A special welcome and thank you to guest speaker Pastor Joyce Graue for delivering the following to both services yesterday, Sunday 16/7. Pastor Graue talked about her experiences in missionary work around the world and also her ministry.
Called and sent by God, We are sowers, all of us, it is true. Sowers of seeds generously and haphazardly scattered, near and far, everywhere. We are called to keep reaching into the seed bag of God’s kingdom.
As I pondered our reading for today in the Gospel of Matthew, I wondered, and I invite you also to wonder, how quick you and I are to jump ahead to the explanation of this story which is the second part of today’s reading. We are quick, are we not, to zero in on the types of soil that the seeds fall on and in doing so, we shift our focus from sower to the soil and thinking that we are the soil and our lives are all about being good soil.
Unfortunately, that becomes a trap because to be good soil we surely have to be good and if it’s all about being good, then it is no longer about grace, God’s undeserved love.
The other trap when we think that we are meant to be the soil and our lives are all about being good soil is that it doesn’t take long and we start to wonder and then judge what kind of soil everyone else is. Surely we are good soil because we are here in worship, right? And when we go to Bible study, when we donate food, when we donate money to Australian Lutheran World Service when we help out our neighbor next door, surely we are good soil - aren’t we? And, it would seem to logically follow that those who don’t do as we do, are not good soil.
All those who have prioritized other things at this hour on Sunday morning, be truthful, you never judge them as not being as good of soil as you are - do you? And those who have not darkened the door of this church or any other in years, and those who grew up in this congregation and who have not brought their own children to be baptized, what kind of soil are they? What do you think?
And in the Lutheran Church at this time with the possibility of after October 2024 there being two practices of ordination, it’s easy for those who are in favor as well as those who are not, to judge the soil quality - and usually not very favorably - of those who are on the other side. True?
As soon as we shift our focus from sower to soil, we slip into judgment mode. And that’s usually not pretty and there’s often too much name-calling and rarely any speaking well of others or explaining the actions of others in the kindest light - and so we break the 8th commandment.
(Remember Luther’s Small Catechism?)
So I do wonder if we wouldn’t be wiser to shift our focus away from soil to the sower and to wonder more about Jesus’ story about a sower. Of course, when Jesus told this story, even his disciples had no idea what this story was about, and even after they got up their courage to ask even with an explanation, I bet they were still scratching their heads.
I do wonder whether it was not much, much later like after Jesus’ death, after his resurrection, after his last words before he ascended - when he told his disciples to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations by baptizing them, teaching them and that he would be with them, day after day after day, always and forever and after they had gone out from Jerusalem after that power from on high had come upon them and they did as Jesus told them to do, when they then remembered this story Jesus had told about the sower, I wonder if they thought, ”Aha! I think I get it.
Jesus was preparing us for what we would experience: that some will become lifelong followers of him; others, not so much; some will not get it at all; others will get it and then lose interest; some will get it and then other priorities will take precedence.” Because this was exactly what they experienced; this was what they saw happen. Me, I would have expected Jesus to have sent his disciples out to look for people who would be good soil, to try and find those most willing to listen. I would have expected that Jesus would have told his disciples to be good sowers and to be careful with where they “threw seeds”.
But Jesus did not. He called for his followers to be sowers and to be generous with the good news seeds of God’s love and scatter them haphazardly, near and far, everywhere and whether a seed grows or it does not, just like whether it rains or it does not, is in God’s hands, not theirs, just as it is not in ours.
Called and sent by God, We are sowers, all of us, it is true Sowers of seeds. Generously and haphazardly scattered, near and far, everywhere. We are called to keep reaching into the seed bag of God’s kingdom.
So what does being a sower look like? It will look different for each one of us. While we were missionaries in Papua New Guinea and later in the Central African Republic, every 2 or 3 years we would return to the US and we would visit congregations. Quite often after a presentation, someone would say, “I could never do what you are doing.” But they weren’t called to! Ian and I were using the gifts God had given us and responding to where God had called and sent us, and those who said, “I could never do what you are doing”. They had their own gifts to use in service where they had been called by God as teachers and posties and nurses and mechanics and the list goes on and on.
Since Jesus told stories like this one about the sower let me share with you some stories about other hands, hands that sow, and hands that receive what is sown.
