Sunday, July 4, 2010

Time After Pentecost – Lectionary 14
Isaiah 66:10-14
Psalm 66:1-8
Galatians 6: [1-6] 7-16
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Oh bless our God, ye peoples, And make the voice of his praise to be heard; Who holdeth our soul in life, And suffereth not our feet to be moved.

In Luke 9, Jesus sends the Twelve into the towns to share the Kingdom of God. He gives them the instructions to take nothing and to stay in one place until it is time to leave. If the people in the town will not receive them, then they should shake the dust off their feet and leave. Obeying this command takes a great deal of trust, but we expect that the Twelve have the faith and knowledge to do so with confidence. It is easy to wonder what this story has to do with us. We are not the Apostles. We might be willing to follow Jesus, to use the gifts we have been given in our every day lives, sharing God’s kingdom with the people we meet along the way.

But do we think this command is meant for us, too? Do we think Jesus is calling us to go out into the world with nothing, to stay in stranger’s homes as long as we are able, to share the Kingdom of God with faith, trusting that God will take care of our needs? It is tempting to think that this command is only for the Apostles, that God isn’t calling us to such a big commitment.

Yet, in today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus is making a similar command to a larger group of disciples. Jesus wasn’t followed by just 12 men. He had dozens of followers, perhaps hundreds if you include women and children. There were at least seventy (or seventy-two, depending on the version) followers who were sent on a similar mission. The instructions were similar: do not take any money or extra clothes. They were to travel light and trust in God.

I can’t travel light. It isn’t that I don’t trust God to take care of me, but I need my stuff. Now, I can definitely live without as much as I have in my life. I often joked that it would be fine if the movers lost our entire truck. We’d just start over and I would probably enjoy replacing everything with something new. Would I have been happy if it had happened? Probably not, but I don’t think I’m so attached to my stuff that I couldn’t live without it.

However, I like to pack for my trips. I like to make sure I have everything I could possibly need. I take appropriate clothing for every occasion and weather condition. I pack enough snacks for the car to feed an army. I take hygiene items I rarely ever use. Should I take a swimming suit, even if I’m sure there isn’t a pool? Better take it; you never know what might happen. I have a stack of books prepared for my next vacation, even though I’m not planning to have that much time to read! I gather plenty of money even though I can easily find an ATM or use a debit card. I need black shoes, white shoes and brown shoes so that I have matching shoes for whichever outfit I decide to wear. By the time I’m done packing, the car is full and there is barely room for us to sit!

My preparation goes beyond packing. I plan every possibility while I’m there. I’m headed to Alabama in a few weeks, taking Zack for a camp at the University of Alabama and I’ll have several days to myself. I’ve been surfing the Internet for ideas of activities to do while I’m there, downloading brochures and gathering information. I’ve been to AAA for my maps and I’ve had mechanics check my car to ensure it will be safe to drive. It took days for me to decide on which hotel to book so that I would be comfortable and in a convenient location for my travels.

I’m not sure what I’d do if Jesus told me to go without any money or bag. I am sure I could survive without so much stuff, and I have managed to pack more lightly for certain trips. But I like to be prepared for everything and anything. I like to know where I will be sleeping and how to get to the best places to visit. I like knowing where every rest area is along the way, so I’m hoping that I won’t ever be sent on this type of mission.

It’s easy to say that God doesn’t talk to His people this way or command them to serve Him with the same trust and confidence. However, God does talk to us and send us out into the world in ways that aren’t quite comfortable. What we learn from this lesson is that in every circumstance we are called to trust in God. He’ll be there for us, preparing everything along the way. Sometimes we’ll be rejected, but even in that He’s made everything ready. He’s given us the strength to go on, to pass by those who aren’t willing to receive us and go on to share His message with those who are ready to hear.

I think it is interesting that Jesus says, “And if a son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him: but if not, it shall turn to you again.” It is almost as if the disciples could tangibly sense the coming and going of their peace. Can we really see peace rest on someone?

The peace of the disciples may not look like a dove or have a physical body, but we can see peace in the faces and actions of others. Have you ever entered a home where you can feel the tension and stress? Sometimes it takes little more than a kind word and a hug to break that tension and make everyone more comfortable. At other times, the tension is too much to overcome. Everyone is on edge and ready to attack, no matter who it is that gets in their way. A word of peace will not bring peace, but will cause the recipients to lash out. It is important that if we enter into a place like this that we do not take on the tension and stress.

