Mission Trip [Mark 6;1-13]

Grace and peace to you from God our Father, from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and from the Holy Spirit who gives us life. Amen.

As many of you know the mission trip team of 25 young adults and four leaders leaves here tomorrow morning at “o-dot-thirty” for Lynchburg VA. I would like to read a partial list of all that they are taking to help make this trip possible. (Read list) Now mind you this is just for 10 days. And the team needs to bring along their own work supplies, which I did not list off. But I think, holy cats, is this an incredible amount of stuff or what? I look at this list and compare it to what the disciples were ordered to take with them on their first mission trip. There’s quite the difference, don’t you think?

Lets go ahead and look at the second half of our gospel lesson and, no pun intended, unpack it to see how this applies to our mission trip team. Verse 7; “And he (that is Jesus) summoned the twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits.” Just as Jesus called to himself the twelve disciples, so the team has been summoned as well. I’m not sure that they may fully realize this. They may think that they are going on this trip to have fun, and/or to be with friends. Maybe they think that this might be an adventure. Or it might possibly be a way to escape their parents and/or siblings for a few days. Whatever the reason, God has a greater purpose in mind for the individual team members. Just as God called Ezekiel to become a prophet to the nation of Israel [as we heard in the first lesson], God has summoned, and gathered these team members to a purpose higher than they may realize. And although we don’t know what that purpose is at this point, we can hope and trust in the promise we find in Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose”.

So the disciples are called and sent out. Jesus commanded his disciples to go two by two. Why would he make this mandate? I think that there are several reasons for this. First Jesus himself tells us that where there are two or more gathered (or called) in my name, so there I will be also (Matt 18:20). The second issue is that of companionship. It’s easier to take on a task when there is someone there to be with you. That person can offer encouragement and guidance. This is reminiscent of the apostle Paul and his companion Barnabas (who’s name means encouragement). I don’t think that Paul would or could have done half the stuff he did if he didn’t have some companionship. In respect to this trip, I do not think that the team will be lacking for companionship. In fact they may wish at the end of ten days they weren’t with some of the people that they’re with. The third reason is for protection. Using Navy pilot slang, they can be your wing-man (or woman) to cover your back in case of trouble (or as Tony Dinozo on NCIS says, “Ok boss, I have your ‘six’”). Finally there is the issue of accountability. How easy would it be to fall into some kind of temptation if there isn’t someone there to hold you to task? How easy would it be to be duped or conned into doing something you normally wouldn’t do if there weren’t someone there to hold you up? With over 400 young adults and their leaders in Lynchburg, I don’t think that this will be too much of a problem.

The best part of this first verse is now here. The disciples were given authority over the unclean spirits. As Merriam Webster defines it, the disciples were given power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior over those forces opposed to God. Think about this. The disciples were given the same authority that Jesus had, or in other words, the power of the Holy Spirit. And this was well before Pentecost. And this authority was for the purpose of casting out the demons and to make people whole. Last week I gave you three Greek words. Do you remember the Greek word that means to “be made well”? This power is So-Zo. In other words to rescue, to liberate, to preserve the people that they would come into contact with. And this same authority has been given to the team. They will pray for, and with the families who live in those houses. They will write bible verses on the sides of the houses and then seal them with paint. They will teach and learn about God’s riches in Christ Jesus. They will cover these families with God’s grace and mercy, not just with words but also with deeds of love (and a lot of hard work). Through the power of the Holy Spirit they too will cast out the unclean spirits that dwell within the households and in doing so they will “So-Zo” the families they come in contact with.

We now get to verses 8 and 9 and I am sure that our youth director Sonja is thinking, “Oh no, here it comes”. Jesus orders his disciples to “take nothing for their journey except a staff, no bread, no bag, no money in their belts, but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics”. In other words, pack light. I know of several folks who take long-distance motorcycle journeys and they have to follow this rule carefully. After all there just isn’t a lot of room on a motorcycle to pack a lot of stuff. Does the mission trip team really need all of the stuff that I listed off earlier? In regards to the tools that were not listed, yes. These tools are required to get the jobs done while they are there. As for the rest of the stuff, I think it depends upon whom you ask. I guess it depends on what is inside the 60 suitcases. Is it possible to only pack 30 suitcases, which is only one per person? If you ask one of the motorcyclists, they would say yes. On the other hand, I am sure that there are those who would insist they could not get along without certain items that they consider essential. But for this trip overall I am sure that this kind of advice is somewhat impractical. After all our economy doesn’t work the same way it did 2000 years ago. But I think that Jesus gave this order for a different reason. We get our clue in Matthew 6:25-26 when Jesus says, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you more valuable than they are?” Jesus gives the order to pack light so that the disciples will trust that all they need will be provided to them. I think that this adage also applies to us. After all aren’t we a community of faith that is also sent out to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ? I don’t how many of you have moved in the past few years, but when Deb and I moved 3 years ago, it seemed like we had an awful lot of “stuff”. If we had been required to move on a moments notice, we would not have been able to do so. It took us over a month to figure out what we were to keep and what to leave behind, not to mention that the actual packing of what we were taking with us consumed the better part of a week. Stuff weighs us down. It’s hard to focus on Christ when we are burdened with accumulated possessions. It’s hard to remember the great commission given to us when we’re dragging a knapsack or suitcase, or moving van along behind us. It’s hard to trust in God’s provisions when we think that we might “need” the stuff that’s in our wallets or purses. Which begs this question: what is it that gives us security, is it our possessions, or is it our relationship, and thus our assurance of salvation with the risen Lord?

Verses 10 and 11 continue this theme of reliance upon God, however it is put in the context of community and of hospitality. “[Jesus] said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them." In order to save money the mission trip team will be staying at some churches as they travel to and from VA. I think that it’s terrific that there are other communities that are willing to put up our travelers in their journey. I know that we here at Peace Lutheran would do the same thing if asked. But wouldn’t it be strange, that when the team arrived at their destination, they found a different church to stay at and decided to lodge there instead? How do you think the first community would feel? And would the second accommodations be any better than the first? What Jesus is telling the disciples is that hospitality is part of God’s provision. God has not only called the missionaries to go and proclaim the good news, but communities are also called to put up the sojourner. The writer of Hebrews has this to say: “ Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2). In the showing and accepting of hospitality offered, both the community and the wayfarer are blessed. Who knows what seeds are planted when two groups come together? And if the traveler is rejected, I would say do not take it as insult. Could it possibly be that God has some other purpose in mind for that community? Therefore shake the dust from your feet and move on.

We finally get to the end of our text. In the last 2 verses we hear of the disciples setting out. And although we know that they drove out many demons and healed many people, we do not know the end of this particular story. Our mission trip team will soon be departing. On their way they will encounter many adventures. They will encounter many communities that will be accepting of them and there will be many people who will shun them. We also don’t know the end of their story. But we do know that they have been summoned and sent to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, whether it is painted on the side of their bus, or in their encounters with many different people, or in their hard work. We know they have been given authority to heal and cleanse and restore those families that they will help. We know that God will be before them, beside them, behind them, and in the middle of them. And in our own calling and commissioning may the same be said of us as well. Amen.

And may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep our hearts and minds on Christ Jesus. Amen