Great Steps of Faith: the Courage to Commit
Acts 1:20-26
A sermon delivered by Thomas J. Boone, Ph.D.
Central Presbyterian Church, October 28, 2007

Many have heard the stories of Anne Frank and Corrie ten Boom, but few know the story of Dutchman Bert Bechove.  In 1939, when Germany declared war on Poland, Bert moved to his native town in Holland from Finland where he had been a mill manager.  Bert and his wife Anne borrowed enough money to buy a pharmacy, which was their house, too.  In 1940 when the Germans crossed over the Holland border Bert and Anne decided to do what several other Dutch Christians were doing: they built a hiding place in their house.  By 1941, their pharmacy was a storefront covering the several Jewish men, women, and children who lived in their hiding place.  The penalty for such activity was deportation to Auschwitz, certain death.  Dutch Reformed Christians have never been known for an outspoken nature or charismatic faith.  Faith is faith, so when asked why they did this, Bert said, “Even if I wasn’t a Christian, I would still do it.  You have it in you.  You see that your house is more or less the right place for giving help; you have the feeling that you can do a good thing.  So you do it.  There were days, moments, when it was very hard, but then it would pass.  And we went on.”

 

Emmanuel Yeboah made acclaim for himself in 2005 when he received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.  He was born with a deformed right leg, which might not have been an insurmountable barrier in some parts of the world.  But, in Ghana he was doomed to a life of poverty and begging, because in Ghana the disabled are shunned and abandoned, that is, if they’re not killed by their parents first.  Yeboah refused this existence.  His mother carried him three miles to school every day, and back again.  Rather than beg he shined shoes for a dollar per shine.  He bought a soccer ball, and when the soccer team needed the ball, he said they could have it if they let him play.  He continued to show his countrymen that people with disabilities mattered.  When his mother died, he rode a bicycle for ten days across Ghana, 400 miles, with only one leg.  Later, he would convince his countrymen to build and distribute 800 free wheelchairs to give to other Ghanians who were unable to walk.  While his faith wasn’t celebrated on Oprah or at the ESPN award ceremony, he said this to a Lutheran gathering a year ago.  “Don’t give up, don’t take no for an answer, and God will be with you all the time.”

 

What is courage? In ancient times, courage was the first virtue among the others because without courage nothing else takes place.  One Greek author wrote, “The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and anger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it.”  Robert Anthony has described courage as the willingness to be afraid and act anyway.  Being willing to follow God despite the fear, whether it’s known or unknown, is the courage that stands behind each great step of faith.

 

Most of us, like most of the people in the Bible, don’t start out with enormous courage.  God has made it so we have to take small steps to develop it, because this way He’s our partner in the quest for greater courage.  Eventually we get to the point where certain things become easier, but that’s only because we’ve learned courage by trusting Jesus to help us through life’s risks.

 

For example, I know a few missionaries who’ve risked much, left many, and taken Jesus Christ to the ends of the world.  But, their courage to make such incredible sacrifices didn’t come overnight.  It took a season of nurturing, a lifetime of learning that God’s trustworthy, and in the end stepping out because God had developed their courage.

 

It takes courage to face disease or serious illness, but many people who’ve done so wouldn’t say from the start that they had the courage to deal with it.  Most people, when faced with serious problems, cringe in fear.  Uncertain futures, overwhelming odds, traumatic turns in our world, each of these summons us to new levels of courage, and it’s when we rest our courage in the Lord rather than in our own ability that we can take those great steps of faith.

 

The story of Matthias in the Bible is all of six verses.  It begins with a prophecy from the Psalms.  Judas Iscariot had committed suicide once he realized the depth of his betrayal.  This left eleven apostles, but twelve was the number they knew God had intended.  For them, twelve was a symbol of wholeness in God’s order; it meant completeness.  The eleven apostles needed another to step into Judas’ place.

