First Lesson: Hosea 1: 2-10 Responsive Reading: Psalm 85 Second Lesson: Colossians 2: 6-15, (16-19) Gospel Lesson: Luke 11: 1-13 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Now ever since I became a Seminary student. There is something that I’ve noticed about family gatherings. Everyone always waits for me to eat. Or another way to put this is everyone waits for me to pray a pre-dinner prayer. Now, most of my family are semi-regular churchgoers who have heard prayers longer than I’ve been alive. Going to school, according to some, gives a more direct pipeline to God. Such thinking is nothing new among the religious. The Disciples thought the same way. In our Gospel lesson[1], they sit and watch Jesus pray. Before asking Jesus, “How exactly should we pray[2]?” Jesus answers this question by teaching them to pray what is known as the Lord’s Prayer. So why does Jesus teach the Lord’s Prayer specifically? What does it say about what exactly we believe about prayer as Christian people? Father (in heaven), hallowed be your name. What type of Father do we have in heaven? Let me tell you a story about one remarkable father[3]. In 1962, Dick Hoyt had a son named Rick Hoyt[4]. Rick Hoyt was dealt a tough hand at birth. The umbilical cord was wrapped around Rick’s neck, leading to a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Rick’s doctor said that he would spend the rest of his life outside his parents care in an institution for special needs children. The prognosis was a life spent living like a vegetable. It seemed to be the cruelest of news to new parents. The Hoyts saw hope, though, as Rick’s eyes were able to follow movements around the room. They eventually seek out a new diagnosis for Rick, whoichencourages the Hoyts to bring Rick home and try to raise him like any other child. Rick soon learns the alphabet. He eventually is fitted with a computer that allowed him to communicate. Rick was able to attend public school[5]. In 1977, Rick Hoyt had a request for his dad Dick Hoyt; he wanted to run a race. The following request seemed like a stretch as Rick couldn’t walk and Dick wasn’t a runner. Rick though wished to participate in the races, to prove that his handicap would not define him. So Dick Hoyt (the dad) needed to get in shape. He needed to get in such good shape that he would be able to push his son in a wheelchair for five miles. Dick Hoyt would begin by practing pushing a wheelchair containing a bag of cement when Rick was at school. Over the next forty years, Dick and Rick would compete together in over 1,100 events including 72 marathons and six Iron man triathlons. Dick Hoyt’s dedication to his son is so great that a statue of the Hoyts was built near the start of the country’s most prestigious race the Boston Marathon. The Hoyts would eventually go up on inspirational billboards throughout this country. The Hoyt’s fame was all driven by a Father’s great love for his child[6]. We begin our Lord’s Prayer with praying to our Father in Heaven because just like Rick Hoyt, we know that this Father’s love for his children knows no limits or depth. We pray as a statement of trust that our Father in heaven will care for us even beyond how Dick Hoyt cared for his son Rick. Now, as we pray to our Father in heaven, here is where we often get prayer wrong as Christian people, we assume prayer is a series of personal requests that we can make. Prayer is instead the connecting force of our relationship with God[7]. Think of the closest people to you in life. If they didn’t live in your house, you probably stay in regular contact via telephone. I know the times when my Dad usually calls, the conversations can be long, especially when they involve the Minnesota Vikings. He called Friday night at 9:15, didn’t get off the phone till after 10:30. Prayer’s purpose works the same way, giving you the means to provide all your wants, worries, cares, and needs to your heavenly father via conversation[8]. