“DEALING WITH REJECTION--AND ACCEPTANCE”
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 9)
July 3, 2016
Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church
Glenshaw, Pennsylvania
TEXT:
“The one who hears you hears Me, and the one who rejects you rejects
Me, and the one who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”
Luke 10:16 (ESV)
It was just about thirty-seven years ago that I arrived as a vicar in
New York (in the borough of Queens, for those of you who are familiar
with New York City). Oddly enough, the Missouri Synod congregation
closest to the one I was at was served by a young pastor who some of
you you might know. His name was John Weldon. Being from a much
smaller town, I was a little overwhelmed with my new surroundings (as
you might expect). Whenever I had the need to patronize a local
business (such as to open a bank account or to get my car repaired),
my supervising pastor (or “bishop,” as we called them), had a habit of
sending me to various places with this instruction: “Just tell them
that you know me and that you’re my assistant, and they’ll take good
care of you.” It always worked, but I have to admit that every time I
did that, I was petrified. I was sure that one of these days the
person who I said that to would respond by saying: “So . . . ?” I
didn’t really feel as if I was doubting my supervisor; it’s just that
I had had enough experience with people to know that invoking a
particular name isn’t always enough to guarantee that either you or
what you have to say will be received with acceptance.
What this all boils down to, of course, is the fear of rejection. I
hesitated to go out and speak boldly, using my supervisor’s name as a
means of access and acceptance, because I didn’t want to face the
possibility of being rejected. There is a parallel here between my
experience on vicarage and our experience as witnesses for the Lord
Jesus Christ. Like my “bishop,” our Savior sends us out to speak
boldly in His name, assuring us that all the authority of His name is
with us. But I suspect that many of us (if not most of us) still
experience some anxiety and intimidation when it comes to speaking the
Word of the Lord to people in a hostile world, and the reason is that
we don’t want to suffer the hurt of being rejected or the guilt of
feeling that we have failed. Our fear of rejection and failure can be
calmed if we bear in mind two important facts: (1) We represent Jesus
Christ in the world, and (2) Jesus Christ is God in the flesh.
The first thing that we need to remember when we share the Gospel of
Christ in the world is what Paul and Timothy said to the Corinthians:
“What we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord” (2
Corinthians 4:5). This is an important directive for public ministers
of the Gospel, to be sure, but it is also something that every
disciple of Jesus Christ needs to bear in mind. If it is ourselves
that we emphasize in our dealings with people and our message is
rejected or falls on deaf ears, it could be that it is not the Gospel
at all that they are rejecting, but us--our demeanor, our appearance,
our personality, our attitude. If that is the case, we can hardly
claim to be suffering persecution for the sake of the Gospel. But if
we bear in mind that we represent Christ in the world, then His Spirit
will truly speak through us as we set before others the treasures of
His Word, and we will have the comfort of knowing that it is He--not
us--who is boldly saying such profound things with authority.
Consequently we will know that those who reject the message that we
share are not rejecting us, but Christ Himself.
Along the same lines, we should also bear in mind that we are a
witness in everything that we say and do--even when we are not aware
of it. When people who know that we are Christians come into contact
with us, they find themselves face-to-face with the effect that the
Gospel of Jesus Christ has on sinners like us. Whether we intend it
to be that way or not, the words that we speak and the things that we
do at all times are a testimony of the New Life that we received from
the Holy Spirit when we were baptized into Christ. Nowhere is this
seen more clearly than in our willingness to forgive others and to
seek forgiveness for ourselves. This, more than anything, proclaims
the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection. This, more than anything,
shows the world that because we are in Christ through our Baptism in
His name, He is in us with the power of His Holy Spirit.
My hesitation as a vicar was to some extent due to the fact that I
wasn’t completely convinced that my supervisor really had the kind of
clout that would get results if I mentioned his name. But this never
has to be a concern for us as we go about the business of being
witnesses for Christ, speaking in His name. In proclaiming Christ, we
are proclaiming God Himself. There is great deal of comfort in
knowing that. We’re not in any way “going out on a limb,” as they
say, when we proclaim the grace of Jesus Christ, because the One who
we proclaim is the One who created and still controls heaven and earth
and everything in them. He is the Eternal One--the Almighty One--“the
Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the
End” (Revelation 22:13). We can speak of Him “with all boldness and
confidence” (Small Catechism, explanation of the Introduction to the
Lord’s Prayer), knowing that He is infinitely greater than we could
possibly describe Him as being.
We can also share His Gospel with confidence, knowing that in and
through that Word of the Gospel the Holy Spirit Himself will bring
about the results that glorify God. It may not always seem that way
to us as we deal with rejection and indifference. We may become
frustrated, downcast, and intimidated. But the promise of God’s Word
is clear and certain, no matter how things may appear to us. He
assures us through the Old Testament prophet Isaiah: “My Word that
goes out from My mouth . . . will not return to Me empty, but will
accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it”
(Isaiah 55:11 NIV). And in the New Testament the apostle Paul
concludes his famous resurrection chapter with this uplifting word of
encouragement: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in
the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). The Word
of God never fails. It accomplishes what God wants when He wants it,
whether we see the results or not.
The world that we live in has become more and more hostile to the
Gospel of Christ (at least it has in my lifetime). The days are gone
when you were respected for your faith in and commitment to the
Savior. And to be honest with you, it’s likely to get a lot worse.
So it can be a very frightening and intimidating thing to go out into
this world sharing the Gospel of Christ. But the power of God,
revealed in the resurrection of His Son from the dead, goes with us in
the Gospel that we share, and God’s power is infinitely stronger than
any fear that Satan may place in our hearts as an obstacle to our
sharing the love of Jesus. May the Holy Spirit fill us with such joy
and confidence in Jesus that we may boldly proclaim His grace no
matter what the consequences may be, knowing that the One in whose
name we speak will see to it that His work is done--through us or, if
necessary, in spite of us.
Amen.
May the Lord bless your hearing of His Word, using it to accomplish in
you those things for which He gave it. May you be enriched and
strengthened in faith that you may leave here today to go out into our
world armed with the whole armor of God, prepared to be able
ambassadors of your Savior Jesus Christ. He who calls you is
faithful, and He will do it. Amen.