Coming to America

Disciples of Jesus have always faced an uphill battle

Editor’s note: Look for a sermon or lesson from Houston’s diverse faiths every week in Belief.

Some 165 years ago, Germans looking for a better life for themselves and their families set their faces to America and ended up in a swamp called Houston. They formed a community and eventually a congregation, the First German Evangelical Lutheran Church. In 1851, they called a pastor and created their charter. There were no guarantees and a lot of reasons to be discouraged, but these immigrants plowed ahead.

In recent years, some Ethiopians also set their faces to America. With uncertainty back home, they came to America searching for religious freedom and a better life. Houston is no longer a swamp, though it still has a lot of humidity and not a few mosquitoes. Transitioning from Ethiopia to Houston is hard, no doubt, just as it once was for Germans.

Near the end of Jesus’ ministry, after moving about from town to town in the countryside, after healing the sick and casting out demons and even raising the dead, it was time for him to go to Jerusalem. Those who would plot against him were scheming and the snares were set. The inevitable clash with the Temple authorities would have to take place so God’s plan of salvation could take effect. Unlike immigrants to America, when Jesus set his face to Jerusalem, he had few reasons to hope, save the faithfulness of God. For Jerusalem, of course, would not be the site of his established kingdom, but of his death.

Now, this “setting his face to Jerusalem” caused a lot of offense. Some towns would not receive Jesus because it seemed he was looking past those towns and toward Jerusalem. But Jesus had a mission and it had to be fulfilled. He told would-be followers that if they wanted a secure and comfortable place to sleep at night, they shouldn’t follow him. He told those who made excuses — even burying their own fathers! — that they weren’t fit for the kingdom of God. Just as his face was firmly set toward Jerusalem, so too, would all

future disciples need to set their faces toward the things of God.

In spite of our romanticization of the past, disciples of Jesus have always faced an uphill battle. Sometimes we have been persecuted. Sometimes we have been surrounded by weak or false Christianity and discerning the truth was even harder than when we were persecuted! We find ourselves in the latter situation now.

Furthermore, when Jesus set his face to Jerusalem, and as we set our faces toward the things of God, please note that we are not only pledging our obedience to the Gospel. We also are pledging our obedience to God’s Law. Everyone was fine with Jesus going around proclaiming good news and feeding 5,000 people at once. And the same is true today. Everyone is fine with us proclaiming good news. It’s the bad news that comes first that caused people to pick up stones to kill Jesus and causes

“And let us all remember that our most important emigration will be from here to heaven. Moving from this fallen world to the glory of heaven will be our most important journey and our greatest joy.” The Rev. Evan McClanahan, pastor of First Evangelical Lutheran Church

rejection of us today. For the Gospel is only good because we first admit the truth of God’s Law: that we actually are in need of God’s grace because of our sin.

Where the northern half of the West has gotten lazy is not in proclaiming the name of Jesus or even that Jesus is good, great, nice or kind. It is in proclaiming the Law and the wrath of God from which Jesus saves the believer. So coming just in time is our very own cavalry! Christians from all over the world, from places where Christianity cannot be taken for granted, are coming to America as evangelists. We live now in the age of reverse evangelism. The same nations that sent out missionaries (Germany and America among them) are now receiving them in return. Talk about a return on investment.

So I say to our non-American brothers and sisters in Christ: Welcome to America! We need you. Preach and preach and preach some more. What can we do to help? Do not see us as your benefactors. Rather, see yourselves as our spiritual support. Help us when we are weak. Give us courage when we falter.

And let us all remember that our most important emigration will be from here to heaven. Moving from this fallen world to the glory of heaven will be our most important journey and our greatest joy. It won’t matter then where you are from, what color your skin is or what language you speak. For all of God’s people will be gathered. Give thanks to Jesus Christ whose good works of death and resurrection have provided for our future family reunion. And perhaps by the grace of God, we will even get to feast on smoked brisket and Ethiopian coffee once there. One can certainly hope. Amen.