Pentecost VI, Proper 9
Isaiah 66:10-16
Galatians 6:1-10,14-18
Luke 10:1-12,16-20
+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A 2003 survey reported that the favorite author of both Catholic and mainline Protestant clergy was Henri Nouwen, a Catholic priest who wrote about forty books on Christian spirituality. For much of his career, Nouwen was an academic star. He taught at Notre Dame, Yale, Harvard. In his fifties, he began to wonder if his relationship with Jesus was still growing and developing. He wrote,
After twenty-five years of priesthood, I found myself praying poorly, living somewhat isolated from other people, and very much preoccupied with burning issues. Everyone was saying that I was doing really well, but something inside was telling me that my success was putting my own soul in danger.1
He felt that he was spiritually dying, that he was cut off from the Holy Spirit. So he prayed for God to show him what to do, how to follow him, where to find spiritual renewal.
The answer to his prayer was a L'Arche community in Toronto. L'Arche is French for the Ark. L'Arche communities exist throughout the world. They comprise of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities living and working with those who assist them. Nouwen discerned God to be saying: "Go and live among the poor in spirit, and they will heal you."2
Nouwen complied, and years later, he wrote,
I moved from Harvard to L'Arche, from the best and the brightest, wanting to rule the world, to men and women who had few or no words and were considered, at best, marginal to the needs of our society. It was a very hard and painful move... the small, hidden life with people whose broken minds and bodies demand a strict daily routine in which words are the least requirement does not immediately appear as the solution for spiritual burnout.3
Not long after the move, Nouwen received a request to speak at a conference down here in Crystal City. He decided to accept it, but as he prepared for it he became deeply aware that Jesus had not sent his disciples out into the world by themselves, but rather that Jesus had directed that they go two by two. Nouwen decided to ask Bill, one of his handicapped friends, to come with him.
Of all the handicapped people in their home, Bill was the best able to express himself with words and gestures. Nouwen thought that it would be a nice thing for Bill to join him for the trip, that he was doing Bill a kind turn, but he really didn't expect Bill to be of any help. At the conference, Nouwen gave his talk, and Bill sat next to him. To Nouwen's surprise and unease, as he finished his talk, Bill stood up and addressed the audience as well. Nouwen feared an embarrassing situation. He arrogantly presumed that Bill wouldn't contribute positively. But Nouwen caught himself and relinquished control. Bill simply said a couple of sentences to express his appreciation for being there. Bill also went around introducing himself and chatting with folks at the conference's cocktail party and dinner and then the next morning.
Nouwen had always gone solo in the past, but he discovered that traveling with Bill made the message more powerful. Nouwen recognized that long after the event, most would not remember his words, but they would remember that Bill had been with him. People would remember their relationship, their affection, respect, and care for one another. They showed that when two or three gather in Jesus' name, he is with them. (Mt 18:20) Together they made Jesus present to people, and far more powerfully than either of them could on their own.
Today's gospel is about mission; it's about presenting people with good news. We do that with our words, but Nouwen and Bill remind us that it is our relationships, our presence with one another, that most powerfully conveys the gospel. Ministering and spreading good news is often not best done on our own, but with others. So Jesus didn't send his disciples out alone, but in twos.
Jesus also gave his disciples a list of instructions. Here are five of them. First, Jesus said, "Pray for enough laborers to go out into the harvest." Jesus sent out seventy. The number seventy symbolizes fullness, completion. In Genesis, the number of the world's nations is seventy. The seventy sent by Jesus symbolize that his mission is with all people and for all people. God is reaching out to the ends of the earth to draw everyone to him. The harvest is enormous, and we pray that no one is left out, that God provides enough ministers, people like you and me, to do the work.
Second, Jesus said, "Go your way: I send you out as lambs among wolves." Christians should expect hostility, opposition, rejection. We should expect to be challenged, to be uncomfortable, to be ill at ease. But still we are to go out -- not stay in, not wait for people to come to us. The world out there is our priority, not our own internal matters. The scandal of the Church today is that we're focused on ourselves and not on blessing others. Our priority is caring for others, not preserving ourselves. We are a people of sacrifice, living more for those outside the community than catering to those inside.
We often assume evangelization is getting people to come to church, and it is. But Jesus' instructions imply that evangelization requires us to go out. In other words, even when people are hostile to you, have good manners; don't expect people to come to you, but rather go to them. More and more, we aim to direct resources -- time, talent, treasure -- out there, beyond our doors. The question we measure ourselves by is: "If this church doesn't exist, who will miss it besides us?" That's our test.
Third, Jesus said, "Carry no purse, no knapsack, no sandals." Take nothing with you. It's about becoming vulnerable and identifying with the poor, the forgotten, the marginal. It's about learning to depend upon God, instead of our own efforts. The more we trust God, the more others will see the power of God. Jesus is telling his disciples to be open to the gifts and the hospitality of others. Accepting the gifts and hospitality of others dignifies them and humbles us. It keeps us from thinking too much of ourselves.
Fourth, Jesus said, "Salute no one along the way." This is another way of saying that God's mission is urgent. The harvest must be collected now, otherwise it'll be loss. Stay focused. Don't be distracted. Nouwen knew all about losing perspective. He left acclaim and comfort to deepen his life in Christ. He turned away from what excites people, and he re-focused on the essence of Christianity: loving and caring for others. The real burning issue is always "love one another as I have loved you."
Fifth, Jesus said, "When you enter a home, bid peace to that home." In this instance, peace is another way of saying "salvation" or "life." It's asking for harmony and well-being and security to abide there. It's asking for God's blessing upon the home.
I read recently a story of a pastor who on a Sunday morning was pulled aside by one of his parishioners.4 The parishioner had visited the local hospital the day before and discovered that a young couple in his church had just had a baby: a little girl with Down Syndrome. Somewhat agitated, the parishioner told his pastor, "I didn't know what to say. We chatted for a few minutes. They let me hold the baby, and I told them she was beautiful. I prayed, thanking God for their child and asking God's peace and blessing upon their family." The pastor assured the parishioner that he had done the right thing. The pastor could've not have done or said anything better.
A couple Sundays later, that parishioner again pulled his pastor aside and showed him a note that he'd received from the young mother. Now that's an exceptional thing to receive a note from a young, sleep deprived mother who can muster the time and energy to write a note. She thanked him for his visit and his prayer. She wrote, "Thank you for not saying what so many people said and telling us how sorry you were. We are so happy to have our baby. Thank you for sharing our family's joy."
If there's nothing else a Christian can do, should seek to do, it's to bid God's peace and blessing upon people -- whether it be explicitly in a prayer or simply being a positive, grateful presence. It's being conscious of making our presence a blessing to other people. It's like Bill standing up and giving thanks to the audience. That's proclaiming God's peace. That's bringing good news.
When the seventy came back to Jesus after their missionary trip, they were full of themselves, rejoicing in their success, celebrating their triumph. They were starting to think that they were the best and the brightest. Jesus warned them, "I've given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and to defeat your enemies, but don't rejoice in your gifts and powers. Rather, rejoice because God has written your name in heaven. Rejoice not what you do for God, but what God does for you. Rejoice that God is with you and loves you."
+ In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
1 Henri J.M. Nouwen, "In the Name of Jesus," Crossroad (1989), p. 20.
2 Ibid., p. 22.
3 Ibid.
4 Patrick J. Willson, "Living by the Word," Christian Century, 26 June 2007, p. 18.
© 2007 Lane John Davenport