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. Ever since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and sin’s curse was passed down throughout the generations. Our relationship with our Father has been broken. But our Father promises the great hope of his eventual forgiveness. There’s a Spanish story not unlike the Biblical tale of the Prodigal Son. A Father and Son became estranged. The Son ran far away from home. The Father never heard from the Son for months on end. The Father then began traveling all around the land, trying to find his lost son. Finally, the Father took out an ad in one of the country’s largest papers in Madrid. The ad read as follows: “Dear Paco, meet me in front of this newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your Father.” The next Saturday, 800 different Pacos showed up outside the newspaper office, looking for forgiveness and love from their fathers[9]. Forgiveness is one of the few forces in this life so powerful that it can perpetually change the world. To paraphrase writer Todd Brewer: “When forgiveness takes place there are three deaths: the one being forgiven, the one granting the forgiveness and the relationship between the two of them. Subsequently, a new reality occurs, new life all around.” Forgiveness is a real, actual event; when we hear, “I see what you did and God (declaring) I still love you[10].” Once upon a time, there was an old country church, not unlike this one[11]. The preacher would get up and give long sermons week after week. The sermons would go all over the place and would be hard for the congregation to follow. The ushers though were good sermon critics. At the start of every sermon, they would lock the doors of the church so no one could escape, especially the Preacher. They would only unlock the doors when the Preacher delivered a word of Gospel, a word of forgiveness for all who gathered that Sunday. No matter what else the Preacher rambled about. Christians gather on Sunday morning only because of the hope of the forgiveness that has been given through Christ Jesus. Luke’s Gospel version of the Lord’s Prayer closes with and lead us not into temptation. Whereas Matthew’s Gospel concludes; but deliver us from evil[12]. When we think of evil, we often think of the forces that continually overpower us. The bullies in our life that we can’t seemingly defeat on our own. With this in mind, let me tell a story. The place was a YMCA in Hollywood, California[13]. Basketball players would gather every day, choose teams of five, and play till they lost and were forced off the court. Well, there was a team that seemed unbeatable. They were made up of former UCLA college players and even former pros. They would never lose and they would not shut up about it. Well, every single day down at the basketball court was an old man who loved the game, but was now approaching “60” and could never dream to keep up with these recently retired pros. Every day, the man would proclaim that he was friends with “Magic Johnson,” one of the best players in the world at the time for the nearby Los Angeles Lakers[14]. Every day, the basketball bullies would laugh at the older man. Well, one day, the basketball bullies had their way once again. The older man finally snapped, storming off the court, and came back twenty minutes later with the great Magic Johnson. Magic picks his team, including the older man and others just standing around. The basketball bullies were looking forward to beating Magic Johnson and humiliating this older man once again. The game begins, it soon becomes evident that it didn’t matter who was on Magic Johnson’s team, they weren’t losing. The basketball bullies were quickly defeated with the Old Man draining a long three-pointer in their face at the end of the game. The bullies kept demanding rematches only to keep losing to Magic Johnson and the Old Man again and again. The reign of the basketball bullies had come to an end when the Old Man found a teammate to deliver him [15](from evil). The Apostle Paul declares in the Book of Romans: “As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out[16].” Evil is a continual struggle for us as Christian people, even if it always isn’t in the form of basketball bullies. We can find evil nearly every place we look. We often pray to God to remove evil from our lives in the form of illness or broken relationships or even within ourselves. The challenge with prayer is God often seems to be silent. But here’s the point about Evil from within the Lord’s Prayer, Evil will be with us in the short term, but on the last day, All evil will vanish from the Earth[17]. What Christ will do on the last day is the same thing that Magic Johnson did within that Basketball game. He will defeat all evil forces that surround us (not just big-talking basketball players), but more importantly, sin, death and the power of the Devil. The whole reason that we pray is to confess that our eventual salvation is going to soon come from someone way, more powerful than ourselves. The following confession is what we say every time that we pray the Lord’s Prayer. The great hope of the Lord’s Prayer is that we have a perpetually loving father in heaven, whose relationship to us means so much, that he wants nothing more than to forgive us and reunite with us. Our evidence of this is found upon a cross. And on a day that is to come, our Lord will deliver us from the greatest evidence of evil in death and bring us the triumph of his Kingdom for all eternity. Amen [1] Luke 11: 1-13. [2] Luke 11:1. [3] Higgins, Scott. “Dick & Rick Hoyt – A Video of a Father Competing in Endurance Events with his Disabled Son.” Stories for Preaching. Web. July.10.2019. [4] “Team Hoyt.