In 1996 in a small village in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, where white people had never visited our family came and stayed for several days. The village was the home of one of our seminary students. Many of the villagers had seen white adults and children in town, 90 minutes away by vehicle, a day and a half on foot, But they had never touched a white person. They welcomed us warmly into their village. The school teacher gave us his hut to sleep in. Mattresses were on the floor, and beds were made up for our family of five. We were shown the track leading to the toilet, a hole in the ground surrounded by woven grass walls, and no roof. Another track led to the river and our hosts showed us where we could put some milk in the water to keep it cold. We were shown another track, it led further downstream, and there we could bathe in this same river which just upstream was keeping milk more than adequately cold. Think about that...
After unpacking and eating tea the first night, we sat around the fire in the cookhouse of our hosts. We had brought along the game “Uno”. It was something that we could share and explain how to play using our then-basic Tok Pisin language skills. Our hosts caught onto the game quickly, young and old, and we played it over and over and over. And then as laughter and fun had done their work of lowering the barrier between our different cultures, our hosts lowered it still further. Their hands reached out to our children who were sitting very close to us in this unfamiliar place. And our children, bless the younger two, they went without protest from lap to lap of these Papua New Guineans. Looks of surprise filled the eyes of these, our hosts. Discovering that white skin felt like their own. Their own children soon became courageous and reached out, hesitant, but curious as well touching our children, then looking at their own hands to see if the white-ness had rubbed off.
Called and sent by God, We are sowers, all of us, it is true Sowers of seeds generously and haphazardly scattered, near and far, everywhere. We are called to keep reaching into the seed bag of God’s kingdom.
In Lae, home to Martin Luther Seminary where we taught and lived, sometimes we worshipped in a small congregation in an out-of-the-way neighborhood where homes were constructed of whatever could be found. There was no electricity, no running water. There was one pot-holed dirt road, not maintained, leading into this neighborhood.
This is “Marimari” Lutheran Church, “marimari” meaning grace. And grace-filled the people were, welcoming Ian and I and our children Sunday after Sunday, not only us, but we often arrived with seminary students who needed a congregation in which to practice preaching or we came with students who needed practice leading worship. The people in this congregation came to worship with their Bibles if they owned one. And if they had a Bible to bring, it wasn’t nice and still new looking, but corners were bent, covers were faded, pages had thickened from the tropical humidity so that the front and back covers when the Bible was closed, were far from parallel to each other. And the Bibles smelled of mold like just about everything soon does in the tropics and they smelled of smoke from nightly family worship and prayers around wood fires, the only light many have in the darkness. Their Bibles were worn and weary, in need of replacement from use. It’s the only place that I have seen Bibles literally falling apart from being read and re-read and studied in the hands of their owners What a witness!
Called and sent by God, We are sowers, all of us, it is true Sowers of seeds Generously and haphazardly scattered, near and far, everywhere, We are called to keep reaching into the seed bag of God’s kingdom
The Lutheran Church in Papua New Guinea does not ordain women, so though called “Pastor Joyce” by my Greek and Hebrew students, I respected local church polity and I had no ministry of word or sacrament.
In our next call in the very heart of Africa, in the Central African Republic, there were two Central African women, ordained, accepted, and treasured by that church and though the focus of my call was to support and accompany the women’s organization in the church, There I could preach and celebrate the sacraments. I celebrated my first Holy Communion three months after we arrived. In the local language, I was still learning as I spoke them and lifted the bread with my hands and then the cup. But I could see the hands of the people, eagerly waiting as I slowly spoke the words of the institution, multi-tasking as I prayed that I got the spoken tones of the local language right.
One year just before Christmas the invitation came from the catechist of a mission congregation. Would we worship with them on Christmas Day? Would I celebrate communion? Would I baptise children and youth and an adult as well? 3 infants still in arms, 5 toddlers, 2 teenagers, and 1 adult. Yes, of course, I would be there. The Communion liturgy I no longer needed to practice, but the Baptism liturgy, I had never done in the local language. On that Christmas morning, over 13 ½ years since I had last baptised anyone because of our 10 years in Papua New Guinea, with my pale white hand, I poured water over black heads - Na iri ti Baba, na ti molengue ti lo, na ti yingo vuru ti lo. And the little mud brick church was hot as the hour neared mid-day that Christmas and sweat trickled and ran down my face, my back, and my legs as I dipped my hand in the dented stainless steel bowl held by the catechist in the water which drowns and which gives life. And then I traced the cross on the foreheads making these my sisters and my brothers, your sisters, and your brothers too. All of us, are part of God’s forever family.
