"Do Not Be Afraid, For I Am With You" - Rev. John Gorin

What happens when following Jesus moves from the joy of the harvest to the hard work of facing real opposition? Continuing our journey through Matthew's Gospel, this message picks up where Jesus commissions his disciples. He doesn't offer a sugarcoated vision, but speaks honest words about what lies ahead. He sends them out "like sheep among wolves," warning of councils, persecution, and even division within families. It's a sobering shift from the excitement of being sent into the harvest to the genuine cost of the effort. But Jesus doesn't leave his followers in fear. Three times he says: Do not be afraid. And he gives three reasons why. This week's teaching explores what that means for us today. It speaks not only to Christians around the world facing high levels of persecution, but also to those of us navigating faith in a culture that's grown more skeptical. What does it look like to live openly as a follower of Jesus in a place like Silicon Valley, where assumptions and "baggage" are already assigned before we say a word? And how does the example of Christ himself, who "for the joy set before him endured the cross," reframe the way we understand opposition? Drawing on Scripture, history, and the witness of believers like Stephen and Augustine, this message offers a grounded, hopeful reminder. Our circumstances may not change, but the presence of God can transform how we walk through them. Fear gives way to peace when we trust that we are seen, known, and deeply loved. Join us as we sit with a difficult but freeing truth: the same resurrection power Jesus displayed is the power he extends to us. A sermon from Holy Trinity Silicon Valley. To find out more about Holy Trinity head to https://www.holytrinitysv.org