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 17. Apr.2019. Web. July.10.2019. [5] “Team Hoyt.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation [6] “Team Hoyt.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation [7] Lose, David. “Commentary on Luke 11:1-13.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, MN. 25.July.2010. Web. July.10.2019. [8] Lose, David. “Commentary on Luke 11:1-13.” Working Preacher. [9] Bits and Pieces. “The Father and Paco.” Found under Father on Sermon Illustrations. 15.Oct.1992. pg.13. Web. July.10.2019. [10] Brewer, Todd. “We Are Bold to Say… The Lord’s Prayer, Pt 5: Forgive Us Our Trespasses.” Mockingbird (MBird) Ministries. 23. Aug.2012. Web. July.10.2019. [11] This analogy comes from an Preaching conference that I attended hosted by Augsburg Lutheran Churches in 2007 at Advent Lutheran in Roseville. [12] “Lord’s Prayer.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 27.June.2019. Web. July.10.2019. [13] Toldayso edited by RiverdanceJonas. “The story of Magic Johnson showing up at the local Y and crushing the most arrogant pickup team in LA.” Reddit. NBA subreddit. 8.July.2019. Web. July.10.2019. [14] Toldayso edited by RiverdanceJonas. “The story of Magic Johnson showing up at the local Y and crushing the most arrogant pickup team in LA.” Reddit. NBA subreddit [15] Toldayso edited by RiverdanceJonas. “The story of Magic Johnson showing up at the local Y and crushing the most arrogant pickup team in LA.” Reddit. NBA subreddit [16] Romans 7:17-18. [17] Stier, Leon. “Deliver Us from Evil.” Email Mediatations. 2.May.2017. Web. July.13.2019. First Lesson: Amos 8: 1-12 Responsive Reading: Psalm 52 Second Lesson: Colossians 1: 15-28 Gospel Lesson: Luke 10: 38-42 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith…”-Hebrews 12:12. Once upon a time in the former Soviet Union, there was a wave of thefts within the factories[1]. Guards were set outside all the factories to hopefully catch the thieves. Well, at a particular factory, there was a guard who knew all the workers well. The first evening, the guard observed a man named Pyotr Petrovich pushing a wheelbarrow with a suspicious looking sack inside it. The guard says, “All right, Petrovich?” “What’s in the bag?” Petrovich declared, “Nothing but sawdust?” The Guard assumes Petrovich to be trying to outsmart him, only to open the sack and see that he’s telling the truth. Every night that week, Petrovich came out with his wheelbarrow, which the guard diligently inspected. Finally, after several nights of examining the wheelbarrow, the guard gets really frustrated with Pyotr Petrovich. The guard finally says, ‘Petrovich, I know you, I’ve known your whole life.” “Tell me, what exactly are you smuggling out of here.” And “I’ll let you go.” A huge smile comes over Pyotr Petrovich’s face as he declares: “Wheelbarrows, my friend.” Every night, I’ve smuggled out a new wheelbarrow, while you’ve been distracted by sawdust[2]” A couple of years back, I was having dinner at North Woods. I observed a family sitting nearby. Every member of the family had their cell-phones out. No one at the table was even attempting to talk to each other throughout the meal. The scene struck me, so I asked the waitress about it at the end of the meal. To which she declared that such a scene was in no way unique among her customers. Now, my point is not that cell-phones or the internet are bad. I can’t imagine putting a sermon together thirty years ago without having so much information at my fingertip. I can’t help be struck when I go to Sporting Events whether they be high school or professional where people pay money to attend, and they still never put their phones away. Being easily distracted leads us into Our Gospel lesson for Today from Luke 10[3]. In our lesson, Jesus is visiting the home of two sisters Martha and Mary. Let me describe the wo sisters for you a bit. Martha was the older sister. Martha was a doer. Martha