Luke 10:1-12; 17-20
I'm sure some of you were Boy Scouts.
I was a member of that organization till the end of my first year in
high school. Even though we could have gone on longer, we decided
it was no longer cool so we dropped out. Nowadays the Scouts seem to
be seething with controversy; they've been accused of being anti-gay,
racist, sexist because they won't admit girls, and just plain old
fashioned. But in my childhood they were mostly good.
The motto of the scouts was “Be
Prepared”. And we were. I had a backpack which contained my scout
manual, which was a handy reference to almost anything you could
think of. It showed you how to build an emergency shelter in a
snowstorm, or build a birch bark canoe if you needed to cross a
river. You could trap small animals if you needed to eat, and weave
a fishing line out of whatever was handy. You could identify edible
plants as well as ones which were poisonous. I really felt prepared.
I also had a boy scout knife. In addition to the blade, it had a
can opener, a bottle opener, a file, a set of scissors, and a fork.
I think there was a compass in the handle as well. And I had a boy
scout hatchet and a kitchen kit that folded into a neat package. It
contained a dish that could be a plate or a frying pan, a collapsible
cup, and a lid. I had a canteen with a cloth lining that when you
soaked in the water to keep it cool. I had a one-person pup tent and
a sleeping bag, and of course I had a water-proof metal container
which held about fifty matches which you could strike on your shoe or
a rock. I was ready for anything. I can remember going on hikes
with my scout troop, all of us carrying our backpacks.
Last week Jesus refused to accept the
excuses of potential disciples who wanted to follow him, but first
wanted to tend to family obligations. Today Jesus picks seventy
disciples and sends them out. You can almost hear them: “Jesus,
what should we wear? What should we bring? When we come to a town,
where will we stay? Should we take a change of clothes? And when we
get there, what do you want us to tell them?”
And you heard Jesus' answer. He tells
them not to be prepared. He tells them to rely on God, in a way, who
will show himself in the generous people they meet. He tells them
not to waste time with the people who won't accept them. And the
message is very simple: The kingdom of God is at hand for you.
For Jesus, there is urgency in the
mission on which he sends his disciples. It can't wait for them to
put together a boy scout back pack. Every minute delayed means
another soul lost. Jesus can't wait for his disciples to memorize a
few more prayers, read a few more books, become more skilled in
answering questions.
But he doesn't leave them totally
without resources. He gives them three things:
First, he gives them power – the
power to heal, the power to drive out demons. He does this not
because he wants to start a health care business, but because these
will be the signs to reinforce the message.
Second he gives each one of them a
companion. Evangelizing by yourself is difficult and painful.
Evangelizing with someone else is enjoyable. The Mormons and
Jehovah's witnesses take this to heart. They always send out
missionaries together. In addition to the fact that it is
psychologically a lot easier to talk about our faith when we are
accompanied by someone who believes what we do, having a companion is
a good way to keep ourselves true to the message. When one of us
forgets something the other can remember. And where we might think
of one fervent soul as a religious fanatic, two are more believable;
they seem more rooted in reality.
The third thing he gives them is the
knowledge that they are part of a much larger movement. Seventy-two
doesn't seem like much, but if we had seventy two members of the
choir, or Food for the Soul, or seventy-two men and women who were
committed to the pro-life cause enough to help picket the abortion
clinic, we would be pretty happy. And the work would be easier,
because of the strength that exists in numbers.
You and I are given power. We don't
always use it, but when we bring our Christianity into the work
place, we always have an impact, hopefully for the better. When we
show each other mercy by forgiving, by encouraging, by bringing
Christ's presence to others, we can bring about great changes, we can
show that the kingdom is at hand. You and I are given gifts
precisely for this purpose, and we should always be ready to use
them. What is your gift? Do you use it?
We are given companions on the
journey. We should participate in some sort of small group that
reinforces our faith. Sometimes it's the family, sometimes it's a
good friend or two. But we should have someone that we can and do
talk to about our faith journey. Consider the ancient practice of
spiritual direction, discuss your progress in holiness with someone
who can help guide you. Consider joining a faith sharing group like
the bible study group which is about to start. There are many ways
you can find a companion for your journey.
And we are given a larger purpose.
This Church community is your seventy two disciples, all commissioned
by Jesus to go out and show people that the kingdom of God is at
hand. We should have this in mind when we go out into the world. We
represent the people of God, but more specifically, the community of
Saint Mary's.
So you don't have to have a boy scout
backpack in order to be an evangelist. Jesus told the seventy two in
effect, no excuses, no temporizing – get out and win souls. That's
the message he gives us as well.