Called and sent by God, We are sowers, all of us, it is true Sowers of seeds Generously and haphazardly scattered, near and far, everywhere, We are called to keep reaching into the seed bag of God’s kingdom
One Sunday there were 120 pairs of hands, putting all they could into the offering that morning and it came to less than the equivalent of $4.00 but they need $5.00 to buy communion wine. So the pastor received no salary that week and the catechist received the same. For the visible signs of God’s grace, bread and wine, are not cheap in the heart of Africa, in a land-locked country. Hands-breaking cookies, bought from a street vendor, this is the body of Christ. Hands blessing not wine, but a cup of diluted Coca-cola, this is the blood of Christ diluted and diluted until all have communed.
Called and sent by God, We are sowers, all of us, it is true Sowers of seeds Generously and haphazardly scattered, near and far, everywhere, We are called to keep reaching into the seed bag of God’s kingdom
We would come home from worship and make a bee-line for the bathroom. The first thing always when arriving home was to “Wash off the peace” for our hands had touched many other hands before, during, and after Sunday worship. In greeting, in sharing the peace, in prayer. Hands that had no money to buy soap, and, if washed at all, were washed in contaminated water, by people with no toilet paper. Who put money carried in their shoes in the offering with fingers having been run through the hair with lice or which had wiped the number “11” running out of a child’s nose.
Called and sent by God, We are sowers, all of us, it is true Sowers of seeds Generously and haphazardly scattered, near and far, everywhere, We are called to keep reaching into the seed bag of God’s kingdom
A woman came to our gate, carrying carrots from her garden outstretched hands presenting them to me. She came because she needed money for food. My hands searched for coins in the oatmeal tin in our kitchen to overpay what market value would dictate. Another woman arrived in the almost daily procession. She came with a story and a child & I listened, I touched the child’s skin and the mother was right, he was hot. I reached out to take the child’s medical notebook and my fingers searched for the last time someone examined this child. My eyes read reports of being tested malaria, positive; typhoid, positive urine, positive for infection. Page after page, the results were the same. My fingers kept turning the pages and I noted all prescriptions written and never filled. Another woman came with her three children, & I recognized her from Sunday worship. A piece of fabric hung over one shoulder covering what was left of her right arm. Rebels had chopped it off just above the elbow using her own machete. They had caught and killed her husband and then after catching her and raping her chopped off her arm to guarantee her silence. This all took place less than a kilometer from where we were living while she was working in her garden on the edge of town. She was hungry and so were her children. I lifted the fabric covering the stump and the site of the crude amputation was an angry red. I went to see what coins remained in the oatmeal tin.
Called and sent by God, We are sowers, all of us, it is true Sowers of seeds Generously and haphazardly scattered, near and far, everywhere, We are called to keep reaching into the seed bag of God’s kingdom
A neighbor died so hands beat drums and voices were raised heaven-ward for three nights, three days of non-stop mourning. Another day I walked for 50 minutes with women friends, my hands sticky from covering my face, arms, and neck with sunblock. Downhill and uphill and down and up again crossing the town built on a granite outcrop. I went to extend my sympathy to a sister in Christ whose husband had just died, in the mid-40s, dead from an abscessed tooth, untreated in a country without dentists and almost no medical care. The hands of the widow grabbed mine in silence, we embraced, then I reached down and slipped off my shoes, entered the family’s mud-brick home, and sat on a mat on the ground for the next two hours beside her, her hand squeezing mine. I could feel my legs tingling and going to sleep.
Later black hands at the ends of long thin black arms reached down to help me stand again. Outside, relatives and neighbors prepared coffee and food for those who came to express their sympathy and then stayed on until the funeral as was tradition. Hands pounded cassava into flour with large wood pestles in wood mortars while other hands added the cassava flour to hot water, stirring, stirring, stirring boule de manioc. Other hands silently fanned the air with palm branches to keep the flies off the body lying in a hastily handmade wood coffin, placed on a bed frame under a mango tree for shade, coffin lid leaning nearby, like a soldier at ease.
Called and sent by God, We are sowers, all of us, it is true Sowers of seeds Generously and haphazardly scattered, near and far, everywhere, We are called to keep reaching into the seed bag of God’s kingdom.
I served a congregation in the US for the last 10 ½ years before I retired. From time to time I’d purchase some large coloring posters, some of them as large as 1 m by 1.5 meters on the Advent themes of hope, love, joy, and peace or some appropriate for Christmas or Easter or based on bible stories, and I’d send them home with different families to color and then the posters would be hung in the sanctuary.
At the end of my ministry rather than leave the extra ones behind they came to Australia with us and when there’s a Saturday evening gathering at St Stephen’s in Adelaide and families are expected to be present. I have brought one of the posters along to be colored.
