The Burden That Follows the Word: Drake Lewis
The following homily was shared at our Sunday Evening Eucharist service 9/6/26.
Scripture Reading:
“So you, son of man, I have made a watchman over the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the Wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his, that wicked person shall die by his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.” (Ezekiel 33:7-9)
I would be lying to say that this reading isn’t personal. It spoke to me about my own experiences with sharing the Word of God, whether that be through evangelism or friendships. It reminded me of the bitter reality that anyone who lives in Christ faces when sharing the Word: there will be people who reject it or ignore it. You can be led by the Spirit to approach them and speak with them, and you can do all that you are able to do, and they can still choose to not come to Christ. And here, the Lord tells us that our life is saved by doing his will. But how can we be okay with our own life being saved when theirs isn’t? How can we wipe the dust off our feet and move on to the next thing? Have we failed?
But something I hadn’t thought about is how God feels about this. How does He feel about his own creation rejected the one who made them? How does he feel seeing the Earth covered in the very thing meant to destroy the things he cares for? How does he feel seeing his people struggle in sin? In verse eleven in this same chapter of Ezekiel, God declares this:
“Say to them, ‘As I live, declared the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that they turn from their way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel.’”
Before reading this, I had never given a thought to how God feels about his people. I knew and have seen his compassion time and time again, but never have I felt such weight come from a Father pleading to his sons and daughters to come back to him in such a way as this. God shares in our sorrow for those that reject him, and he is doing everything to get them to turn away from sin. We may do everything we are called to do and face rejection in that moment, but God will continue to do everything he can to chase those that reject him and rejoice when they return, just like the parable of the ninety-nine sheep and the one that goes astray.
So I’m here to tell you this. You will see rejection for the Word. It’s inevitable. But that rejection is not failure. Obedience in sharing the Word is a success. Don’t let fear of rejection discourage you from speaking with someone. You can be a step on their path to Christ. You can give them a chance to be saved and start living a full life of fulfillment. So don’t withhold the Word. Because you don’t know if the Word you give them is the drop of rain that will lead them to the waters of Baptism.
Amen.
Drake Lewis is a sophomore from Lucky, LA majoring in Chemical Engineering. He enjoys tinkering with old cars and participating in sporting clays competitions. Since he entered our building last fall quarter, it has been such a joy to get to know him and to see him become more and more connected to the ACF community. He is also a member of this year’s Discipleship Team. We are excited to see the ways God will continue to move in his life!