Courage

The Rev. Joseph Winston

May 27, 2007

Sermon

Grace and peace are gifts for you from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.1
It has been reported that John Wayne once said, “Courage is being scared to
death – but saddling up anyway.” This quote captures the essence of courage.
Courage lies somewhere between two different extremes. On the one hand,
we have the coward. This word comes to us from an old French word that means
one with tail. It seems that the root of coward took its cue from the way a dog
acts when it is scared. It tucks its tail between its legs and runs away. This is what
we normally mean when we call a person a coward. This individual is running
away from the problem rather than facing it directly. On the other hand, and in
complete contrast to the coward, we have the reckless. This person shows no fear
at all. At first glance this might appear to be a noble attribute. However, society
1
Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians
1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 1:3

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has rightly decided that recklessness is something to be avoided. For example, a
reckless driver ignores all laws and operates their vehicle in an unsafe manner.
This type of behavior endangers every one on the roads and is illegal in Texas and
many other states.
John Wayne’s definition of courage tells us that it can be found someplace
between cowardice and recklessness. We face our fears and do what needs to be
done.
Many of John Wayne’s one hundred and fifty six movies have courage as a
central ingredient. (And it only seems appropriate one day after his one hundredth
birthday, to look how some of his most famous films capture the true meaning of
courage.) In the movie 1948 Red River, a tyrannical Thomas Dunson, played by
John Wayne, had to face his fears and drive his cattle from his ranch in Texas near
the Red River to be sold at market. A deeply flawed Ethan Edwards, also played
by Wayne, takes years to track down his niece who was taken by the Comanches
in the critically acclaimed 1956 movie The Searchers. In True Grit, a movie from
1969, a fourteen year old girl named Mattie Ross, avenges her father’s death. For
this task, she hires John Wayne’s character, Rooster Cogburn: an aged, one-eyed,
overweight deputy that is always drinking whiskey. Rooster’s courage is apparent
near the end of the movie. Mattie has been bitten by a snake and she needs medical
help to live. Rooster puts Mattie on her horse and then rides the horse hard until it
dies, he then carries Mattie, and finally steals a wagon to bring Mattie to a doctor.
Today’s lesson from Acts is a study of courage.
Just before the reading from Acts, about one hundred and twenty of Christ’s

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followers are gathering daily for prayer. Even though they are literally follow-
ing Christ’s commandment to stay in Jerusalem, they are not sharing the Word
about Jesus with anyone else. No other Jew or Greek is converted during this time
because they keep this life changing news all to themselves. About all that they
manage to do during this time is to replace Judas with Matthias.
This brings us to today’s reading. Once again the narrator reminds us that this
group is gathering and is not going anywhere. Then something like a wind rushes
in the room and it seems as if they are on fire. Out of no where, the men and
women are given a fantastic gift of being able to communicate with others. This
news astonishes every one who is present. Peter, the same man who denied the
Lord three times and left Jesus during His death on the cross, tells the crowd that
it is too early in the morning to have false courage given by drink. By interpreting
the the days actions through the words of the prophet Joel, Peter tells the us that
this courage comes from the Holy Spirit.2 Peter does this by reminding us that
God’s power to speak the Truth will be poured out on everyone: men and woman,
old and young, slaves and free. This gift of the Spirit, first given at Pentecost,
indicates a new age has started in the world.3 The result of God’s work in the
world is that you no longer have to be a Jew to be saved.
After today’s reading, Peter continues to exhort the crowd to believe in Jesus,
to repent of wrongdoings, and to be baptized. The results of this message are
absolutely amazing. That very day the early church grows from one hundred and
2
The citation from Joel 3:1-5 basically agrees with what is found here in Acts.?, .
3
Specifically, the gift of the Spirit is the start and not the climax of a new age.?, .

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twenty to over three thousand. But that is not all that changes. While the group
still gathers together, the church no longer is a bunch of cowards. They have the
courage to go into all of the World and speak God’s Word.
In the Lutheran Church, one of the most overlooked gifts of the Spirit is
courage. Every believer is given the ability to bear witness to God’s work in the
world. Some people will tell the world what needs to be changed while others
will speak out on what the future will bring. Both of these messages need to be
heard because one holds people accountable for their actions and the other gives
the promise of what is possible.
Each of us have been given this courage to go out into the world and tell others
about the love of Jesus. This is the central point of Peter’s speech. The problem
is that in some way or another we all shirk this responsibility. Some of us refuse
to tell our family and friends about God because we think that this is the work
of the “professional” clergy. Others of us ignore those around us because of our
insecurity. In short, we just do not know what to say. To all of our excuses, the
lesson from Acts simple says, “No!” You all have been given God’s Spirit, go and
tell others about the God who died for you.
In each of us is God’s Spirit. This is part of today’s celebration of Pentecost.
God came into us at our baptism and refuses to ever leave us alone. This is the
Good News contained in the Scriptures. God has claimed everyone as His own.
It does not matter how many times we have been cowards and have been afraid
to tell others about Jesus nor has God abandoned us if we have swung to the
other extreme and recklessly forced Christianity down people’s throats. God still

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loves us and lives with us daily. In the good times and in the bad, the Spirit stays
with us and brings to God all of our hurts, desires, and praise. In addition to
communicating our needs to the Father, the gift of the Spirit means that we have
been given everything that Jesus has been given, including the gift of everlasting
life. Because of God’s Spirit in you, you will live forever.
John Wayne’s wit and movies have shown us what it means to be courageous.
He has told us that courage is nothing more than an average everyday human, with
all of our faults and flaws, doing what is right in the face of danger.
This also is the calling of every Christian. The Holy Spirit has filled each of us
at our baptism and given us the ability, yes the courage, to tell others about Jesus.
If we as a congregation do not have the courage to do what God has set before us
then we deserve to die.
“The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.”4

4
Philippians 4:7.