Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The text on which this morning's message is based comes from our Gospel lesson (Matthew 10: 16-23).

You've probably all heard this old piece advice: If you want to stay out of arguments, if you want to keep the peace at a party or with a neighbor – DON'T DISCUSS POLITICS OR RELIGION. We live in a society where both topics can be hot button issues, sure to bring up some form of disagreement. We're in the final stages of scores of hotly contested political campaigns, in which candidates are debating with each other on TV and in auditoriums. They are definitely disagreeing with each other on many topics. We live in an age political ads, negative campaigning, where breaking the 8th commandment against one's opponent is a common, even expected strategy for winning. When it comes to the first part of that old advice: "Don't discuss politics", I can't give you much counsel from God's Word. In most cases you will need to make up your own sanctified mind if a particular issue is important enough to discuss to the point of disagreement. Scripture does not have much to say about the vast majority of political issues like levels of taxes or spending on roads or entitlements, or whether or not we should keep Daylight Savings Time. Only on issues where government promotes or requires the breaking of God's Word can it be shown that we SHOULD, as Christians, discuss politics.

But when it comes to the second part of that old adage: "Don't talk about religion," God's Scriptures, including our texts today, have much to say to the contrary.   Daniel could have shrunk back from expressing his faith in God. Daniel knew the King's political edict against praying. Yet he continued to express his confidence in his God, and doing so in a public way that others could see. He didn't flaunt his faith, didn't go and directly challenge the king's other advisors who were trying to trap him. But neither did he shrink back from his commitment to his Lord. He continued to pray to God, not waving it in the noses of others, but showing his resolve, his assurance that His Lord was his primary hope and life.

What did it get Daniel? An awkward, uncomfortable debate at a social gathering? Well you heard the old story again. Into the lion's den he went. Socially speaking, Daniel lost the debate and it very nearly cost him his earthly life. But in terms of confidently confessing his love, his devotion, his trust in his Lord, Daniel was a winner. When the king saw the power of Daniel's God to save, the king wrote this: "I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. "For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions."

Today is Reformation Sunday, the day we look back to the 16th Century heroes of the Christian faith, especially Martin Luther, and consider their roles in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the God who saves. Like Daniel, Martin Luther did not shrink back from sharing his faith with others, first nailing his 95 theses on the church door for debate. Luther got much more than he expected. The actions he thought would simply lead to a serious, but undramatic academic exercise instead changed the course of history. Within months the most powerful political and religious leaders of that age had rallied their forces against Luther, calling for his death and threatening anyone who helped him with excommunication, which for them meant spiritual death. For the rest of his life Luther was a hunted man, always facing the possibility of being kidnapped or assassinated because of his profession of faith. Luther, like Daniel, was always willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of his Lord, always willing to die the martyr's death if it was required. On numerous occasions Luther's friends and protectors had to forbid him, against his pleas, from going to meetings with those in league with the Pope and Emperor because they feared Luther's life would be taken. But in the cases when he did go, like the Diet of Worms, the meeting in the town of Worms, Germany, Luther did discuss religion dramatically, confessing his faith in his Lord Jesus Christ. When Luther stood there face to face with the Emperor who was calling for him to renounce his faith in a God who saves by grace alone through faith alone, Luther said "Here I stand, I can do no other."

Jesus said to his disciples: "16 I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 "Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their (houses of worship). 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to (other unbelievers). 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."

If you're like me and you hear those words, you're tempted to say "Thanks Lord, but I'll pass. How about if you just send me out like a sheep among other sheep? How about if you only haul people like Daniel and Luther before governors and kings? You know, I'm not really into that being arrested part. I wouldn't do well in prison. Maybe you can find someone else." I pray that none of us here today are ever arrested and imprisoned or killed for confessing our faith. But thousands, even millions of Christians are still imprisoned and killed. We Christians in America do live in relative safety on account of our faith, but our safety, our protection of religious liberty under our political constitution is unusual. Around the world, Christians who are confessing their Lord before men are being abused, discriminated against, and martyred because of the name of Jesus. This month's Lutheran Witness has a cover page article about the extent of the persecution of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. Political and physical persecution exists in more than 35 countries and the atrocities against our fellow believers are growing worse. This article challenges us who are relatively safe to learn more aboaut their persecution and to consistently pray for and help them. I encourage you to read this article if you haven't already.

I know when I was a kid I use to think that discussing my faith in Jesus to the point that someone would want to kill me for it seemed absurd. I reasoned that if I ever faced persecution or death for the sake of Jesus, I could temporarily deny that faith so as to live and then reconfess my faith again later.

But I was ignoring verses like those in our text. Matthew 10: 22 "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved" or in verses 32-33 "Whoever confesses me before men, I will also confess him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." I can remember thinking as a kid, "Lord, that seems pretty extreme. What advantage is it for me, even for you, that I or other Christians would be so zealous as to face even death for discussing you, for confessing Jesus? Paul tells his pupil Timothy 6: "12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time."

It was not until God's Word reminded me time and again what Jesus had done for me that I began to comprehend and trust the importance of consistently confessing His saving name. Jesus stood before a governor, Pontius Pilate, and made the good confession for me. He testified, he confessed there for you! There before the political power of the time, He stood accused of crimes and sins He did not commit, but yet was convicted. If Jesus had believed the old adage "Don't discuss religion", we would all still be dead in our sins. But instead he spent three years telling his disciples what it meant to be the Christ, that He the Christ had come to lay down his life for his sheep. He came to take on the wolves and lions of this world for his sheep, and first be devoured by them in our place. But then He rose again from the dead to confess his power over sin, death and the devil. Because of his confession on the cross "Father forgive them, they know not what they do" (Luke 23: 34), we know that we are forgiven. We know, like Daniel, that we are the children of this saving God. We stand then in the line of those who have followed God's Word and not shrunk back from discussing God's Word with others, from telling them that He is a righteous and saving God. When He gives us the opportunity, which He has prepared in advance for us (Ephesians 2: 10), we have the privilege of telling this to others. We stand in the line of those like Daniel and Luther and all of our brothers and sisters in Christ currently suffering for his name. With gentleness and respect you too can "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (1 Peter 3: 15). In his good time He will return, and to those who have remained faithful to the end, He will give a crown of glory that will never fade away (1 Peter 5: 4). Like Daniel and Luther and others we confess his saving name before men and look forward to that last day when we will hear Him confess our name before His father in heaven.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 7)