A couple of months ago, there were not too many families who came, but a father and his two children sat down to color. The children are perhaps Year 3 and Year 6 or 7, old enough certainly to color well and by well, I mean, staying in the lines. Well, the younger of the two was going back and forth with her crayon in one area, completely disregarding any lines. And I’ll admit, I was more than a little disappointed because the other posters that had been carefully colored are hanging in the fellowship hall for all to enjoy and now this one was looking, well, it was looking like a pre-schooler had sat down to color with the one area being all one color only and no lines respected. And I found myself to be judging what makes a colored page or poster look nice and that is staying in the lines.
Later, as I thought more about it, I realized that I’d forgotten: Called and sent by God, We are sowers, all of us, it is true Sowers of seeds Generously and haphazardly scattered, near and far, everywhere, We are called to keep reaching into the seed bag of God’s kingdom We are called to sow and leave the growth to God. We are called to sow and keep sowing and to not be concerned with the soil OR with the lines. We are called to sow and sow and sow, Scattering the seeds of the Kingdom.
Whether the seeds grow and bear fruit, you and I rarely know, and yet sometimes...
At the Maundy Thursday service a year ago at Tuggeranong Uniting in Canberra, a woman looked familiar in this congregation where I had served as pastor over 30 years ago. There were maybe 40 of us at worship that evening. The chairs were in a large circle and spread in the center, there was a large labyrinth rug that nearly reached our feet. The worshippers were invited to walk the labyrinth, if they chose, during the service which consisted of readings and music. A couple of times an older person got up to walk the labyrinth and because the lighting in the worship space was intentionally low, encouraging us to be reflective, there were still a few creases in this large unfolded labyrinth in the center of where we sat. It was not easy in all places to see the path to walk. When someone stopped and was unsure, this woman quietly got up from her seat, came beside that person, gently took them by the arm or elbow, and walked beside them a short distance until they had their bearings, and then she went back to her seat.
This happened several times during the service. I loved her unassuming helpfulness and the gentle guidance she offered and she looked so familiar. After worship, I saw her. I went over to the small group she was standing with and to my surprise, she knew me and called me by name! She told me her name and that she was now a retired Uniting Church pastor and that the years I served as her pastor at Tuggeranong were important in her faith and her journey to become a pastor. She left it at that. Later that evening I was given a copy of “Faith Stories from Women in the Pews” by the couple with whom we were staying. It was a few weeks before I finally opened the book, a collection of personal stories written by women in that congregation. I immediately recognized about ¾ of the names. Margaret was the writer of the last of these 21 stories of faith. She wrote about being pregnant when she married, having two boys, and then the marriage failed. Her faith had always given her a sense of belonging and purpose but somehow she had the idea that being a faithful Christian meant you had to always be good and not make mistakes like divorce. The danger of straying off the narrow path was eternal damnation. She had learned well about the righteousness and judgment of God but somehow, the good news of unconditional love, the grace of God, had not reached her. With nowhere to go, she and her two little boys went to her parents who were not condemning, only caring and loving. Her mother encouraged her to return to church, which she writes, and she finally nervously did. She loved music and joined the church choir. There she met someone, they married, and they had a daughter. A few years later they had a little boy. They moved once, twice and yet again. She kept busy with relief teaching and managing the family, with no time for worship on Sunday. Then there was another move and with that a nudge to return to church and they became members of Tuggeranong Uniting where I was pastor.
She writes and I quote: “At that time there were three distinctly different morning worship services and there were a few more surprises in my journey. First came a rethink of my understanding of Scripture. The catalyst was the vital ministry of Joyce Scheitel. The problem for me, strange as it may seem, was a theological one. Joyce was a female minister! Her ministry was fruitful, and she was much loved. But doesn’t the Bible say that women should be silent in church? It seems incredible to me now that I should have held such a view of the Bible given my education, experiences and serious reflection over the years.”
In the years that followed, Margaret found herself being nudged to be a pastor and the call would not go away. In 2000 she was ordained. I tell you this story because I had no idea about Margaret’s story. I had no idea that she struggled with my ministry as a pastor and that a few years later she would be struck by the irony that she herself was being called by God to be a pastor. I did not know. I was called there to sow seeds of the kingdom and whether the seeds grew or they didn’t, that was up to God.
Jesus sent out his disciples to sow and you and I too are sowers, all of us, it is true Sowers of seeds, Generously and haphazardly scattered, near and far, everywhere, Day after Day, wherever we are. We are called to keep reaching into the seed bag Of God’s kingdom, leaving the harvest and there will be one! and everything else to our gracious, loving God.
