Sent out to be a disciple

June 14, 2020 Matthew 9:35-10:8 Sent out to be a disciple 2nd Sunday after Pentecost Year A Children’s Sermon Object: A collection of old toy cars (one in good condition, the remainder with obvious problems). Other toys can be substituted if cars are not available. Have you ever lost something for a long time and then found it again, almost by accident? That still happens to me sometimes when I put something somewhere for safe keeping. Sometimes I just can't seem to remember where in the world I put it. Then I find it again when I'm looking for something else altogether! Not long ago, I came across this box in a closet and I knew immediately what was in it. This is an old collection of cars that we had at our house when our children were younger. We used to have a lot of fun with these. In fact, I can remember when they were shiny and new. I'll bet they look just as great today. Let's take a look. This is not exactly what I expected. The first one I've taken out of the box is kind of dirty and old looking. It has lost most of its shine. That is not a very exciting looking car to me. This next one is missing a wheel. And this one looks like it was probably in an accident of some type. In fact, only one of these looks good at all. The rest should probably just be thrown away. Who would ever want to play with them? Did you know that sometimes people look at other people just the way we looked at these cars? Someone may not be very pretty or handsome. They may not dress just as we would like them to. Perhaps they may speak differently than we do. That doesn't mean we can push them aside and act as though we are better than they are. The Bible reminds us that Jesus looked upon every person he ever met with compassion. Jesus loved them. He wanted to help them. He was concerned about the needs in their lives. When we look at other people, God wants us to see them just as Jesus would see them. He wants us to view them as people who need the love of God and as people we should love just as He does. CSS Publishing Company, FROM A MUSTARD SEED, by Mark A. Hultquist Prelude Opening Prayer L: We are being called to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ! P: Lord, guide our feet as we enter this pathway of service for you. Choir: singing Verse 1, “Guide My Feet” – [don’t drag the tempo on this song, sing it with a little swing!] L: It’s not going to be easy; there are dangers out there! P: Lord, help us to face those dangers with powerful faith! Choir: singing verse 3 of “Guide My Feet” L: Some people are going to misunderstand P: Help us to be clear and faithful in bringing your message of redemption. Stewardship Moment The theme of those morning is the deep compassion of Jesus. Jesus looked at the things going on in the world and he had deep compassion for the hurting people in the world. He knew that had to do something to make a difference. Jesus realized very quickly that a community could do so much more working together, than he could do alone. So Jesus invites others to join him in supporting those in need. Jesus still invites us to join in his ministry – he reminds us that we have been given gifts from God so we can give to others just as freely. Giving our time, talents and gifts is a part of following Jesus. Prayer of Dedication Lord, we know that there is much work to be done; far more than we ever imagined. We ask that you bless these gifts that they be used for the work you have set before us, for we place our lives and trust in you. AMEN. Scripture Matthew 9:35-10:8 Common English Bible (CEB) Compassion 35 Jesus traveled among all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, announcing the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. 36 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The size of the harvest is bigger than you can imagine, but there are few workers. 38 Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers for his harvest.” Mission of the Twelve 10 He called his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to throw them out and to heal every disease and every sickness. 2 Here are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, who is called Peter; and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee; and John his brother; 3 Philip; and Bartholomew; Thomas; and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus; and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananaean;[a] and Judas, who betrayed Jesus. Commissioning of the Twelve 5 Jesus sent these twelve out and commanded them, “Don’t go among the Gentiles or into a Samaritan city. 6 Go instead to the lost sheep, the people of Israel. 