Pentecost 6

Sometimes, I wish I could have been a leader in the early church...maybe even one of the original twelve.

Oh, I know. There was hardship and danger...lots of both. But, especially for those very early followers, that was only part of the picture. They knew they were following a great man, a healer, a moving preacher and inspiring teacher, maybe even the Messiah.

But, at least while they walked the dusty road with Jesus those twelve couldn’t really grasp the full glory that was ahead. They couldn’t really grasp who their teacher was. Jesus tried to tell them what was ahead and what his part in it would be, but until they actually experienced it and then received the Holy Spirit, they couldn’t appreciate it.

Even so, Jesus’ followers were willing workers and their enthusiasm was something to behold.

Previously, Jesus had sent the twelve out for some on the job experience, teaching and healing. In today’s lesson we hear that he sent out a larger group of followers - seventy, we told. They too are given power and a mission. They too are to prepare people for Jesus coming.

Of course, things are different today. We have the advantage of knowing the end of the story. The crucifiction and the resurrection are in the past...perhaps so far in the past that they no longer fill us with excitement and an overwhelming urge to witness to others.

We’re definitely fortunate in being spared the hardships those early followers endured. We don’t have to walk for hours on dusty roads. We don’t have to worry about persecution, and our enemies are few and far between. Also, we have a church to worship in, choirs to inspire us, and more organists than any church I know.

Yes, things have changed tremendously since Jesus’ day or even the time of the early church. But one thing hasn’t changed - the mission Jesus sends his followers out on.

Just as they were sent to "prepare people for Jesus’ coming" so are we. Back then, the seventy were charged with getting people ready to hear Jesus and receive healing from him. They were a kind of advance team, empowered to publicize the "Jesus Event". They were to invite people and build enthusiasm.

The church - that is the people, not the building or organization - is meant to be on a mission. Our purpose as Christians is still to act as advance teams, preparing people for Jesus coming...now, his second coming, his return in glory.

We don’t know when that coming will be and it’s ever so easy for Satan to lull Christians into taking the time for granted. We don’t feel the urgency of the writer of Luke or of the early Christians who believed Christ would return in their life times.

We also don’t feel the need to go to others with Jesus’ message. We erroneously believe that everyone knows about the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ. We rely quite often on out-dated beliefs that everyone grew up in a church and belongs to one. We mistakenly think that people can see our church sign with worship times, our name in the newspaper periodically or our website.

Of course, there are the Jews and Muslims and some non-Christians, but we don’t have anybody like that in our towns. There are also some groups whose beliefs are not really Christian even though they claim to be Christians, but we don’t feel adequately trained to show them their errors.

We excuse ourselves from reaching out to any of these people with a declaration that it isn’t "nice" or politically correct to evangelize people of another faith. We may even think that in the end all roads lead to God, and so as long as a person believes in "GOD" he or she is okay.

If that is the case, then, we might as well cut those politically incorrect missional sections from our Bibles (which would leave us with a very small Bible - or at least New Testament). If there’s no longer any need to be missionaries, there’s no point wasting time reading or preaching on sending disciples out to prepare the way for Jesus.

Sorry. It’s anything but that easy. Not only are we not free to pick and choose which parts of the Bible apply to us, the mission of Jesus Christ, given to the disciples over 2000 years ago continues today.

We, as members of the church of Jesus Christ are expected to take the Good News of Jesus coming to every town and village. We are to proclaim salvation in the name of Jesus wherever we go and to anyone we meet. The directions are still the same. The mission is unchanged.

What has changed (and changed radically) is the religious environment in which we live.

* We can no longer assume that people will come just because people can see where we are and when we gather.

*We can no longer assume that inviting people is the job of a few supposedly trained people called clergy.

It is a mission each of us is called to carry out. Yes, each one of us, every man, woman and child who claims to be a Christian, thus, a follower of Christ, is called to prepare the world for Jesus coming.

Our world and our communities are in many ways very like they were in Jesus’ day and at the time of the early church. Even with the visibility of the church, Jesus still wants his followers to invite people to come hear Jesus. He wants us to invite them to be a part of HIS church. He wants them to learn the life-giving word he left for all people and to become his disciples.

There’s a legend I read recently that illustrates this very well. It is a legend, but like most legends it has much truth in it.

Jesus, the Son of God, could have made other plans, of course. He could have just made belief in him automatic and irresistible. He could have made everyone at the time of the resurrection believers and then made faith in him a genetic factor, like having five finger and toes. He could write his message in the skies in fiery letters. He could appear to people like the god character played by Morgan Freeman in Evan Almighty.

Jesus could have done a lot of things rather than choose to depend on people like his disciples or people like us. Jesus could have, but in his divine wisdom he chose to depend on people who belong to his church.

That’s the mission of St. Paul’s. That’s the mission of those early followers. That’s the mission of the Church. That’s our mission. Won’t you join us?