So They Went Out (Sermon)

“So They Went Out”

Mark 6:1-13

Allen Huff

Jonesborough Presbyterian Church

6/14/15

         Ten years ago today, I was freshly returned from a mission trip to Malawi. I got to make two such trips, and I will never forget the experience of visiting people who live in the tensions of faith, hope, Love, and impoverished despair in ways that most First World inhabitants really cannot appreciate. Nor will I forget the experiences of childlike wonder and laughter, experiences of trusting God to see us through long, post-9/11 flights, frightening rides in a old van held together by prayer and loctite, military check points, malarial mosquitoes, and bouts of profound intestinal distress.

         In fairness, both trips combined equaled less than a month. We took with us, for food and gifts, more money than the average Malawian earns in three or four years. We had seasoned missionaries to handle our logistics, to translate the language, and to interpret the culture for us. They kept us safe. We had American doctors with us. We got to visit game parks on both trips.

My point is that our visits to Malawi were carefully managed. While we did some meaningful and important work, we were, for the most part, religious tourists. We did not experience life as Malawians. Nor could we. Still, whether it is traveling to Africa or climbing a ladder onto a tin roof for the first time, any experience in which we must trust God more deeply, breathes new life into our faith. And we often find, embedded in newly-enlivened faith, new understandings and wisdom, and a more enduring joy. Such experiences and their gifts open us to the surprising spiritual depths and potentials within us. They can surprise others, as well.

“Where did this man get all this?” ask the townsfolk who are so sure that they know Jesus because they remember him as a boy. But Jesus has grown. He has traveled throughout Galilee and Judea. He has placed himself in situations of vulnerability that have granted him a new authority, and situations of weakness that have given him new strength.

Day after day, Jesus is losing his life and finding it, again. And he seems to want his disciples to discover these same things, things that he can tell them about, but which they will only learn when they, too, go out and serve in humble compassion. So he gathers them together and commissions them for their own ministries of proclamation, service, and care.

He begins with rather daunting instructions: ^“He ordered them,” says Mark, “to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics.”

That’s it. Jesus wants them to go out in naked trust that God will provide for them.

Just for fun, let’s compare the packing list Jesus gives his disciples to the packing list we used when preparing to go to Malawi. Jesus tells his disciples to take a walking stick, the sandals on their feet, and the clothes on their backs. Our list read, in part:

passport

copy of passport photo page in your action packer

large suitcase and carry-on

Bible

pens

journal

spare glasses or contacts

roll of toilet paper

disposable toilet seat covers

prescription medications (in original containers)

cash for souvenirs (at least $200)

money belt to be worn under clothes

culturally sensitive photos of your family and church

scent-free shampoo

soap and deodorant

toothbrush and toothpaste

aspirin or Tylenol

extra roll of toilet paper

towel

alarm clock

sunscreen

sun hat

sunglasses

bathing suit

“Mountain Suds” (or some similar biodegradable detergent for

washing clothes)

rubber flip flops (for showering)

bug repellent with deet

sense of humor

flexibility

lightweight jacket

poncho

flashlight and spare batteries

insulated water bottle or jug (fill with water)

camera and extra film

Pepto-Bismol or similar anti-you-know-what

modest clothes for work and sleeping

extra pair of sturdy shoes

wet wipes

several bottles of hand sanitizer

inexpensive relational games

candy to share

“comfort food” snacks

an empty carry-on bag to bring gifts home

at least a half dozen plastic, zip-lock bags for storing clothes,

toiletries and etc.

and an extra roll of toilet paper

         Did you notice the subtle differences between the two lists?

         The packing list for our Appalachian Service Project trip this week is a bit shorter than our list for Malawi, but it still emphasizes comfort food and wet wipes far more than Jesus ever did.

         As he continues his instructions, Jesus connects trust in God to the messy business of human relationships. “Wherever you enter a house,” he says, “stay there until you leave the place.”

Wherever you go, he says, be there. Be present with and for the people of that place. Receive with gratitude the food, shelter, and care which they offer you and which you need.

The surest way to “fail” on a mission trip is to think that the interactions are all about what the come-heres do for the live-heres, that they are purely recipients of our sacrificial service. When that is our approach, we might complete some task that does some good, but we have not done Christian mission. We have not grown in wisdom and in truth, because we have not allowed ourselves to be truly vulnerable before the one who calls us and sends us out.

As for the instruction to “shake off the dust as a testimony against them.” I understand that the wording encourages some folks to justify passing judgment on others. I am learning to understand this as an image of forgiveness, though. I have to read this instruction in light of Jesus’ memorable “seventy-seven times” response to Peter’s question about how often to forgive. I have to read it in light of Jesus’ rebuke of his disciples when they want to call down a consuming fire on the Samaritan village that rejects them. Most of all, I have to read it in light of Jesus’ gracious response to humanity’s murderous rejection of him.

Living as Christ-followers, we cannot allow, “Shake the dust from your feet” to grant us right of judgment. To the contrary, it is an image of unburdening ourselves of any sense of entitlement to judge those who do not receive us as we might expect. To shake the dust off our feet unburdens us of any sense of entitlement that might permit us to feel superior to others.

Jesus’ instructions challenge his disciples to turn loose of all selfish motives, all arrogance, all fearful grasping for control, and to make themselves completely available to the presence and power of holy Love.

So they went out…

The experience of Christian service means the most and accomplishes the most when both give and receive in grateful compassion.

Eight of us are going to Harlan County, KY today, but Jesus calls all of us to mission. Every one of us. Every day.

So, let us go out…