Matthew
9.35-10.38
Well, here we are back to the middle of Matthew’s
version of Jesus’ story, where we will be for most of the summer. Today we
enter the green season of learning from Jesus along with the disciples.
In the earlier chapters, Jesus calls the disciples and
he teaches them the Beatitudes, and how to pray, and that he has the power to
heal. In today’s story, Jesus thinks the disciples have learned enough so it is
time for them to go out and share what he has taught them. He gives them the
power to heal, and the authority to teach and preach.
But he wants them to go out dependent on God, and on
the generosity of the folks they meet in the towns they visit. Grant peace to
all, he says, but shake the dust off your sandals where you are not welcomed.
Jesus assures the disciples, and us today, that
there are plenty of hurting people (they are the harvest) wherever they go. Go
and show them compassion. Go and be the workers bringing in the harvest.
I have long imagined Jesus sending the disciples out
in this way: they go, by twos or fours, or maybe sixes, into a town together
but soon they split up. The men go in search of townsfolk who do what they (the
disciples) do … they go where the men are fishing, or milling grain, or collecting
taxes. They helped the men do their jobs, and talked as they worked.
The women – let’s not forget that there were women
followers of Jesus – head to the well, where they can encounter the women of
the town. They offered to help the women they met with the daily tasks, making
bread, preparing vegetables for dinner, washing clothing. As they worked, they
talked.
As these
disciple-tourists engage the folks, they learn about the people who are ill and
in need of help. One to one, they tell about Jesus and his power, love, and
forgiveness. They offer healing, and acceptance,
and share Jesus with them.
… Today,
our calling and sending is no different. I should share with you that I serve
this congregation, and enjoy being with those members who are hurting and doing
the other *stuff* pastors do. But my focus is always on helping y’all reach those
who are not yet here. I will constantly encourage you to be Jesus’ disciples
and remind you that we are sent to bring in the harvest by sharing Jesus’ love
and compassion and healing with others.
… So, a
few stories. You may or may not know that I was in Colorado last week because
Joe, Mike’s brother, died. At the Visitation, the first person there was Joe’s
secretary of 20 years. She took one look at Joe in the casket and broke down. I
had just met her, but I put my arms out and held her as she sobbed. After that,
we were friends, and she talked openly with me about her future, which includes
finding a new job. It was easy to offer her compassion.
… I can also
talk a bit about Joe himself. Joe was a high-powered defense attorney. As such,
he had assets and plenty of income. Some of his neighbors were at the funeral
home and shared how Joe had helped them with a couple of situations. Of course,
he had done it pro bono, without charging them. Now, Joe was not a particularly
religious man, but he was determined to express his faith by being kind and
just to others. He shared Jesus by providing justice for a lot of people.
… Ruth ran
the soup kitchen in Benton Harbor, Michigan, for many years. The kitchen is a
joint project of about 30 congregations and organizations in the area, each
taking a day a month to provide a free lunch to anyone who comes to eat. Ruth
was in charge of coordinating the churches, maintaining supplies, and making
sure the kitchen was spotless, and so much more.
Ruth
called the people who came for lunch guests, and often friends. She knew them
all, and shared the local gossip as well as the Gospel with them. When she
talked about the soup kitchen asking for volunteers, it was as if she were
inviting us to help her serve a state dinner. She literally fed hungry people
daily and gave them the respect they deserved as children of God.
… Mary and
her family moved from California to Florida because of a new job. They had not
found a church they liked in their new town, and, in the busy-iness of everyday
life, had given up looking. But Easter was coming, and God was calling them to
try again.
They had not been at Trinity Church because it
was farther from home than they liked. They went once, and then twice. With
middle school aged youth in the family, they talked with the pastor about
confirmation classes.
Before long,
they asked to join the church. And they brought friends, a family with more confirmation
students, who had also given up on finding a church. The members of Trinity
welcomed these new members and found ways to use their gifts in the various
ministries of the church.
… We can
share Jesus with others, with those who are hurting and need some compassion, with
those who are seeking justice, with those who are hungry and deserving of
respect, and with those who are looking for Jesus in their lives or in a new
place.
Most
people are looking for Jesus. They may not say so, but when we offer compassion,
justice, respect, and a warm welcome, we are helping them find Jesus.
Are you
willing to be a worker in Jesus’ harvest, seeking out the lost and hurting and hungry? As a follower of Jesus, you / we are called
and sent just like the first disciples were. As followers of Jesus, we have
access to his power and ability to heal hurting people. As followers of Jesus, we
can trust him to be with us, just as he was with those first disciples.
This week,
I hope you will look for opportunities to share Jesus in some way. You don’t
need to say anything, but you do need to do something. You can trust Spirit to show
you someone, and to help you know what to do. Offer what is needed: a hug, a
connection with your lawyer, a plate of food or a ride to Interfaith Ministries,
or an invitation to worship at St John.
The harvest
of hurting people is plentiful, and we are the workers sent to be Jesus to
them. Let’s go to them trusting that Jesus goes with us.
Please
pray with me… Jesus, you have called us to follow you and serve you by serving
your children. Teach us to be better disciples, to trust you to be with us
wherever you send us. Amen
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