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The Not-so-Grim Reapers
The “Not-so-Grim” Reapers…
Luke 10:1-9
† In Jesus Name †
May You find your lives reflecting God’s glory into the darkness, as you are sent out with the Father’s grace, mercy and peace, proclaiming God is really in control.What we Jesus tell you, that you couldn’t take?
Looking at the picture on the bulletin cover, of the two men reaping a harvest, and the simple lives of the Amish, a thought began to develop.
If Jesus was sending us out today, as we heard Him send the 12 out a few weeks ago, as He sent the 72 out in today’s gospel, what would He tell us we couldn’t take with us?
No cash, no credit cards, no ATM cards, probably not even scrip cards for gasoline or restaurants! He might even send us out walking, telling us for this journey we don’t need our cars!
He even might ban our electronics, no computer, no tablet computer, no {gulp} smart phones…
He’d instruct us to stay on task, not to get bogged down in texting each other about what we see and experience, no stopping at Starbucks to enjoy a Venti latte froze espresso cappuccino with pumpkin flavoring, while chatting with friends No suitcase full of clothes and spare shoes – just you and your partner, hitting the pavement,
Move along now…..
If He sent us out with the Message, but forbade us to bring anything besides what we were wearing.. how would we react?
Why should our Load be Lightened?
It is quite easy to get the wrong impression as to why Jesus would separate the disciples from that which our minds think would benefit to their ministry. We usually see this as a matter of sacrifice and obedience. Are the seventy-two willing to suffer for Jesus, are they willing to demonstrate their faith by doing without? I’ve read commentaries where this is hailed as a mark of the disciples devotion, as standard for those who would serve God. Indeed, there is a sense of pride that can become involved, as people compare what they are willing to give up, what they were willing to endure. Some even went as far as seeking pain, suffering, and embracing poverty, in order to prove they were holy…
We do not need such suffering to prove our holiness, any more than the young man last week had to sell everything he had, to gain eternal life, to be in fellowship with God. We, like the young man, find ourselves in God’s presence, now!
But those things Jesus directed them to leave behind, if the reason isn’t to prove their faithfulness, why would He ask them to leave them behind….
unless they would get in the way of the harvest?
unless the disciples would depend on what they had, more than depending on who was with them.
God doesn’t ask us to give up what we need, as much as He would see us freed from what holds us back, as He would free us from what compels our dependence upon His providence.
If we are always looking to our credit cards statements;
if we are considering why our lunch bag is empty;
if we are wondering how far we can get on the nearly empty gas tank;
if we are distracted from our work by less important text messages;
then does the reaping, the harvesting get done? Or do we focus on our grim situation, and become “grim” non-reapers?”
It is not really about the items we leave behind, it is the anxiety that they can cause, the stress of caring for what we have, or the concern caused by focusing on what we lack…that takes simple things and turns them into idols, into what we count on, more than we count on God
Yet – in Jesus commanding us to leave it behind, in recognizing that the work of the Harvest is His as our Lord, He is taking responsibility to make sure we have all we need.
Just as when He brought us to faith, and granted us repentance, we need to learn to depend on His care, on His Lordship. It is as much about depending on Him, as it is about obeying Him.
Why do we have to depend on others?
The seventy two found the same challenge, when it came to where they would stay.
Many here would rather serve in the kitchen, then be the one hosted. Part of it is how we are brought up, how we are trained – especially in the church. The laws of hospitality, whether rigid in Jesus day, or the more rigid ones around today, are explicit. We take the idea of being servants, and relegate it to the physical world, to preparing food and doing that which we think we must do, to appease our guests, to entertain them, and in doing so, sometimes we think we’ve done well…
So did Martha, and it was because Mary wasn’t holy enough, that Martha went to Jesus to complain!
While the 72 were sent to serve, they were just as much to depend. There was to be a relationship here – where they were to feed these people spiritually, even as they were being fed. They were to bring God’s blessings to these people, who would respond by blessing them.
It is not unlike our relationship with God – who brings us incredible blessings through the work of Christ, then gladly receives our worship and praise and yes – our sacrifices in response. Each brings something to the relationship – not one party taking advantage of the other, but each being a blessing to each other!
