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Sermons & Writings |
Loree Penner
Saint James, Monkton
July 8, 2007
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Years ago, I went on my first missionary trip with two other persons from my church. I did what I thought was careful shopping and packed what I thought was a reasonable amount of stuff - That is, until I had to maneuver my enormous suitcase through airports, trains and ferries. Once I got there, I discovered that my careful shopping had been - well, not so careful after all. I'd brought a huge suitcase of all the wrong clothes, and the only things worthwhile in that bag were my toothbrush, my bible, and a deck of cards, our major source of recreation. The next year a second group went - this time with a party of six. My husband Steve - not my husband yet - was one of the six, and this time, having learned my lesson, I packed light. One small suitcase. It's a good thing, too, because traveling with us was a couple with a six month old baby. I still remember standing in the train station, holding open the door of the train while the rest of the team quickly hurled all the luggage into the compartment - - stroller, port-a-crib, diaper bag, car seat, baby blankets, formula… - and about 14 suitcases filled with baby paraphernalia… - And that was just the beginning. The gospel today continues the theme from last week of journeying with Jesus. This time, Luke tells the story of the sending out of 70 disciples. Reminiscent of other stories of the sending of the 12, this story has a bit of an edge to it. Jesus is very clear about his expectations: travel light - don't take anything you don't need. Eat what's in front of you, and don't be bothered with whether or not it is kosher. Just eat it and be thankful. Carry with you only the peace and power of God, and with those two things in your pack, preach the coming of the kingdom of God, heal the sick, drive back the forces of evil. Jesus was serious about his mission. "The harvest is plentiful," he said, "and the laborers are few - and we don't have a lot of time, because I'm already on my way to Jerusalem." He was giving his followers incredible apostolic training, preparing them to do the great works they would do after he was taken up into heaven. Traveling light - it's a good thing to get used to doing in this life we lead as sojourners here on earth. In Buddhist tradition, if one desires to grow as a spiritual person, one takes on the discipline of being a beggar for a year. Traveling from place to place with only a robe and a begging bowl, one learns what is truly important. St. Francis began his order in this way as well, with the friars as mendicants - homeless beggars that traveled from one place to another, preaching the kingdom of God, and living on the hospitality of others. It is a humbling way to live, against our nature, and frightening in its starkness. The things of earth became less important, and the things of heaven more real. I'm not suggesting that we get our begging bowls out. But I am thinking about what it means today to travel light. If you think about what we pack for a trip, most seasoned travelers have gotten their bags down to something very manageable, because they don't want their "stuff" to keep them from enjoying the journey. In the same way, we can pack for our spiritual journey, watching what we put in the bag, and leaving some of the "stuff" behind. What kind of stuff have you accumulated in your years of being a Christian? Do you have possessions that keep you from doing all you can as a follower of Christ? How about attitudes? Are there negative attitudes, or areas of unforgiveness that you are carrying around with you? Are you involved in a toxic relationship or job that sucks the life out of you? As someone once said, are you keeping your stuff, or is your stuff keeping you? All these things keep us from being the harvester that Jesus desires us to be. For If our own burdens are too large, it's difficult to bear the burdens of others. And bearing others' burdens is part of being a Christian. As a matter of fact, in his letter to the Galatians, Paul addresses two kinds of burdens - The first is the heavy unbearable burden caused by circumstance - illness, misfortune, hard times….these are things we are called to help one another bear. But there is another load we are all to carry - that small pack on our back of the essentials of this Christian walk, beginning with our witness to family, friends, neighbors, coworkers - not so much in what we say as in what we do. And who we are. We are witnesses, whether we think about it or not, just by being Christians. From baptism we have been formed by the cycle of the church year, by the liturgies we attend, the Bible passages we read, the people we hang out with in this community. We have become people of the cross. You and I - or as they say in Tennessee, All-y'all and I, are witnesses to Christ Jesus, just by being who we are. Hopefully we are the kind of witness that leaves a good impression - For people see what our priorities are. People see what is important to us - whether it is our "stuff" or our negative attitudes, or unforgiveness, or, Whether it is a sincere desire to follow the teachings of Christ. That desire manifests itself in our choices, And people will see that our priorities in stewardship of time, talent and treasure is measured by our work in the Great Harvest, rather than in the living of day-to-day affluent America. They will see that the bottom line for us, like Paul, is to boast in the Cross, and recognize that we are a cruciform people, shaped and molded by events that occurred 2000 years ago, and called out of darkness into God's light. All of us will have days when our witness isn't quite what it should be - days when, because of one thing or another, the inner light shines a bit dimly - - days when we are the ones who need help bearing our burdens. - but hopefully when all is said and done, through good days and bad, we will be the kind of witnesses, harvesters and planters that bring the kingdom of God one step closer. Living witnesses of a living, present-continuous relationship with the One who gives us breath. And maybe, just maybe those who witness our efforts to follow Christ will see that this journey we are on is one worth choosing, and they too will choose to follow us along the way. |
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