Courage

  Preaching about courage can scare me, because I'm afraid that people will take it as a call to have courage to do the wrong thing. The courage to speak hurtful words. The courage to share the faith in ways that alienate instead of invite. The courage to act in ways that are downright unethical.
   Yet, as I preach this week about courage, I do so in trust and confidence. First, I have trust in God that God will show people how to use the moral compass of the Holy Spirit to be emboldened to work in ways that further the Kingdom instead of tarnish the name of Christ. Second, I trust the people receiving the sermon, that they will do so prayerfully instead of acting on their own accord.
    Courage is a tricky subject because it can easily swing into a moral vice - not having a healthy fear of God, which is the very foundation of courage in Christ. So let us have courage to act as agents of God - who has modeled mercy and grace to us in Jesus Christ. Let us plant seeds for the Kingdom instead of acting in ways that damages the soil and rips up the seeds so they do not bear fruit. Let us act boldly in a way that lifts up the name and character of our lord and savior. Amen.