kept a neat and orderly house. Martha heard that Jesus was coming to visit and was going to make sure that her honored house guest was treated how he should be[4]. So when Jesus arrives, Martha keeps working in the kitchen as hard as she could to make the night special for everyone gathering. Mary was the younger sister. Mary was a free spirit. Some might even describe Mary as the absent-minded sister. Mary was the one who just figured everything would magically come together in the end. So Jesus arrives at her house. Mary just casually puts her feet up in the living room while Martha does everything she possibly can to get dinner ready. Mary never thinks about asking Martha, “If she can help.” Martha eventually gets quite mad witnessing what she thinks is nothing more than Mary being lazy. Martha finally declares to Jesus: “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me![5]” When I was growing up, my mom would prepare dinner most nights. If Mom said something was being served at 6:30, it was going to be served at 6:30. The following was an expectation that everyone understood. When my parents were busy, I would often have meals at my Grandma’s. Dinner at Grandma’s was always an adventure waiting to happen. She’d vow to cook “turkey” for dinner, you’d show up right at dinnertime, there wouldn’t even be a turkey in the house. Frozen pizza, Subway, Hardees, or Dairy Queen would then be the evening meal. I’d always be excited to go to Grandma’s because I knew junk food would always make it’s way onto the menu. So every person in the world benefits from having Marthas in their life[6]. So when Martha starts complaining about Mary to Jesus, she had what appeared to be some valid points. Martha as soon as she started complaining about Mary’s lack of help in the kitchen, figured that if Jesus was such a wise religious teacher than he would obviously side with her. Only this doesn’t happen. Jesus answered Martha: “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her[7].” I imagine Martha got mad when Jesus started praising what appeared to be her irresponsible sister Mary. So what point is Jesus trying to make? Once upon a time, Saint Bernard was traveling with a poor, uneducated farmer who proclaimed: “I never get distracted when I pray[8].” Saint Bernard couldn’t believe such a thing to possibly true. So he proposed the following: ‘If you can say the Lord’s Prayer without being distracted, I’ll give you this mule on which I’m riding.’ But if you can’t do this, you must come with me and become a monk. The farmer agrees to the bet. He begins praying: “Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.” The farmer then pauses before asking Saint Bernard. “Does the mule come with the saddle and bridle also[9]?” You see, Mary like the farmer appeared to be easily distracted sitting at Jesus’ feet without a care in the world, while Martha worked as hard as could be getting the house ready for dinner. What Jesus is doing within the Gospel lesson is making a point about the nature of the Christian faith, how the Gospel is about receiving, rather than doing. The following statement doesn’t mean that doing is unimportant. If doing was unimportant, I would never have gotten a meal other than Oreo cookies and frozen pizza growing up[10]. Rather as Christian people, we can’t preoccupied with so many different things that we miss out on what’s truly important. A number of years back-Richard Baxter declared[11]: “Know Christ, and you will know enough. Know how to get to heaven, and you will have knowledge enough. Remember the one thing needed. Other things may be desirable and interesting to understand, but this you must understand, or you are undone forever. If you had enough time, it might be interesting to learn everything in the whole Encyclopedia, but life is short, and we are dull; eternal things are necessary, and your souls are precious.” Jesus is making the point that as Martha is preparing the evening meal, the most important thing is not preparing the finest meal for him possible, but instead receiving the living word of God standing in her presence. We, as Christian people just like Martha, tend to get easily distracted from these things. In our lives, these distractions take many forms: careers, community events, self-improvement projects, home improvement projects, travel. These can all be wonderful things on their own. The problem with getting too busy is it’s easy just like Martha to get distracted as to how the most important gift of salvation comes into our life. What’s