54.659 --> 00:19:55.259 taking on 00:19:55.259 --> 00:19:55.839 problems that 00:19:55.839 --> 00:19:56.159 we know 00:19:56.159 --> 00:19:56.759 little about. 00:19:57.899 --> 00:19:58.700 We might 00:19:58.700 --> 00:19:59.099 fear the 00:19:59.099 --> 00:19:59.579 personal 00:19:59.579 --> 00:20:01.019 journey that 00:20:01.019 --> 00:20:01.819 we would 00:20:01.819 --> 00:20:02.200 need to 00:20:02.200 --> 00:20:02.859 go on 00:20:02.859 --> 00:20:03.799 in order 00:20:03.799 --> 00:20:04.539 to live 00:20:04.539 --> 00:20:05.319 out some 00:20:05.319 --> 00:20:05.539 of the 00:20:05.539 --> 00:20:05.980 things that 00:20:05.980 --> 00:20:06.319 God has 00:20:06.319 --> 00:20:06.700 put in 00:20:06.700 --> 00:20:07.240 our hearts 00:20:07.240 --> 00:20:08.419 and the 00:20:08.419 --> 00:20:09.000 changes that 00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:09.659 might require. 00:20:12.279 --> 00:20:12.919 There's a 00:20:12.919 --> 00:20:13.819 psychologist named 00:20:13.819 --> 00:20:14.480 Julie Norum 00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:14.919 who has 00:20:14.919 --> 00:20:15.839 studied 00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:17.119 strategies for 00:20:17.119 --> 00:20:18.359 handling fear 00:20:18.359 --> 00:20:19.539 in different 00:20:19.539 --> 00:20:20.679 scenarios. 00:20:21.799 --> 00:20:22.720 One strategy 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:23.559 she calls 00:20:23.559 --> 00:20:24.279 strategic 00:20:24.279 --> 00:20:25.079 optimism. 00:20:25.839 --> 00:20:26.319 Strategic 00:20:26.319 --> 00:20:27.179 optimists 00:20:27.179 --> 00:20:27.859 look at 00:20:27.859 --> 00:20:28.579 something fearful 00:20:28.579 --> 00:20:29.000 and they 00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:29.559 do their 00:20:29.559 --> 00:20:30.119 best to 00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:31.240 ignore the 00:20:31.240 --> 00:20:31.919 bad things 00:20:31.919 --> 00:20:32.599 that might 00:20:32.599 --> 00:20:33.480 happen and 00:20:33.480 --> 00:20:34.599 instead focus 00:20:34.599 --> 00:20:35.220 their attention 00:20:35.220 --> 00:20:35.879 on best 00:20:35.879 --> 00:20:36.639 case scenarios. 00:20:38.740 --> 00:20:39.740 But another 00:20:39.740 --> 00:20:40.639 approach she 00:20:40.639 --> 00:20:41.639 describes is 00:20:41.639 --> 00:20:42.139 what we might 00:20:42.139 --> 00:20:44.059 call strategic 00:20:44.059 --> 00:20:44.960 pessimism. 00:20:46.879 --> 00:20:47.259 Strategic 00:20:47.259 --> 00:20:48.039 pessimists 00:20:48.039 --> 00:20:49.639 imagine certain 00:20:49.639 --> 00:20:50.759 scenarios and 00:20:50.759 --> 00:20:51.059 then they 00:20:51.059 --> 00:20:51.799 purposefully 00:20:51.799 --> 00:20:52.619 consider the 00:20:52.619 --> 00:20:53.639 worst that 00:20:53.639 --> 00:20:54.220 might happen. 00:20:54.960 --> 00:20:55.679 When they have 00:20:55.679 --> 00:20:56.379 to give a speech 00:20:56.380 --> 00:20:56.920 they imagine 00:20:56.920 --> 00:20:57.880 themselves not 00:20:57.880 --> 00:20:58.580 only doing a 00:20:58.580 --> 00:20:59.560 poor job giving 00:20:59.560 --> 00:21:00.320 the speech but 00:21:00.320 --> 00:21:01.320 tripping on the 00:21:01.320 --> 00:21:02.040 stage and then 00:21:02.040 --> 00:21:02.620 forgetting all 00:21:02.620 --> 00:21:03.140 their lines. 