Sermons

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Re-presenting Christ
April 10 , 2005
Sermon Series on the Gospel of Luke
3rd Sunday in Easter
Rev. Lynne Faris Blessing
Luke 9:1-9

It's very interesting to me that we're returning to this passsage in Luke after journing through Lent (which is a time of preparation), and Easter, (which is a time of rejoicing that Christ is risen).

For up through chapter 8, we have been learning a lot about Jesus' birth and ministry. Lots of teaching and healing works done by Jesus. And now we are at a turning point in the Gospel, where it starts focusing on Jesus' instructions on how the disciples are to help carry out God's mission.

In this particular passage we are given just a scant outline of what transpires:

• Jesus calls the disciples and gathers them together.
• Jesus gives them what they need for the task: power and authority.
• Jesus instructs the disciples. Their task is two-fold: proclaim the kingdom of God, and heal (which includes casting out demon

We don't hear much about what happens when the disciples go out. But in verse 10, it says that upon their return, the apostles told Jesus all they had done. We don't know exactly what they did. The focus is not on what they did, but rather on Jesus' instructions to them.

Now, I need to confess that last week when I really started studying this passage and preparing for the sermon, one of my first reactions was,

"Lord, I know I'm a Missions Pastor and I'm supposed to be excited about sending people and being sent, but I've just returned from my honeymoon.

And I'm really enjoying going through these wonderful gifts. And there's a lot of time that's needed for Jim and I, trying to figure out how to fit his stuff in with my stuff...our material things and emotional stuff.

And there are all these styrofoam peanut-packing things that come in the packages. They were everywhere and they just stick to you. You can't get rid of them..."

I was just wanting to really focus on staying in...not being sent out.

But one of the graces of having to preach something is that you have to stick to the text. You can't get an extension, like on a paper. And I encourage you to try preaching if you haven't before...working on a passage. Really stick with the text.

In sticking to the text, I was able to rediscover the joy of this passage and what it means to be sent out by God... to follow God. God, who wants so much for this world to know His love and His healing. And we have the privilege of being part of that...being asked to participate. Being sent to do this.

So, even though the passage seems a little extreme...

"Go out there and take nothing with you."

There's much that we can learn and much that we can gain from this. I was also reminded, as I studied this passage, of God's great desire for us to be free from the things of the world that can keep us from fully experiencing:

• the goodness of his kingdom
• life together with God
• life with each other.

I was reminded from this text that there is hope for this crazy world and that we can be part of that hope.

As we look at today's text, it's important to note that these specific instructions were for a specific 12 for a specific mission. This was a precursor to Jesus sending out the 70 in twos, and to what we call the Great Commission.

In the Great Commission, found in Matthew 28, Jesus meets with his disciples right before he is about to ascend to heaven. And he gives them a life-long mission to

"Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching all the nations to obey all that he has commanded them."

Interestingly, in the Great Commission, he doesn't mention healing or casting out demons, as he does in Luke 9. But certainly, if you are wondering, "So is there still healing and the casting out of demons?"

Yes.

We learn in many other passages in Scripture that those gifts are given to some people.

So, as we identify ourselves as Christians (as followers of Christ), we need to recognize and deeply realize that we are representing God as we leave these church walls...even while we are within these church walls. In talking with each other, in being with each other...we are representing God-or re-presenting God-to those around us.

The question that came to my mind is:

• What kind of understanding are people getting from us about God after they've been with us? After they've spent some time with us?
• How often does Christ enter our conversations as we're talking with people in our neighborhoods...as we're talking with people in our workplaces or in our schools?
• What are they learning from us about God as they see our behavior?"

Given my occupation as a pastor, it is probably a bit easier for the topic to come up because eventually many conversations get around to, "So what do you do?"

But I confess that representing Christ isn't always first on my mind. Thus, when that question comes up and I see that the person wondering how to respond when I say I'm a pastor, I often will push the review button and think,

• What have I just been saying?
• Has it been nice?
• Has it been glorifying God?
• Have I been representing the church well?
  

And now that my name is Pastor Blessing, I need to be really careful. The pressure is really on! But I don't always think, "I am representing the Lord when I'm out there? How am I re-presenting Christ and the good works that he's done for others?"

I took awhile and read through a book that's edited by Darrell Guder (in preparing for this sermon). It's called The Missional Church. It's very interesting. It talks about the church being sent out as the representative (corporately) and representatives (individually) of Christ.

In it, one of the contributors talked about the two different kinds of being a representative. There was the passive kind of representation, where one thing stands for another. For example, a paper submitted to a professor may represent a student's best effort.

There's also the active kind of representing, indicating that a person has been given the authority to act on another's behalf for another's interest. For example, a lawyer represents his/her clients, or the Secretary of State represents the President on this or that matter.

The point is that both the passive and the active meanings of representation are intended when we talk about the church representing the reign of God... and that each adds a particular force.

That might sound a little heavy, but there really is so much joy when we take time to consider whom we are representing, what we are representing:

• a boss
• a king
• the ultimate friend
• our loving savior.

We are representing our loving savior who loves us, who loves this world, and who wants to see healing.

The passage read earlier-John 17- is part of a beautiful prayer that Jesus prays for his disciples. Right before he is betrayed and arrested, Jesus asks God to protect the disciples.

"Now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete .... And as you have sent me into the world, so I send them into the world."

He says this prayer so that their joy may be complete.

John 17 reminds us that Jesus is not throwing us out into the world to see if we can defend our faith and prove ourselves worthy of being part of the kingdom of God. Rather, Jesus wants his joy to be made complete.

