The Upload
Posted on Jul 01, 2016 by
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray you have had a blessed week.
In my note last week, I talked about how it is not our job to save people; our job, as followers of Jesus, is to share the good news. That is, we only have to tell the story and share with people what God has done for us in our lives, and then our mission is complete. But if truth be told, we want more. We want to know that we have been successful, and that once people have heard the story that they will agree with us and they, too, will follow Jesus. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. and our gospel story this week helps us to understand that.
In our gospel lesson this week (Luke 10:1-11, 16-20), Jesus sends the 70 out to proclaim the coming of kingdom of God. When he sends them out, he sends them with a warning: “Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves” (10:3). Well, that doesn’t sound very comforting. First and foremost, Jesus wants us to know that when we go into the world sharing the good news it us dangerous work, because many will reject us. Following his warning, he encourages his disciples to travel light (10:4). We don’t need much to tell the story because we know the story; we have already experienced Jesus and the incredible things God has done in our lives. Finally, after telling them it will be dangerous and that they don’t need much to go do their work, he tells them to be prepared for many not to believe what they are saying. He says, “Whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you …” (Luke 10:10). Notice he doesn’t say “if” you enter a town and they don’t welcome you…No, he says, “Whenever you enter a town…” Jesus knows there will be plenty of times that our message of the good news will not be accepted. Now, Jesus isn’t dismissing those who fail to receive this message, but he is encouraging those of us trying to share the story of the coming of the kingdom of God.
Face it, we want to be successful all the time, but Jesus lets us know that that is not possible, we cannot always be successful, but to just keep telling the truth and there will be those who will believe. Jesus is also telling us not to try to “cherry-coat” the story. As we have heard the past several weeks, being a disciple is difficult work, and if we try to make it sound easy, yes, more people will jump on board, but they will quickly jump off when they find out they have been deceived.
This week, Jesus is inviting us to be an apostle in everything we do. He challenges us to share the good news every day and everywhere. This week, we are challenged to find ways to share the story at work, with our neighbors, and in the wider community. We are invited by Christ to be Christian in all that we say and do. We are encouraged to shine wherever we are, with whomever we encounter.
Have a blessed and holy week!
Shalom,
Pr. Dave