4th Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 66:10-14 Psalm 66:1-9 Galatians 6:7-16 Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, grace and peace to you from the one who sends us out. Amen In this time after Pentecost we are exploring how to live as disciples of the crucified and risen Jesus and here today in our gospel Jesus gives concrete step by step instructions. He has set his face toward Jerusalem and is calling followers to go with him, not everyone he meets accepts him so now Jesus picks 70 followers to go ahead of him to prepare the way for him and this is how they are to go: First they are to go in pairs, Jesus knows that the disciples will encounter difficulties and that hard times are much easier to bear with a friend by your side. Following Jesus is something we are to do together, with others. Next Jesus tells them that they are to travel light, as in with only the clothes on their backs, no extra sandals, no money, no extra food, now this is a hard one for me, when I travel I like to make sure that I am as prepared as possible and my last check before I head off is always to make sure that at the very least I have my wallet so that I can purchase anything I’ve forgotten along the way. Jesus removes this safety net from the disciples’ journey, God will provide for them through the hospitality of those they meet in the towns they enter. when they get to a town the disciples are to enter a house and say ‘peace to this house’ and now Jesus’ instructions become like one of those choose your own adventure stories that were popular when I was growing up, if the peace is shared turn to page 50, if you are not welcomed turn to page 65 to see what happens next! if the peace is shared Jesus says that’s where the pair of disciples are to stay and accept whatever hospitality is offered, that means even if the house doesn’t follow the dietary laws, or perhaps they are not wealthy but are willing to share- Jesus makes sure to say that the disciples are not supposed to go from house to house looking for the comfiest beds or best meals, they are to stay where they are first welcomed, and while they are there they are to cure the sick and say to the people “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” But now we turn to page 65, if the disciples enter a town and are not welcomed, Jesus tells the disciples to shake the dust of the town off their feet in protest and move on, that’s it, they’re not to argue or threaten or even try to convince the people there that they should listen, the disciples are to move on, after they proclaim “yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.” God acts whether we acknowledge it or not, the kingdom is promised to all whether it is received or rejected. Our job as disciples is to proclaim that it has come near and let the spirit do the rest. And it is a risk because the message will be rejected and rejection is hard to face, especially again and again and yet Jesus says to leave the rejection behind, trust that God was present and move on. So the disciples go out following Jesus’ instructions and when they come back they are full of joy! But what they are excited about is the power they have been given, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” Wow this is amazing they exclaim but Jesus cautions them “do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” The success of serving in Jesus’ name goes to our heads pretty quickly. We take a risk, it works out, wow, look what we’ve accomplished we say, and Jesus reminds us that it’s not about what we’ve done but what God is doing through us. What is God doing through us? God is proclaiming peace and the promise that God is acting in the world. How are we to live as disciples? We are to go out proclaiming peace to all we meet, and whether we are welcomed or rejected share the good news that God is near. This summer each Sunday we’ll have a discipleship practice to help us grow as we follow Jesus. This week it comes from Professor Amy G. Ogden in her commentary on workingpreacher.org she says: “As Christians, we can reliably root our lives in these two proclamations -- “Peace to this house!” and “The kingdom of God has come near.” This is the good news that we have to share! These keep our gaze on God’s activity right in front of us, rather than turning it to blaming, accusing or judgmental analyzing, symptoms that reactivity holds our lives in bondage.” Then she suggests that we “experiment with these two proclamations by offering them daily for a week…” first putting these proclamations into our own words, something like ‘welcome as you are’ or ‘God’s love is near to you’ a way that sounds natural to whatever situation you are in and sure sometimes these proclamations may be rejected or seen as odd, but you may also be surprised at just how many times they are exactly what the person needs to hear in that moment. So give it a try, take a risk and remember: Peace be with you, you are in God’s care, God’s love surrounds you whether you know it or not. Amen
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AboutPastor Emily Johnson preaches weekly at Christ Lutheran. These are manuscripts of her sermons given at Christ Lutheran. Feel free to engage with them in the comments section of the blog. Archives
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