travelling light

I wonder what happens in your house when it is time to travel? How much do you pack?

Are you one of those people who can travel light?

Or are you someone who packs that extra outfit or two or three just in case…?  Do you feel a little insecure if you haven’t planned for every contingency?

If you do, then you may well be feeling for the 70 that Jesus sent – no purse, no begging bag, no sandals … For those of us who like to be prepared for every possibility this picture of being sent to share the good news is quite daunting.

Luke 10:1-9:  After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. ²He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. ³Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. ⁴Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. ⁵Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” ⁶And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. ⁷Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. ⁸Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; ⁹cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.”

In fact, I suspect it may be quite difficult for us to identify with the 70. Not just because we can’t imagine setting out without purse or begging bag or sandals, not to mention bibles, buildings and programs,  but because when it comes to sharing the gospel we see ourselves as the people who offer hospitality rather than as those who are guests in a stranger’s home.

But it is critical that we hear in this story from the gospel that we are the ones who are sent: sent as guests into a culture where we, where the church, are now the strangers.

So what does it mean to be a guest when it comes to sharing our stories of Jesus?  Let’s unpack the story a little more:

The 70 are to go and wait for the people to respond. In the 1^st century you could freely enter a Palestinian house because the front half of the house was considered public space.  Once inside the stranger would face the owners and offer them the choice of being part of the kingdom movement by extending hospitality or refusing the invitation by turning away these uninvited would-be guests. The 70 were bearers of peace, healing and wholeness. They announced the reign of God and, by their actions, they brought its reality to life in the here and now.  To receive them was to receive the one who sent them and to receive him was to receive God.

We do not live in 1^st century Palestine but we are still sent to share the vision of the reign of God. We are sent with the same urgency that Jesus sent his followers and there are risks for us just as there were for the 70. Even so, we are called to offer people the hope of a world where there is equitable sharing of the world’s resources, where there is peace for all people, and where there is healing and restoration in our lives and in our relationships. This hope we offer to the world is the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So while this isn’t the 1^st century there are a number of things that are common to the 1^st and 21^st centuries. The gospel is the same – that’s a good start! And significantly, now, just as in the 1^st century, the church is not at the centre of society, it is not at the centre of the life of this city [Hobart]. In fact, we are largely ignored by the society around us.

So how in this context do we share the gospel – the good news of God’s love and justice and hope for all?  How do we respond to being sent to share the good news: sent without resources, without references, sent as uninvited guests waiting to be invited to share?

It seems to me that this story is a long way from what we do on Sunday mornings.

There is a growing awareness that no matter how attractive we might try to make our congregational life those around us remain largely indifferent. Offering to meet people’s needs to be entertained or to belong to a busy congregation will not lead  people to choose a life of discipleship.

Being bigger and better, offering up-beat worship, or whiz bang programs won’t lead to people choosing a life of discipleship.

In the beginning people may be attracted by whiz-bang stuff but the church must be more than this. We are about more than growing numbers – we are sent to announce the kingdom of God and that means inviting others to join us as risk-taking disciples of Jesus Christ: as guests in a sometimes hostile culture who are willing to travel light, leaving behind all that slows us down.

So like lambs among wolves, leaving behind all that gives us security, not staying in our own places and in our own spaces, but going into the places and spaces of those who do not know Jesus, we are sent into this city … to proclaim the good news of God’s love … risky? Definitely.  So why do it? Why leave all that is familiar and secure and comfortable? Because nothing is more important than living and sharing the gospel.

But more important than that: We go because Jesus sends us!

‘travelling light’ is from guest blogger Carol Bennett. As delivered for the greater Hobart Uniting Church joint gathering, Sunday November 29th, 2009.