7 As you go, make this announcement: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, and throw out demons. You received without having to pay. Therefore, give without demanding payment. Footnotes: Sermon As I watched the news last night, and saw another building being burned to the ground, a police chief resign over the behavior of an officer, and another African American brother being killed while in custody, I am convinced that the scripture for today is a gift from God. After weeks of festival readings in John, we are finally back to journeying through the book of Matthew. This particular scripture has not come up in the lectionary since 2008. Most years because of how Pentecost falls, we never get to this scripture. I say that this scripture is a gift because it speaks to our times perfectly. Jesus looks around at the situation in his times and he says that the people are running around like sheep without a shepherd. And he realizes that he has to do something to change things. He looks at the people, and calls them harassed and helpless. Jesus saw the horrible conditions that the people were living in and he had a deep compassion for them. The Greek word moved with compassion (splagchnistheis) It is formed from the word splagchna, which means the bowels In other words, Jesus was moved in his bowels. One colleague says Jesus was so emotional that he had a bowel movement. But anyway – this word means that he was moved to the very core of his being. He had deep compassion for the people and for their condition. Jesus was inspired to start a three pronged ministry. A ministry of preaching, teaching and healing. In other words – a ministry of shalom – peace, justice and wellbeing. He wanted to touch them mind, body and spirit. In order to address the situation that created such despair he had to proclaim the truth. William Barclay says There never was a time when this certainty was more needed than it is today. Geoffrey Heawood, headmaster of a great English public school, has written that the great tragedy and problem of this age is that we are standing at the cross-roads, and the signposts have fallen down. Beverley Nichols once wrote a book composed of interviews with famous people. One of the interviews was with Hilaire Belloc, one of the most famous of English Roman Catholics. After the interview Nichols wrote: “I was sorry for Mr. Belloc because I felt that he had nailed at lease some of his colors to the wrong mast; but I was still sorrier for myself and for my own generation, because I knew that we had no colors of any kind to nail to any mast.” We live in an age of uncertainty, an age when people have ceased to be sure of anything. Jesus was the herald of God, who came proclaiming the certainties by which men live; and we too must be able to say, “I know whom I have believed.” He also had to do some teaching, so that the people would take responsibility for their lives and make a difference. And he had to heal the bodies that were affected by the stress of the situation. This scripture is called the missionary discourse. This is the speech and teaching that Jesus gave as he commissioned his disciples to enter into their own ministries of healing. Matthew tells 5 story lessons of what it means to live as a child of God. Each of these story lessons tells us what characteristics we have to have in order to be a part of Jesus ministry of salvation. This particular story is how Jesus chose his 12 disciples. This story is told in all 4 gospels. But none have the same detail that this story in Matthew does. The gospel story is a story of how one man changed the world. We all know that the world cannot be changed by one person, it takes others to spread the lesson of one person. During the protest, George Floyd’s daughter proudly announced that daddy changed the world. He did, with the help of the millions of others who have stepped up all over the world to demand justice. Jesus chose 12 people to help with his ministry. It is interesting that scripture names all twelve, along with the personal qualities that Jesus saw in that person. From 12 to 1 Billion From the twelve, the group grew to 120 by Ascension Day. A little over a week later, on Pentecost, it increased to over 3,000. By the time the last of the twelve died, there were an estimated half-million followers of Jesus Christ. That was the end of the first century. By the end of the second century, this number had increased to almost ten million. By the end of the third century, all heathen temples were destroyed or converted into church sanctuaries. By the close of the ninth century, there were 100 million Christians. Today, the number has grown to over one billion believers around the world. None of this growth would have been possible had Christians not been excited and supportive of missions or prayed to "the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." Dennis Kastens, Laborers Needed for the Harvest It has been said that Evangelism is not on the agenda of the church; it is the agenda of the church. Brett Blair Today Christianity is the predominant religion of the world with 2.2 billion people worldwide. The second most predominant religion – Islam has 1.2 billion people. The country with the most Christians is the US with 243 million. It all started with one man’s deep compassion for the people of in his neighborhood. What's Your Purpose in Life? An executive hirer, a "head-hunter" who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, "When I get an executive that I'm trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he's all relaxed. Then, when I think I've