00:21:04.680 --> 00:21:05.700 Now most 00:21:05.700 --> 00:21:06.400 people assume 00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:07.220 it's better to 00:21:07.220 --> 00:21:08.020 be a strategic 00:21:08.020 --> 00:21:08.800 optimist. 00:21:10.440 --> 00:21:11.160 But in fact 00:21:11.160 --> 00:21:12.340 her studies 00:21:12.340 --> 00:21:13.560 show that if 00:21:13.560 --> 00:21:14.260 approached in 00:21:14.260 --> 00:21:15.260 the right way 00:21:15.260 --> 00:21:16.540 strategic pessimism 00:21:16.540 --> 00:21:17.260 can sometimes 00:21:17.260 --> 00:21:18.160 result in better 00:21:18.160 --> 00:21:18.680 outcomes. 00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:20.480 Because when 00:21:20.480 --> 00:21:21.720 fear begins to 00:21:21.720 --> 00:21:22.500 creep in 00:21:22.500 --> 00:21:25.140 rather than 00:21:25.140 --> 00:21:26.359 denying what 00:21:26.359 --> 00:21:28.119 we fear or 00:21:28.119 --> 00:21:28.900 pretending it's 00:21:28.900 --> 00:21:30.160 not there or 00:21:30.160 --> 00:21:31.339 looking away 00:21:31.339 --> 00:21:32.420 only at best 00:21:32.420 --> 00:21:33.740 case scenarios 00:21:33.740 --> 00:21:35.019 one way to 00:21:35.019 --> 00:21:35.980 diminish its 00:21:35.980 --> 00:21:37.640 power is to 00:21:37.640 --> 00:21:38.559 lean into the 00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:40.000 fear to sit 00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:41.440 with it and to 00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:42.119 consider the 00:21:42.119 --> 00:21:44.279 other side of 00:21:44.279 --> 00:21:45.180 even the worst 00:21:45.180 --> 00:21:45.920 happening. 00:21:48.380 --> 00:21:49.579 And I wonder 00:21:49.579 --> 00:21:50.799 when he begins 00:21:50.799 --> 00:21:51.559 addressing his 00:21:51.559 --> 00:21:52.539 disciples fear as 00:21:52.539 --> 00:21:53.299 they head out 00:21:53.299 --> 00:21:54.079 into mission. 00:21:54.700 --> 00:21:55.679 If Jesus might 00:21:55.679 --> 00:21:57.220 be employing a 00:21:57.220 --> 00:21:58.179 bit of strategic 00:21:58.179 --> 00:21:58.980 pessimism. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:01.220 He says to his 00:22:01.220 --> 00:22:02.039 disciples when you 00:22:02.039 --> 00:22:02.779 go out to do 00:22:02.779 --> 00:22:03.379 kingdom ministry 00:22:03.379 --> 00:22:03.980 you're going to 00:22:03.980 --> 00:22:04.679 run into trouble 00:22:04.679 --> 00:22:05.579 just expected. 00:22:06.139 --> 00:22:06.779 But he doesn't 00:22:06.779 --> 00:22:07.519 stop there. 00:22:07.899 --> 00:22:08.720 Rather than offer 00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:09.859 false encouragement 00:22:09.859 --> 00:22:10.720 he goes on to 00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:11.919 say in verse 28 00:22:11.919 --> 00:22:12.919 and you don't even 00:22:12.919 --> 00:22:14.019 need to fear those 00:22:14.019 --> 00:22:14.579 who are going to 00:22:14.579 --> 00:22:15.079 kill you. 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:18.339 There is nothing 00:22:18.339 --> 00:22:19.159 to suggest that 00:22:19.159 --> 00:22:20.099 the disciples had 00:22:20.099 --> 00:22:20.819 up until that 00:22:20.819 --> 00:22:21.619 moment even been 00:22:21.619 --> 00:22:22.439 considering that 00:22:22.439 --> 00:22:23.019 possibility. 