So wow, there’s a lot going on in today’s Gospel, and it can be a bit much to take in. For one thing, we know a whole bunch of these sayings of Jesus on their own: sheep in the midst of wolves; do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; you will be hated by all for my name’s sake; he who endures to the end will be saved; a disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master; but even the hairs of your head are all numbered; you are of more value than many sparrows; every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven.
It’s a lot, and it can seem more like a collection of sayings than a thought out master class on what to expect when following Jesus. But that’s exactly what it is, from Jesus Himself.
Like we heard last week, following Jesus is not always the easiest thing to do. Remember that if we follow Him completely, we end up on a cross, or at least at the foot of one. Jesus knew and knows this, and so when He sends us out to do His work, He gives us advanced warning on what to expect.
Now, I know what you may be thinking, because I’m thinking it too. So far, none of us have been subjected to excruciating scrutiny because we are followers of Jesus. I, for sure, have not suffered any great indignity or persecution, nothing that can be held up as proof that following Jesus is particularly harrowing.
But that could change. I wrote this sermon on Thursday, on the feast of Bernard Mizeki. Mizeki was born in Portuguese East Africa, now Mozambique, in about 1861. He left for Cape Town, South Africa when he was twelve, and in his twenty’s he fell in with a group of teachers from the Society of Saint John the Evangelist, the Cowley Fathers. After graduating from the school, he moved to Mashonaland, a tribal area in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), to work there as a lay catechist, a religious teacher. His efforts won many converts to Christianity, which was not popular with the locals. Many African nationalists regarded all missionaries as working for the European colonial governments. During an uprising in 1896, Bernard was warned to flee. He refused, since he did not regard himself as working for anyone but Christ, and he would not desert his converts or his post. On 18 June 1896, he was fatally speared outside his hut. His wife and a helper went to get food and blankets for him. They later reported that, from a distance, they saw a blinding light on the hillside where he had been lying, and heard a rushing sound, as though of many wings. When they returned to the spot his body had disappeared.[1]
Bernard Mizeki followed Jesus, mostly unmolested, right up until the time he was driven through with a spear. He had the courage stay with his people and to stand by his work for Christ, courage derived from a foundation of faith, a faith that had been developed and nurtured by years of prayer and worship and service.
In today’s collect, we ask God to make us have a perpetual fear and love of His holy Name, for we know that God never fails to help and govern those whom He has set upon the sure foundation of His loving-kindness.
Loving-kindness is something both tender and firm; it is, to translate more literally the Latin collect from which it is drawn, the “solidity of your love” (soliditate tuae dilectionis). God’s love for us is a trustworthy and reliable foundation.[2]
Following Jesus can, and perhaps should be, an adventure. As disciples, we will experience great love and great loss, joys that can’t be described and deep sadness when confronting the ills of humanity. We have been warned of what a disciple’s life can be, and so if you’re serious about following Jesus, build up your faith with prayer and worship and service; build up your faith on the solid foundation of the Lord’s loving-kindness.
Domine, non sum dignus 