got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, "What's your purpose in life?" It's amazing how top executives fall apart at that question. "Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed, with my feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then I leaned up and said, 'What's your purpose in life, Bob?' And he said, without blinking an eye, 'To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.' For the first time in my career I was speechless." Josh McDowell The time is right for each of us to join the mission and ministry of Jesus. The harvest is here, people are standing around looking for answers. The church is essential during this time, and it always has been. There is a place for each of us in the mission and ministry of having compassion for the harassed and helpless. Becoming a disciple of Jesus is an invitation to get involved. Jesus says that the first step to accepting that invitation is to pray – pray for workers, because the harvest is plentiful. Jesus lived in a farm community, so many of hos metaphors for live come from farming. Pentecost was a celebration of the first harvests of the season. So it is not an accident that we read this story two Sundays after Pentecost. One pastor tells the story of harvesttime when his father was a child. During the harvest, all types of people came to help with the harvest. The family was so grateful for the help, that they would prepare food for all of those who helped out. Hospitality and taking care of one another was a way of life during these times. As everyone was gathered, it was a perfect time to not only help others, but to also get them involved in the ministry of helping the harassed and helpless. In other words working together to change the world for themselves and everyone else. All Jesus did was to call the 12 to help with the harvest – and each of us is called too to spread the good news of a messiah with great compassion for the harassed and helpless. Right now that is all of us! Let us pray….. Prayer Listen: cries of sorrow, shouts of justice from bold voices rallying a cry of love and peace! Listen closely. Can you hear the feet and wheelchairs rolling out in the street to protest violence and promote a cry for peace to say, "Hello police, stop using your badges for shooting and killing innocence rather than protecting us!" Let us- pause to pray, plan to protest, and purpose to push out the devils and educate our children how to have courage and ability to survive and not die! Lovingly, let us seek justice and certainly not give up the struggle to strive for life, love, and liberty!!!! No, No More, NO NO NO MORE! Save our sons and share our need to speak up and stand strong Moment of reflection Announcements We received many surveys of what it means to reopen the church. It is not too late to turn in your survey. At church council it was decided that we would form a health committee to talk about what it means to open safely. They will report at a special church council meeting on June 25th at 7pm. We are shooting for reopening in some form when the state enters into stage 4 – potentially the first Sunday in July. But will let you know Office hours changed this week to allow Debbie to take a break. But if need something can call church or the parsonage. Benediction When you leave this place, go with confidence in God’s gracious love and mercy. Go, ready to proclaim the good news and serve our Lord by caring for others. AMEN. Additional illustrations Making a Difference Made a difference to that one! The story was told about two men walking down a Mexican beach, talking with one another. They could see a man in the distance throwing something into the ocean. As they got closer, they saw that he was bending over, picking something up and throwing it into the ocean. The closer they got they noticed that he was one of the natives. There were starfish on the beach which were left by the outgoing tide. The native was throwing them out where they could swim away. One of the two men asked, "What are you doing?" The man replied, "I am throwing the starfish back out to sea. If they don't get back into the deeper water, they will die." The other man replied, "I understand that part, but look at this beach. It is covered with starfish. There must be thousands stranded out here. How do you feel that this will make a difference?" The native bent over, picked up another starfish, hurled him out to sea, and with a smile on his face said, "Made a difference to that one!" There are thousands who need the Lord and need the care of Christians. Each one of us can "make a difference" to someone. Chicken Soup for the Soul Relationship Evangelism There is an old story told about a man by the name of Ali Facid. He had a small farm and a family. One day, the story goes, a Buddhist priest came by and said to Ali Facid: You know, there are valuable stones called diamonds, and if you get one of these you could be a wealthy man." Ali Facid went to bed that night, but the words of the old priest haunted him. He was so obsessed that he felt that he must find him one of these diamonds so that he could become a