Readings:
Sermon:
A problem shared is a problem halved – so goes the saying. It works in most situations – from personal problems, worries and concerns, to activities and events which need sorting, and we don’t know where to turn.
Today’s gospel reading starts with a moving description of Jesus’s feelings as he goes about the cities and villages teaching and preaching, ‘When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.’
A problem yes – harassed and helpless people are not healthy and committed people. But also a problem which we are all too familiar with. Life can be overwhelming on a personal or family basis, work and the world at large can hem us in and we are not quite sure where to start. So we know exactly what it feels like to be harassed and helpless.
And our churches are sometimes not much different. The pressures on church life can sometimes feel as if they prevent us from doing all those wonderful, creative, and exciting things which bubble up in conversations, PCC meetings, and of course from what we hear other churches doing.
Jesus goes on to say ‘the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few’ – again a feeling which many of us fully understand. Who is going to do this, who is going to make this happen?
If we think through today’s gospel passage we see a progression of small but important actions which may help us as we put mission in place, as we create an action plan for the ministry we want our churches to undertake.
Jesus first of all tells us to pray - ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. We pray for our evangelism yes – that more and more people will come to know Christ and worship and serve in his kingdom. But we also pray for those who are already with us – especially those who have been overlooked, forgotten, or inactive. Ask the Lord of the harvest to open our eyes to see those who are around us. Not those who are not yet there, but those whom God has given us. The harvest is plentiful – it might just look different.
Then we hear the names of the twelve apostles – those who share in the Divine commission, those who are sent by Jesus to share in his great work of compassion and love. This really is a fine example of ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’. We know enough about the apostles to understand that they weren’t the professional set we might see on a modern-day recruitment poster. But they were friends, companions, those in whom Jesus saw worth and possibility. After we have prayed, we too can identify – with open eyes and hearts – those who will work together for the furthering of the Kingdom.
It might feel presumptuous to compare ourselves to this famous band of twelve, but God is presumptuous – God is audacious; he has chosen you, and me, and the most likely and unlikely characters. But God does not ask us to do everything.
Jesus calls, commissions, and sends this new church with quite clear instructions. Not simply telling them to go but also advising them where not to go. This proves quite difficult for us at times because when we don’t go somewhere we are prone to think we have failed, let God down. But you know yourself when a friend asks you for advice with a massive task, a seemingly insurmountable problem, that you are able to see clearly enough to break it down. Pick off the things you know your friend can do. Be kind to yourself – God is infinitely kind and will put before you what you can do and – and here’s the best bit – will not be grumpy for what you cannot do.
Finally in this action plan for the early twelve Jesus tells them of the amazing things they will do. Even with this group, even with limitations, even with earlier concerns about their helplessness, harassment, and small numbers, Jesus empowers them to do great things.
There are many pressures to succeed in the world and sadly these pressures can seep into church life too. But success in mission looks very different from success in business or social media life. Success is quite simply, that those to whom you speak, those to whom you listen, those whom you love, will know that ‘the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ It’s a simple test and one which Jesus asks of all of us – that we proclaim good news: the kingdom has come near.
Questions:
- Who in your church community has gifts which are yet to be valued and used, who you can pray for and encourage to proclaim the Good News?
- What does it look and feel like for your church to be a sign of the nearness of God’s Kingdom in your community?