Jesus promises the peace will return, although I can’t imagine that there is only so much peace to go around. If the home welcomes the peace, then everyone will feel it. If the home rejects the peace, then we have to remain in that which God has already given us or we will be tempted into anger or hatred or (like James and John last week) violence. Jesus promises that the peace will return so that the disciples, and us, will be aware of its presence even when there seems to be no peace.

We may not be sent into the world as the disciples, but we are called to take the message of the Kingdom into the world in which we live. We might be able to take our purses or extra shoes, but we still need to trust that God is doing the work. We also must remember that it isn’t our message, but God’s message, that we are sharing. If He is prepared to be rejected because of it, why do we think that we can use human responses to get them to listen and receive it?

If they listen to us, they are listening to God. If they reject us, it isn’t us that they are rejecting, but God. We need not take their rejection personally. When the disciples returned, excited about the work they had been doing, Jesus reminded them that it wasn’t their success about which they should rejoice but God’s work in their lives. “Nevertheless in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” God has indeed given us the gifts to bring transformation and reconciliation to the world. But we do not have the right to boast in our accomplishments, but only in the cross of Christ.

Numbers are important. We keep track of many different numbers in the Church. How many people belong to our congregation? How many attend on a regular basis? How much money do they give to the ministry? During stewardship campaigns we are given dozens of different charts noting how many people give how much money and how much we can do with every cent. We keep track of growth and losses, and often compare ourselves to other congregations. “This church is doing well, but that one is having trouble. What is the first church doing right and the second church doing wrong? What should we do to be like the first church and not like the second?”

I remember when I was actively ministering on the Internet that there were some who made a big deal about keeping track of their successes. “I saved two people today.” I never understood that attitude. After all, how did he or she save anyone? “Isn’t it God that saves?” I would ask. They would answer, “Yes, but,” and explain that it was due to their work that the person was saved. Though the language seemed to give the credit to God, these people still hold on to their personal success rather than God’s work in the situation.

Isaiah tells the people to rejoice in Jerusalem whether they are glad for her or mourn for her. Whatever the circumstances, rejoice for Jerusalem. Again, this is about trusting in God’s promises, knowing that whatever the circumstances on this day, God will be faithful. Things may not seem so great today, but God has everything under control. Rest in that promise, rejoicing that God will make all things right in His time and in His way. In the end, we will receive all the good things we expect from the God who provides everything we need.

The Jews were constantly reminded of God’s grace as they remembered the works of the past. They turned back to the Exodus over and over again in their worship and in their calendar. Their feasts and festivals pointed back to what God did in those days, proving to the world that He is indeed God. As they also look forward to the promises to come, they knew that God could do everything and that He was faithful because of what He had done in the past. As we can see in the Psalm today, the Exodus is constantly acknowledged as the center of the Jewish faith and the foundation of their life as a people. In remembrance of the Exodus, despite the current circumstances, they can rejoice because God’s word is true.

We don’t look to the Exodus for our faith, but we constantly celebrate the Resurrection as the work of God that gives us the confidence to live in His promises. His good work on the cross, in the life of Jesus and in overcoming sin and death is the center of our faith and the foundation of the Church. We have become part of a kingdom, not like the nation of Israel, but a family of people living in hope and peace together. Living as one, we are called to work together for the sake of the Gospel and for the benefit of one another.

Paul tells us that we should help our fellow Christians through their difficult times. When a brother or sister in Christ sins, we are called to teach them the truth in love and gentleness. He warns us to be careful, because it is so easy for us to fall to the temptation to use and abuse our brethren who are fallen, to call down fire and brimstone on their lives and ministries. We are to preach the Gospel and leave judgment to God, for He is the perfect judge of all.

Paul goes on to say that we will reap what we sow. When we call down the hellfire on other ministries, our own will go under the lens. Is our ministry perfect? Are we spotless? Do we focus our attention on ourselves; is the spotlight on our gifts? Or are we rejoicing in what God has done? Paul writes, “But far be it from me to glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world hath been crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” The successes of our ministries do not give us reason to rejoice. We rejoice in the salvation that comes from faith in Jesus Christ.

We might find ourselves called into a situation that is not comfortable, sent into the world without the things we think we need to do the work that God commands. Let us ever be mindful of the fact that God prepares the way; He goes before us and makes everything ready. He is with us in rejection and He draws us together in peace. But most of all: let us never forget that it isn’t our words or our ministry or our peace that we take into the world. It is His. And He is faithful. He is in control. Our successes are His glory and our failures will be overcome by His grace. In this we can rejoice, remembering the deeds He has done which give us the confidence to live in the expectation of His promises.