 

But let’s pause there for a moment.  Who in his right mind would do such a thing?  They had followed Jesus for three years, heard his teachings, seen his miracles, and how did it all end?  Jesus died on a cross in the most excruciating form of death yet invented by humanity.  Granted, Jesus appeared after his death and this was a remarkable, miraculous, life-changing thing for his followers.  But, in the back of their minds were his promises not about eternal glory, but about how they too would face persecution.  People would hate them because they hated him, too.  They would die, Jesus told them plainly.  For those who chose to follow Christ, even after his death and resurrection, there was no promise of earthly wealth, inheritance of God’s treasures, nor was there a prediction that people would even listen to their message.

 

Again, I ask you, who in his right mind would accept the call to be an apostle with odds like these against him?  There were two men the disciples had to choose from: two men who had been with them from the start of Jesus’ ministry, whose hearts were right with the Lord and with others, and likely who had gone out with them to proclaim the good news while Jesus was alive on earth.  So, the disciples prayed over the two men and cast lots to determine the leading of the Spirit.  The Spirit chose Matthias.

 

Choosing things by lots was common.  It’s like drawing straws today.  But for people of faith it helped them clarify what God’s will was for a certain situation. This was perfectly normal for them to do since as of yet the Holy Spirit hadn’t come upon each of them.  The lot fell on Matthias.  We’ll never know how he felt about it because Luke just keeps writing the story as if it were no big deal.  Evidently Matthias didn’t raise a fuss, tell them that he’d get back to them after a couple of days, or ask a couple of additional questions.  He knew full well the cost, and he understood the commitment.  He was a courageous man who took a great step of faith because he’d learned from the Master of courage Himself.

 

The commitments before you this morning pale by comparison of course, but they’re commitments nonetheless.  They’re opportunities to take a step toward mature faith.  Each time we’re asked to commit ourselves to God in personal ways it’s an opportunity to stand with all who’ve taken great steps of faith.

 

When we commit ourselves to the Lord and to the church we stand shoulder to shoulder with women like Hannah, whose prayer we used this morning for our call to worship.  Hannah, who was barren for years, faced mockery and community insults.  She wept before God for a child.  She fasted so that God would look on her with favor.  Her husband finally said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep?  Why do you not eat?  Why is your heart sad?”  One day she went to the temple and prayed these words: “O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you ... until the day of his death” (1 Sam 1:11).  When Samuel was born she remembered her oath of commitment to God, and without looking back, bargaining, or anxiety she committed her only son to the Lord for service in the Temple as a priest.  What an amazing woman of faith to stand shoulder to shoulder with when we commit ourselves to God and the church!

 

When we commit ourselves to the Lord and to the church we stand shoulder to shoulder with all persons who have grown in faith through the tangible expression of their faith.  We stand with Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Hannah, Mary, the widow who gave her single coin at the temple, and Matthias who accepted the call to apostleship without blinking.

 

Today is Commitment Sunday.  What does God require of you?  First, He requires our faithfulness.  We must be good stewards of His gifts that He’s given us.  Second, He requires our joy in giving.  We give back to God what belongs to God not as children forced into obedience, but as willing beloved, grateful for all He has done for us.  Third, He requires our courage.  God doesn’t want wimpy followers, but disciples emboldened by God’s strength to do mighty and amazing things.

 

The commitment cards in your bulletins focus on six ways to commit yourselves to Him and to the church.  Commitment is more than about tithing money.  It’s about the courage to commit yourselves to the work of God that goes on in this church.  I see before me some of the most courageous Christians I’ve ever known.  I see your commitment week in and week out through financial hardship, ailing bodies, and openness of mind at an age when change comes very hard. That God would call me to your service is a humbling joy that I thank Him for every day.  If you’re struggling to commit in deeper ways, then I encourage you to let go of the struggle.  If you feel that your plate is full, then pray for a bigger plate.  God will enrich and enliven your faith even when the step is small.  But He’ll do nothing until you let go of the fear that binds you, and commit yourself to Him and to the church in a new way.  Peace be with you as you prayerfully respond today.  Hallelujah.  Amen.