Let us pray.
You call all of us, O God, to sow
To sow and be your love within the world
You call us to sow
To love all
For in them are you
And you are in us
And we are one
Sisters and brothers all
And when we feel like calling it quits, Lord,
Because sowing your kingdom can be hard work
And we very, very rarely see
the fruit of what we say and do…
Tell us again that you are with us,
Day after day after day, always and forever,
…and that all we have to do is keep sowing
and you will take care of everything else.
Let it be so. Amen.
Pastor David Gogoll - Matthew 10:40-42 New International Version
40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
I think it’s helpful to have an overview of this whole chapter which contains Jesus’ instructions to the twelve as he sends them out.
The Revised Common Lectionary only has verses 24-39, 40-42 over two Sundays.
At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus chooses the twelve (v.1-4). The rest of the chapter has Jesus’ instructions about what they should do and what they can expect as they go out. (v.5-42)
Tell me what do you think it was like to be a disciple of Jesus?
The twelve apostles are sent by Jesus, apostle means to be sent!
He tells them they can expect to be welcomed and cared for or not welcomed. They shouldn’t feel guilty about receiving hospitality and they shouldn’t feel guilty about moving on if they’re not welcomed.
They can expect trouble, they’ll be like lambs among wolves. They could be taken to court, beaten, and put to death by brothers and sisters. Jesus says they’ll be hated because of him.
He tells them not to be afraid to speak up, to tell the world what I’ve told you - God cares for you. You are worth more than many sparrows.
What you tell, I’ll tell - belonging or rejection. Speak up for Jesus and Jesus will speak up for you. Are we confessing Jesus or denying Jesus? Or are we sitting on the fence, believing but keeping it quiet?
Jesus says he’s come to make people decide, to take sides, and this won’t bring peace but trouble.
Finally, he comes to the rewards. Today’s reading goes back to the idea of being welcomed. Those who welcome Jesus’ disciples welcome Jesus, and not only Jesus but also the Father who sent him.
Reread the text.
Matthew gives no indication they actually went and no report of how it went. Why is that? Maybe they didn’t go!
Is it because the sending is still happening and the final report is still to come?
What’s it like to be a disciple of Jesus in the Barossa Valley in 2023?
Do the twelve represent the clergy, the ordained, or all of us?
All of Jesus’ disciples, all of the baptised are Jesus’ presence in the world. The way others treat us is the way they treat Jesus. The way we treat other believers is the way we are treating Jesus.
You bring the presence of Jesus to me, the presence of God. You bring the presence of Jesus to your family, to your neighbour.
In Steen Olsen’s latest ‘Bring Jesus’ offering he’s talking about a missional culture and says,
We need to loosen up on some of the “good order” rules and attitudes we have accumulated over the years. We can’t restructure our way out of our current issues. In effect, we need to become more “Lutheran”, not less so. We need to go back to Luther and the other reformers and catch the wind of the Spirit blowing through their lives. We need the courage to lose a lot of the barnacles that have grown on the good ship LCANZ. Every now and again someone says we should welcome good mistakes that we can learn from. That is a good strategy. But our current church culture effectively kills that. And remember, culture eats strategy for breakfast every time. It doesn’t even last until morning tea.
What does this mean for us?
Nathan Semmler - Best Not Done Alone - Matthew 9:35-10:8
There are some things in life, that just can’t be done by one person alone. Can you think of any? Tug of war is one. Marriage is another. You can’t date or have a deep conversation by yourself. It’s impossible to hug alone. You can’t even offer a simple, friendly handshake if there’s no one on the other end of your hand. Yes, it’s true. No matter how strong our wishes or desires are, there are some things in life (perhaps more things than we care to acknowledge) that just aren’t meant to be done by one person alone. Try seesawing by yourself. Two people hanging wallpaper, works much better than just one. A funny movie is even funnier when it’s shared with someone else. And dinner at a restaurant tastes a lot better and is a lot more enjoyable when there’s someone else sitting at the table with you. It seems that it’s not God’s plan for some things to be experienced or done alone. Take the work of ministry. Ministering in Jesus’ name, isn’t meant to be a solo activity. Which, of course, is why God created, and to this day is still creating, church communities like ours: groups of people serving the Lord together, working in unison and doing their part as individual members of the Body of Christ.
