Proper 6 :: Exodus 19: 2 – 8a / Psalm 100 / Romans 5: 1 – 8 / Matthew 9:35 – 10:23
This
is the homily given at St. John’s, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, June 18,
2023, by Fr. Gene Tucker.
“A PRIMER ON MINISTRY”
(Homily text: Matthew 9:35 – 10:23)
You and I, each one of us who have been
called by God into a relationship, have a ministry.
Your ministry (as lay persons) and my
ministry (as an ordained person) aren’t all that different, really, even though
there are some differences in these two ministries, lay and ordained.
What we have in common is that we are
all called to share the Good News (the Gospel) of what God has done in the
sending of Jesus Christ into the world. We are to do that by sharing, as our
Baptismal Covenant states it so well, “by word and deed the Good News of God in
Christ”.
What is different is that, I, as an
ordained person, am specifically tasked with the business of equipping those in
my care with the tools they will need in order to share that Good News. That
said, I, too, am tasked with the business of sharing the Good News by what I do
and by what I say. When a person is ordained, their previous calling to do the
business of being a baptized person doesn’t go away. New tasks and new
responsibilities are added to what was in place before ordination.
So today, we are given a primer, a
textbook teaching, on the business of ministry. Our Lord calls and sends out
that original bunch of disciples, whom Matthew will call in his text, Apostles.
These original twelve were first called to be disciples, and then they were
sent out (the basic meaning of the word “Apostle” – a person who is “sent out”)
into the wider community to bear witness to what they had seen Jesus do, and by
what they had witnessed in His teaching and in His love for people, as Apostles.
So that we might have an idea of what
sort of business we will be engaged in as we carry out our ministries, our
callings, our charge to bear witness in our time, in our place, and in our
lives, let’s examine some of the things the Lord says are important to remember
as we make our way into the wider world. After all, we are called first to be
disciples, and then we are sent out into the world as apostles.
We might begin with this: The work to
be done is enormous in its scope, and the need for workers to meet the demands
of the work will be great. Matthew tells us that the Lord “had compassion” for
the people, because they were like “sheep without a shepherd”. Therefore, the
Lord says, “Pray that the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his
harvest”.
The size of the work to be done in the
world is, in every age, enormous in its scope and in the challenges of
ministry. Why is this so? One reason is that, as a new generation comes along,
it must be informed and trained in the ways and in the knowledge of God.
Another reason is due to the activity of the Evil One, whose purpose is to
separate people from God and from one another. These two realities are
unchanging, down through time.
Then, the Lord goes on to inform these
original disciples about the realities that they will face as they go out into
the world. His instructions sound (to my ears anyway) a bit like a new soldier
who’s going through initial training, being formed and conditioned to meet the
challenges of military service, trained to meet the worst conditions such
service might entail. What we’re talking about here is spiritual warfare. We
might characterize what the Lord said by recalling this bit of wisdom: “Expect
the worst, you won’t be disappointed”.
Those who are called and sent are to travel
lightly, the Lord says. We could summarize His instructions by saying, “Focus
on your ministry, take what you need for that ministry, but leave behind
anything that isn’t essential”.
Now, the next set of instructions
consists of the hardships that will be present.
First, there will be opposition, right
alongside successes, as the message, the Good News, is shared. Some will reject
the message and the messenger. (How much I would like to believe that that
isn’t going to be the case!) Alas, the truth is that not all persons will
accept the Good News, and not everyone is going to benefit from it by entering
into a relationship with God. Holy Scripture is very clear in its declaration
of the truth that some will reject God’s offers and God’s love. Put another
way, the truth is that some ministries will fail, even as others succeed.
Then there is the very real possibility
of outright hatred and violence, directed to the messenger as the message is
shared. I believe we’re seeing evidence of such change in our own society
nowadays. In time, it’s possible that Christians will be outrightly persecuted
for their beliefs here in our own society.
The spiritual battle we alluded to a
moment ago confronts us with a choice: We can either run from the field and
away from the conflict, or we can face it head on, we can endure whatever comes
our way, and we will find favor with God if we do.
Come then, Holy Spirit, and kindle
within us the fire of our love, strengthen our feeble hands and our weak knees
to stand firmly, and to travel with your purposes in view, as we are sent out
into the world in witness to your love.
AMEN.