ruler. He sold his farm, put his family out to neighbors and went out to find his acres of diamonds. Months passed. He was broken in body and spirit. His funds were gone. And at the Bay of Barcelona, he threw himself into the water, never to walk this earth again. Meanwhile, the man who bought his farm bent over one day and picked up a little stone. He laid on the mantle that night not knowing what it was. A few days later the old Buddhist priest cam by and saw it and exclaimed: Ali Facid must be back from his search. No, came the response. Then where did that diamond come from? The farmer replied: I was out plowing in the garden and found it there. And friends, did you know that from that very garden, for this is not a legend but a true story, came the jewels and diamonds that today adorn the crown heads of Europe and Russia. In Ali Facid's own back yard there were acres of diamonds and he knew it not. My friends, I know that the [your church's neighborhood] is not like [name two neighborhoods in your area that are experiencing growth] in terms of extensive growth. But friends, I also know that there are acres of diamonds right here in our own back yard. There are people right here in our area that do not have church families, who are not committed to Christ, and who are waiting to be asked. We don't have to look to other areas of the city. All we have to do is pick up the diamonds that are right beneath us. Staff, www.Sermons.com Slaving for Nothing Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace" tells the sad story of a young woman named Mathilde who dreamed, as many do, of making it in high society. However, she was the wife of an ordinary French citizen. One day Mathilde's husband obtained an invitation to attend an elegant ball. Thoroughly delighted, Mathilde borrowed from a wealthy friend a beautiful necklace to wear to this elegant occasion. The stunning necklace drew many compliments from the aristocratic guests. However, the worst possible thing happened. Mathilde lost the beautiful adornment. Panic stricken, she and her husband borrowed thirty-six thousand francs. They bought a necklace that looked exactly like the one Mathilde had worn. Mathilde returned this to her friend, telling her nothing of what had happened. For ten agonizing years, the couple slaved and toiled to pay back the vast amount of money they had borrowed. They sold their home, dismissed servants, worked at two jobs, and lived in a slum in order to raise the necessary funds. After it was finally paid, Mathilde saw her friend one day. She confessed what they had done. She revealed the hardship through which they had come in paying for the replacement. It was then that her friend explained that the necklace Mathilde had borrowed was only made of paste. It was worth five hundred francs or less. What a parable of contemporary life! People frantically slaving for values that turn out only to be paste. Harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. King Duncan, Where Are The Laborers? Evangelism Has Fallen on Hard Times "Evangelism" is a beautiful word that has lost its winsomeness [effectiveness]. Somehow on its journey from the Jerusalem of yesterday to the Jericho of today it has fallen among thieves that have wounded it and stripped it, departed, leaving it half dead. It takes a rather rash Samaritan, therefore, to dare turn aside to set this poor chap upon his beast and take him to an inn and take care of him. This is especially true because a veritable procession of Priests and Levites are passing by, not only refusing to lend a hand, but, we fear, inwardly chuckling at the plight of the poor fellow, and secretly hoping that they are soon to see the last of him. Clovis G. Chappell, Evangelistic Sermons of Clovis G. Chappell, p. 40. Travel Light James Michener, the famous author used to hitchhike when he was a young man. Michener didn’t live in a happy home. He was also unhappy at school. When he was fifteen he hiked westward from Detroit with only 35 cents in his pocket. He said, "The simple fact seems to have been that once I saw that mysterious road outside my house, the eastern part leading to a dead end, the western to worlds unknown, I was determined to explore the latter." (from Chicken Soup for the Traveler’s Soul) Most all of us have had experiences when we just wanted to get away from it all, venturing into the unknown with out a care in the world. That’s easier to do when you are young and you don’t have lots of obligations and responsibilities. Youthfulness tends to make us more carefree. And there is a tendency to think that nothing will happen to us. When Jesus told his disciples to head out into the world he told them to travel light. "Take nothing with you, no bag, no money, no sandals, no extra clothing, not even a staff," he instructed them. Perhaps he wanted them to learn to trust in the providence of God. Perhaps he wanted them to experience strangers in strange lands, thereby making new relationships. Or, perhaps he wanted them to be free from the burdens of the world. I believe it was most likely a combination of all three. Keith Wagner, Low Budget Faith?