I don't know if any of you have experienced the joy of sharing your faith and seeing someone "get" it. "Wow. God loves me? He's here for me?" It's just part of how we were created-to experience that joy of seeing others come into that saving knowledge of Jesus. That's what God wants for us.

Also in Luke 9, we see that Jesus gives the disciples what they need-just as he gives us what we need-to do what he asks us to do. The disciples are given gifts of the Kingdom. Then they are sent to offer these gifts. Gifts such as:

• healing
• encouragement
• promises of salvation.

Without the power and authority that the disciples are given...that we are also given...they (and we) can do nothing in the face of demons and disease.

Understanding the use of power and authority is crucial to how we re-present Christ to the world. Will the world see followers of Christ trying to use power for personal gain? Or will Jesus' followers use this power and authority to help others discover God's love and healing?

Unfortunately, the church has abused power far too much...to the point that many people don't trust God because they don't feel like they can trust the people who are representing God, saying they're followers of Christ.

It's pretty sobering. It can be quite sad. And I think, for a lot of us, it's enough to keep us from wanting to step on other people's toes. So we kind of hold back.

But this passage reminds us that we've been given precious gifts of faith, power, authority. Gifts that are of little no use if they're not used. Again, knowing how to use the gifts is the challenge. We've got to take our cues from Jesus.

It's so important that we keep going back to Scripture to see how Jesus behaved. That whole, "What Would Jesus Do (WWJD) ?" There's a lot to that. And we learn about that from Scripture. And (as we read Scripture) it's clear that Jesus believed his mission was to exhibit the signs of the presence of the kingdom of God by exercising its authority over:

• brokenness
• domination
• oppression
• alienation.

This authority needs to be carefully understood as authority derived from being under authority. Jesus is under the authority of God. And that's what we need to realize. Jesus acts out of being under the authority of God. So must we act out of that.

There's a great example in Scripture...the interaction of Jesus and the centurion. It's in Luke 7, when the centurion comes forward and says,

"Jesus, please heal my servant. And you don't even need to go there. You just say the word, and it will happen."

And Jesus goes on to say,

"The centurion has this faith because he is a man set under authority with soldiers under him. And he says to one, "Go." And he goes. And to another, "Come." And he comes."

And Jesus immediately commends him for knowing from where his authority comes.

So we all exercise authority only insofar as it has been given to us. And we need to keep remembering under whose authority and in whose name we are acting.

Ok, so Jesus gave the disciples power and authority. And it seems that this is all he thinks they need to go on the journey because he then instructs the disciples not to bring anything else with them on their mission.

"Take nothing for your journey...no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor tunic."

There are a number of reasons Jesus could have wanted them to go out without anything. This way, stripped of all material things, the disciples:

• wouldn't appear to be out for economic gain
• would be totally dependent on God for security
• wouldn't be tempted to spend all their time shopping...

They could be totally dependent upon God for their security. They could stay focused on their mission.

Studying this passage certainly caused me to look at what I take with me for security or provision on my daily journeys. I rarely leave home without the almighty credit card...or my identification...cell phone...day timer...

So many things in my life...so many foam peanut-shells that cling. At times I can't remember my passion, my mission, what God is sending me out to do.

You know, this week, we've been hearing a lot in the news about the life and the ministry of Pope John Paul II. And even if we differ on some of his theology or some of the stances that he took, there is no denying that he touched an awful lot of lives with the love of God. (Granted, having the title of 'pope' attracts people's attention.)

But what I kept hearing is that, despite the pomp and circumstance of being pope, there was something about him. He had a way of focusing on people so that they felt very special to him. He kept focused on what his mission was. And his love for Christ was very evident.

One of his most recent books is entitled, Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way. And in his euology for the pope, Cardinal Ratzinger, commented that with these words-"Rise, let us be on our way," John Paul II roused us from a lethargic faith. Further, John Paul realized how true are the Lord's words:

"Those who try to make their lives secure lose it."

There's remarkable freedom when we let go of the things we cling to.

Our text continues:

"If you're rejected...if a town doesn't receive your message...wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them."

Blow it off. Don't let it bother you. Don't get discouraged.

I read a number of commentaries about this, and I liked what Dale Bruner had to say in his commentary on Matthew. He talks about dust- shaking and its cultural practice.

Jews who traveled in foreign territories were taught a kind of "spiritual customs duty" so that, when they were returning to Palestine (their land), they were to shake the pagan dust from their clothes and sandals before re-entering lest they bring back into the holy land anything unclean.

And Bruner comments, and I agree, that this gesture should be done with love because of the command to love enemies and those who persecute us found in the Sermon on the Mount...and with genuine regret and sorrow for the refusing house or town because of what it means for them to live without the peace-giving Good News of the kingdom that it brings.

So as we shake off the rejection and let it go-not letting it hinder or prevent us from going on-we do it with love in the hopes that one day, people will discover what this message really is about.

I think it is wonderful that there are some in this service today who are serving Christ in the difficult places of the city every day and others who are preparing to go overseas to serve Christ. As a Mission's Pastor, I'm very supportive of how short-term missions can be life-transforming.

But I would venture to say that for most of us...for all of us...the real issue that we need to deal with (today and every day) is about how to be faithful in every ordinary day of our lives as we represent Christ to the world. It's about living under authority-the authority of Christ's word-and doing our best to be good channels of that authority and power.

It's my prayer that we can discover more and more of the life-giving transformation that happens when we are intentional about re-presenting Christ to others...that we will see healing-the miraculous healing-that happens through God's power when we step out and proclaim God's kingdom by doing even simple things like:

• listening to someone/share their concerns and pray with them
• watching someone's children
• taking someone who you know is lonely to dinner.

God's power can be strongly at work in all these and many other ways. And people can discover the saving reign of God here on earth which is cause for celebration every day.

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