2 Pentecost, Year A

Genesis 22:1-14; Psalm 13; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42
A homily by: Fr. Gene Tucker
Given at: Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, Illinois; Sunday, June 26, 2011 (on the occasion of
the baptism of William Kenner Stigall)

“MINISTERS, MINISTRIES AND THE BIG PICTURE”
(Homily text: Matthew 10: 40 - 42)

Let’s consider this morning the matter of ministers, ministries, and the big picture that God has in mind as God sends out those who are called to minister to others, carrying out God’s ministries, which are entrusted to these ministers. (This last point is especially important, I think, for oftentimes we think that a ministry belongs to a person, forgetting that the ministry actually is God’s ministry, which has been entrusted to someone to carry out.)

As we often do, we ought to begin with a definition of what a ministry is. Looking at the dictionary, we find that a definition that might best fit the context of being in God’s service is this one: “to give service, care or aid; to attend, as to wants or necessities.” Reading a little further on in the dictionaries’ entry for the word minister, we see that is has a Latin root, and we see that this Latin root is the same root that the word minus has in English.

So, we might gather that a minister is one who empties him/herself in service to God and to others. One who is sent, goes out, emptying themselves in service to God and to others.

As we keep this definition in mind, we see that Jesus affirms this concept as He tells His disciples that “He who receives you, receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me.” (Verse 40) Of course, Jesus is referring to God the Father, the one who sent Jesus Christ, the Son, to be a minister on the Father’s behalf, to those who received His ministry.

It might be good for us to pause for a moment to bear in mind the context of Jesus’ words.

The setting is the sending out of the original twelve disciples. Matthew begins his narration of this, Jesus’ very first sending out at the very beginning of chapter ten. Of course, by the time Matthew is writing the account we hear this morning, these twelve disciples have become apostles (remember that the twelve’s original composition has changed with the loss of Judas Iscariot, who betrayed the Lord, but who was replaced by Matthias, and who – a little later on – were joined by Paul). And the word apostle is the one that Matthew uses to describe the sending out that Jesus has now done.

The word apostle itself stems from two Greek words which, together, mean “sent out”.

It is in this “sending out” that “emptying out” takes place. God the Father sends the Son, who empties himself of divine prerogatives, for our benefit and for our salvation (see Philippians 2: 5 – 11 for Paul’s excellent description of the self-emptying nature of Jesus Christ’s ministry among us).

In turn, the Lord sends out the apostles, who will be rejected by some who hear the message (see verses 12 – 15), but who will be received by others who come to believe in the word spoken by the apostles. They, in turn, become disciples, prophets and righteous ones.

Since we have taken the time to define what an apostle is, and what a minister/ministry is, we ought to define what a prophet is, and what a righteous one is, as well:

• Prophet: When we hear this word today, we often think of someone who has the ability to foretell the future. This is an important aspect of the meaning of the word, to be sure. But there is another sense of the meaning of the word, and that is a person who speaks God’s truth. I think this sense of the word is more in keeping with Jesus’ meaning as we read it in the context of Matthew, chapter ten.
• Righteous one: Biblical scholars have pondered the meaning of this term. Some think that it might describe specific ministries within Matthew’s church. That understanding might be correct. But I think there’s another sense to the meaning of the term, and that is that a righteous one is a person whose manner of life exhibits the values that Jesus had articulated in His Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew, chapters five through seven). There, Jesus tells His disciples that, “unless their righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, they will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5: 20). So, it’s possible that Jesus is simply referring to disciples whose manner of life is exemplary in every respect.

Now, Jesus tells His apostles that even small acts of kindness will be noticed and rewarded. Yes, even offering a cup of cold water to “these little ones” because he, himself, is a disciple, will be rewarded. (Ever think about the implications of offering a cup of cold water to someone? In the times in which we live, we probably don’t give much thought to the matter of a drink of cold water, since we have refrigerators and water fountains which offer us cold water all the time. But in biblical times, a cup of cold water would have been a rare treat – one that would have been possible only if the water had come from a spring or a deep well. Of course, the effects of drinking cold water remain: it soothes and refreshes, and it sustains life.)

Perhaps by now you have noticed a progression in the relationship which extends from God the Father to the “little ones”.

It might be clearer if we show the relationship this way:

God the Father the Son the apostles prophets/righteous ones
disciples little ones

Now, as the “little ones” respond to the word, they are essentially responding not only to the ones who carried the word, but to God the Father Himself, through God the Son, who brings the word to us.

Put another way, there is a cause-and-effect relationship originating with God the Father, which follows the path of relationships through the Son, the apostles, the prophets/righteous ones, the disciples, all the way to the little ones. Then, the relationship causes a reciprocal response, leading from the little ones all the way back to the Father. In the process of response, the “little ones” become disciples, and in due time, may become prophets/righteous ones, and apostles, as well, as they mature in the faith.

But, you may be thinking, “I’m not an apostle. I’m certainly not a prophet. I don’t qualify as being a righteous one, and only at times do I think of myself as a disciple.”

OK. If we think this way, even at times, we are probably engaging in some very healthy self-reflection. After all, if we look at the matter from the other direction, we can see the dangers in thinking that we are. after all, a prophet, a righteous one, or an apostle. “Let no one think higher of themselves than they ought to think,” St. Paul admonishes us.

It isn’t for us to judge whether or not we are worthy of such titles or job descriptions. That certification can only come from God, ultimately. But others whose lives exhibit the qualities of being apostles, prophets and righteous ones, can make that assessment of our status, and they are called to do so, for the benefit of God’s family, which is the Church, and for the expansion of the ministries which God entrusts to those whom He sends out to do the work He has given us to do.

By virtue of our baptisms, we are brought into the ranks of the disciples. Today, William Kenner Stigall (“Liam”) becomes a disciple. He becomes one by virtue of the work that God does in claiming him as his own. In the baptismal rite, we say these words, “Liam, you are sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism, and marked as Christ’s own for ever.”

Now, it becomes the task of Liam’s father, mother, grandparents and Godparents to bring him up to come to know the Lord Jesus Christ personally. As they do so, they are offering him their gift of being disciples. And as he becomes a mature disciple – a follower – of the Lord, he will be able to pass on the gift of discipleship to others, by showing forth God’s righteousness in all that he says and does, and by speaking God’s truth, as well.

Thanks be to God for sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to raise up apostles, prophets, righteous ones, and disciples, so that the little ones will come into relationship with God, yes, even little Liam, baptized today.

AMEN.