Pentecost 7C
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord
Jesus Christ. Amen.
“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as in
heaven.”
These are words that flow from our mouths so easily
every week, maybe even every day or multiple times each day. Words that we
promise to teach our children at their baptism. “Thy kingdom come… on earth as
in heaven. Thy kingdom come.”
Do you know that Jesus talks about the kingdom of God
more than anything else in all four Gospels? In our Gospel lesson today he says
it twice: “The kingdom of God has come near you.” Thy kingdom come. What does
that mean, though? What does that look like?
This is a question I have grappled with a lot. It is
difficult to look at the world, with its hunger and violence and conflict and
imagine that the kingdom of God could really be here on earth as it is in
heaven. Although I cannot claim to describe perfectly what the kingdom of God
is like, I think we can be pretty sure it does not include such widespread
hunger and violence as we see whenever we turn on the news.
We
could wallow in the sadness of how un-kingdom-like the world is. But what is
more productive for us as Christians, is to envision what the kingdom of God does look like, and to understand how we might work to
live out that heavenly kingdom here on earth, even in the midst of difficulty.
Today’s readings give us some insight into these
questions. Paul’s letter to the Galatians explains well some behaviors that
would embody God’s kingdom. He says, “If anyone is detected of a transgression,
you who have received the Spirit (so, baptized Christians) should restore such
a one in a spirit of gentleness.” In other words, be gentle with one another,
forgiving, and patient. “Bear one another’s burdens,” he goes on, “and in this
way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” So rather than accuse and condemn,
citizens of the kingdom of God should help one another, stand in solidarity
with one another, bear one another’s burdens. “So let us not grow weary in
doing what is right,” Paul continues, “and whenever we have the opportunity,
let us work for the good of all.” While these assertions cannot completely
describe the kingdom of God, they are at least a straightforward start: Be
patient and gentle with one another, forgive short-comings, stand by each
others’ side and advocate for one another’s needs, and never grow tired of
doing what is right, working for the good of all at every opportunity. Now that sounds like the kingdom of God!
A few years ago, I watched a movie about the life of
Dorothy Day called Entertaining Angels. Dorothy Day was a 20th century journalist with a heart for
the poor and for social activism, and is best known for co-founding the
Catholic Worker Movement. As a part of this movement, she began a house of
hospitality in the slums of New York, inviting the poor, the drunks, the
prostitutes and the mentally ill into her home, and they lived there together,
ate together, helped each other. Such houses still exist – over 100 of them
around the world. Living in such a house, side-by-side with the least in
society, isn’t easy, as you can imagine. In the movie, we watch Dorothy scrub
toilets and clean up vomit, comfort someone going through alcohol withdrawals,
give up her own bed to fit in one more person for the night, help these people
whom she loved try to break out of the traps of their various mental and
physical illnesses… Watching all this, one has to wonder: is this the kingdom
of God? Is this what Jesus meant when he said to care for the least of these?
Looking again at Paul’s words, he describes exactly
what Dorothy Day was doing:
·
“If anyone is detected
of a transgression,” – perhaps, stealing the rent money to afford a drink –
“you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of
gentleness.”
·
“Bear one another’s burdens” – perhaps,
giving your only pair of shoes to someone who has none.
·
“Do not grow weary in
doing what is right,” “and whenever we have the opportunity, let us work for
the good of all.”
Yes, working toward the kingdom of God, trying to
bring a glimpse of that kingdom here on earth, is not always a clean job, nor
an easy one. It’s not always as simple as writing a check or volunteering at a
food pantry, though both of these are also very important. Sometimes it
involves taking off your shoes and stepping into the muck.
So how do we start? We can’t all leave our homes and
move into communal houses with the poor in a New York City slum. But looking at
our Gospel lesson today can prepare us for the journey toward seeking God’s
kingdom.
In
today’s Gospel reading, Jesus sends out 70 people in pairs. He gives them
several instructions about getting there and about what to do once they are
there. Each of his instructions can speak to us today, as well:
The first thing Jesus tells the 70 is, “The harvest is
plentiful, but the laborers are few.” In other words, “If not you, then who?”
The work of seeking the kingdom of God and sharing the good news is hard work,
but who is more qualified than you are, Nancy? Or you, Laurie? Or you, Jim? The
laborers are few, and God needs each and every one of us!
Jesus warns then that he is sending us out “like lambs
into the midst of wolves.” In other words, this is risky business. It might not
be smooth sailing. You might damage your reputation, or have to give up
something important to you. But be bold in what you do – this is God’s work!
The Lord will provide.
Jesus says to “carry no purse, no bag, no sandals.”
This is the hardest of all for me (and not just because I love sandals and
purses!). I am one who strives to be prepared, to be ready for whatever might
come up. But for Jesus to say, “Don’t bring all the things you think you need,”
what he is saying is, “Leave it to the Lord.” Let go of that control you think
you have on life. Just go. Again, the Lord will provide.
“Greet no one on the road,” he goes on. This is not so
much about being unfriendly as it is about the urgency. Have you ever gone to
the grocery store for a quart of milk and it takes you an hour and a half to
get out because you keep seeing people you know? Jesus says there is no time
for that! There are people out there who have never heard the good news of
salvation. There are people who have not felt loved in a long time, or ever!
This is the job, the call, of Christians – to share that news, to show that
love – and there is no time to waste!
“Whatever house you enter,” Jesus says, “first say,
‘Peace to this house!’” This is that good news bit. While “peace” was a
standard greeting, the peace Jesus is talking about here is the peace of
salvation, the peace of knowing that Christ died for you and that liberation
from sin and death is what allows you to love and serve even the least of
society. Christ’s death is what gives you the strength to serve! Every time you
encounter someone, you are bringing to them that peace that is salvation, you
are bringing them the love of God; every time you engage with someone, they are
experiencing that love through you. Everything you speak and everything you do
reflects the grace and salvation of Jesus Christ – and every greeting you make
proclaims that peace of salvation. And when you greet people in this way, with
this knowledge, we can say with confidence, as Jesus also instructs, “The
kingdom of God has come near to you.” That love and grace and peace – that is
the kingdom of God.
It isn’t easy. It isn’t always clean. Sometimes it
brings you together with ruffians or crooks or other people we’d rather avoid.
But notice at the end of the Gospel reading, that, “the 70 returned with joy!”
They return having experienced the dawning of the kingdom, having experienced
the joy one only feels when they have encountered the saving grace of Jesus
Christ, the joy one feels when they have experienced the love of God in the
absolute, risky, urgent, control-relinquishing, sometimes dirty, always saving
love of God and neighbor.
Let us pray. Lord God, working with you and for you
is risky business. Still, help us to trust you to help us show your love and
grace and peace to the world, and bring about your kingdom on earth as in
heaven. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment