Loving God, you continue to work through us in spite of ourselves, making us a new creation in Christ and filling us with your Holy Spirit.  Grant us the gifts of faith and trust in you, and help us to see your power at work; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    Imagine how scary it could be to be sent out by Jesus.  You are being sent out in pairs to go to towns and villages in order to proclaim God’s peace and God’s kingdom.  You are not to take any supplies or provisions for your journey.  Instead, you are to rely on the hospitality of strangers.  You are to find somebody who will welcome you into their home and are to eat whatever they offer you.  You are to cure anybody who is sick and to proclaim to anybody who will listen that the kingdom of God has come near to them.

    On the other hand, if you come to a town and they will not welcome you, you are to shake off the dust from your feet against them and proclaim to them also that the kingdom of God has come near.  Imagine being sent out like this, not knowing if people will welcome you or not, and not knowing where your next meal will be coming from.  Wouldn’t you find this at least a little bit scary?

    I can’t help but think of Obeth & Esther & Erigao Haab’s recent adventures on a bicycle trip in California.  They sent out various updates via e-mail and facebook, and several times they ended up knocking on doors in order to find a place to stay for the night.  Their tent was lost by Amtrak.  They constantly had trouble with one bike or another breaking down.  At one point they were over their limit on their debit card and out of cash.  In another place they were supposed to sleep in a church but couldn’t find the pastor or anybody else to open the door for them.  That night they slept on the church steps.  Yet, they met each new challenge with prayer and with faith and found wonderful people along the way who helped them out and gave them a place to stay and some food to eat.

    It seems to me that at least some aspects of their experience are very similar to those first disciples who were sent out by Jesus.  It is interesting to ask, as well, what we would do in the same situation.  Would we simply despair and worry?  Would we give up and turn around because it’s all too much trouble?  Or would we trust and pray and ask God to send us to the right people?

    However scary the situation might seem in today’s gospel, the important thing is to see how the disciples return to Jesus.  They were not discouraged and worn down and despairing.  Instead, they returned to Jesus full of joy and wonder!  They had seen the power of God working through them.  They had seen the power of the name of Jesus, as even the demons obeyed them.  They had not lacked for food or shelter.  They had seen the power of God at work.  And Esther and Obeth and Erigao will tell you that they saw it, too!

    The thing is that if these disciples had not stepped out in faith and followed through on Jesus’ commission to go and share the good news, they would not have known how much God could do through them.  And when we do not step out in faith and follow through on Jesus’ commission to go and share the good news, we also do not know how much God can do in and through us!

    Now, I know that it’s easy to protest and to say that we’re not like those first disciples, and they were closer to Jesus, and they had special gifts.  However, all those who believe in Jesus are given the same commission:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.  And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:19-20) – signed, Jesus.

    None of us, of course, are asked to do this all by ourselves, but we are asked to spread the word.  It is Jesus who commissions us, and it is the Holy Spirit who gives us all the gifts that we need in order to share the kingdom of God with others.  The love of Jesus is not something that we dare to keep to ourselves. – It is for all people!  And even better – we do not have to be perfect in order for God to work through us.

    We know this because today’s second reading was addressed to a community of Christians, and a great deal of it was about dealing with one another’s faults.  I had always wondered about this part of Galatians, especially the first few verses, because it seems to contradict itself.  First it talks about bearing one another’s burdens, but then a few verses later it talks about carrying your own load (Gal. 6:2, 5).  Upon investigation, I learned that in both cases Paul is referring to the burden, or weight, or load that we feel because of our faults.  And so, in effect, both verses are true.  We are to bear one another’s faults, but we are also responsible for the burden of our own faults.

    Thus, our job is not to point out the faults of others, but to help them to carry that burden.  At the same time, we need to be aware of our own faults, and willing to confess them, and willing to allow others to help us to carry that burden.  Perhaps this is even more scary to some of us than being sent out by Jesus!  However, this is all part of life in the kingdom of God – which leads us back to the commission to go and proclaim it.

    Do we have a grasp of what it means when the disciples proclaim that the kingdom of God has come near?  In fact, the kingdom of God is mentioned quite frequently in the gospels, but I’m not always sure that we know what is meant by this phrase.  Of course, one clue for us is sitting right there in the Lord’s Prayer: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  When God’s kingdom comes, God’s will is done here on earth, just like it is in heaven.

    We could also think of the kingdom of God as life under God’s rule or reign.  The power of God is made known.  People make God known by living under God’s rule.  Salvation and healing are to be found in the kingdom of God, for these come through Jesus Christ.  We generally say that the kingdom of God began with the birth of Jesus, was ushered in by his life, death and resurrection, and continues in an imperfect state in this world until it will be revealed in all its fulness in the life to come.  And so, practically speaking, how do we proclaim this kingdom to others?

    Probably the most powerful proclamation that any of us make is in how we live and how we act.  When we live in such a way that God is glorified and loving service is rendered to others, people notice.  On the other hand, when we live as if faith in Jesus doesn’t really matter, people notice that too.  All things considered, actions always speak louder than words.

    However, there may also be times when we are called upon to speak the good news.  While most of us are not called to go to strange towns and cities, we all have contact with people from day to day.  Sometimes it is as simple as offering to pray for somebody.  Sometimes it means staying open to God’s leading and watching for the opportunities that present themselves in our conversations with others.  Sometimes it means an invitation to come and worship.  And sometimes another person might actually want to know what you believe and why!

    In all of these situations, we are called to share the love of God in Christ Jesus and to share how we have seen the power of God at work.  It is God who calls us.  It is the Holy Spirit who empowers us.  And it is Jesus Christ who has promised to be with us always.  Amen.

Lectionary 14(C)                                Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
July 4, 2010                                    Galatians 6:1-16
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2010 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved