St. Margaret's Sermon Archive
Pentecost VI, 7/8/07 Rev. Caron Gwynn
Text: Luke 10:1-11,16-20
“In the name of the one God, creator, redeemer and sanctifier” Amen.
It appears that Jesus knew something about the importance of not doing everything himself. He empowered and engaged others, as they became partners within his network enterprise to build the kingdom of God. Jesus mobilized others to carry forth the mission baton so that beneficiaries of God’s plan expanded into mission fields worldwide. He also did this for acquiring additional laborers to be gathered into the fold from the harvest. In the previous chapter of Luke, Jesus sent his twelve disciples out to proclaim the reign of God and heal the sick. He empowered them to carry out these tasks with authority. As followers of Jesus, they reflected what they had learned from their Master teacher, “preaching the Gospel” as they traveled from town to town.
This reminds me of reading about the students of the famed opera composer, Giacomo Puccini who was diagnosed with cancer in 1922 while he was in the middle of completing “Turandot” that became his last opera piece. Puccini had a feeling he may not last to see the completion of his opera. To that end, he authorized his students to complete “Turandot” for him. They studied feverishly, completed the piece, and the opera opened in 1926 in Milan as the world premiere. Arturo Toscanini, Puccini’s highly favored student directed the opera. As the opera proceeded beautifully and approached the portion of the piece where Puccini’s work due to his illness had stopped, the director Toscanini felt tears flowing from his eyes onto his face. In fact, while putting down his baton, he stopped the music, and facing the audience he said, “Thus far the Master wrote, but he died.” With that a hush filled the opera house with complete silence. Toscanini managed a smile through the tears, picked up his baton and proclaimed robustly “But his disciples finished his work.” The audience gave a resounding applause following the performance of the operatic masterpiece carried out through the authority and empowerment given to Puccini’s students for the entire world to enjoy and experience. (from Lindy Black, http://home.twcny.rr.com/lyndale/Pentecost%206C.htm/)
Jesus, the Master teacher, expanded his empowerment beyond the twelve disciples to not only to ensure the continuance of the Gospel message but for them to be a witness of the presence, love, and mercy of God among the people. We heard in Luke’s Gospel that Jesus sent seventy others in pairs out as his representative ambassadors bearing the message “the kingdom of God has come near you” and healing the sick. They were the “prep” team for Jesus future arrival in selected towns he intended to visit. Biblical scholars noted these seventy others represent the seventy nations in the world. The need for the acquisition of more laborers in the mission field was immanent. Time was running out as Jesus was traveling through Samaria and other towns heading towards Jerusalem where his ministry and journey would end.
Jesus needed more hands on deck then and our world and Church needs more hands on deck today. Then as it is, now the harvest is ripe but the laborers are few. The harvest is ripe for the world to experience the love of God while there is currently much mistrust , hatred, lost of hope, suffering due to natural disasters, hunger, homelessness, domestic violence, kidnapping of children, and still wide spread war within our world.
Yes, the mission field is ripe for harvest. God’s mission field is the world. Our field for mission is our neighborhood, churches, schools, places of employment, families, everywhere we encounter people daily as well as being aware of concerns that affect the value of life on a global basis.
The Episcopal Church is also known as The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society. As members of the Church and being the people of God, we are called to reprioritize our lives and be the witness of love, joy, share our gifts, offer peace, and service to others as a means of proclaiming and being a witness of the reign of God within our lives. In doing so, through the virtue of our baptism we are the commissioned ambassadors like the seventy others sent forth to exhibit the loving presence of God in the world. We are to pray to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to live daily as laborers in the mission field as we boldly go forth “into the world to love and serve the Lord.” AMEN.
“In the name of the one God, creator, redeemer and sanctifier” Amen.
It appears that Jesus knew something about the importance of not doing everything himself. He empowered and engaged others, as they became partners within his network enterprise to build the kingdom of God. Jesus mobilized others to carry forth the mission baton so that beneficiaries of God’s plan expanded into mission fields worldwide. He also did this for acquiring additional laborers to be gathered into the fold from the harvest. In the previous chapter of Luke, Jesus sent his twelve disciples out to proclaim the reign of God and heal the sick. He empowered them to carry out these tasks with authority. As followers of Jesus, they reflected what they had learned from their Master teacher, “preaching the Gospel” as they traveled from town to town.
This reminds me of reading about the students of the famed opera composer, Giacomo Puccini who was diagnosed with cancer in 1922 while he was in the middle of completing “Turandot” that became his last opera piece. Puccini had a feeling he may not last to see the completion of his opera. To that end, he authorized his students to complete “Turandot” for him. They studied feverishly, completed the piece, and the opera opened in 1926 in Milan as the world premiere. Arturo Toscanini, Puccini’s highly favored student directed the opera. As the opera proceeded beautifully and approached the portion of the piece where Puccini’s work due to his illness had stopped, the director Toscanini felt tears flowing from his eyes onto his face. In fact, while putting down his baton, he stopped the music, and facing the audience he said, “Thus far the Master wrote, but he died.” With that a hush filled the opera house with complete silence. Toscanini managed a smile through the tears, picked up his baton and proclaimed robustly “But his disciples finished his work.” The audience gave a resounding applause following the performance of the operatic masterpiece carried out through the authority and empowerment given to Puccini’s students for the entire world to enjoy and experience. (from Lindy Black, http://home.twcny.rr.com/lyndale/Pentecost%206C.htm/)
Jesus, the Master teacher, expanded his empowerment beyond the twelve disciples to not only to ensure the continuance of the Gospel message but for them to be a witness of the presence, love, and mercy of God among the people. We heard in Luke’s Gospel that Jesus sent seventy others in pairs out as his representative ambassadors bearing the message “the kingdom of God has come near you” and healing the sick. They were the “prep” team for Jesus future arrival in selected towns he intended to visit. Biblical scholars noted these seventy others represent the seventy nations in the world. The need for the acquisition of more laborers in the mission field was immanent. Time was running out as Jesus was traveling through Samaria and other towns heading towards Jerusalem where his ministry and journey would end.
Jesus needed more hands on deck then and our world and Church needs more hands on deck today. Then as it is, now the harvest is ripe but the laborers are few. The harvest is ripe for the world to experience the love of God while there is currently much mistrust , hatred, lost of hope, suffering due to natural disasters, hunger, homelessness, domestic violence, kidnapping of children, and still wide spread war within our world.
Yes, the mission field is ripe for harvest. God’s mission field is the world. Our field for mission is our neighborhood, churches, schools, places of employment, families, everywhere we encounter people daily as well as being aware of concerns that affect the value of life on a global basis.
The Episcopal Church is also known as The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society. As members of the Church and being the people of God, we are called to reprioritize our lives and be the witness of love, joy, share our gifts, offer peace, and service to others as a means of proclaiming and being a witness of the reign of God within our lives. In doing so, through the virtue of our baptism we are the commissioned ambassadors like the seventy others sent forth to exhibit the loving presence of God in the world. We are to pray to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to live daily as laborers in the mission field as we boldly go forth “into the world to love and serve the Lord.” AMEN.