When Jesus was conducting his earthly ministry, he discovered that the work of sharing the Good News, of God’s kingdom, was something best not done by himself. Even if it was possible for him to do that, at some point in time, Jesus came to realize that doing it without help, was impractical and inefficient. There were better, much more effective ways to share the Word, and make sure it continued to be shared. And one of those ways was to add recruits and other helpers.
Matthew’s Gospel described how Jesus perceived the hurt and brokenness around him. In the cities, towns, and villages he travelled to, everywhere he looked, our Lord encountered people who yearned to hear a message of hope; who wanted the healing presence of God, to come into their lives; who needed care and compassion. Jesus’ reaction, probably wasn’t any different that our own reaction, to how fragmented and wounded the world is today. Watch the news on TV, scan the Internet or read the front page of any newspaper, and we can’t help but think, “I knew things in the world were bad, but this bad?” Although we may try to convince ourselves otherwise, the world hasn’t changed much since Jesus’ day. In fact, a strong argument could be made that things have been on a downward slide from then to now.
Our world, like the world Jesus inhabited, contains so much heartache and heartbreak, that at times it can be overwhelming. People everywhere—including here in our own great nation, a rich and prosperous nation, are living in pain, fear and despair; and we know that, as individuals, the little we might be able to do to help make things better, is just a drop in the bucket. When Jesus began to mix and mingle with the crowds, the way he did in our reading from Matthew this morning, he recognized how desperation and misery had overtaken many people’s lives. He saw countless people, who were, as Matthew put it, “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Maybe that was the moment when Jesus realized he couldn’t adequately address all this pain, despair and need by himself. And even if he put his small band of twelve disciples to work, it wouldn’t be enough to get the job done. So, Jesus did more than just tell his disciples to help him; he also urged them to pray for God to send many more workers into the field, to assist in the great harvest of proclaiming good news to needy, hurting people. Jesus knew full well that his task was great; which is why he decided that the work God had sent him into the world to do, was something best not done alone.
During those early days of Jesus’ ministry, he came to understand that it was unreasonable, and unrealistic, to go about proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God by himself. Not only would it take longer than necessary to spread the Gospel, but he would have greater success if that message was also shared by his followers: those who had taken his message to heart, and wanted to carry it forward. If Jesus had decided to proclaim the Gospel alone, without any help, then when he died, that message could very well have died with him. Jesus must have understood - instinctively, if nothing else - that the kind of substantial change and social transformation he had in mind, was most likely to happen, and continue when ordinary people became enthusiastic advocates for it.
For Jesus’ vision of the Kingdom of God to become a reality, everyday people, moved by the Spirit of God, first had to be convinced, that the teachings and principles of the Kingdom, truly mattered, and would make a real difference in the world. And those people would be the ones, to share it and embody it. If Jesus’ message was to take root and continue to spread, it needed to be proclaimed by more voices than just his. That’s why he prayed and worked so diligently, to enlist others in helping him, accomplish the Kingdom building mission he was on. And, as I’m sure you realize, it was from this recruitment of other workers, to go into the harvest field and work, to build up God’s realm that the church sprung up. The church is a community of laborers, working together in the field (the world) to bring in God’s harvest. And the “harvest” is anyone who hasn’t already heard, or responded to Jesus’ call to believe in him and follow him. So, what is the end result, that you, and I, and all Christians are being called to strive toward? What was the ultimate purpose Jesus wanted to see come about?
The work we Christians are called to, is best not done alone. It is most effectively done by all of us. Together. Many different individual Christians and churches, of every denomination, working in the field side-by-side, harvesting for God, as a united community. That’s the only way we can possibly hope to accomplish any of God’s work. By the way, that work isn’t meant to be done just within these church walls. We’re called to go out and do it, in the everyday, rough-and-tumble world, in which we live: the dirty, gritty places around us where we encounter the helpless, the harassed, and the hungry. That’s where the good news of God’s compassion, justice, and mercy, most desperately need to be proclaimed and heard.
My friends, just as it was in Jesus’ day, in 2023, the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few. Jesus has put out the call. Many more hands are needed. God’s labor force encompasses the whole people of God, all the disciples of Jesus, each of us, supporting, encouraging, and helping one another; working, sharing bread, and worshipping God together. We’re to do this, to give people a foretaste of God’s Kingdom, and show the world what God’s love, grace, and compassion, look like when they’re lived out in the flesh. It’s a daunting task, to be sure; and we take it on with the full realization, that we will never be able to completely accomplish it. What the Lord is asking of us, is to do what we can, the best that we can, to accomplish whatever small portion of God’s harvest we’re able to get done. And along with that, we’re also urged to pray fervently, just as our Lord did, for God to encourage more people, to come to join us in the field: people who understand, as you and I do, that following Christ, and doing God’s work in this world, can be very difficult, challenging, and risky; so, it’s best not done alone. Amen
Karen Pietsch (Facilitator) - Bethany Contemporary Worship
An informal time of prayer, discussion, sharing, and song around the Gospel reading Matthew 9:35 - 10:8
We sing: Blessed Be Your Name, Our God
PART 1 - 9:35-38 CALLED to PRAY – Read the Message and NTE versions (below).
