Jer 20:10-13

Jeremiah said:“I hear the whisperings of many:
‘Terror on every side!
Denounce! let us denounce him!’
All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of mine.
‘Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,
and take our vengeance on him.’
But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:
my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.
In their failure they will be put to utter shame,
to lasting, unforgettable confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,
who probe mind and heart,
let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause.
Sing to the LORD,
praise the LORD,
for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!”



Rom 5:12-15

Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned—for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law. But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam, who is the type of the one who was to come. But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many.



Mt 10:26-33

Jesus said to the Twelve:“Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”


I'm combining all three readings today, because it's Sunday, I didn't do this last night, and I'm trying to make it to church early. In a nutshell, I think God wants us to be as big and strong as possible. So, he gives us lots of emotional work-outs. When we feel weak, Paul (Romans) tells us to look at the example of Jesus on the cross. It is a good point. Our suffering may be legitimate, may even be pretty bad, but we haven't been physically tortured and then nailed to a cross to die for a bunch of people who hate us anyway. God doesn't want us to be afraid. Things are tough now, he says, and will continue to be tough as long as you follow him. We have an entire lifetime of stumbling, hurting, and maybe a little persecution here and there. But it's made pretty clear all through the bible that we don't have to worry about fear as long as we follow God.