00:22:24.460 --> 00:22:25.419 And so perhaps it 00:22:25.419 --> 00:22:26.379 raised new questions 00:22:26.379 --> 00:22:27.179 in their mind that 00:22:27.179 --> 00:22:27.759 they didn't have 00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:28.519 moments before. 00:22:30.319 --> 00:22:31.879 But now having 00:22:31.879 --> 00:22:33.000 presented the very 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:34.759 worst case scenario 00:22:34.759 --> 00:22:36.220 having leaned fully 00:22:36.220 --> 00:22:37.099 into the ultimate 00:22:37.099 --> 00:22:38.119 fear of every 00:22:38.119 --> 00:22:38.960 person including 00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:40.259 his disciples that 00:22:40.259 --> 00:22:41.359 my very life might 00:22:41.359 --> 00:22:42.139 be at risk. 00:22:43.099 --> 00:22:44.379 Jesus is ready to 00:22:44.379 --> 00:22:45.480 provide a different 00:22:45.480 --> 00:22:46.099 way of thinking. 00:22:46.099 --> 00:22:49.699 He says you don't 00:22:49.699 --> 00:22:51.079 need to fear because 00:22:51.079 --> 00:22:51.959 God your heavenly 00:22:51.959 --> 00:22:53.399 father is actively 00:22:53.399 --> 00:22:54.559 and personally 00:22:54.559 --> 00:22:56.419 caring for you. 00:22:57.480 --> 00:22:58.459 Even the very hairs 00:22:58.459 --> 00:22:59.939 on your head are 00:22:59.939 --> 00:23:00.279 numbered. 00:23:03.179 --> 00:23:04.339 He says in verse 00:23:04.339 --> 00:23:06.539 29 not even a 00:23:06.539 --> 00:23:08.379 sparrow can fall to 00:23:08.379 --> 00:23:09.740 the ground apart 00:23:09.740 --> 00:23:10.500 from your father. 00:23:10.500 --> 00:23:16.720 One of the biggest 00:23:16.720 --> 00:23:18.339 lies that we 00:23:18.339 --> 00:23:19.180 believe and what 00:23:19.180 --> 00:23:21.059 ultimately leads us 00:23:21.059 --> 00:23:22.180 to live in fear 00:23:22.180 --> 00:23:24.400 is the belief that 00:23:24.400 --> 00:23:26.279 not only does God 00:23:26.279 --> 00:23:27.819 not notice 00:23:27.819 --> 00:23:28.740 sparrows, 00:23:30.039 --> 00:23:31.720 God is not 00:23:31.720 --> 00:23:33.119 watching out for me. 00:23:34.420 --> 00:23:36.500 God doesn't have my 00:23:36.500 --> 00:23:38.200 best interests at heart. 00:23:38.200 --> 00:23:40.740 And if I am going 00:23:40.740 --> 00:23:41.779 to be safe 00:23:41.779 --> 00:23:42.740 and happy 00:23:42.740 --> 00:23:44.059 in this world 00:23:44.059 --> 00:23:45.360 it is up to me 00:23:45.360 --> 00:23:46.420 to make that happen. 00:23:49.299 --> 00:23:50.620 And we live in fear 00:23:50.620 --> 00:23:52.559 of anything 00:23:52.559 --> 00:23:54.039 that might threaten 00:23:54.039 --> 00:23:54.539 those efforts. 00:23:56.380 --> 00:23:57.460 And on one level 00:23:57.460 --> 00:23:58.240 this is entirely 00:23:58.240 --> 00:23:58.860 rational 00:23:58.860 --> 00:23:59.900 because the world 00:23:59.900 --> 00:24:00.660 on its own 00:24:00.660 --> 00:24:02.940 is not a safe place. 