truly important? Let me close with one final story. Yogi Berra was a well-known Baseball player for the New York Yankees[12]. Hank Aaron was a terrific power hitter for the Milwaukee Braves who would be the first player to hit more home runs than Babe Ruth. The Yankees and Braves were meeting in the World Series to determine baseball’s champion. What made Yogi Berra most famous is that his mouth was always moving during baseball games. Yogi hoped to encourage his teammates, and distract everyone he could on the Milwaukee Braves. Hank Aaron wasn’t much of a talker, but Yogi tried to get a rise out of him on this day. Yogi shouted out: “Henry, you’re holding the bat wrong? You need to hold it, so you read the trademark when you’re swinging[13].” Hank Aaron ignored Yogi Berra; next pitch was thrown, Hank Aaron hits the ball into the left field bleachers for a home-run. Hank Aaron then runs around the bases, touches home plate and says to Yogi Berra, “I didn’t come up here to read[14].” The point that Jesus is making to Martha in our lesson is don’t get distracted by saw-dust, fancy saddles, cell-phones, or fine print on baseball bats. Jesus is in our lives, in our worship, in our prayers, even when we happen to get a bit distracted ourselves. Amen [1] Guinness, Os.. The Devil's Gauntlet: The Church and the Challenge of Society. Intervarsity Publishing. 1989. Print. Found on Sermon Illustrations under Distraction on July, 3, 2019. [2] Guinness, Os.. The Devil's Gauntlet: The Church and the Challenge of Society. Intervarsity Publishing [3] Luke 10:38-42. [4] Markquardt, Ed. “Mary and Martha or Martha and Mary.” Sermons from Seattle. Pentecost 8C. Web. July.3.2019. [5] Luke 10:40. [6] Markquardt, Ed. “Mary and Martha or Martha and Mary.” Sermons from Seattle. [7] Luke 10:41-42. [8] Stier, Leon. “Too Many Distractions (part two).” Email Mediatations. 31.Oct.2014. Web. July.3.2019. [9] Stier, Leon. “Too Many Distractions (part two).” Email Mediatations. [10] Hoezee, Scott. “Luke 10:38-42.” Center for Excellence in Preaching. Calvin Seminary. Grand Rapids, MI. 10.July.2016. Web. July.3.2019. [11] Stier, Leon. “Too Many Distractions (part two).” Email Mediatations. [12] Boice, James Montgomery. Nehemiah: Learning to Lead. Revell Publishing. 1990. Print. Pg.38. Found on Sermon Illustrations under Distraction on July, 3, 2019. [13] Boice, James Montgomery. Nehemiah: Learning to Lead. Revell Publishing. [14] Boice, James Montgomery. Nehemiah: Learning to Lead. Revell Publishing. First Lesson: 2 Kings 5: 1-14 Responsive Reading: Psalm 30 Second Lesson: Galatians 6: (1-6), 7-16 Gospel Lesson: Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.”--Romans 1:16. I want to begin by telling everyone a fishing story, but hopefully, it’s a fishing story that you’ve never quite heard. A group was formed at a church not much different from this one. The church was in an area not unlike the North Shore surrounded by lakes and streams full of hungry fish. The group was going to be called the Fishermen’s Fellowship[1]. They hoped to have regular meetings to discuss fishing and tell their best fishing stories. The first meeting the room was nearly full of avid fishers. As they began their meeting, someone suggested they needed a group philosophy. So much discussion ensued regarding the purpose of fishing. The group then developed a list of preferred fishing strategies. They wanted to think exactly as the fish would think? They then discussed the best types of fish food. Pretty soon, the members started traveling to conferences about fishing. Some even went back to school to get Ph. D’s in Fish Biology[2]. While the group had made progress in a lot of areas, they had yet actually to go fishing. So another subcommittee was formed to determine the best fishing places for their limited number of fishers to venture. Surveys were handed out to the group. Lists of best fishing spots were placed on the church’s bulletin board. With all these meetings, it seemed that no one had any time to fish anymore[3]. One day, a new member joined the group named Jake. Jake, after an inspiring meeting at church, went fishing and caught a beautiful walleye. At the next meeting, he told his story to a roomful of cheering fishers. Pretty soon, Jake was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Fishermen’s Fellowship and no longer had time to fish[4]. Jake soon realized that this fishing fellowship did everything but catch fish. Jake finally one day thought of what seemed to be a genius solution. Jake invited a buddy of his