February 9, 2014

Faith Mennonite Church

Text: Luke 10: 1-12
Theme: “Sent to Stay Put”
(Part One of a Three part series. Practices)

These three stuffed toys are really an entrance into a parallel world. They are all Web Kinz.
They were the rage about 8 years ago and are still very popular with young children. These are
my son’s toys.
The way it works is that they come with adoption papers. You get to name the stuffie and then
enter all of its data on the Web Kinz web site. You can create its character on your web site and
build a domain for the animal to live in. All the birds can live in the sky. All the animals can live
in a house on land. All of the fish can live in the sea.
Of course you can only live in the sea if you buy a fish stuffie webkinz and you can only live on
the land if your grandparents buy you an animal stuffie. In the parallel world you can do
chores, earn points, buy things, and on it goes. You can build a house, decorate a room and
play games.
Building parallel worlds is something that is common in our culture.
As children grow older the online computer games or phone games or ipod or ipad games that
people can play change too. People can create an avatar - an icon or figure representing a
particular person in computer games, Internet forums, etc. Some adults spend hours of time
on line playing games in which they dream of or wish for online with other people who are
playing these games.
The parallel worlds are interesting and can be a fun. They can also be a source of escape from
the current realities of our world.

Jesus was interested in the formation of a parallel culture.

It was not Web Kinz or Mindcraft or any other computer game. It was real and powerful. It was
not a game but a way of living. But it was creating a parallel culture to the dominant culture
one was living in.

This morning I want to invite you

1. Actively form a parallel culture
2. Live with Luke 10 and wrestle with it for the next five months
3. Practice at least one skill involved in forming an parallel culture (practice the offices,
making friends with the poor, hospitality, form a learning community)

This is the first of a three part series on Christian practices.

Why this series you may wonder?
As you know I have been involved in a pilot project since the beginning of September. We have
been meeting once a month to read and reflect on Luke 10, to reflect on leadership in the midst
of change and to challenge each other to step out of our comfort zone. I was interested in this
pilot project because I recognize that our congregation and the church at large is in the midst of
tremendous change. There are no easy answers or quick fixes. But I am committed to working
together with our congregation to listen to God along the way.

I know our congregation realizes that we are in the midst of change. Some of that scares us.
We are excited about what might come but I think sometimes on days when attendance is low
and we don’t see any young adults or few children here a fear niggles at the back of our minds.
Will this congregation fizzle out? Some of us remember when the Sunday School classrooms
were overflowing and we wonder what happened to all of those people and their children.
What changed along the way? And sometimes we are sad. Sometimes we are tired.
Sometimes we dream about how good things used to be.

A few weeks ago at our congregation meeting our congregation committed itself to taking a
closer look at what God is calling us to do and be at this time. I am very excited about this
direction. Council will meet in two to reflect on our congregational meeting and to work on
strategy for helping a discernment process move ahead.

Not so long ago the church was sending missionaries to different parts of the world. They told
people about Jesus and tried to teach them how to live as Christians. The church has grown.
Today there are more people especially in the Mennonite Church in other parts of the world
than in North America.
Today we realize that significant shifts have taken place in our own context. The church is
increasingly irrelevant, attendance to worship services has declined across denominations,
some churches are at risk of closing, our society is more and more secular, some call this time
period – post Christendom. We are in a time in which our society is no longer shaped by the
Christian story. For example, in London England a young man upon hearing the gospel for the
first time was intrigued by it. He asked: “So when did all this happen? When did Jesus live?
Was it about ten years ago or so?
If you are interested more in post Christendom, there is a short summary on the back table.

What does it mean for the church when we are not sending missionaries overseas but they are
sending missionaries here? What does it look like if are sent to be in mission here – in
Leamington, Kingsville, Wheatley and Cottam?

Let’s take a look at what Jesus sent the 72 to do.

1. Jesus had a plan. It says later the Lord chose 72 other followers. We know that already
Jesus had chosen 12. 72 is a multiplication of 12. Jesus spent time with the 12, he loved
them and taught them. But now, he chooses 72 other followers.
2. Jesus sent them out two by two. He sent them out in pairs. (We think about the saving of
the animals in Noah’s ark.) He sent them out to work together – not lone rangers. He sent
them with different skills and abilities to be in community. They were not alone. They
would need each other for support and encouragement. They were sent to every town and
village where Jesus as about to go. They were sent to prepare the way for the coming of
Jesus.
 3. A large crop is in the fields, but there are only a few workers. I wonder

-do we even think that there is a harvest here in Leamington

-do we think that people are still interested in Christianity?
Or, have we become so discouraged by the apparent irrelevancy in our context that we
have given up
Or are we so opposed to this kind of idea that we don’t want to be involved in mission,
we don’t want to share what we know with others, we think it is offensive to talk about Christ
with others,
I have to confess my own reluctance. I grew up listening to Billy Graham. I loved how
he could preach, but didn’t want to be that kind of evangelist.
I saw how some evangelism was done – I didn’t want to be part of making people say
the four spiritual laws and repeating prayers after me.
I saw how some wanted those who followed Jesus to wear certain clothes and do
certain things in order to knw that they were indeed saved.
Barry & I went to Nigeria - but our focus was on teaching, not on asking people to
follow Jesus Christ. We saw how imbalanced the power was with those who have money and
those who do not in the local and the global church. I know that I arrived here in Leamington a
bit disillusioned with how Christians can work to balance the power in the world. I wasn’t sure
and still struggle with how Christians can be equal with the economic imbalances between
them.
So a plentiful harvest in Leamington, Kingsville and Cottam.
Do we believe it.
That is the perspective of Jesus.
What might happen if we considered the perspective of Jesus.

