SERMON: PENTECOST 4. Luke 10:1–11, 16–20 July 7, 2025

July 7, 2025 
Faith-La Fe Lutheran Church
Pastor Veronica Alvarez

It’s easy to wave flags and sing anthems this weekend, and say everything is fine. But we are not fooled.

On July 4th, the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” was signed into law. But if you look beneath the shiny wrapping, what’s inside is deeply dangerous especially for our immigrant families, LGBTQ+ siblings, low-income communities, and anyone who doesn’t fit the mold of power.

This isn’t a bill that builds the beloved community. It divides. It excludes. It tightens control. And it dares to do it in the name of peace.

So today, the question is: How do we stay faithful when lies are dressed up as law? How do we stay grounded in the Gospel when the truth is twisted and compassion is treated as weakness?

Paul’s letter to the Galatians was written to a tired, confused community. False teachers had come, saying: If you want to belong, follow these rules. Do religion our way. Be “pure.” Sound familiar?

Paul pushes back hard. He says, “Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked.” The Spirit of Christ is not about appearances or control. It’s about bearing one another’s burdens, sowing seeds of grace, and refusing to grow weary in doing what is right even when it’s unpopular.

In Luke, Jesus sends out 72 ordinary people. Not with power, not with weapons, not with policy but with peace. And with instructions: If you’re rejected, shake the dust off and keep going. You don’t have to force it. Just keep walking in courage.

We live in a time when truth is under attack not just facts, but a deeper truth: who matters, who belongs, and what kind of people we are called to be.

This new law claims to restore order. But we see what’s really happening:

• Immigrants and people of color are being further criminalized.

• Trans and queer people are being erased.

• Poor communities are being pushed out of sight.

• Churches like ours are being pressured to stay quiet.

 But we won't.

Paul reminds us: We are a new creation. We don’t need approval from corrupt systems to keep doing what’s right.
 And as Luke reminds us, Jesus knew rejection was part of the job. The 72 were sent anyway not to win, but to witness.

So, what do we do? We plant truth in the middle of the lie.

• We keep welcoming all. Not just quietly. But publicly.

• We protect the vulnerable. Especially when the law won’t.

• We tell the truth. Even when it costs us.

• We become a spiritual refuge; a house of resistance soaked in grace.

We don't wait for the next election. We act now. Through advocacy, through food drives, sanctuary and prayer, by showing up at vigils, peaceful protest and community meetings. by refusing to abandon each other.  This is our ministry. This is our witness. This is our call

Paul writes: “Do not grow weary in doing what is right.”

I’ll be honest; I have been weary.

I am guilty of giving up at times of letting the weight of the world, the endless stream of bad news, the indifference of those in power, get to me.  I kept hoping our elected representatives would listen. I kept praying they’d remember who they serve. But I began to believe they never would. That nothing would change and I keep praying for those who keep fighting on our behalf. That they won’t give up.

When the news is exhausting, when justice feels out of reach, when you’re tempted to give up like me please don’t. Keep sowing seeds. Keep showing up. Keep choosing love over fear, truth over convenience, and Jesus over all the systems that dehumanize and divide.

This isn’t about being perfect advocates or tireless warriors. It’s about staying in the fight, even with trembling hands. It’s about encouraging each other when we see someone slipping. It’s about resting when we need to but not giving up.

At Campformation this week, I was reminded when we surround ourselves with people who have hope, incredible things can happen. We’ll find the strength we’ve been looking for. We’ll find the peace and the courage to trust God because there are people right next to us who are also trusting God. Together, we can share our light and our hope with one another, even when things feel unstable or uncertain.

There’s real hope here not the cheap kind that ignores reality, but the kind that’s rooted in God’s unshakable truth. The world isn’t suddenly better. The systems of power and politics are still messy. Laws change. Leaders rise and fall. But the goodness of God doesn’t flinch. Jesus says, “Your names are written in heaven.” That means our identity and future are not up for debate. Our value is not set by policies or parties. It’s secured by grace.

That’s our security not who’s in office, not what gets passed or blocked in Congress. Those things matter, yes. But they are not the foundation. Our foundation is Christ. Our anchor is the God who sees us, calls us, and claims us.

God’s kingdom cannot be legislated out of existence. They can’t vote it away. They can’t silence it with a gavel. They can’t erase it with a pen. Because the kingdom of God isn’t made of paper or politics. It’s made of love and justice and mercy.   It lives in us. It breathes in communities like ours. And it keeps showing up in every act of courage, in every word of compassion, in every stubborn refusal to give in to hate.

So no, our calling hasn’t changed. We are still sent just like those 72 in the gospel into a world that doesn’t always get it.

We are still loved deeply, relentlessly, unconditionally. And we are still powerful not in the way the world defines power, but in ways it can’t comprehend. We carry the Spirit. We bear the name of Jesus. We walk with truth. That’s real power. That’s real hope.

And that’s why we don’t back down. That’s why we keep showing up. That’s why we keep doing the work.  Because we know who holds us.

So together we Shake off the dust not from failure, but from false promises.
we Shake off the lies not with bitterness, but with determination.
and we Shake off the fear and walk forward together in the Spirit.

Let them pass their bills.  We will keep building the kingdom of God.

In the name of the One who sends us out two by two, in the name of Jesus who walked dusty roads with nothing but love and power.

 we keep walking together in Christ.  Amen.