Proper 9, Year C
Sunday, July 7, 2013
2 Kings 5:1-14
Psalm 30
Galatians 6:(1-6), 7-16
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
Did you notice
that in our Galatians reading today, Paul wrote, “bear one another’s burdens”
and “all must carry their own loads”? I
love the seeming contradiction in his words.
We’re all in this together.
You’re ultimately on your own. We
see the truth of these two statements in the cross of Jesus. Jesus had help and support throughout his
ministry. He gathered disciples. He sent the 12 out to proclaim the gospel, to
heal people, and to prepare the way for his coming. After that, as we heard today, Jesus sent 70
out to proclaim the Gospel, to heal, and to prepare the way for his coming.
“[Jesus] appointed
seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place
where he himself intended to go.” Jesus
sent the seventy on before him to prepare them for his coming. Jesus was working with his disciples, not
having his disciples do his work for him.
Jesus had help and support throughout his ministry, like those we heard
about a couple of weeks ago who helped provide for Jesus and his disciples out
of their resources.
Ultimately,
however, when it came time for Jesus’ death, the thing which only he could do,
Jesus was alone. No one jumped in to
take Jesus’ place on the cross. He’d
been given help and support from his disciples and friends for years, but his
death on the cross was his burden to carry alone.
I think of these
two statements then, “bear one another’s burdens” and “all must carry their own
loads” like a concert. We help each
other prepare. We can help and support
each other even during the performance, but ultimately it’s on each of us if
we’re going to play our parts correctly.
It’s on each of us if we’re going to prepare for the performance.
Preparation is
essential before performance. I was on a
mission trip back in college, and the leaders of the trip wanted us to do some
evangelism while we were there…or at least they wanted us to do what they
called evangelism. We were in an
exceedingly poor area of Mexico, and we were put into groups of four or five
and sent out to go door to door to talk to folks about Jesus. God help us. God help the people we talked to.
I think I was the
only Episcopalian in the group, so this was not entirely up my ally in the
first place, and in the second place, the night before we went out, the leaders
prepared us for this work by quoting Mark 13:11, “When
they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what
you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you
who speak, but the Holy Spirit.” So we
worshipped the night before and they got us all pumped up and full of the Holy
Spirit and sent us out on these poor unsuspecting people.
So our preparation to talk to people about Jesus was,
don’t be prepared, just wing it. Things
did not go well. The self appointed
leader of our group offered threats of hell to people living in dire poverty,
trying to force them into following Jesus.
The others in our group told her what a great job she was doing. Mine was a lone dissenting voice, and that
night, as the leaders were preparing us for our second day of evangelism, I’m
guessing they agreed with me because they decided to give us some dos and
don’ts and some talking points which did not involve threats of hell.
To the credit of those I was with on that first day,
they had the courage to perform. They
were told to go out and talk to people about their faith, and they did. They had the courage to go out there and do
the work they had been given to do. They
had the courage to perform. They needed
more preparation, and I would argue different and better preparation, but they
did have the courage to perform.
On the other end
of the spectrum, you’ve got folks who prepare really well. People help bear each others’ burdens, they
help each other prepare, but then they never really go out and do the
performance part of it. They don’t
really carry their own loads and do whatever part is only theirs to do. As disciples of Jesus, we prepare in order to
perform. We help bear each others’
burdens so that when the time comes we can carry our own loads.
So what is your
load? What is that thing which is only
yours to do? Are you preparing for that
ministry with the help and support of others, and when the time comes, are you
taking the courage to perform?
At the beginning
of our stewardships campaign last fall, we had a theme for this year, “Lord,
make us servants of your peace.” At St.
Mark’s, this year alone, we’ve done a lot.
We’ve made and given out prayer blankets for those who are sick. We’ve cooked and serve breakfast for people
on Fridays and given out food during the week.
We recently had a book drive for first graders at Tenie Holmes Elementary. We’ve made meals for people who are sick or
mourning the loss of loved ones. Our
youth are about to go on a mission trip to help rebuild Bastrop. In August we’ll be hosting a back to school
event with MEHOP. We give of our
building so KIDS can counsel children suffering from abuse.
We also have been
doing a lot individually, and that’s what I’d like to address, the
performances, the ministries we have in our personal lives beyond the walls of
St. Mark’s. There is a lot going on that
a lot of us don’t know about, and I want us to start sharing those
stories. When the 70 came back after
Jesus had sent them out, they immediately started sharing their stories with
joy and excitement.
Jesus then gives
his warning not to rejoice at what they were able to accomplish. I hear Jesus telling them not to become proud
and boastful of what they were able to accomplish with God’s help. Share your stories in order to help build
each other up and encourage each other, but be careful not start bragging or
trying to one up each other.
So, in order to
help build each other up, I’d like us to start sharing our stories of ways in
which we’re serving others beyond the walls of St. Mark’s. I’m thinking we’ll call it “stories of the
seventy.” Now I know what some people
are doing, so I’m going to start asking them to write a few paragraphs about
what they are doing, and these will be printed in the Lion, the weekly
newsletter, and maybe even a sentence or two in the Sunday bulletin. I’m also asking people to submit their
stories to me or to the church office.
Write ‘em down, send them in an email, and we’ll add them to “The
Stories of the Seventy.” These stories
will also be anonymous. That way we
avoid the risk of bragging or one-upmanship.
We can simply share our stories in order to build each other up, to help
inspire each other, and to help bear one another’s burdens.
I’m looking
forward to reading these and to hearing about all the different ways we are
servants of God’s peace in each other’s lives and in the lives of others’ in
Bay City. Lord, make us servants of your
peace. Prepare us for the work you have
given us to do. Help us to bear each
other’s burdens, and give us courage and support to carry our loads and perform
when the time comes. Amen.
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