00:24:04.180 --> 00:24:05.240 Jesus says that 00:24:05.240 --> 00:24:06.160 people in power 00:24:06.160 --> 00:24:08.279 brother may harm us. 00:24:09.180 --> 00:24:10.080 He says that even 00:24:10.080 --> 00:24:11.120 family members 00:24:11.120 --> 00:24:12.560 may betray us. 00:24:12.759 --> 00:24:13.600 Brother will deliver 00:24:13.600 --> 00:24:15.040 brother over to death. 00:24:15.420 --> 00:24:15.960 He says 00:24:15.960 --> 00:24:18.000 even those 00:24:18.000 --> 00:24:18.920 who are close 00:24:18.920 --> 00:24:19.480 to us 00:24:19.480 --> 00:24:20.259 might hurt us. 00:24:24.640 --> 00:24:25.620 But what Jesus 00:24:25.620 --> 00:24:26.660 is teaching here 00:24:26.660 --> 00:24:28.480 and one of the 00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:29.519 most radical things 00:24:29.519 --> 00:24:30.540 that we can learn 00:24:30.540 --> 00:24:32.300 is that even 00:24:32.300 --> 00:24:33.200 amidst the very 00:24:33.200 --> 00:24:34.519 worst things 00:24:34.519 --> 00:24:35.480 in the world 00:24:35.480 --> 00:24:38.240 we are not 00:24:38.240 --> 00:24:39.299 outside of God's care. 00:24:42.279 --> 00:24:43.299 A sparrow 00:24:43.299 --> 00:24:44.119 cannot fall 00:24:44.119 --> 00:24:44.660 to the ground 00:24:44.660 --> 00:24:45.440 Jesus says 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:46.440 apart from the 00:24:46.440 --> 00:24:46.720 Father. 00:24:50.619 --> 00:24:51.559 The hard 00:24:51.559 --> 00:24:52.839 but ultimately 00:24:52.839 --> 00:24:53.960 comforting truth 00:24:53.960 --> 00:24:55.200 is that there 00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:56.059 is nothing 00:24:56.059 --> 00:24:57.519 that happens 00:24:57.519 --> 00:24:59.940 in this life 00:24:59.940 --> 00:25:01.319 that is outside 00:25:01.319 --> 00:25:02.660 of God's 00:25:02.660 --> 00:25:03.460 providential 00:25:03.460 --> 00:25:04.039 care. 00:25:04.519 --> 00:25:07.579 this does not 00:25:07.579 --> 00:25:08.400 mean that God 00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:08.960 is somehow 00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:10.559 behind the bad 00:25:10.559 --> 00:25:11.379 things that happen 00:25:11.379 --> 00:25:11.859 to us 00:25:11.859 --> 00:25:12.859 that come as 00:25:12.859 --> 00:25:13.539 the result 00:25:13.539 --> 00:25:14.139 of living 00:25:14.139 --> 00:25:14.799 in a fallen 00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:15.480 world. 00:25:17.400 --> 00:25:18.759 But the mystery 00:25:18.759 --> 00:25:19.960 of God's providence 00:25:19.960 --> 00:25:21.099 is that he is able 00:25:21.099 --> 00:25:21.680 to take 00:25:21.680 --> 00:25:22.859 anything 00:25:22.859 --> 00:25:24.180 that happens 00:25:24.180 --> 00:25:25.400 in our lives 00:25:25.400 --> 00:25:26.779 and use it 00:25:26.779 --> 00:25:28.039 for our good 00:25:28.039 --> 00:25:30.660 and for his 00:25:30.660 --> 00:25:31.319 good purposes. 