Have no fear...you are baptized!

Easter 6, 2014

"Have no fear...you are baptized!"

Acts 17:16-31 & 1 Peter 3:13-22

 

 

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

  

            After uprisings in Thessalonica and Berea Paul was forced to flee to Athens. He had been preaching “Christ and him crucified… [which was] a stumbling block for the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.” (1 Corinthians 1:23) Those that did not believe started an uprising and they chased Paul out of town.

            Now Paul came to Athens the home of the great Philosophers: Socrates, Sophocles, Plato, and others. Athens was also the home of the Areopagus. Here philosophical discussions and arguments took place civilly on a daily basis.

            “Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.” (Acts 17:22-23) Even after fleeing from death for sharing the very same message Paul proceeded to tell the Athenians about Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.

          "Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame." (1 Peter 3:13-16)

          Paul was prepared, as St. Peter advises us in our text, to share God’s Word and gave an account of his faith. Paul had been a persecutor of Christians...and became a persecuted Christian. Paul knew what kind of persecution he could expect for sharing the good news about Jesus. Paul knew that he could be killed for the faith at any time. Yet he had no fear...he was baptized.

          It has been nearly 2000 years since Paul traveled throughout the Mediterranean sharing the message of Christ crucified and risen. Society has changed. Things are different. People are not as close minded, bigoted, or violent as they were back then. I've heard that over the years. Maybe people don't pay attention to what is happening in the world around us.

          "It happened without warning. Tuesday, a heavily-armed contingent of Iranian guards stormed a private hospital in Tehran. The guards came for one purpose – to forcibly remove American Pastor Saeed Abedini from his hospital bed and take him back to prison. Pastor Saeed, a U.S. citizen sentenced to an 8-year prison term in Iran because of his Christian faith, had spent two months at that hospital – a hopeful sign – a hospital room instead of a prison cell – where he received better treatment. That came to an abrupt end on Tuesday. The Iranian guards did not just take Pastor Saeed into custody. No, they beat him severely. So severely that he passed out." (http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/05/22/serious-setback-pastor-saeed-abedini-belongs-in-us-not-in-brutal-iranian-prison/)

          "A 27-year-old pregnant woman has been charged with apostasy, a crime punishable by hanging, after refusing to recant her Christian faith. Meriam Yahia Ibrahim, a doctor, was also sentenced to 100 lashes for adultery, as her marriage to a Christian man is not considered valid... Although given three days to recant her faith, the young expectant mother calmly told the judge at a hearing days later on May 15th that she remains a Christian. Her death sentence is reportedly to be carried out two years after giving birth to her baby." (http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/63272)

          Just over a month ago over 270 girls, mostly Christian, were kidnapped by an Islamist group. They are threatening to sell them as slaves and sell them off. They also showed pictures of these girls after they were forced to renounce their faith and wear the hijab; the traditional Muslim garment for women. During the past month we have also heard the news of China destroying the largest Christian church building in that country.

          Even within our own country are reports that Military Chaplains are being told not to quote Scripture, pray in Jesus name, or call homosexuality a sin. There have been attempts in legislature to criminalize preaching against homosexuality as a hate crime. Traditional marriage has been attacked for decades. We even get ridiculed from family and friends for believing in myths and should leave them alone. Often families are torn apart over "religion."

          Maybe we aren't being persecuted like Christians in other countries or in years gone by...but the time is coming. Maybe we even start to wonder why we should care about sharing our faith with people that don't like us and some who might even like to kill us. How do we raise our children in times like these? How do we not worry for our own life and the lives of our loved ones?

          "Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

          For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him." (1 Peter 3:13-22)

          Have no fear...for you have been baptized into Christ. You have been built on Christ. You are the Church. "Built on the rock the church doth stands even when steeples are falling." We continue on our way...we continue sharing Christ...we continue meeting in the Church around God's Word and Jesus body and blood...we keep doing this without fear because we are baptized. We go on in this world...without fear...because we are baptized. Yes, we could be persecuted. Our Church, our homes, our freedom could be taken away; we could be killed...but we do not fear and we keep the faith because we are baptized. In baptism we are saved and heaven becomes ours.

          So we share Christ without fear. We share Christ because we love our neighbors. We share Christ because we love God's Word. We share Christ for Christ first loved us and died for us. Have no fear. Be prepared to make a defense of your faith. Have no fear. You were baptized for this moment. You were baptized into Christ. Amen.

 

Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Comments

[Betty Montgomery]

Thi
s is one of my favorites, people dont realize christian are being percited in his name, I will pray for them, And pray the Christ come soon