to one day sneak away from the meeting to go fishing. What happened next? The two of them caught many fish as everyone else was too busy with their meetings[5]. Now this story might silly with all sorts of really enthusiastic fishermen sitting around the room discussing the best fishing techniques never having the time actually to go “fish.” As we hear this story, we wonder, how often we are the same way as Christian people? Today’s Gospel lesson comes to us from the 10th Chapter of Luke’s Gospel[6]. In the previous chapter[7], Jesus had commissioned twelve disciples to go spread the Gospel into neighboring villages[8], Jesus hopes the Twelve keep going with this mission until they reach the very ends of the Earth. Now in Today’s lesson, Jesus commissions “seventy-two[9],” more people to do the same thing. How Jesus goes about giving these instructions is interesting: Jesus doesn’t spend time giving the seventy-two the perfect technique like the church fishing group, nor does he spend time enlisting every type of scenario they might encounter. Jesus rather reminds them of the importance of reaching out and trusting that God, rather than our brilliant techniques, will bring about faith and salvation. Jesus, instead of endless discussion regarding the perfect evangelism strategy encourages something else, Jesus’ instructions are that these seventy-two gather to go out “Two by Two. To support each other as there will often be times that the seventy-two feel like “lambs” among the “wolves[10].” Talking or sharing our faith can seem the same way, but encouragement can make all the differences in the world. When I was in college, I had a roommate named Chris. Chris grew up in Palisade, Minnesota. Chris was familiar with Grandma’s Marathon growing up in the area, but he heard 26.2 miles, he thought could never do that[11]. Chris would get made fun for his weight as a child. Chris would try to make lifestyle changes in college, but they would always be short-lived. Chris got married in 2005; I was the best man at Chris’ wedding. Chris, on his wedding day, weighed 331 pounds. Shortly after getting married, Chris realized that he was no longer living for just himself, but now he had a wife. He knew things had to change, so he didn’t have a heart attack at 40-50. He began walking on river trails near where he lived[12]. He shortly after decided to sign up for a 5K run where he would be forced to run a portion to break his goal of 40 minutes. He ran a 38:40. He was exhausted. He didn’t know that he could ever run another 5 K again. He soon started seeing advertisements popping up for 5K’s for important causes to him. So Chris kept running races. Thanks to his wife Rebecca’s encouragement, he changed his diet for the better. Chris eventually lost over 100 lbs. Two weeks ago, Chris ran all 26.2 miles of Grandma’s Marathon. Now Chris will never be the fastest runner in any race. He describes “weight loss” as a journey with its share of highs and low[13]s. But thanks to those first steps that he dared to take, his life, and the lives of his wife and children will be forever changed. Now Evangelism can often work the same way where any one step may seem insignificant, or even pointless until you look back to see what’s been accomplished. Just a few years back, a missionary journeyed to one of the world’s largest mission fields in China. The missionary upon arriving in China was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people in the nation[14]. He couldn’t begin to figure out how he could ever reach all these people with the Gospel. Every factor seemed to be working against him. He eventually got in connection with a tiny church in a remote, agricultural part of the nation. They wanted him to visit, their church. He had to travel for hours upon unfinished, rough roads to arrive at a dilapidated building that looked long abandoned. On that night, he was greeted by thirty Christians. The only commonality in the room was their shared belief in Jesus, the forgiveness of sins, and the gift of eternal life. This church had no resources: no youth programs, no band, no fancy equipment, and no great dreams for their church. The missionary then made the suggestion: share the Gospel with five people in your circle of family and friends. They then spent time practicing how to share their faith. The missionary then came back in two weeks; the group began catching up on their lives: joy and struggles. The missionary then asked: “Did anyone share the Good News of Jesus” as we discussed two weeks ago. The room was silent. Finally, an old farmer stood up and spoke. He had shared his faith with others both in person and via other means. Nine of his family members had become Christians. They had joined the Chinese house church movement. Within the next decade, hundreds of thousands of new Christians became believers in China because of people like this farmer[15]. