21 June 2026 4th Sunday after Pentecost (Commitment Sunday)
Genesis 21.8-21 Psalm 86.1-10; 16-17 Romans 6.1-11 Matthew 10.24-39
This passage from Matthew has ‘fear’ threaded through almost every sentence. Jesus is preparing the disciples to go out ‘into the world’ but before they go, he is warning them of the perils that lie in wait for them. And we might wonder why he goes into so much detail of what will go wrong. Because if you asked me to do something, then told all the things that will go wrong while I am doing it, I would be very tempted to say – forget it. I might even run away. I would definitely not be enthusiastic about the task. But as well as describing these ‘worst case scenarios’, Jesus is also reassuring the disciples and repeatedly calling on them to resist fear. And the most important element of his reassurance is his affirming of the relationship between the disciples and Jesus, and through him, God.
Today we are making statements of commitment. We are not being asked to ‘go out’ anywhere, but we are being asked to make a very important decision.
Jesus is telling the disciples that the mission he has prepared them for is a 365day lifestyle. And we have been told, over the past few weeks, that stewardship is a 365day lifestyle too. And while warning the disciples of the ‘pitfalls’ of that lifestyle, Jesus also assures them they are ‘looked after’ by God. The God who has counted the hairs on our heads, the God who cares for insignificant things like sparrows that are sold 2-a-penny, that same God will care for you and I with the same care. Now I am not going to tell you all the pitfalls of this 365day lifestyle of stewardship because they probably differ for each and every one of us, but I can reassure you of God’s presence with you while you live it. Jesus is warning the disciples they will face opposition in going out to do what he is commissioning them for, in the same way as we often find opposition to what we do in the church. Opposition sometimes even from our own families. And Jesus’ comment about ‘bringing a sword, not peace’ is his way of ‘stirring the pot’, disturbing the peaceful, ‘ruffling the feathers of the complacent’ so that we continue to ‘lose ourselves’ in the worldly sense so that we may ‘find ourselves’ fulfilled and growing in God.
Your commitment cards today indicate how you will join the parish, and the church, in partnership in mission; how you will offer your generosity so that this parish continues to, not just survive, but grow. St Lukes is about to celebrate their 90th birthday, and in those 90 years a lot has happened in the parish. I suspect St George’s would not be far behind. I was told on Friday that, the person relating the story to me, remembered when you used to meet with less than 6 people attending. Gradually those numbers increased. Once you were part of the Beaudesert parish, having fortnightly services, or maybe even less frequently. But gradually both centers started to increase, and eventually, you decided that you could now ‘stand on your own feet’ and become a parish with two centers, instead of being just two of seven or eight centers of that larger parish. That commitment took courage and determination. Today, as we look at our congregational numbers, instead of increasing we are decreasing. But your determination and courage still runs strong through you and I pray that that courage and determination will keep you going for many more years to come. Unfortunately, courage and determination are not all that it takes to keep a parish viable, it takes money, and it is this element that we are not so strong on. I realise we all have our limits. We all have ‘worldly’ things that we need to maintain, and today we are asking you to ‘trust God’ that you can maintain them and maintain enough giving to keep this parish from floundering.
Most of us have had children, and when one of our children comes to ask to ‘assistance’ to ‘do’ or ‘pay for’ something, we often sacrifice some of our desires to meet the need or desire of our child. This type of sacrificial giving is what we are asking for today. Can you ‘sacrifice’ yourself so that the parish can meet its needs. Asking for money is not easy, in fact it is often one of the strongest reasons people avoid coming near a church. But money is needed if we are going to maintain our presence on the mountain and in the valley. Money is needed to keep the lights on so that those ‘in need of a spiritual home’ may find it.
Today, I am asking you, can you ‘risk’ losing your life in order to find it in Jesus and through him God.