Introduction
I am sure you are aware of the parallel between the four gospels and the four living creatures in the vision of Ezekiel. You know: the Lion, symbolizing his supremacy and kingship; the Man, symbolizing the highest of intelligence; the Ox, for his lowly service, (a symbol which we like to pass over); and the heavenliness of the Eagle, (over there on the lectern), the eagle to remind us of Christ’s mystery and divinity.
But did you know, the eagle, (as noble and majestic bird as it is), as a chick, is not too keen to leave the nest, or even fly, which is quite surprising. As chicks they are very content to be in their nest, all cosy and snug; dining on whatever their parents bring them to eat; and to me a vision, of most teenagers today.
But there comes a time in many parents lives when they have had enough, and in the case of the eagle, the chicks are literally pushed out of their nests, when the parents know that they are big enough to fly, and hunt on their own.
In the case of our own children, we know as well, when it’s time them for them to leave the nest; when they are big enough to learn and look after themselves, well that’s the theory.
Our church mission.
Our gospel story today tells us of a similar situation, where Jesus decided that it was time for 70 of his chosen disciples to leave the nest, spread their wings and fly; and to preach the gospel. … After all, Jesus himself had taught them, and Jesus knew they were ready; them having heard his message, probably been tutored individually by Jesus, and them having witnessed first-hand, the miracles that Jesus performed.
It was then time for these disciples to leave the nest, as Jesus had every confidence in them to spread the gospel, however, he did not send them out willy-nilly, as he had a plan and purpose for these disciples, a plan which I feel we should study briefly this morning, as we have our own missions, within our church, and where better to start, than by examining this plan of Jesus for his disciples.
Martins Sermon last week.
Now from last week’s sermon, Martin discussed our calling, our calling in life, our calling for Jesus and our calling in this church.
Now as much as I loved to hear sermons on callings, I really struggle very much finding and understanding my own calling. … I know what I have wanted, and I know what I have ended up with, and they couldn’t have been further apart. For example, at school, I was a bad one, I was a right bad one, yet I ended being a teacher myself, and I have paid for it, ever since. … I have even ended up in church, (which was not the plan either), but I still do not know my calling; I have never felt any kind of anointing to do anything.
Some people on the other hand just know, that they know, what their calling is. I remember the Reverent David Gemmel at school, ok he was much younger than me, but I remember David saying away back, that “I am going to a minister”, and he did, and he still is, in Ayr in today, praise God. … Others however, have a good idea of what they can and would like to do, and kind of generally work towards what they deem right, and it works for them. Me, I haven’t got a clue, and I am sure, there are others like me, and all we can do, is wait for opportunities.
So, in reality, I am a bit like those eaglets, I need a push to get started, and I do respond to that for a while, and over the years, I have been content to help where ever I can. If it works, it works, if it doesn’t, I move on. I can think of no better plan. Don’t get me wrong, I am by no means ambitious as you know, but I feel, I have to be working at something, in a Christian capacity, for benefit of others.
Church Mission.
So, for me, when it comes to our mission for this church, I will probably do what I am asked to do, or do what I am told, and I am good with that. Others, may on the other hand, have definite ideas in what they want to do, and that is good, because we very much need them. And of course, there are those in the middle, who have some sort of idea what they can, or want to do, and I am sure they will find their place, or be gently prompted into something.
Now please don’t get me wrong, and I pray you hear what I am saying here, that this is not about how much we can do for the church, it is about how much we can do for the Lord, but where we too will gain for ourselves; either that peace within, or the excitement of taking part and adding value somewhere here on this earth. … Now, that may be leading hundreds of people to the Lord, or simply making the tea and helping out … because it’s all about the inner satisfaction of knowing that we have contributed, somewhere, and are happy to do so.
Laying the foundations, the plan.
Now let us return to our readings this morning, where Jesus laid the foundation for his disciples; for them to work for his kingdom, and not for themselves.
Before I start, I must say I cannot cover all aspects of this mission in this sermon, and I am not going to try, so it will be a whistle stop tour, but there are some points we need to stop and value.
Verse 1 Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
“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”.
Notice here that Jesus sends the disciples in pairs. That is no accident. Christian service was never meant to be a lone crusade, although that does happened. When we work alone, or in isolation, we are at the mercy of the world, and its forces. Yes, we can be strong willed and determined, but we all need at least someone to keep us motivated, and on the right road.
