This Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Kingdomtide. As I mentioned last week, our mission during this time is seeking to make “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven,” become a reality.
Jesus says, in Matthew 16:25-26, “All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of Me will find them. Why would people gain the whole world but lose their lives? What will people give in exchange for their lives?” What does that look like for us today?
I think it means one who purchases ease by dishonesty, or chooses comfort by the neglect of duty or popularity rather than following the principles of Jesus where truth, peace, honor, reverence and love of God and love of others come before selfish gain. I think it means being willing to speak out against injustices and policies that hurt “the least of these,” when doing so will adversely impact your life.
One of my favorite celebrities is Dolly Parton because she is so authentic and compassionate. She says, “The whole secret about me is that I look artificial; but I’m totally real.” She is a person who lived her life following the principles of her faith with which she grew up; always staying true to who she was.
During this pandemic, she had written a song, not yet record. In it she writes “When life is good again, I’ll be a better friend, a better person, when life is good again.” She says, “I think if we all look at ourselves like that, that attitude will spill out into the world.” Dolly’s way is “A Road Less Traveled; But A Life Well-Lived.” And that is the way the assigned sacred text for today calls us to live.
Join Covenant for worship by Zoom or Facebook Livestream this Sunday. My sermon will be “A Road Less Traveled; But A Life Well-Lived,” based on Romans 12:9-21 and Matthew 16:24-28.
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