It’s like the command to eat what is put in front of you – what if the host, the one to whom you are bring the word of life, give you a portion that is significantly larger, is noticeable better? Can we receive blessings, even if people sacrifice greatly to give them to us?
It is about dependence, about being thankful; whether we are offered steak, or hot dogs, or just a piece of bread, whether it is a glass of the finest champagne, or a cup of water. For if God led us to bring them the gospel and the hope of knowing Jesus, could He not lead them as well? It is a difficult lesson, is it not? It requires wisdom, and humility, for I think it takes more humility to be served, than it does to serve.
There is of course, another advantage to this – if we have no money, no food, no ability to sustain ourselves on the journey, neither can we simply run away when the journey gets too tough. It’s hard to run, when you have no way to get away, no sustenance of your own? There may be a time to leave – but surely that comes to both the one sent, and the one they were sent to, and the providence becomes something they work out together…as they abide together in Christ Jesus.
Provide therapy and ministry and tell them……
After helping the seventy two get focused on being sent, and ensuring that they brought nothing that would cause them stress and anxiety, but instead encourage their dependence on the Lord Jesus’s ability to provide for them, Jesus tells them what they are to do, as they bring God’s peace to households, and to people.
9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
While that phrase is often translated, “heal the sick”, it by no means is referring just to physical illness. The verb “heal” is from the word we get “therapy” from, and the word for ill is used not only for sick, but for any trauma that causes one to be weak, helpless, unstable, unable to stand on one’s own.
The disciples were to minister to whoever was broken, to serve whoever needed God’s love, and more importantly, God’s peace. It was about assuring them that God was in charge, that He still reigns, that He does care and is present in their lives. It was about sharing with them the lesson that they were learning more and more on this missionary journey.
That to have faith, to trust in Jesus, is about depending upon Him.
To depend upon Him for fixing that which is broken,
To depend on Him, even as we pray as Jesus taught, for what we need daily…
To depend on Him to forgive our sins, and the sins of those who sin against us.
To depend on God to give us a way to escape temptation and to protect us from evil.
For that is what it means that the Lord of the Harvest has gathered us in His harvest, even as He sends us out to gather others.
For even as the 12 sent out include the clergy today, the pastors and leaders of the church, so the 72 represents all of us, the family of God, sent to serve, to gather, to reap, not grimacing, but rejoicing, for even if we go with nothing in the world’s eyes… we know what the Lord of the Harvest provides… what He tells us to bring people…
Our reaping, our work in the harvest field is never grim, no matter what we lack in the world’s view. Rather, it is rich, for we dwell in and gather others into a peace that is beyond comprehension…
His peace.
AMEN?
Super Heroes….always serve
Devotional Discussion thought of the day…
As I am sitting home sick, I’ve been catching up on superhero movies – reliving my childhood one would say… except the superheroes are far more technological, their challengers even more vicious, the battles far more …. critical, than the ones Adam West and Boy Robin faced. or Chris Reeves.
What they have in common, these heroes of my youth and the heroes of this day.. they don’t become lords, they don’t govern, they simply serve…they work to bring health to their communities and peace, and indeed to protect them from evil. Whether it is a global threat – or a child needing to be rescued from a tree, they are there.
There is something at a sub-conscious level that resounds and gets excited by the superhero concept, and I believe it is because we believe we are also threatened. Threatened by a darkness that would consume us, enslave us, ruin us. Sometimes that darkness is an external threat ( we often project this on… let’s say – a presidential candidate? That is why we must vilify them, rather than just base it on issues) Sometimes it is an internal threat – the superheroes today often battle internal demons, (Dark Knight/Batman, the Hulk, Ironman etc) and the difference between Villain and Hero is slim, razor slim.