4. Lamb among wolves

What a sending. We are sent to be vulnerable, non-threatening, like Jesus the lamb, but we
are sent into situations which may be hostile, which are not easy.

5. Travel lightly and with purpose. Don’t take a money bag or a travelling bag or sandals. This
advice is counter intuitive. When we go on a journey we take money, we pack for whatever the
occasion is and we take appropriate foot gear. We try to pack within the airline baggage
allowance. But Jesus tells the sent ones to travel lightly when going to create the Kingdom of
God. Perhaps that also meant leaving behind some old ideas and ways of doing things.

It might mean bringing along the best of the current ways of doing things

6. Jesus gave us an instruction manual. We are sent to bring greetings of peace to all we meet.
This doesn’t mean – Hi – how are you kind of greetings. It means that ask God to bless the
homes with peace. With shalom. With God’s wholeness of body, mind and spirit. With Justice.
 What does God’s peace look like here in our context? What is the message of hope and peace
that we have to offer our community? What is the message of joy that we have received and is
alive within us?

7. Go and receive hospitality.

It means dependence on others.

It means not being self sufficient.

This is probably the most difficult thing Jesus asks us to do. Receiving what others have to offer
us. Listening. Learning. Depending on others while we are there to share God’s gifts of shalom
– of peace. It also means that likely there will be people who will be interested in the kingdom
of God. People will be eager to hear about Jesus and an alternative way of living and being.

8. Do not move from house to house.

In other words, stay put.

The 72 were sent to mostly stay put.

This means that they may have taken out a mortgage to buy a house. They planted trees and
gardens. They got jobs. They earned their wages. They stayed put. This means that they
didn’t just move on when there were difficult issues with people or in the community. They
stayed to work things out.

9. Eat local food.

On our first visit to Leamington I noticed the difference in food and beverages.

Wine was freely offered. I was in shock because we had just spent three years in Nigeria where
Christians never drank alcohol. We had learned to ground nut stew and once or twice we even
ate roasted grasshoppers because it was a delicacy that we were offered.

Now we have learned to eat penne pasta and sauce and broasted chicken, tacos and tortilla
soup.

10. Heal their sick. Now that instruction sort of causes me to pause. What does that look like
today?

What is the healing that needs to take place here

 Encouraged by small groups exploring the gifts of healing in our community and use of
alternatives.

I see people supporting the local hospital and health centres. I see people running to raise
money for cancer research.

I see people making soup and taking it to those who are ill.

Last week Henry shared about living with depression. A sermon worth down loading from our
church website.

Encouraged when AA, Al Anon and NA meet here/met here

Marvel at how God answers prayer when this congregation prays

Eg. Gene Forshaw – prayed about medication and that week more meds were found for what
was needed until the appointment with the doctor

Eg. Mandy Heinrichs – last week we prayed for her health. This week she was able to get
medical care and the doctor diagnosed what was happening. She used wisdom to figure out
what she could eat and she is feeling better.

Healing is one way in which we proclaim that God’s kingdom will soon be here.

11. Some people will reject Jesus and it will feel like they are not welcoming you. It will happen.
Jesus knew and knows that not everyone will accept his message. That rejection was not easy
for Jesus and it is hard for us too. But expect it. Don’t give up.
12. God will judge. Leave that to God. Now, I don’t like the way this passage ends. I don’t like to
think of God as a harsh judge. I don’t like it because I want people to know how much God
loves them and cares for them. But according to scripture there are consequences for what we
do and don’t do. I rest only in knowing that it is God who will make the judgment about that
and not me or you.

Jesus sent his followers out to go and then stay put.

He gave them strategies that were challenging.
Ways of living and being that were ways of creating an parallel culture.
Ways of living that were creating the kingdom of God ways of doing things – as if hidden in
plain view but clearly visible.

There is a lot to understand and unpack in this text. I’ve only begun to see and hear things as
I’ve lived with this text.
I invite you to 2 things.
1. Know that YOU have been sent by Jesus.
 Sent to go to home. To go to Leamington on 1 Kimball St. , Kingsville, Wheatley, Essex,
Cottam, Windsor.

We are sent in pairs and families to go and be messengers of God’s shalom.

This week I was surprised when a mom stopped by and while we were playing with her children
she suggested that she and another mom could meet at church on Friday mornings to play and
pray with other mom’s. So, come on Friday morning at 10:00. Coffee will be on.
What is it that you and your household is sent to do?
We need to support one another in the formation of a parallel culture of the kingdom of God
here in our communities. The kingdom of God is more powerful and real than any webkinz toy
or online reality game. We are part of something hands on and real.

I know this isn’t easy or clear cut.

Stanley Hauerwas said, “Take the time to become who you say you are and then you will know
what to do.
And as sent people we are compelled to “take the time to become who we say we are and then
we will know what to do”.
As followers of Jesus, as sent ones, as part of the parallel Kingdom of God:
Take the time to pray.
Take time to read the Bible.
Join with me in living with this text from the Gospel of Luke for the next 5
months. What direction does Jesus have for us?

St. Teresa of Avila’s well-known saying, reminding us that now we carry on the ministry that
Jesus gave us:
Christ has no body on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ looks out to the world.
Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good.
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless others now.