Matthew 6:19–24
I remember what he told me like a memory caught in amber, its DNA, its full body preserved, though it was nearly 20 years ago, and he died 10 years ago. It was a Wednesday evening at church, and I was free of youth ministry duties that night, so I sat in on a class on Revelation with the Rev. Dr. Timothy F. Simpson. On that night, he was pontificating, as he did, but in a way that you found spellbinding, on the dangers of the Left Behind video game, which extended the universe of the books and movies to something children and teens could participate in. And it was participation in messianic violence, redemptive violence, and religion-soaked and sanctioned violence. Because I was the resident youth minister, Simpson zeroed in on me and said, “You have to speak up about this with youth and for youth. If you don’t, who will? And there will come a time when it might cost you. You’ll have to make a choice.”
Simpson understood the cost of peace, and it was clearly his treasure. He had a towering intellect and mesmerizing charisma, which he could have employed for any master. He had left the service of his fundamentalist upbringing and pastorate. He could have crossed over to milquetoast, profitable liberalism. He could have crossed over to moderate, inoffensive, big-salaried ministry. Instead, you could find him, for instance, being arrested outside the White House in March 2007 while protesting the Iraq War through song and prayer alongside voices of conscience like now Sen. Raphael Warnock (Ga.). From the time he was my college professor, Simpson showed me, every step of the way, that we had to choose between peace and violence, justice and Mammon.
I have remembered those words as I made choices about my faith, how I raise my children, how I am involved in my church and community, and how I direct my career. Simpson helped me light the lamp; the inner eye lit up by the peace and justice of Christ. Sometimes I can only see a couple of paces ahead, but my heart and my treasure are in each step.
Prayer:
O God, your justice and peace are our joy. Help us to trust Christ’s light to guide our way, even when it is unpopular and unprofitable. Show us the treasure that is worth our hearts. Gird us up through your Spirit to make the difficult choices to serve you, that your kingdom may come more fully in our lives and your world. Amen.
Matt Hartley is the community coordinator for the Young Adult Transformation Collective. He has served in Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) youth ministry and camp and conference ministry roles for 20 years. He lives in Jacksonville, Florida.
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