Courage in Crisis

Prayer for Illumination

Eternal God,

Whose Word silences the shouts of the mighty:

Quiet within us every voice but your own.

Speak to us as we hear your word,

That by the power of the Holy Spirit,

We might receive grace to show Christ’s love

In lives given to your service. Amen

Sermon

What we are going to talk about today is courage in crisis. 

Luke 19:28-44 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.  As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them,“go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.  If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them.  “As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They replied, “The Lord needs it.” They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.  As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.“When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.  The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

Defying Convention

Courage under crisis often defies convention.

We are all now realizing that in times of crisis the conventional way of doing things simply won’t suffice. The writer Simon Sinek recently recorded a zoom meeting he had with his employees, it was the type of new meeting that I am sure many of us are getting used to these days,  all 20 of them, in their little boxes, like the Brady Bunch, dressed with their nice tops coupled with pajama bottoms, drinking coffee, looking anxiously on, hoping their leader will say something that might draw them out of their concern. He told them that this is not the first time that a company has been impacted by significant change, and the companies that survive are the companies that can adjust. He said many of you may have a different job at the end of this, but if we can make some essential changes, we have the opportunity to thrive in a whole new way.  His final point to them was; “We do not need to be so concerned with WHAT we do, so much as WHY we do what we do. If we truly believe in the reason for why we do what we do, we can always find a way to do it.”

Jesus was driven by the most powerful WHY anyone has ever known.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Luke 4:18-19 

In order to accomplish His WHY, Jesus was not afraid to go to places no one else would go, he was not afraid to speak truths that no one else would say, and he was not afraid to serve hurting people, who no one else was willing to serve. 

Certainly, this is the Spirit that is animating His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (what we call Palm Sunday). The Jews were expecting their victorious King to make his way into Jerusalem on a war horse. Why wouldn't they, It was what they had always seen before. They were expecting Jesus to be the next great conqueror, to finally come and vanquish their Roman oppressors, in the way mythical heroes of the past had done. But Jesus knew what the conventional way produces. “Live by the sword, die by the sword.” It has been the tragic story of humanity ever since The Fall, and that wasn't His mission. Leadership is finding a new direction, not simply putting yourself at the front of a herd headed over a cliff. 

Instead, Jesus choose a humble donkey. A symbol that defied convention and signified His mission. By choosing the donkey, Jesus revealed that He is a new kind of King; with a New kind of Kingdom. He defied convention; when he brought the Kingdom of God to Earth, as it is in Heaven. 

Not Afraid to Cry 

Courage under crisis is not being afraid to cry. 

Recently I listened to a Fresh Air podcast entitled; “Winston Churchill and Fearless Leadership in Times of Crisis.” It described how Churchill was able to keep the people of Great Britain together during, “The Blitz.” From 1940-1941 the Nazis killed  40,000 civilians. In it Erick Larson points out that one of the key characteristics of Churchill's leadership; were his tears. Churchill is widely known for his inspirational speeches, but equally as inspirational were his visits to the cities bombed the night before. When Churchill visited bomb-damaged Plymouth in May 1941, Tom Harrison of the Mass-Observation movement saw, “great tears of angry sorrow in his eyes. He was so visibly moved by the suffering that he saw.” Churchill's tears revealed how connected he was to the suffering of his people. 

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it. v. 41

Jesus tears were not for himself. His tears were for the people. His lost people. They would reject their savior, and separate themselves from their God. Jesus became human; so that he could cry with us. So that he could show that when our heart breaks, God’s heart breaks as well. There was a powerful connection made with His people, as he made his way to the Temple on a road lined with worshippers. Men, women and children laid down their coats, palm branches and loudly declared Hosanna! Hosanna! All the while Jesus wept for them.

Commitment

The third quality of a courageous leaser in a time of crisis is commitment. 

There was a story by Steve Lopez in the LA times this week that exemplified courage in crisis. The story is about three ER Doctors who work together, treating  COVID-19 at Good Samaritan Hospital. All three of them came to the conclusion that since they were coming into contact with the virus everyday, they didn't feel comfortable going home to their young families. Believing that it is only a matter of time before they get infected,  one of the Doctors, by the name of Andrew Herzik, who is a Redondo Beach local, convinced his parents to move in with his family, so the three of them could all live together in his parents home, while they work relentless hours combatting the virus.  Consider the sacrifice, as Andrew intentionally waits until his 2 1/2 year old son Gus is asleep before he goes to see his wife, because he knows if his little guy, who has asthma, sees him; he could not be stopped from running into Daddy’s arms. 

These are the heroes living in our neighborhood. They took an oath; the Hippocratic Oath, and nothing will stop them from keeping it. 

When it comes to Us, Jesus is not wishy washy, playing both sides, or hedging His bets. At the beginning of Holy Week, as he stood on the Mount Olives, looking out over the city, he knew what was before Him. He knew he was going to a brutal death, on a Roman cross, but His Passion was for us, there was never any doubt about His commitment. 

Friends, Corona Virus is not the only thing that is highly contagious. So is courage. Jesus’ leadership, displayed during the Holy week, is vital for us to emulate in this time of crisis.

Martin Luther who wrote in 1527:

I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance inflict and pollute others and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me, however I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely as stated above. See this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God.

- from “Whether One May Flee From a Deadly Plague”