Q: Reflect - what stands out? Notice what Jesus did, felt, said, etc.
Jesus went around and he didn’t hide away, he didn’t just set himself up and expect people to come to him - he went where people were at.
[*] Teaching: announcing good news of the Kingdom. He was communicating, sharing, engaging, and connecting with people.
[*] Healing: sickness and disease, caring, signs of the kingdom
[*] Compassion: felt sorry for, heart for the people.
[*] Said there’s much work & few to do it.
[*] PRAY to the Master: God’s responsibility to send & ours is to pray.
About Praying For The Harvest
[*] Flows out of love and God/Jesus’ love for all.
[*] We pray, are open to his love, affection, to guidance, and action of the HS.
[*] The harvest isn’t just an overseas mission it’s also on the doorstep, all around and we are in the middle of it.
[*] List of needs in Bulletin - pray at home, groups, etc.
[*] Listen for Abba Father’s heart, pray as Holy Spirit directs.
[*] That your eyes and heart will be open and alert to those around in day-to-day life, pray for and with others.
We Sing: The Potters Hand
PRAY together: Consider the ripe harvest all around us: who/what situation are you being called to pray for? Pray now with someone alongside (or pray quietly alone) e.g., bulletin points or other concerns the Holy Spirit places on your heart and mind…….
PART 2 - 10:1-8 SENT to HEAL - Read the Message and NTE versions (below).
Jesus:
Called disciples to him.
Gave authority - cast out unclean spirits, heal every disease and sickness.
(Disciples were sent for a specific time to Israel first, the Gentiles were later) applies to us now, don’t ignore those in our own community.
Disciples were named which is a reminder to us that Jesus knows you by name, it’s a personal relationship.
Instructed them Go, and as you go - on the way/as you live each day.
Declare that the kingdom of heaven is arriving.
Heal the sick.
Raise the dead.
Cleanse, and cast out demons.
Q: This is quite confronting in many ways. We believe God works miracles but wonder how Jesus’ instructions apply to us. What might this look like for us?
Summary:
[*] The harvest is all around - people with “bruised and hurt lives”.
[*] We begin with PRAYER.
[*] Being sent out is all about living out the Good News of God’s Kingdom, reflecting God’s image to those around us.
[*] Healing can be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.
[*] Jesus is the Healer.
[*] We are sent by God’s grace, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
[*] Jesus is sending us all as healers and restorers, people who bring life and hope.
We begin this ministry of healing by praying for one another.
Anointing with oil is offered for any who would like to receive this.
We sing: Always
The Message – Matthew 9:35 - 10:8
35-38 Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!”
10 1-4 The prayer was no sooner prayed than it was answered. Jesus called twelve of his followers and sent them into the ripe fields. He gave them the power to kick out the evil spirits and to tenderly care for the bruised and hurt lives. This is the list of the twelve he sent:
Simon (they called him Peter, or “Rock”),
Andrew, his brother
James, Zebedee’s son
John, his brother,
Philip
Bartholomew
Thomas
Matthew, the tax man
James, son of Alphaeus
Thaddaeus
Simon, the Canaanite
Judas Iscariot (who later turned on him)
5-8 Jesus sent his twelve harvest hands out with this charge: “Don’t begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don’t try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighbourhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously.
New Testament for Everyone - Matthew 9:35 - 10:8
35 Jesus went around all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, announcing the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he felt deeply sorry for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, ‘There’s plenty of harvest to be had, but not many workers! 38 So pray the master of the harvest to send more workers to harvest his fields!’
10 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal every disease and every sickness.
2 These are the names of the twelve apostles. First, Simon, who is called Peter (‘the rock’), and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax-collector, James, son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananaean; and Judas Iscariot (who betrayed him).
5 Jesus sent these Twelve off with these instructions.
‘Don’t go into Gentile territory,’ he said, ‘and don’t go into a Samaritan town. 6 Go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, declare publicly that the kingdom of heaven has arrived. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse people with skin diseases, cast out demons.