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. -(Acts 1:8)” Where are we called to Evangelize? The majority of you are not going to be called to go to mainline China or various ends of the Earth[16]. Some of you might be called to witness to Samaritans, hurting/marginalized people of our communities. Some of you might do outreach within Judea, people within our region or state whose paths you may come across. Everyone will experience a calling to share their faith within their own Jerusalem their network of connections amongst families and friends, people whose paths they will encounter every day. The Christian Church in the 1st Century grew from just a few hundred on the Day of Pentecost to more than six million people within a century[17]. Most of these new Christians were not converted by famous preachers like Peter and Paul, but rather the testimony of Christians like us. While this might seem scary and overwhelming, let us remember what happened to the people that Jesus sent out in his name? Luke 10:17: “The seventy –two returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!" The seventy-two found success in those very places that they least expected it. Here’s the point of our lesson, the seventy-two were not extraordinary people. They did not have the perfect words to speak. . But what they had was a life-changing message. “Jesus died for each one of us. So that we may become inheritors of his kingdom.” This message would forever change the world of those around them. Once upon a time, there was a Greek soldier[18]. He was a witness to a battle between Athens and Persia. His fellow Athenians had won. The solider was tasked with sharing this good news; he was instructed to run from the battlefield back to Athens without stopping. Upon arriving into Athens, then finding the gathering crowd he pronounced to cheers: “We Won.’” Right after this, the soldier collapsed and died. You see, the battle had occurred in a place called Marathon[19]. It was 26.2 miles to the center of Athens. The soldier was not a trained distance runner like my friend Chris. He hadn’t sat in countless meetings discussing running strategy. Like the old farmer in China, he might not have been the most likely of runners. The soldier realized the importance of every single step he took to bring “Good News.” To his fellow Athenians. He believed the hope and joy won in this victory was so great that he was even going to give his life to spread it. ‘The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few[20].” Amen [1] Unknown. “Fishermen’s Fellowship.” Stories for Preaching. Web. June.23.2019. [2] Unknown. “Fishermen’s Fellowship.” Stories for Preaching. [3] Unknown. “Fishermen’s Fellowship.” Stories for Preaching. [4] Unknown. “Fishermen’s Fellowship.” Stories for Preaching. [5] Unknown. “Fishermen’s Fellowship.” Stories for Preaching. [6] Luke 10:1-11,16-20. [7] Luke 9:1-9. [8] Niell Donovan, Richard. “Biblical Commentary: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20.” Sermon Writer. 2007.2010.2012. Web. June.22.2019. [9] Some Biblical manuscripts have the number at seventy. The Sychar pew Bible lists the number at 72 which is used for sake of sermon. [10] Luke 10:3. [11] Bergstrom, Adelie. “Down more than 100 pounds, he's ready for Grandma's.” Duluth News Tribune. 16.June.2019. Web. June.22.2019. [12] Bergstrom, Adelie. “Down more than 100 pounds, he's ready for Grandma's.” Duluth News Tribune. [13] Bergstrom, Adelie. “Down more than 100 pounds, he's ready for Grandma's.” Duluth News Tribune. [14] Seltz, Rev.Dr.Gregory. “"Appointed, Anointed and Sent". Lutheran Hour. 7.July.2013. Web. June.22.2019. [15] Seltz, Rev.Dr.Gregory. “"Appointed, Anointed and Sent". Lutheran Hour. [16] Peel, Bill. “How to Identify Your Mission Field | Acts 1:8.” Center for Faith and Work. LeTourneau University. Longview, Texas. Web. June.22.2019. [17] Peel, Bill. “How to Identify Your Mission Field | Acts 1:8.” Center for Faith and Work. [18] Seltz, Rev.Dr.Gregory. “"Appointed, Anointed and Sent". Lutheran Hour. [19]Seltz, Rev.Dr.Gregory. “"Appointed, Anointed and Sent". Lutheran Hour. [20] Luke 10:2. |
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