Sermons for the Month
We Gather To Go
DATE: July 8th, 2007
SERVICE: 6th Sunday After Pentecost
TEXT: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
Let's just imagine that I counted out 70 of you this morning (I seriously considered starting with __________ and making you do just that) and then, as Jesus did in today's Gospel lesson, I told you to go out among the people of Northeastern Ohio proclaiming that the Kingdom of God has come near. What if I, too, told you that you would be like lambs in the midst of wolves, vulnerable to attacks and to suffering? It addition to that I said, you should not take extra stuff - no cell phones, no bottles of water, no credit cards - but you 70 are to trust in the guiding hand of God as you travel. If, as you walk the streets of Akron, or drive the roads of Medina County, someone welcomes you, accept their hospitality; do not look down the road for something better. Your task is to call down a blessing on those you meet, to bring healing into their lives, realizing that some will receive it and some will reject it. If it's the former, stay and continue doing good, if it's the latter, move on, remembering that in either case the focus is not on you or your abilities. And, in either case you have brought God's kingdom near. Now, given all that, would 70 of you fall over yourself to get out the door and on your way? Probably not, because it's difficult for us to apply the sending out of the 70 to the towns of first century Palestine to our situation in 21st century Akron. First of all, that was an entirely different culture, one in which welcoming travelers, especially those representing God, was the norm. Second, we have not experienced first-hand what they had; if we look back just one chapter in Luke we see Jesus feeding thousands of people with a boy's lunch, a shrieking, convulsing boy healed, Jesus proclaiming that the least will be the greatest and announcing that no one who follows him and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. Third, we do not have the same sense of urgent need for release - that can only come from God - from the oppressive powers of evil, whether it is in the form of the Roman government or the uncontrollable illnesses. And that's just the beginning of the list of differences between then and now. Given all that, you probably are not worried that I would begin with ___________ and count out 70 people to go out among the people of Northeastern Ohio proclaiming that the Kingdom of God has come near. You are right, I won't count out 70. Instead I'll make the bold statement that every Sunday ALL of us gather to be sent forth to live the Christian life in all those places Jesus wants us to go. And, although the situation is quite different, the principle of our going is the same. We may face attack and rejection. We must trust in God, not in the "stuff" of life that makes us feel safe and powerful. Our task is to bless people's lives with the healing power of the unconditional love of Jesus. It's never about us; we speak and act in Jesus' name and whether or not what we offer is received, we have brought God's kingdom near. And, regardless of what happens, even if God works through us in astounding ways as was the case of those first 70 who were able to order demons around, the fact which merits celebration is that our names are written in heaven. We are among the loved and forgiven children of God. So, all of us are sent forth to convey God's love in deed and in word. As one commentator noted, the combination of compassion and proclamation are a powerful witness. "The hungry person who is fed, the homeless person who is housed, the sick person who is comforted, the injured person whose wounds are treated, these people will find themselves drawn to the person who has met their needs and to that person's faith. It is important when we serve, to let recipients know that we love and serve them because of love for Jesus, who loved us first." (1) This is what the Mission Team experienced in Guatemala that you'll have the opportunity to hear more about on July 28th. But, we don't have to go to Guatemala to bring the Kingdom of God near. On Wednesday, July 4th, the people of Faith Lutheran Church were sent forth. We welcomed visitors to the pre-parade picnic and then more than 50 church members of all ages - as young as Charlie Boes and as wise (notice that I did not say old) as Don Nelson - went out among parade-watchers with 2000 cold bottles of water that people could not believe we were giving away. On them was a message, our proclamation that Jesus is the one who provides true, thirst-quenching, living water. The band offered praise in song all along the parade route, and people received it, clapping along with the music. A little girl ran into the parade to thank me for the water, and several others who I did not know motioned their thanks from the curb. What a great thing to be known in the community as the ones who quench people's thirst, both literally and spiritually. That's what we must build on, never forgetting that not just 70 of us, but all of us, are sent out into the harvest and the need still is urgent. When I was in Nebraska last week the wheat was being harvested, which is usually the case this time of year. Those fields of amber grain seem to go on forever, from horizon to horizon, and when the combines begin to move through them the path that they leave is unmistakable. It's harvest time. As those of you who come from farm background know, when the harvest is ready, getting it out of the field is an urgent concern. If it was ready of July 4th, my Uncle who ran a grain elevator was working that day along with the farmers who were bringing the grain in from the field. Holiday or not, the harvest was ready and the laborers had to work. Well, Jesus says that's what it is like for us, the harvest is ready, people are ripe to hear and be touched by the love of Jesus. So we, the laborers, are sent forth. "Go on your way," Jesus says to us, just as he did to those 70 early believers, "Tell them that the Kingdom of God is here, show them that that my love is for all." We gather here today to celebrate that our names are written in heaven, and then we allow that joy and the power of the Holy Spirit to motivate us as we are sent into the world, in Jesus' name. (1) Sermonwriter, Proper 9C (July 8), Luke 10:1-11, 16-20, pg. 6, www.sermonwriter.com
AMEN