00:25:31.319 --> 00:25:34.319 we are safe 00:25:34.319 --> 00:25:35.259 with God. 00:25:37.379 --> 00:25:38.179 And the more 00:25:38.179 --> 00:25:38.960 deeply that we 00:25:38.960 --> 00:25:39.439 are able to 00:25:39.439 --> 00:25:40.059 take that in 00:25:40.059 --> 00:25:41.319 the more 00:25:41.319 --> 00:25:42.220 possible it 00:25:42.220 --> 00:25:43.019 is for us 00:25:43.019 --> 00:25:43.679 to live 00:25:43.679 --> 00:25:44.980 free of the 00:25:44.980 --> 00:25:45.619 fear that 00:25:45.619 --> 00:25:46.379 drives us 00:25:46.379 --> 00:25:47.439 to arrange 00:25:47.439 --> 00:25:48.299 our lives 00:25:48.299 --> 00:25:48.980 in ways that 00:25:48.980 --> 00:25:49.359 are apart 00:25:49.359 --> 00:25:49.819 from God. 00:25:51.579 --> 00:25:52.399 And the more 00:25:52.399 --> 00:25:53.000 freedom 00:25:53.000 --> 00:25:54.439 we will find 00:25:54.439 --> 00:25:55.259 to live 00:25:55.259 --> 00:25:56.200 our lives 00:25:56.200 --> 00:25:57.299 as on a 00:25:57.299 --> 00:25:57.539 mission. 00:25:57.539 --> 00:26:00.639 And thus 00:26:00.639 --> 00:26:01.480 we might ask 00:26:01.480 --> 00:26:01.920 ourselves 00:26:01.920 --> 00:26:02.559 as a church 00:26:02.559 --> 00:26:03.079 as we think 00:26:03.079 --> 00:26:03.899 about our 00:26:03.899 --> 00:26:04.460 mission in 00:26:04.460 --> 00:26:04.879 this city 00:26:04.879 --> 00:26:05.940 if we were 00:26:05.940 --> 00:26:06.460 to trust 00:26:06.460 --> 00:26:07.639 God's power 00:26:07.639 --> 00:26:08.659 and not our 00:26:08.659 --> 00:26:09.339 own competence 00:26:09.339 --> 00:26:10.420 if we were 00:26:10.420 --> 00:26:10.980 to accept 00:26:10.980 --> 00:26:12.039 the difficulty 00:26:12.039 --> 00:26:12.720 and troubles 00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:13.519 that are the 00:26:13.519 --> 00:26:13.899 norm 00:26:13.899 --> 00:26:14.740 and if we 00:26:14.740 --> 00:26:15.059 were to 00:26:15.059 --> 00:26:15.899 increasingly 00:26:15.899 --> 00:26:17.399 live free 00:26:17.399 --> 00:26:18.220 from fear 00:26:18.220 --> 00:26:19.299 what does 00:26:19.299 --> 00:26:20.380 God want 00:26:20.380 --> 00:26:21.079 to do 00:26:21.079 --> 00:26:21.819 through Church 00:26:21.819 --> 00:26:22.079 of the 00:26:22.079 --> 00:26:22.319 Advent? 00:26:25.220 --> 00:26:26.079 And we 00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:26.720 might ask 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:27.299 the same 00:26:27.299 --> 00:26:28.019 question 00:26:28.019 --> 00:26:29.079 of ourselves 00:26:29.079 --> 00:26:29.940 personally. 00:26:31.420 --> 00:26:32.440 How might 00:26:32.440 --> 00:26:33.019 I allow 00:26:33.019 --> 00:26:33.740 the difficulties 00:26:33.740 --> 00:26:34.740 the barriers 00:26:34.740 --> 00:26:35.839 the mountains 00:26:35.839 --> 00:26:36.559 in my life 00:26:36.559 --> 00:26:37.279 that I cannot 00:26:37.279 --> 00:26:37.839 climb 00:26:37.839 --> 00:26:39.880 to lead me 00:26:39.880 --> 00:26:40.579 into greater 00:26:40.579 --> 00:26:41.220 reliance 00:26:41.220 --> 00:26:41.860 on the Lord? 00:26:41.859 --> 00:26:44.899 how might 00:26:44.899 --> 00:26:45.859 I lean 00:26:45.859 --> 00:26:46.619 into my 00:26:46.619 --> 00:26:47.259 fears 00:26:47.259 --> 00:26:48.119 and welcome 00:26:48.119 --> 00:26:49.000 God's care? 00:26:50.599 --> 00:26:51.619 And how 00:26:51.619 --> 00:26:52.019 might I 00:26:52.019 --> 00:26:52.779 follow Jesus 00:26:52.779 --> 00:26:53.439 into the 00:26:53.439 --> 00:26:53.740 world 00:26:53.740 --> 00:26:55.639 more fully 00:26:55.639 --> 00:26:56.579 relying 00:26:56.579 --> 00:26:57.559 on the power 00:26:57.559 --> 00:26:58.000 of the Holy 00:26:58.000 --> 00:26:58.359 Spirit? 00:27:00.500 --> 00:27:01.219 Amen.