God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled AIR
(Appoint, Instruct, Report), and my focus is our Gospel (Luke 10:1-20). …
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they
said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we
rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds
and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most
Holy Trinity. Amen.
Before I get into
my first point, I would like to note that the Gospels list many people that
Jesus encountered throughout his three years of preaching. Among the people
Jesus encountered are the famous (Peter, John the Baptist, his mother, Mary
Magdalene) and the infamous (Judas Iscariot, Herod, Pontius Pilate). The
Gospels name individuals (Martha, Mary, Lazarus, Jairus, Zacchaeus) and leave others
anonymous (rich young man, man born blind, widow at the treasury). There are
followers and would-be followers. (We read about would-be followers last Sunday
in Luke 9:51-62.)
In today’s
passage, Jesus appointed others (or other disciples) to go ahead of him. You understand
that I like to explain the meaning of the words in the passage, and today’s
first word is appoint. To appoint means to officially set, fix or name
something or someone. It also means to provide with complete and usually
appropriate or elegant furnishings or equipment. For example, you appointed the
parsonage, the pastor’s office and the new conference room (at Mt. Olive). Appoint
comes to us from the French who got it from the Latin word, appunctare,
which means to bring back to the point or restore. Two smaller Latin words, ad,
meaning to, and punctum, meaning a point, were joined to form appoint.
In our Gospel
today, Jesus appointed 70 or 72, depending on which translation you read. I
won’t quibble over the specific amount. I would, however, like to take a moment
to distinguish this group from the Twelve Jesus sent ahead of him at the
beginning of chapter nine. There is a distinction between the Twelve, Apostles
and disciples.
Disciples are
those who accept and spread Jesus’ message. The 72 individuals in today’s
passage are among the disciples, and because they were sent by Jesus on a
mission, we can also refer to them as apostles. Other Apostles (with a capital
A) were sent by the Church, specifically, Matthias, Barnabas and Paul. Paul
warns the Corinthians to be on guard against super apostles and false apostles
who lead people astray.[1] Then there are the Twelve
chosen by Jesus. We read of the Twelve in Mark 3, Matthew 10 and Luke 6. Though
the list of names varies slightly, these men were with Jesus continually, and received
special instruction and training.[2] These Twelve Apostles
instructed all the disciples, that is, the Church, to choose seven good men to
tend to the needs of the Hellenist widows.[3] Today, the Church
continues to call and appoint men and women as pastors, deaconesses, teachers
and other positions to serve God’s people, but only after they have been
trained and certified by the Church.
Personally, even
though I was ordained in 1987, and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod
accepted that ordination as valid, I still had to undergo study and training
before I was appointed as a pastor. Now, I hope I do not disappoint
you if I move onto my second point, Instruct.
Although our
version reads, “And he said to them,” other versions explicitly
use the word instruct in some form. Literally, instruct means to build.
It also means to teach, train, inform or impart knowledge. My colloquy process
into the Synod included reading and understanding not only the Book of Concord,
but also writings by Luther, Walther and Peiper (the first two presidents of
the Missouri Synod). I had to know how to use Lutheran liturgical books and
understand Lutheran lingo, like the gradual, winkle and so on.
Jesus catechized
and built these 72 into teams that would further his message and ministry. His
instructions to these were like those he gave in chapter nine. They were to take
no money or other provisions. This meant that they would have to rely upon
others’ hospitality and bless those who offer it. They were to speak and act
prophetically towards those who rejected Christ’s teaching.
The tone is grim,
but Jesus’ instruction prepared these first Christian missionaries for the
rejection that would eventually be their lot. Luke seeks to incorporate the
rejection of Jesus in Jerusalem and the rejection of the Christian Gospel by
most of Israel into God’s plan of salvation. Rejection of the missionaries is
rejection of Jesus and God the Father. Luke wants readers, including us, to
know that rejection is painful, but God’s grace overcomes this pain and wins through
it. Rejection is painful, but God’s grace overcomes it. Now, let me turn to my last
point, Report.
In verse 17, the
72 returned to report to Jesus what happened. The mission was a remarkable
success. They returned in joy and announced their victory over demonic power. Every
translation of this verse tells us that they reported their success with joy,
great joy or excitement. Jesus acknowledged their success and then taught them
to draw confidence from it.
Jesus then pointed
to a greater reason for joy: that their “names are written in heaven.” This
means that they enjoy all the rights of citizenship in the kingdom. Jesus
borrowed this from the ancient custom where cities and kingdoms publicly listed
all the people who enjoyed the rights of citizenship. Jesus applied this to
them because they would enjoy all the rights, privileges and prospects in God’s
Kingdom. Hence, their joy, Christian joy, however, does not rest upon personal achievement.
It rests upon a deep sense of relationship with God and a knowledge of the
destiny to which that relationship leads.[4]
This report and its
accompanying joy led me to wonder how family members and friends carry out
their apostolic ministry. I asked them to report how they are living their
apostolic mission. In view of this passage (10:1-20), some responded with brief
replies, and others with long, detailed answers. I gleaned from their answers a
few sentences to share.
Joe from Illinois reported
that his wife and he have been teaching Tai Chi and Kung Fu for several decades.