We have heroes in our midst, the apostles and ministers who reflect light into the darkness. I don’t capitalize either of those words for a purpose – I am not talking about pastors and priests, bishops and other clergy. I am talking about the people who are sent by God into the darkness of this world, to reflect the light,t he glory that envelops them, for they have found hope in Jesus. They are more than superheroes – for in Christ, they have become children of the Father, they have been united in Christ’s death and resurrection. As they live normal lives, they become our heroes, as they pray with their kids, as they sing in the choir, as they help their neighbor and their neighbor’s family as they approach death, as they simply listen to that co-worker, whose life is broken, just as their lives were.. It’s the lady who teaches Sunday School, the musicians who arrive early, the people that greet with smiles and hugs. They have been “apostled” sent into the place to serve, to minister, on God’s behalf. Without thought of reward, but to give hope to the hopeless, to bring healing where there is pain, to bring love where there is hatred and apathy…
to bring Jesus, His mercy, His love, His glory….
Who are these superheroes? Come to church on Sunday, and I will introduce you to some… and we’ll help you see that you are one as well….
The Source of Hope…
Devotional-Discussion thought of the evening….
There are days where it seems that what we do makes little difference, the flood caused by sin’s damage is too great, to overwhelming. No matter where you look in this world, we see the damage caused by sin, the brokenness, the wounded, even those we think are the perpetrators – yet are victims of sin’s bondage as well.
The tendency to drop into despair, to get depressed, to want to give in, give up is there. I’ve known those kinds of days
But surrendering to hopelessness is only one of the choices to make… there is another way to surrender ….
Seek union with God and buoy yourself up with hope—that sure virtue!—because Jesus will illuminate the way for you with the light of his mercy, even in the darkest night. (1)
You see, there is a blessing in the darkness – for in the darkness we find our exactly how much we need His light. We realize our helplessness, we realize we cannot make it, and we remember….. His Body, His Blood, broken and shed for us, the promise that we aren’t in the darkness, not meant to be there, but we belong in His glory, brought there in His mercy, because of His love.
We have to remember that, when the darkness seems to overwhelming, when the cares of the world cause anxiety, when we for the moment… forget His love…
Lord – Have mercy upon us, may we ever dwell in Your glory… and may we be confident, that we are never left by You, in the dark. AMEN!
(1)Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 1192-1194). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Time to Go Home…& the Eucharist…
Devotional/discussion thought of the Day:
It’s been too many days away…. even though the men I am with on this retreat are fun loving guys, and there is a great sense of camaraderie among them, it is not the same as being home with my wife and son, and my congregation. I have confidence in the vicar preaching there this morning, ( as I do in the other vicar and deacon extending the ministry this morning) but there is something about being there.
I can’t wait to get home. I can’t wait to get back to my people. (and out of the range of the country western stuff I was subjected to all week)
As i long for that, I think about the Lord’s Supper, the Communion feast of God and His people, the Eucharist.
It is, more than anything, the place I know I am home. It is where we belong, very consciously aware of the presence of God, the awe found in His presence, which rips our sin, our idols, our anxieties away.
I have to admit a bit of jealousy of my Catholic brothers in ministry, who don’t wait a week in between celebrating this feast, this homecoming, this little glimpse of the joy of heaven, this peace which crushes all else.
It’s time for going home… it’s time for the family to dine, the host to bless us, even as He thanks the Father for the cross that made this feast possible.
I love how St. Josemarie Escriva put it, “As he was giving out Holy Communion that priest felt like shouting out: this is Happiness I am giving to you!” (1)
This is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, happy are those who are called to His Supper,
Lord, we are not worthy to receive, but only say the words……and we are healed….
For we are home, with God.
(1)Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 1105-1106). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Will We Let God Minister to us….
(I write this blog from our first night of our elders retreat…where the theme comes from Zeph 3:17. Please, if you like my thoughts – press like either here on on FB or G+ Or engage the concept in discussion below… I love to know I am doing this for someone besides myself)
17 Your GOD is present among you, a strong Warrior there to save you. Happy to have you back, he’ll calm you with his love and delight you with his songs.
If God is our God, if Jesus reigns over us, the question is whether we will walk with Him, within a intimate relationship, while still letting Him maintain the responsibility in our lives. It is a interesting balance, but my recent devotions and readings, and even this retreat, seem to be focusing not on our responsibility as His servants, but rather, on His responsibility to us – what He commits Himself to accomplish in and for us.