‘It was all free when you got it; make sure it’s free when you give it’.
Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7) The Lord appears to Abraham to announce the birth of Isaac
Romans 6:1b-11 Dead to sin, but alive to Christ
Matthew 9:35-10:8(9-23) Jesus sends out the Twelve
Pastor David Gogoll - Pentecost 23 Spirit Inspired Speech (Spirit Inspired Voices)
Today is Pentecost, the fiftieth day of Easter. Ten days ago we celebrated Ascension, remembering how Jesus was taken to his Father’s side in heaven. Before Jesus left he reminded his disciples of his promise to send another Paraclete/advocate/helper/counsellor - the Holy Spirit to them. At Pentecost ten days after Jesus ascends to heaven the Holy Spirit descends, and the promised Holy Spirit comes to the disciples gathered in Jerusalem.
Jesus left before the Holy Spirit came. Sometimes one thing has to happen before another can. For example - We have to hear before we can speak. Does that sound right? How does what we hear relate to or determine what we say or speak? We all have an accent, is it genetic, something we’re born with or is it environmental, something we learn? It’s environmental, our accent, how our speech sounds, is directly related to the speech sounds we hear as a child.
It’s not just our accent, in other ways the way we speak is related to what we hear. Can you think of some examples such as gentle speech, rough speech, good use of language?
Speech is a powerful medium and today I’ve chosen the theme Spirit inspired speech.
· - Who has Spirit-inspired speech?
· - Do we have Spirit-inspired speech? How can we tell?
· - What does Spirit-inspired speech sound like? Does it have a particular accent? Who do Spirit-inspired speakers sound like? Surely they should sound like - Jesus!
· - What is the tone of Spirit-inspired speech?
· - What is the content of Spirit-inspired speech? Jesus!
· - What is the intent / the outcome of Spirit-inspired speech? For people to believe in Jesus.
Think about the day of Pentecost. Once the mighty wind had stopped and the tongues of fire had disappeared, what happened? Did Peter say, “Did you notice friends that the fire above my head was bigger than the fires above the rest of you?” No.
The disciples didn’t speak to each other but spoke to the assembled crowd. And what did they say? The crowd tells us what they were talking about, they were talking about God’s mighty works. The crowd said, “They’re speaking our languages, describing God’s mighty works!”
It’s no surprise because in Acts 1:8 we read that before Jesus ascended to heaven he said to his disciples; 8 ... “you’ll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; then you’ll tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.” CEV
Spirit inspired speakers talk about Jesus, they are Jesus’ witnesses.
In the Gospel reading today from John 7 we heard Jesus say, 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ 39 By this he meant the Spirit. In John chapter 4 Jesus meets a woman at a well in Samaria and says he’d give her living water / life-giving water. He also says to her; ‘Everyone who drinks this water (from the well) will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’ 4:13f
Because the living water flowing within us is the same as the living water Jesus promised the woman then we are a source of living water for those who are thirsty.
This living water, the work of the Holy Spirit, flowing within us leads to speech, Spirit Inspired Speech! Spirit-inspired lives.
Jesus is the one who satisfies thirst but those who have their thirst satisfied by Jesus have rivers of water flowing deep in them, and are able to satisfy the thirst of others.
When we’ve heard and know how much we’re loved, we can share that love with others. When we know Jesus is with us and loves us, we can share the good news of Jesus’ love with others. We’re blessed to be a blessing. Forgiven to be forgiving. Accepted to be accepting. Loved to be loving.
Our words and actions are empowered by the Holy Spirit, and not only our words but also the hearing of those with whom we talk.
Pentecost Sunday affirms the Holy Spirit is at work in each of us. Maybe the Spirit is inspiring our listening and thinking, so we’ll know about the love of God, the love Jesus has for each of us, or when we know that’s true then inspiring our speaking so we can tell others about the wonderful life of Jesus and the wonderful works of God.
In the third season of the series about Jesus’ life called “The Chosen”, (you can find it on YouTube or download The Chosen App) Thomas is in love with Ramah. When Jesus sends the disciples out two by two he sends Thomas to the area where Ramah came from and where her father, Kafni lives. Thomas wants to ask Kafni if he can marry his daughter. Kafni is known to be a tough one. Thomas talks with Jesus about this double mission - one for Jesus and one for himself and Jesus said to Thomas, “Last I heard Kafni wasn’t a believer so while you’re making a pitch for yourself can you put in a good word for me.” Can we put in a good word for Jesus?”