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³⁵Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. ³⁶When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

10Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. ²These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; ³Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

⁵These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, ⁶but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ⁸Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. ⁹Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, ¹⁰no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. ¹¹Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. ¹²As you enter the house, greet it. ¹³If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. ¹⁵Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

¹⁶“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. ¹⁷Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; ¹⁸and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles.

¹⁹When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; ²⁰for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. ²¹Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; ²²and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ²³When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”

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May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

Grace, mercy, and peace are yours from God the Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

I’ve found that this doesn’t happen very often, but this morning’s Scripture readings do, even tangentially share a common theme.  What seems to bind them at their core is the concept of hospitality.  This is particularly evident in the Genesis reading, where we find Abraham and Sarah entertaining angels.  But, this theme in Paul’s letter to the Romans and the account of Jesus sending out the twelve may prove to be a bit more ambiguous.  Hospitality was of utmost importance to people living semi-nomadic lives in the ancient Middle East.  There were no Holiday Inns or roadside rest areas; desert travelers depended on the hospitality of those whom they encountered on their journeys.  And this show of hospitality was mutual; the one offering it and the one who depended on the generosity were bound by culture and necessity.  When Abraham greeted the three outside his tent he offered them “a little water and a morsel of bread”.  He then asked Sarah his wife to make loaves from “three measures” of finest flour.  This amount is equivalent to a little over eight gallons in today’s system of measurement; enough to prepare about 60 pounds of dough, or about five dozen loaves of bread.  Along with the meat of the calf and the yogurt this was quite the feast!  So much more than “a little water and a morsel of bread”.

Hospitality was of utmost importance to Abraham and Sarah, and the three visitors.

In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he raises a parallel narrative to the concept of generosity, not unlike that of the offer and reception of ancient hospitality.                He writes, For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.  This is the ultimate expression of a gift made to another; and this also requires a mutuality.  Christ offered his life for the salvation of humanity, and those who are saved respond to this gift through the expression of faith.

Jesus expounds on this theme of hospitality as he prepares the twelve apostles to be sent out to proclaim the message of the gospel.  They are not expected to be paid anything for the healing work they do, only that they should expect to be met with and offered hospitality.  They are not to bring anything with them that is not essential to their travels and their work of proclamation and healing those they encounter.  It is vitally important to Jesus that the Good News of the gospel is brought to the people; he knows that they are being oppressed, taxed,  and burdened to where they are barely able to eke out a basic existence.  The hospitality he offers and which is carried by the twelve goes way beyond simple sustenance in this life, but extends to the promise of abundance in the coming Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus sees that the people of Israel are living on the margins; they have no one to look out for them from among their own people and are brutally suppressed by the governing authority of Rome.  He says of the crowds, “he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”  In what is likely the greatest single understatement in Scripture, our bible translates Jesus’ deep feelings of concern for the people as “compassion”.  The Greek word used is “splagchnizomai”; and the literal translation of this is “to be moved as to one’s bowels”.  The modern English expression would be “sick to his stomach” or “twisted in his guts”.  This is quite a bit more than tepid “compassion”.  Jesus is viscerally moved to bring aid and comfort to God’s people.  There is a real need here for hospitality, generosity, invitation into the kingdom of God, and ultimately salvation.

Jesus gives very explicit directions to the twelve as he prepares them for the task ahead, and he voices his concern for their welfare.  He also severely limits how they shall equip themselves, instead directing them to depend on the hospitality they receive, or don’t receive.  Jesus is very clear as to how the apostles should respond to a lack of hospitality; “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town”.  In the ancient Middle East, when leaving Gentile towns or villages, pious Jews often shook the dust from their feet to ensure no sand or dirt that remained on their sandals was to be brought back home.  This was to signify that they were not bringing anything “unclean” from those Gentile areas into their home towns, where the Jewish Law of ritual “cleanliness” and “uncleanliness” was of primary importance.  If the apostles shook the dust of a Jewish town from their feet, it was to show their estrangement from those Jews who were unwilling to embrace the Good News of God in Christ Jesus.  This would also serve as a response to the lack of hospitality that was so deeply ingrained in the culture. 