This verse, like those we love to hear – Psalm 46:10 and Psalm 23 – are incredible intimate looks at God’s determination to be our Lord, our Master, to reign over our lives, as He cares for us. I love the power exhibited in this verse, the force that God commits to have our back, to calm us, and even beyond – to bring us delight – to create within us great joy.
The question is, can we free ourselves from the idols that would distract us from His calming influence, would we focus on Him rather than that which controls us with fear, or tempts us with thoughts of temporary escapes into pleasure. And that struggle to free us brings us to the point. Will we let God be God?
Can we realize that He has already broke the chains that our idols ensnared us?
He has… we are freed – to walk with Him, our Lord, our Savior, the One who comes to us,
Be calmed – find delight in His celebration of His rescuing you…
Overcoming Monday -itis
“Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. 30 For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (TEV)
When you find yourself tired and exhausted, approach Our Lord confidently, as that good friend of ours did, and say: “Jesus, see what you can do about it. Even before I begin to fight, I am already tired.” He will give you his strength. (1)
It’s Monday morning and I am sitting in the office after a very tiring weekend. I am looking at 2 back-breaking days of work, then going on a retreat where I am still “pastor”.
To be honest, all I want to do is crawl back into bed, relax, and rest and know that He is God. Gladly let Him rule the universe today, I just want to go back to sleep! (oh wait – ruling the universe includes me… drats!)
There is little difference between the words of Jesus, and the words of St. Josemarie Escriva. Indeed, the passage in Matthew came to mind as I closed my devotions this morning with a few similar quotes on pessimism from the book “The Forge” There is a reason I posted them both, one – to show Jesus commanding us, asking us, to depend on Him, to call upon Him, not just for the forgiveness of sins, but for the strength to endure, even to endure Mondays. We need to know that Christianity is more about Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, not because we have to be holy all that time (which would be nice) but because God is with us, all that time.
Which is why I put the quote from the Forge. Having read about the challenges and endurance of a priest caught between wars, challenged by those who valued the system more than the ones it was created to serve, who served sacrificially and diligently and to the point of exhaustion, that it is encouraging to hear him advise us to ask God for the help GOd promised. My theory is that we are encouraged by the priest to do this, because it is where he found the strength to do what he did. To do the work of the gospel, to encourage and train and shepherd people, and to train shepherds, he needed a strength that would empower him through the midst of the tiredness, the exhaustion.
If he experienced the yoke being easy, the burden being light, as he walked with Jesus, if he pointed to those who’ve gone before doing the same thing, if I can think of people in my own generation who walk with Christ – and find the strength to get it done, I know Jesus will be faithful and get me through this day… and the dreaded tuesday.
Jesus commits Himself to fulfill this promise in Matthew. History and so many saints have testified to Him keeping His promise, in situations more grave than a Monday. To make that burden easy, to make our work light. Maybe your exhausted, mentally, physically, spiritually. You’ve got a case of Monday-itis. and you’ve got it so bad.. that you don’t even have the strength to feel guilty about it. Realize God is with you, empowering you, and lean on Him rather than trying to do it yourself. Enjoy His presence, and the work… it will get done.
Cry out, “Lord have Mercy”, and know His is with you….even on Monday
(1)Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 1029-1031). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
The Forge of Despair
There is a time in life, where we feel overwhelmed, were the challenges we face pull at us with the power of a black hole, sucking us in, blinding us to everything…except the vacant brokenness.
It is at those times our faith seems non-existent, the strength and support of God which we rely on seems as distant from us as a galaxy. We become spiritually blind, and the more we try to fight, the stronger that which sucks the life out of us takes hold, and attempts to crush us.
I wish I was speaking from theory, or at least from the strength of one who is there to pull people out. I suppose I could, been there as a pastor, an amateur theologian, someone who enjoys the mystical aspects of worship, and meditation on God’s word. Yet there are days….the battle is too much…and I have to go back to the basics, almost needed to be re-converted, re-baptized, re-freed from that which ensnares me. As i believe we all do.
