Matthew 10:16-25
Well friends, I hate to be the bearer of tough news but I have to do it. Summer and vacation time is just about over. For some, school starts next Monday. The Fall rush is upon us. If we have not already done so, we will need to move out of summer vacation mode and into regular life mode.
But this transition is not that easy. We had the privilege of going to Prince Edward Island and Southern Ontario this past summer. That time provided me an opportunity to really disconnect and just relax. I knew I’d had quite a break when we started driving back from the Edmonton airport to home. I looked in front of me and saw this white license plate with red letters. I didn’t recognize it. I’d been driving in PEI and Southern Ontario so I knew the PEI – birthplace of confederation plates and I knew the “Yours to Discover” Ontario license plates. But what was this red letter plate. Alberta – Wild Rose Country. Okay, I have been away.
Then I came back to work to a wedding, sermon, funeral, child dedication, another sermon, Elder’s meeting and pastoral care. Suddenly I was jolted out of my comfortable relaxed state into the reality of everyday life and work. Can anyone else relate a little to this experience that you have had or are about to have?
I share this because I think it’s pretty common for us to struggle when leaving a comfortable place or situation. I think most of us find it a challenge to move from vacation and relaxation to work and sometimes frustration. And we can take such expectations into our Christian life.
We come to Christ and enjoy all the wonderful blessings – forgiveness; new life; Jesus’ presence and companionship through life; a God who hears our prayers; support in tough times from our community. We can settle into a pretty comfortable Christian lifestyle. But what if we experienced persecution because of our faith? What if we were harassed, mocked, shoved, arrested and maybe even beaten just because of our love for Christ? Would anyone here volunteer for that? Would we continue to confess Christ if we knew we would suffer for it?
