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The Sixth Sunday After Pentecost Texts: Matthew 10:40-42 June 26, 2005 Up to this point in the Story from the Gospel of Matthew, we have seen Jesus—this marvelous teacher, this healer, this prophet who is more than a prophet, this wonderful spiritual leader—as he has gathered together a following. Specifically, he has gathered together a following of twelve disciples. Three Sundays ago, in our Sunday gospel, we saw something of how Jesus made his disciples. We saw Jesus approach Matthew the tax collector…the sinner. He said to him, “Follow me.” Matthew got up and followed him. Then we see Jesus gathered together with several sinners and tax collectors. Apparently he was welcomed in their midst. He was making disciples. Now, the goal of a disciple was to learn, get close, to try to emulate the teacher…to do the same things that the teacher does…and ultimately to be changed by him. Discipleship, even today, is a crucial part of what it means to be a Christian. As disciples, we: ~come to church, ~try to learn from God’s Holy Word, ~try to follow the teachings that Jesus Christ gave to his original disciples, ~and ultimately, our hope is still the same hope of the original disciples—to be changed. However, today it seems that we have reached a turning point—the moment of truth, if you will—in the life of Christ’s disciples. We have reached the part of the story where those called to follow Christ--his apprentices/disciples--are no longer being called to follow him, but are now being sent out into the world…as apostles. Today, we still consider ourselves to be the continuation of that same apostolic tradition…begun with Christ’s sending out of his disciples and still alive today through the interactions of the church with the world. He says to them, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” We, the disciples are called now—commissioned—sent out as God’s representatives or ambassadors. Ironically, our mission, as stated in this gospel text, is not necessarily to welcome, but to be welcomed, just like Jesus was welcomed by so many people, including tax collectors and sinners. It sounds easy doesn’t it? To go out and be welcomed—to allow others to be gracious to us? On the contrary, it can be difficult. As people, it can be difficult to find the time to let other people welcome us into their lives. As Christians, it can be quite difficult to allow other people to welcome us. After all, are we not supposed to be the ones welcoming others? This mission, in a way, seems rather counter intuitive to the church doesn’t it? How can we increase our church attendance, when we are out being welcomed by other people? The problem, it seems,—especially in the church—is that we wind up seeking approval for ourselves. We want our numbers to increase. There is a definite tendency for us to want other people to join us, to become a member, to be like us. The good news is that our mission is not about us at all. When we are acting as apostles, rather than being about us, our mission is about bringing the good news of God into other people’s lives. Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” As apostles, we are God’s way of letting other people receive and welcome Christ into their lives. Brothers and sisters, as the church, we are the Body of Christ. Confident that we are ambassadors of Christ, his agents in this world, we need fear no rejection. We, as apostles, can set aside our own insecurities about ourselves and trust that God has made us for a purpose. We, as apostles of Jesus Christ have been given the opportunity to give other people an encounter with the Christ that is within us. Empowered and Accompanied by the Holy Spirit since the time of our baptisms, let us leave here today as apostles, sent out with Christ in our hearts—in order that God’s plans might be fulfilled with us as his instruments. -------------------- Joshua W. Magyar, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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