One of the things that helps is reading the writings of a few people, Henri Noowen is one, Frank Perretti’s early novels, the Church Fathers, Luther’s letters and table talks. And if you’ve read my blogs, you know I have developed a fondness for the devotional writings of Josemarie Escriva , a catholic priest who 10 years ago this day, was canonized a saint. Not all his stuff for sure, there is still the usual challenges of the difference between Roman Catholic doctrine and that of the Lutheran Church. Like Luther, it seems he fought despair, even as God used him to re-focus the church on the grace and strength that is found in Christ Jesus. He knew the costs of his ministry, embraced them and struggled through them. He likened himself to a donkey, (although I wonder if that is a kinder translation of the Spanish) and you can’t read “The Way” or my favorite “the Forge” without seeing the broken heart supported and healed in Christ.
Such a thought I came across today:
If the outlook in your interior life, in your soul, is darkened, allow yourself to be led along by the hand, as a blind man would do. In time the Lord will reward this humble surrendering of your own judgement by giving you clarity of mind. (1)
It is amazing simple, and amazingly true. In talking about Jesus as Lord, we often focus on our obedience, our following His guidance, direction. How often do we look at the obligations He places on Himself, as He offers to become our Lord? Do we see His committing to be present in our lives, to clean and heal us of the damage our sin causes? Do we see His protecting us in the black holes.
Do we see Him at the Forge, in the midst of the heat and pounding that seems to be life – strengthening us, forming us, transforming us? Transforming us, according to Paul in 2 Corinthians, into His image.
I have learned this again. It seems the secrets to escaping the black holes, the quicksand, the traumas of life is to let Him be my Lord, to relax in His grasp, to know He is God……..
As many have before us have… and may our lives serve those who follow, in the same way….
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 1021-1023). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
My Faith, One Step Forward, Two Steps…?
6:11 But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:11-12 (NLT)
There are days where being a believer is a fight, where it is just a struggle. There is a “fight” against the world, and its pressures, and seduction and mocking criticism. There can be a “fight” within the church, as we interact closely with others who are dealing with the paradox of being forgiven sinners. ( if they would only stop sinning, and also – don’t they understand they are supposed to forgive me?) But the biggest struggle for me is not the external fights, it is the internal one. The kind Paul describes himself going through in Romans 7 -the fight within me to pursue righteousness, to see mercy dominate, to keep in mind the struggle of this life pale in comparison to God’s presence now, and what He longs for, when we are all home in heaven.
After those days of internal fighting, I wonder about my faith. Do I deserve to be called a “christian”, never mind deserving to serve as a pastor? I comprehend all to well Paul’s word’s about not doing what I know I should, and doing that which I know I shouldn’t. I want to beat myself into submission, I want to find a way to get rid of the sin, as Hebrews 12 urges us – setting it aside for that which I enjoy more………and just when I do, something comes up – and my cynical and sarcastic side takes over… again.
So how do we mature, how do we overcome in this struggle?
We strive, but not in our own strength – we begin to depend on the One who is our source of righteousness – who created the faith we have, and will perfect it. We don’t give up, thinking there is not option to failure. But we are reminded by that failure of our need to depend on Jesus. As one pastor/priest wrote:
“You are not getting worse. It is just that now you have more light to see yourself as you really are. You must avoid even the slightest hint of discouragement.
Along the way to personal sanctity we can at times get the impression that we are going backwards instead of forwards, that we are getting worse instead of better. As long as there is interior struggle this pessimistic thought is only an illusion, a deception to be rejected as false. Persevere and don’t worry. If you fight with tenacity you are making progress and are growing in sanctity.” (1)
If our “fight” is to grasp more onto Christ, it makes sense that we will see that which would pull us away more clearly, that we would feel the drag on us more acutely, that we would learn the hard way, that trying to make progress is effective as we depend on Jesus, His love, His mercy, His guidance, His presence, more and more and more. That Godly life can only be learned from within the Kingdom of God, the place where we have belonged since our first day, when God cleansed us in baptism. When He took hold of us.
Hold on, don’t be distracted or drained by the currents of life, for know that He has a hold of you as well, as nothing can separate you from His love.
(1)Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 957-964). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
