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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion February 26, 2008 Sheep Among Wolves |
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Frontline Devotion for Tuesday, February 26, 2008 by Gary
Shaffer
Reprinted from May 29, 2005
Matthew 10: 16-25
My teenage son asked me if I had seen the political cartoons in a newly delivered news magazine. He pointed one out and said, “Pretty brutal, huh dad?” Indeed it was. The cartoon had two army recruiters sitting at a desk with a long line of young men and women waiting to sign up – sort of. The recruiters were in uniform but wearing masks of key Star Wars characters and they had covered the recruiting poster with a banner proclaiming “Sign up for free Star Wars tickets!!” A young man signing the forms on the desk asks, “You’re sure there’s not a catch?”
In today’s passage Jesus says, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves…” and then continues to describe the persecutions and troubles that will befall the disciples that He is sending into the world. What? This doesn’t seem to be the best way to recruit one’s messengers. The most effective recruiters in today’s world offer success, advancement, adventure, the opportunity to see the world – to get ahead – to fulfill one’s wildest dreams – results we may find too good to be true - anything but a picture of suffering, of death, of trials and tribulations. One can not read this passage without being directly challenged by Jesus’ forthright honesty. “All men will hate you because of me…”
It has been said that we no longer have leaders who challenge us to make the sacrifices necessary to truly help others. The appeal tends to be to our self-interests – our desire for our own personal benefit and security. The question directed to the person trying to get us to follow, to enlist us in their cause, is most often, “What’s in it for me?” And the response is most often a listing of all that will be gained by joining in.
This is not the call of Jesus to His disciples. Not then, not now. Our call is to bring a message to a world that may still react with hostility to God’s word. Although, we are not called to deliberately seek suffering and persecution, we are called to share the work of Christ. And that may come at great cost. When our work as Christians is hard we should be reminded that we are sharing the work and sacrifice of Christ.
Shortly after graduating from college, I took a residential counselor position at a wilderness school for emotionally disturbed and delinquent boys. The program was a ministry of the Church of The Savior in Washington, D.C. The work was extremely challenging and required significant sacrifices from the staff. Pay was low, conditions difficult, the youth at the school had seemingly overwhelming problems and there were often more bad days than good. Successes were wonderful highs, failures and setbacks emotionally draining lows. I remember being home on one of our monthly four-day breaks and visiting with friends. Many of whom who were now seeing significant success in their architectural careers. I was depressed and really questioning my current career choice. At one of my truly low points, I remember one of my friends saying to me, “You are working for the church with some of the neediest children there are. You have totally invested yourself in this ministry. You believe that God is using you to help others. What in the world can be more important than that?”
If our Christian witness brings us hard days, if we end up suffering while trying to do the work of our Lord and Savior, if we are called to be sheep among wolves, what can be more important than that?
Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord, please grant me the courage and the strength to hear your call and follow wherever that may lead. Strengthen my faith, so that I may accept both the blessings and the suffering that may come from striving to be your humble servant in this world. Amen
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All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
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