This sermon was preached at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church on Sunday, February 19, 2017 as a part of the series, Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?
Can you keep a secret?
Is keeping a secret something easy or difficult for you to do? Can you be stealthy with a secret, or do you find yourself almost giddy wanting to share that secret with others? Does knowing a secret ever change the way you live, even a little bit?
Think about how you think we are to live our lives of faith. Should our faith be “loud” or “easily recognizable” as Christian; should it be lived in “secret;” or should it be some combination to the previous two? I ask, because this week, we’ll be considering Jesus as 007. How do those two images – Jesus and a Secret Agent Man – fit together in your mind, or do they at all?
To guide our ponderings, we’ll look to Matthew 13:31-33 and 1 Peter 3:9-17. So, I hope you’ll take some time before listening to consider what light these passages might shed on the questions above.
Right-mouse-click this link to download the audio.
1 Peter 3:9-17
9Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing. 10For “Those who desire life and desire to see good days, let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit; 11let them turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it. 12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 13Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? 14But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, 15but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you;
16yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. 17For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. (NRSV)
Matthew 13:31-33
31Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” 33He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” (NRSV)
