Prayer of Illumination: Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us. Melt us, mold us, fill us, use us. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us.

“Some Pomp, But Mostly Circumstance”

Last night, I attended my 10-year high school reunion. Perhaps one or two of you are old enough to have attended their own high school reunions and, I have to say, it’s quite amazing to talk with folks about what has happened in their lives over that gap of time. People reinvent themselves, flourishing in ways they were never able to in high school, they get married, they get divorced, they get sick, they have children…countless events have happened in the lives of these people following that time in life so romanticized in song and film. Wonderful, terrible, joyful and tragic events have moved in to draw more lines on our faces and add greater contours to our hearts.

            Graduation and – let’s face it – any big event in a person’s life is one of euphoria and excitement. These big events – graduations, weddings, parenthood and others – are times that friends and family celebrate with much pomp and splendor complete with graduation parties, wedding showers, baby showers and all other kinds of to-do’s . You are surrounded by well-wishers and maybe even shed a few tears of joy. But, rarely do people set you aside and say sternly, “Listen, you’re on your own now. You’ve got to make your way. It’s gonna be scary and, most of the time you’re not gonna know what you’re supposed to be doing but you’ll be expected to seem like you know what you’re doing. Now, off you go.” Such a send-off would likely bring us running right back for cover! For some, our text for today may feel a bit like this speech.

To start, it may be helpful to share a bit about the book of Matthew. The author of this gospel was primarily interested in speaking to Christians who were very close to the Jewish community – many of whom had likely been Jewish themselves. These new Jewish Christians had been cast out of their communities and had to find their own way – no doubt with a lot of sadness and fear of what would come. And so, the author of Matthew writes. He writes not only to instruct them in a new way of doing life but also to help them discover and embrace a new identity – one unlike any they’ve known before. These new Christians, like those young disciples to whom Jesus spoke, were facing a crossroads and going through a new phase in life that was at once exciting and tinged with not a small amount of fear. It is a journey that was both lonesome and communal at the same time; even though they stood together, they stood alone as islands in the sea of a greater social and cultural world that often ran counter to the Kingdom of God of which Jesus had spoke. They didn’t know what lay ahead but, if Jesus’ death was any indication, things probably weren’t going to be pretty.

Our scripture for this morning starts out with an assortment of scenes. The last few lines in chapter 9 are like some kind of motivational or inspirational montage on a film – not unlike one you might see in the movie Rocky. Jesus is running around, teaching in synagogues, curing diseases, giving sight to the blind, exorcising spirits…you can almost hear “Our God is an Awesome God” playing in the background and see the hands raised in praise. There’s no doubt that it was an inspiring and exciting time to be a disciple. They were hanging out with Jesus and probably proud to be able to say, “Oh him? That’s my boy Jesus. We’re like this.” Then, the montage fades, Jesus turns to this ragtag group of guys who have been cheering him on and says, “Okay, now your turn.” One can only imagine the stunned looks of bewilderment that their faces take on. Unwittingly, these are the graduates of the very first Christian education program. The scripture notes each disciple by name, almost like the diploma roll call at a graduation, and, the words that follow might even be considered the very first graduation speech. Only, this graduation speech isn’t quite as feel-good as the ones we might have heard in the past.

            The author of Matthew wanted to write a Gospel that spoke directly to these anxieties of the early church, recalling the accounts and words of Jesus that would remind them of what they were called to and why they were called to it. Today’s text is the second of 5 discourses, or collection of sayings, that are presented in the Gospel of Matthew. They sort of act like when you are watching a movie or a T.V. show and the character turns toward the camera and speaks directly to the viewer even though, ostensibly, the speech is for the disciples or the crowd to which he is speaking. In a way, the author presents Jesus as turning to the reader and speaking directly to them. And so, in a way, this is our graduation speech – whether we have graduated from Body Builders, high school, or simply graduated from last week! Jesus’ words are a reminder that we are called to a grander life than what this world dictates for us.

            So, when Jesus turns to face the camera, he doesn’t mince words, choosing instead to get to the point right away. In fact, his words almost sound like an instruction manual; little bullet points of things to do and things not to do: avoid the Gentiles and Samaritans and go straight to your brothers and sisters in Israel and proclaim this good news – that the kingdom of heaven has come near. Do all of those things I was just doing – curing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing the lepers – the whole shebang. As the speech goes on, you can almost see the looks of surprise melt into that of uncertainty and second-thoughts of those unsuspecting young men. Perhaps one or two of them are trying to figure out a quick escape plan. Maybe even a few of them were thinking, “Woah, woah, wait a second. This is not what I signed up for.” But, by the beginning of the next chapter, we see these same disciples leaving to do just what Jesus has commissioned them to do. What happened after these disciples left? We have no idea. The scriptures don’t go into it and it is up to our imaginations as to how they fared. In many ways, this is like us as we begin each chapter and each day in life’s journey. If we look closely at this text, we can draw out four practices to live by:

1.               In vv. 5-6, we find that the first guideline is: Go where you are called. Jesus called the disciples to minister and proclaim his message their own family. Why did he do this? Perhaps he knew that Jews would only listen to other Jews. Or, perhaps because he knew that this would be the hardest assignment for the disciples. All of us know just how hard it is to be a witness of God’s grace and love to our own parents and siblings. They know just how to hit the right buttons to set us off. As disciples of Jesus, it is our call to go to those places and minister to whom we have been called. This requires silence and openness on our part as we listen and respond to where God is drawing us. It could be the most obvious or least likely places we can think of.

2.               The second practice is found in vv. 7-8: Do what I have done. Jesus instructs us to heal, bring life, stand with the marginalized and free those in bondage. If you were ever looking for a definition of ministry, this is it. What do we do when we have figured out the first practice and discovered where and with whom we are to be in ministry? We heal the weak. We bring people to life. We stand with those whom society has written off. We help others to confront the things that are holding them back from living fully. We cast out those demons which seek destruction in our lives and the lives of those folks to which we have been called in ministry. Who says addiction, depression or injustice aren’t demons running rampant in this world? Who doesn’t know someone who’s life has been turned upside down or been personally been afflicted by any one or a combination of these experiences? Jesus hasn’t only instructed us to do this, but he has given us his very authority to do these things. And so, while we may often have very little confidence in our own abilities, we can rest assured in the knowledge that we have already been empowered with the most important tools to move forward in our call to live life and bring life to others.

3.               The third practice, in vv. 9-10, is: Live simply. In the Gospel of Matthew, poverty plays a fundamental role in Jesus’ message and his call on the disciple. We must think honestly about this text. Jesus really was calling his followers to be totally liberated from the oppression that money creates in this world and he knew that the only way to truly be free is to walk away from it all. For many, this is just too impossible. And so, primarily, what I think that Jesus sought draw our attention to was the way that material comfort can easily prevent us from relying on God and focusing on God’s call for us. Are worries about gas prices, mortgages or ongoing payments preventing you from living fully? Or, it can easily become a habit to throw money at problems, rather than approaching them with full engagement.

4.               And finally, the fourth practice, from vv. 11-15, is this: Enter into relationships with good will but don’t waste your time on those who treat you poorly. This was practical wisdom for the traveling evangelist. These traveling Christians were dependant upon the hospitality of those who received them as they lived out their ministry. We too, today, are dependant upon the hospitality of those to whom we minister. While it may not necessarily take the form of a home and a meal, if one is unwilling to make time and space in their lives to be in a relationship with you that respects your own value and worth in this world, we must walk away and shake the dust off our own sandals.
            So, these four rules of ministry – going where we’re called, ministering as Jesus ministered, living simply and being in good relationships are the basic rules of life as a follower of Jesus. Like I said earlier, we don’t know what happened to those disciples exactly, but, they show up again not too long after chapter 10 – no doubt with a few more lines on their faces and contours to their hearts. For us, every Sunday morning or Bible study is like our own Christian education reunion. How have we fared this week, this month? What are struggles we face now? What are the things we’ve learned and the joys we’ve experienced? If you look again at the very beginning of chapter 10 you may notice that the names are arranged in pairs. It doesn’t read Simon, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddaeus, Simon, Judas. Instead, it reads Simon and Andrew, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew... These early disciples didn’t walk alone on their journeys and neither are we to walk alone in this journey to which we have been called.

As with most of us who start out on life’s various journeys, we may think we have an idea of where we’re going and what’s coming. And, basically, we may be correct. We are sent off on various chapters of our life journey with good wishes and, perhaps, a copy of “Oh The Places You’ll Go” or “Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul” and, as we walk away, mom and dad wring their hands and cross their fingers which, now that I think about it, is kind of hard to do at the same time. They want the best for us – all of those people who have invested years and tears, sweat and love into helping us become the best that we can be. And so we, with the weight of ancestral hopes on our backs, move forward in life with the hodge-podge bag of tools we’ve picked up along the way in life.

            Who’s to say that Jesus, too, wasn’t doing a bit of hand-wringing as he watched the disciples walk away empty-handed? Like our parents, he probably wasn’t necessarily worried that they’d run into trouble – he knew that they’d run into trouble. It’s just that, he probably would have rather they didn’t have to experience the pain of rejection and sorrow that he knew they were going to experience – even as he knew that they would learn more and experience more joy than they ever could have if they didn’t go. Yes, we too are sent off with much pomp but in the end, mostly circumstance, to do that wonderful, terrible and beautiful work of love to which we have been called by the one who loved us first.

Amen.