Verses 2 and 3.
This leads us nicely onto verse 2, “Jesus said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; … Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves”.
We Christians go forth in this world as lambs, traveling in the midst of wolves, and never more has this been true, with the world’s total disregard for God in today’s society, hence, like today, Jesus sent them out in pairs to retain their love, peace and focus in this crazy world, because if we too lose our peace and good will, what chance do we have we have of reaching out to others, and changing their lives.
Verse 4.
“Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road”.
Here Jesus is telling his disciples to travel light, but for a very good reason. Jesus is wanting them to focus on God, as their supplier … as they are doing his work. He is saying, if you need something, I will be your supplier. And I like that, because Jesus is focusing their faith in God as their source for everything, right from the very start.
Verses 5 and 6.
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.
Jesus told his followers that they were to bring peace to someone’s household. He said it as if, peace was something tangible, something that you could hold in your hands, and give to someone to share, and if they do not want to share your peace, take that peace back, because you will be wasting your time. I like this because when you get that certain peace in an environment; you can do amazing things … at the very least, you can give a better account of your faith in a manner where people can relate.
Verse 7.
Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourers deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house.
At first, I found this verse a bit strange, but if you consider, that the trouble makers of this world, are always busy, busy going from person to person, door to door spreading dissent wherever they can; whereas the peace makers of this word are more settled, more trustworthy, more content to settle in one place. What Jesus is saying here is to settle with your initial family or initial contact, where you can display strength, security and harmony; a harmony that will grow, and be passed onto others.
Verses 8 and 9.
Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.'
The disciples were charged to share the awesome truth that God loves them, and to do that, they need to demonstrate God’s love in both word and deed. The disciples demonstrated God’s love by healing the sick, and promoting the Gospel and by telling people that during difficult times, not to deny God’s love, but to use God’s love to overcome lives problems, and then, moving on. We however may not be able to do those same miracles, but there are other things we can do to display his love, even if that is only to help out and reassure.
Verse 10.
“But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, `Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you”.
I always liked this verse, because we are not always welcome, and we are defeated before we start. This verse is saving us a lot of pain and discomfort, its saying move on quickly, and don’t look back. Now, I am not being defeatist here, as there is a great saying, (although it is not politically correct, but its accurate), it says, “you cannot teach a pig to sing, because … you waste your time and … you just annoy the pig”. It’s the same with some people as you know, if you approach them the wrong way, you will just annoy them, or worse … you will give them ammunition to annoy you.
We will jump to verse 16.
Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.' "Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects, me rejects the one who sent me."
This is another verse I like, as it is full of power. We are not to promote ourselves; we are here to promote God, and only God, and by doing so, he will ultimately, promote us. We are proclaiming his word, not our word, and if someone does not want to hear that word, it is not us who are being rejected, it is his word who is falling on deaf ears … and by rejecting God’s word, they are rejecting him. Some people are simply unreachable, or their minds are simply closed.
Finally, Verses 17 to 20.
The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!" He said to them, … See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
After another hard week at school, and when I read this verse and saw the disciples returning full of joy and excitement, and wanting more, I thought, I wouldn’t mind some of that.
The disciples just could not hold in, what the Holy Spirit had done through them, but that’s what happens when we are true to God, and demonstrate his great love; strange but wonderful things do happen, and we all love it when that does happen.
Conclusion.
To finish, God wants to work through us, and he wants us to enjoy working for him. And we all want to be like those disciples, full of joy and hope, radiating his love onto others. God does not want us to be miserable, because how can we radiate any kind of love, through misery.
Now our church mission needs our help, and there are so many ways we can help. Some tasks are massive, some are small. Some are extremely important, and others medial and mundane. But to the lord, they are all important, or should I say, it is how we interact with our various tasks or duties that is important, and that is how our lord sees it. We therefore should try and help out in ways that we are happy to do so, and if that is not achievable, there will be some other tasks where we may feel more agreeable.
For our own sakes, we must find something to contribute, big or small. …
Finally, we all know the expression, the lord loves a cheerful giver, but he also loves a cheerful worker, because the lord can work miracles through cheerful workers, and create miracles through them to help others, change ourselves, and to ultimately change the world.
Amen