“These are Chinese arts, but we always are careful not to embrace any Eastern
mysticism. The classes give us the opportunity to let people know, subtly,
about the Lord and his working in our lives. People notice the unique way that
we encourage others. We always offer to pray for anyone who is having issues. …
Because we are adoptive parents of two daughters from China, we also share the
many ways the Lord directly blessed us in the adoption process. It is always a challenge
to know how and when to testify to others. We are never as bold as we would
like to be. Everyone is eager to ‘unfriend’ someone rather than discuss their
differences.”
Joe then added, “When
I used to do a monthly Jail Ministry, it was much easier to talk about Jesus to
inmates who knew they had failed. Our prayer is to be bolder and take more
risks.”
For several years,
Pastor Bob relied upon me for pulpit supply. He wrote extensively about his
wife’s and his apostolic works as well as their congregation’s. “Beside the
personal sharing of Jesus with friends and family, we are involved in mission
activities in Honduras and in the US. I travel to Honduras and Michele travels
on the youth mission camps with Trinity.” As a couple, they financially support
Compassion International, Hearts for Honduras, and Muslim Outreach.
Pastor Bob
continued to tell me that in 1996, when he became the Pastor of Trinity
Lutheran, the congregation was not sponsoring any missionaries. Now the
congregation supports San Pablo Hispanic Ministry in Aurora, IL; two Lutheran
Bible Translators; Deaconess Lori Wilbert and her prison ministry; and Messiah
for Muslims, an LCMS outreach to Muslims in Chicagoland.
Pastor Bob challenges
people to pray about getting personally involved in sharing Christ by (1) asking
God to show me how I might get personally involved; (2) asking God to reveal
how I might financially support missions; and (3) begin to see and be renewed
in seeing that I am a missionary to my neighbor. To do that, he concludes, I
must have a personal walk with Jesus.
Friends, you and I
must have a personal walk with Jesus. Recall that I said earlier that Christian
joy does not rest upon achievement. It rests upon a deep sense of relationship
with God and a knowledge of the destiny to which that relationship leads. I
repeat this quote because among my friends, I count as many reports on how Christians
witness their apostolic work as we read in our Gospel passage today. In this
congregation, you witness to God’s Kingdom by participating as volunteers in
Vacation Bible School. You supply our Blessing Cupboard with food. We cleaned
out the pastor’s office and found dozens of Bibles that we put in the Cupboard.
They were gone in no time. You do the administrative, bookkeeping and outside work
that allows me to focus on preaching, praying and visiting those in need. And
what would we do without the Elders, ushers, readers, greeters, acolytes and
the wonderful women of the Altar Guild?!
My point in illustrating
how you and others witness to Christ through unique apostolic works is to give
ideas on how each of us might share the Gospel with others who need to hear it.
True, as Joe said, it is easier to talk about Jesus to inmates who know they
failed, but that opportunity may not avail itself to us. Our prayer is to be
bolder and take more risks, and we will see others’ prayers answered.
Friends, I want
you to see prayers answered. They will be answered in ways you do not expect.
When Cindy and I returned to Pennsylvania in March 2020, I planned to just be
retired. I did not have a call, and the area team leader for the security
company I had worked for in Illinois told me that there was no work for me in
Pennsylvania. And then, District President Chris Wicher appointed me to serve
as Pastor Emeritus (Mt. Olive), and the team leader of the security company also
found an opportunity for background work. God answered prayers in ways I did
not expect.
Every Sunday, I came
here to preach and lead worship for five, and then 15, 25, 35 and now 50-60
people. I came to this congregation to serve God, you and for those unable to
be with us because of age or illness. I came to instruct young people and
adults through catechism class and Bible study sessions. I came to organize our
liturgical ministries (Elders, Altar Guild, Acolytes, Readers, Greeters and
Ushers) and to make you aware of a church beyond here – the Eastern District,
the Synod, the 204 LCMS vetted ministries and missions that we should be
supporting. I came here to be involved and get you involved in Vacation Bible
School and clean up days, the District Convention and Women in Mission. I did
all that because our Triune God is a God of relationships. God does not want us
to come to worship and get to the breakfast buffet first or be home in time for
the kickoff. God wants your relationship circle to expand beyond a few people
you hang with. God wants us to be in fellowship with Him – Father, Son and Holy
Spirit – and that happens only through our Divine Worship.
Now, I know that
all of you appreciate what God has done to this congregation through me. There
have been a couple of bumps in the road, but the fact remains that you have
worked well with me and have established fellowship with me and this church through
our Divine Worship.
In two weeks, Joel
Lissy will occupy the seat that I will vacate. Hopefully, you will continue to
occupy your seats and bring others to sit next to you. We saw how Alex
Espenship continually brought classmates from Geneva to church with him. Alex
is a good role model for you. Even though he was not a member, every week he
asked young men to come to church with him. When is the last time you asked a
neighbor or a stranger to come to church with you? Alex did that, and I am sure
he will continue to bring people with him to church because the Word of God is
powerful and active, and each time we gather, God graces you with a
life-changing message: the Good News of Jesus changes lives. The Good News of
Jesus changes lives. The Good News changed my life. The Good News changed your
life. If we want to report back to God and one another that the Good News of
Jesus changed someone else’s life this week, all we must do is walk with Jesus,
pray to the Holy Spirit to make us bolder, take risks, and see prayers
answered. For the remaining days you have, do that, and when you do, the peace
of God that surpasses all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus. Amen.