Social science studies have shown that those who are dependent on the hospitality or generosity of others are the ones most likely to offer generosity and hospitality in return, when needed and when they are in a position to reciprocate.  And while each of us might not be in need of material goods at this moment, we are all still dependent on the fellowship, kindness, friendship, and support from those around us.  Keeping this in mind, we remind ourselves that since we are in need of some type of generous hospitality, we ought to be more than willing to provide others with their needs.  Hospitality is mutual today, as it was in the times of Abraham, Paul, and Jesus; the one offering it and the one who depends on the generosity are still bound by culture and necessity.

Last weekend the New England Synod met for its annual Assembly.  Nearly 500 clergy and lay persons gathered for worship, fellowship, the conduct of necessary business, and to hear many speakers’ remarks regarding the current state of the church and its potential future.  Bishop Hazelwood spoke to us of the declines in worship attendance, here in New England as well as throughout the nation.  The speed at which churches are closing or merging is increasing at an uncomfortably rapid pace.

In fact the theme of the Assembly was, “Death and Resurrection in the 21^st Century Church”.  This referred not to the death and resurrection of Jesus, but to Jesus’ church.  The Lutheran church, for that matter any denomination, is not the same today as it was a few short years ago; and it will likely not be as it is today a couple of years hence.  This is the truth that we all face; in many ways the Christian church has lost its relevancy in our culture and society.  This theme was further discussed in a presentation by the guest speaker, Rev. Ruben Duran, ELCA Director of Congregational Vitality.  He is the one person in the Lutheran Church who has his finger on the pulse of what is happening in ELCA parishes around the country.  I would like to review with you a couple of the points he discussed with us; but first I will share with you a quote from his presentation.  I think this was the most impactful thing that anyone said during the Assembly.  As you may know, the ELCA was formed by the merging of three Lutheran bodies in 1988.  Pr. Ruben said this to us: “The church is 35 years old; it’s time to move out of the house!”

This sounds familiar, doesn’t it?  Jesus sends out the twelve today, to go forth spreading the gospel to those beyond the immediate area.  They are to do what Jesus has been doing, but now it’s up to them to continue his ministry.  It’s time for the apostles to “get out of the house”.  Our world is changing all around us and if our little piece of the church of God is to thrive, we too must move out beyond our doors.  Pr. Ruben cited these benchmarks, detailing the two distinct types of churches in our denomination today; the Paralyzed church and the Propelled one.

Paralyzed churches focus on their scarcity (there’s not enough).  Propelled ones emphasize sufficiency (there’s enough to accomplish what we can).  Paralyzed churches have a sense of entitlement, where propelled ones practice thanksgiving for what God has blessed them with.  The desire for simple survival in paralyzed churches is replaced in propelled ones with a living hope that they will flourish and thrive.  The obvious difference is between those who are resistant to, and others who welcome change.  The attitude that paralyzes churches is a focus on the past; an emphasis on the future is what propels. 

Pr. Duran projected a slide that stated the following:

“We are called and sent to listen, learn, serve, walk alongside, witness and experience God’s hospitality in and through the neighbor”. 

He reminded us that our Lutheran parishes are no longer overflowing with generations of Scandinavian folks.  Many of our churches are in communities that are multi-racial and many cultures are celebrated.  We, like the twelve are called and sent out to offer hospitality (and the gospel) to the neighbors who surround our branch of God’s church.  Unlike the apostles we haven’t been given the power to cure every disease and every sickness we find among those in our community, but we are tasked with proclaiming the good news of the kingdom.   When we see the crowds, we are called to have compassion for them, because they may also be harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  We have been commanded to bring the Good News of the gospel to the ones who need to hear it.  The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; this is as true now as when Jesus said these words as he sent out the twelve.  And just as they were commanded, we must be the ones to go forth to meet these sheep without a shepherd where they are.  We must not allow ourselves to be paralyzed by scarcity, entitlement, or a focus on the past.  Jesus sends us out to propel his church forward, emboldened with a sense of sufficiency, a desire to thrive, and an unshakeable hope for the future.            

Will you pray with me?  Good, and gracious, and holy God, motivate and guide us to boldly go forth, proclaiming the gospel message to the sheep who have not yet been brought into your fold.  Help us to overcome any paralysis that inhibits our desire to be the hands, feet, and heart of your Son in our community.  And we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the One who sends us out to propel your church into the future; a future of living hope.

God is Good, all the time.  All the time, God is Good.  Amen.