Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon – Luke
10:1-11, 16-20 Sent as Laborers
First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City
July 3, 2016
It is good to be back with
you this morning. I want to thank you
for your prayers as I attended the 222nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.). 594 commissioners dealt
with almost 100 overtures sent from Presbyteries all over the country. We heard from ecumenical and interfaith
partners. Our seminary students prayed
for us every day. Our Young Adult
Advisory Delegates were everywhere and full of energy. We worshiped, studied the Bible and
prayed. And when a bad storm was
approaching Ocean City I requested the entire Assembly to pray for you. We did some really good work. You will see some of our accomplishments on
the insert in the bulletin today.
One of the things we did
was to think and pray about our polarized society. When I was growing up we all seemed to think
alike. There were problems, but we
always seemed to find middle ground for a solution. But times have changed. Today we not only have disagreements between
Democrats and Republicans, but we also have disagreements among Republicans and
among Democrats. Everyone has their one
view. No one seems willing to
compromise. There seems to be no
solution to our problems. So the
fighting goes on and on.
On this Independence Day
weekend I have been wondering about what we as Christians could do for our
fractured society. We are called to a
ministry of reconciliation. As Christians
we are to bring people together in the bonds of love and peace. The Presbyterian Church dealt with this issue
of reconciliation and approved the Belhar Confession for our Book of
Confessions. Belhar was written at a
time of deep divisions in South Africa.
The government had instituted a policy of apartheid, official
discrimination based on skin color. The
reformed church in South Africa prayerfully considered a response. And so they wrote the Belhar Confession. Listen as I read the first part of this
important theological document.
We believe
• that Christ's work of reconciliation is made manifest in the church as
the
community of believers who have been reconciled with God and with one
another;
• that unity is, therefore, both a gift and an obligation for the church of
Jesus
Christ; that through the working of God's Spirit it is a binding force, yet
simultaneously a reality which must be earnestly pursued and sought: one
which the people of God must continually be built up to attain;
• that this unity must become visible so that the world may believe that
separation, enmity and hatred between people and groups is sin which
Christ has already conquered, and accordingly that anything which
threatens this unity may have no place in the church and must be resisted;
• that this unity of the people of God must be manifested and be active in
a
variety of ways: in that we love one another; that we experience, practice
and pursue community with one another; that we are obligated to give
ourselves willingly and joyfully to be of benefit and blessing to one
another; that we share one faith, have one calling, are of one soul and one
mind; have one God and Father, are filled with one Spirit, are baptized
with one baptism, eat of one bread and drink of one cup, confess one
name, are obedient to one Lord, work for one cause, and share one hope;
together come to know the height and the breadth and the depth of the love
of Christ; together are built up to the stature of Christ, to the new
humanity; together know and bear one another's burdens, thereby fulfilling
the law of Christ that we need one another and upbuild one another,
admonishing and comforting one another; that we suffer with one another
for the sake of righteousness; pray together; together serve God in this
world; and together fight against all which may threaten or hinder this
unity;
• that this unity can be established only in freedom and not under
constraint;
that the variety of spiritual gifts, opportunities, backgrounds,
convictions,
as well as the various languages and cultures, are by virtue of the
reconciliation in Christ, opportunities for mutual service and enrichment
within the one visible people of God;
• that true faith in Jesus Christ is the only condition for membership of
this
church;
Let’s pray.
We beg you, Lord, to help
and defend us. Deliver the oppressed, have compassion on the despised, raise
the fallen, reveal yourself to the needy, heal the sick, bring back those who
have strayed from you, feed the hungry, lift up the weak, remove the prisoners’
chains. May every nation come to know that you are God alone, that Jesus is
your Son, that we are your people, the sheep of your pasture. I Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. (Clement, Third Bishop of Rome)
Jesus was also concerned
with reconciliation in his day. He
wanted people to be reconciled through him.
In the 10th chapter of the gospel of Luke Jesus commissioned
seventy-two people with the anointing of the Holy Spirit to go into villages
and prepare people for his coming. Let’s
hear what he told them.
Luke 10:1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them
two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He
told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of
the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am
sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or
sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
Here we have a glimpse of
the first church established by Jesus himself.
Jesus has given them some training and they have watched Jesus in
action. Now they are ready to go into
the world and prepare it for the coming of the kingdom of God, but there is a
problem. There are not enough evangelists;
72 is not enough. So Jesus wants them to
pray for more. So too with us. We need to pray for people who talk about
faith with others. We need to pray for
missionaries around the world. And we
need to pray for evangelists right here with us. We need to pray because Satan will establish
roadblocks.
But the 72 are told not to worry. They are not to worry about money and
clothing. And they are not to speak to
strangers on the road. As we will see
next week talking to strangers on the road could be dangerous. And Jesus equipped them to do what needed to
be done. So let’s now listen to Jesus as
he gives them the nut and bolts of evangelism.
5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone
who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will
return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for
the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
According to Jesus
evangelism should be done in the context of hospitality. Invite people into you house for a meal. Or get together in a restaurant. You could also do this around a bridge table
or a on a golf course. And what do you
do when you meet people this way? Jesus
says pray for their peace. Pray for
God’s blessings to pour down on them. If
anyone in the family is sick, pray for healing.
If anyone is suffering from evil or addictions, pray for
deliverance. Pray for whatever they need. And the enjoy the meal and conversation. Let’s
get back to Jesus.
8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9
Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to
you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets
and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to
you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’
When people respond
favorably to your prayers for them, tell them the good news that the kingdom of
God is near. You do this by sharing your
testimony. You tell the people you are
dining with the good news of what God is doing in your life. This summer we are hosting activities for
CRU. Each week a CRU member shares
testimony with you. Learn from this what
testimony sounds like. And then develop
your own short testimony. You will be
surprised by what happens when you pray for God’s blessings on someone and then
share the story of God has blessed you.
They will want some of what you have.
And they will probably ask what church you attend. But sadly not everyone will respond
positively. Listen to Jesus’ instructions.
16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me;
but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
Those who reject God’s
blessings, and those don’t want to listen to your testimony are not rejecting
you. They are rejecting the God you
believe in. When that happen there is
not much you can do. Next time, invite
someone else to have lunch with you, and see what happens when you pray for
God’s blessings on their families and share your testimony of what God has done
for you. You will be amazed. Let’s see what happens when the seventy-two
that Jesus sent returned to church.
17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons
submit to us in your name.” 18 He
replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you
authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of
the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits
submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
When you pray for healing
or for deliverance from evil God hears your prayers and will pour blessings on
the people you pray for. Sometimes the
results of your prayer won’t be obvious.
Sometimes you will be amazed at what happens. It doesn’t matter what happens when you
pray. All that matters is that God knows
that you are praying. And when you pray
for others to be blessed, your name is written in that Book of Life in heaven.
So what are we to do as
Americans who want our nation to come together in the bonds of love and peace? Well, have an active social life. Invite others to join you in doing something
you enjoy. And when you do this remember
to pray for you guests to be blessed, and be ready with a story of how God has
blessed you. You will be amazed at what
happens because the Holy Spirit will do the rest. Let’s pray.
Father in heaven,
We pray for our country. We pray for
reconciliation, peace and mutual love.
Send us out as you laborers. Help
us to pray for your blessings to pour down on the people we meet. And help us to talk about the blessings we
have received from you. This we pray in
the name you son, Jesus. Amen.
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