After-all,
whether it is stopping and praying with someone who appears troubled at work;
standing up for someone who is rejected; calling out someone who is tearing other
people down rather than building them up; taking precious time out of your day
to be with someone is lonely…especially when that person might be slightly
annoying; stepping up and helping children or adults who find themselves in abusive
and dangerous situations; or doing what the apostles were doing here by sharing
God’s peace and good news; each of these things can all be a little too
frightening in today’s world.
The
natural tendency when confronted by fear is to just stay home and read a good
book. The natural tendency is to walk on
past the bloodied man on the side of the road and binge watch all episodes of
Stranger Things, Season 3 on Netflix.
The natural tendency is to not put ourselves out there, because
frightening things can happen these days.
But,
that was true back then too. Jesus ended
up on a cross for loving the wrong people and including them in his kingdom. Jesus ended up on a cross for speaking
against the powerful. If the cross is
not frightening, then I do not know what is!
That
is why I wanted to start with this surprise infused sentiment toward the end of
the reading, “Lord, I actually made a difference!”
After-all,
Jesus came to the world to make a difference.
Jesus came to set the prisoners free.
He came to raise up the poor and struggling. He came to give forgiveness to the
sinner…even the bad ones. He came to bring
healing wherever healing was needed. He
came to us…period.
Jesus
did not let fear keep him from shaping the kingdom of God, and he has no
intention to let fear keep us from shaping the kingdom of God either. We are here to make a difference. We have been created, baptized, and commissioned
by God to make a difference, and it is glorious when it happens.
Jesus
is no dummy though; he knows what he is doing.
Notice the very first sentence in this reading: “The
Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every
town and place where he himself intended to go.”
The
seventy newly minted apostles…and what I mean by that is they had no idea what
they were doing…were sent in pairs. Being
in pairs is a good thing. The world was
reborn and restored through pairs of animals after the flood. There is safety in pairs, especially when you
do not know what you are doing. Pairs of
people have each other to lean on when the going gets tough.
Most
importantly, this thing that we call the faith is not about “me and my God.” It is about “God and us.” God does not send “me” out, God sends “us” out. Faith is a community sort of thing. So, when we invite others to be with us, we
are inviting them into a community that trusts Jesus. In community, they will learn what it is to
serve and trust the Lord.
So,
who is your plus one in the faith? Who
do you walk with in the faith? If you do
not currently have anyone, with whom can you serve?
I
really want you to consider with whom you can serve Jesus because there are a
lot of people out there that Jesus cares about.
Jesus said to the apostles,
"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the
Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
I
like how positive Jesus is when he looks out at the world. When Jesus looks out at the world, he does
not see a bunch of people going to hell in a hand basket like we hear so often. Instead, Jesus sees potential. Just like Jesus saw in you when he called
you; despite your faults. Despite your
sin, he saw the potential in you…and I guess still sees potential in you.
That
is the way the Jesus sees the whole world.
He sees in everyone the potential rather than worst elements of their
past. When you consider all the people in
your life, to whom has God pointed while whispering in your ear, “That person
right there. They are the ones. I see the potential in them.” Maybe, it is time to take your plus one with
you and pay that person a visit, or invite them for some lunch.
I
know…I know…the very thought of all of this causes the little guy or gal up in
your head to press the fear button over and over again. “Don’t do it!” “Don’t do it!” the voice of fear
screams. “What do I do?” What do I say?” “What if they turn out to be an axe murderer
who will encase me in concrete and bury me under the pavement of a newly
constructed parking lot?” You know,
completely rational worries.
Again,
Jesus, is no dummy. He knows exactly
what he is doing. He knows that he is
sending you out to the wolves. But, he
tells you to “go” anyway. “Go on your
way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.” If it seems like Jesus is sending you out on
a perilous journey, it is probably because Jesus is sending you out on a
perilous journey. But, if we did not
ever say, “yes” to these tasks, Martin Luther King Jr. would have never taken
on the task of striving toward a better world where people of all races might
feast together at the table of brotherhood.
Jesus knows that you are vulnerable, but he sends you anyway.
He
is pretty practical about it all though.
His disciples could minimize the possibility of becoming the beaten
person on the side of the road if they carried no purse, no bags, had no sandals;
and greeted no one on the road. In other
words, his disciples were not to be targets of hate. They were to carry nothing of value that could
make them a target, instead, they would be bringers of peace.
“Bringers
of peace.” I like that. What if someone said that of you?
“When
I think about her or him, I think about peace?”
Maybe,
we could think about our task of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ less
about some sort of magical formula of words that will bring about the
conversion of the lost, but rather the task of bringing the peace of Jesus into
the lives of people who have no rest and no comfort.
When
we bring God’s peace to people’s homes and people’s lives, we are doing exactly
as the Lord commanded. “Whatever house you enter, first say,
"Peace to this house!' And if
anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but
if not, it will return to you.” You
are a bringer of Jesus’ peace.
As
you offer Jesus’ peace, while you sit, eat, and drink with people, take the time
to find out what hurts in their lives. I
was just reminded the other day by someone that so many people, by all appearances,
seem to have their lives perfectly put together. They have the nice house. They have the nice car. They have the smiling children. They have the mowed lawns.
But,
when you actually take the time to ask what people need prayed for, you find
the hurt. You find all that needs
healing. And, when we are able to share
those things with each other, we find suddenly ourselves in the presence of
Jesus who will provide the healing we need.
The kingdom of God has suddenly come near.
What
if? What if someone does not accept
you? What if someone does not want your
presence? What if someone does not want the
healing of Jesus?
Then
shake the dust off of your shoes and move on.
Their inability to accept love has nothing to do with your ability to
provide it. Shake off the rejection. It has nothing to do with you. Shake it all off like dust and continue to
serve Jesus and share his love.
As
Jesus sends you out, more and more, you will certainly hear these surprised-filled
words coming from your own mouth, “Lord, I made a difference!” It actually is not you who made the difference
though, but God. It is God who is important. It is God who writes our names in
heaven. It is God who saves our
souls. It is God who gives the love and
gets the glory. We are just travelers,
striving to serve Jesus as we wander through the kingdom of God.
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