The Gospel Of Matthew 9:35-10:8(9-23)
Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. [Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”]
Let us Pray: Creator God, you call us to love and serve you with body, mind, and spirit through loving your creation and our sisters and brothers. Open our hearts in compassion and receive these prayers on behalf of the needs of the church and the world. This we pray in the name of Jesus, Amen
The season of the church from Pentecost to Advent in some denominations is called Ordinary Time. The Episcopal church does not refer to it as Ordinary time but numbers the Sundays after Pentecost. But if we think about it this can be a time when the real miracle of life can be experienced. A time of loving what is, instead of thinking of just what is possible. So as we move through ordinary time (Pentecost season) we can stop and think about what an extraordinary gift this time really is. Time to explore, time to follow Christ’s journey and as we approach the end of Pentecost maybe we will be more prepared to start the season of Advent . So, as we look at the Matthew Gospel, we begin to learn how Jesus wanted to prepare His disciple to go forth into the world and to be the voice of God. But stepping back a bit, we can wonder about something we don’t often ponder, which is why and how it can be the case that Jesus authorizes such a powerful ministry for disciples who were clearly at that moment completely unaware as to the meaning and shape of Jesus’ wider mission to be His church, to be also the Body of Christ. Do we fully understand what it means to go out as a laborer so we can also be his disciples and continue to do his work, to be a laborer. So, as we go out as a laborers we need to see all the people, not those only we want to see but all of them. Our task as laborers is to bring the Good News to all. There is plenty of work to do and not a whole lot of people to do it. There are many harvest opportunities in God’s kingdom but there are not enough workers to do the gathering. Perhaps it is due to lack of awareness. Perhaps unwillingness. But whatever the case, the workforce is too thin. Therefore, Jesus asks His disciples to pray and beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest. Jesus tells them to make request to God, the Lord of the harvest, that He will raise up and send out workers to make sure that no part of the harvest is lost. The time is ready for the ingathering of souls into the kingdom. It is ready for those who are receptive to God’s desires. It is time for the harvesting of all of those in whom the work of God’s grace succeeds. We are a part of God’s purpose in this world. How do we be a part of God’s purpose, The word ordinary is derived from “Ordinal” which means counted. So, if we are to do God’s purpose we need to make each day count, to make each day in ordinary time important not just ordinary. We need to be part of our neighborhood, our community, and the world. We need to be observant by practicing seeing the world in which we live, not as ordinary but through eyes that see things that matter and eyes that look at the world that God loves. One thing to remember as we go out into the world, we need to be cautious of those who challenge the word of God. They will question you and your beliefs, but God through the Spirit will guide your words and actions. With the guidance of the Spirit, you will see the world that God loves. So, as you count these days in ordinary time, face each day looking at the world as God’s gift to us.
Let us pray: Dear God go with us as we go out into the world today, we have to be weary of the virus and cautious of confrontation that is occupying our country and our world. Let us be your disciples to help heal as your laborers to spread the word of your love so we can all live in peace. Amen.
Reflections by Bob 