St. Mary's Episcopal Church

The Reverend Beth Fain
July 16, 2006
Pentecost 10b: Out not in (Mark 6. 7—13)

Do any of you know how to travel light?

During my sabbatical last fall, I tried to learn to travel light.
The best I can say that I did was learn to travel lighter.
In our gospel this morning, Jesus teaches his disciples how to travel light, so that they can travel with the fullness, the abundance to overflowing of God with them.
This is the first time that Jesus has sent his disciples out to join him in ministry.
Up until this point, Jesus has been doing the teaching and healing and casting out evil spirits on his own.
But whether they knew it or not, Jesus has been getting the disciples ready. First he called them to follow him.
Then he gave them a community of other disciples.
Then he demonstrated what life would look like when they follow God.
Now he’s given them the authority, his authority, to do everything he does.
In Mark, Jesus’ own ministry began with casting out an evil spirit.
So it is no surprise that this is the first authority that he gives to his disciples as well.
Authority over evil spirits.
All contrary to God’s perfect will.
So not to distract from that authority, Jesus instructs his disciples to cut away everything that is not essential to their mission.
Having a partner in ministry—essential.
Having clothes on their back—essential.
Having food to eat and a place to stay—essential.
Having the power to heal and to get rid of all those powers and things that are not in God’s perfect will--essential.
Nothing extra. Pared down.
What Jesus’ disciples were sent to do was not that unique to Jesus’ time.
There were other traveling preachers and healers in Jesus’ day.
There were “pagan” preachers who journey equipped with a staff and a wallet and not much else who went to and fro sharing a message.
There were other Jews who were sent out in pairs to do ministry, though most often the ministry was to collect alms, that is, offerings for the poor.
Simplicity of dress and tools, the sandals and a staff, were what the Israelites were told to take with them when they left Egypt.
Hospitality was taken for granted in Jesus’ time.
Guest rooms were the inns of Jesus’ day.
Anointing with (olive) oil was a standard medicinal remedy.
It was common Jewish practice to dust one’s feet after dealing with someone who did not accept one’s ministry.
So it’s not the specifics that are important.
It’s not the details that we are to emulate.
It’s what the whole passage with all its bits and pieces shows us.
The wonder of possibility when our lives are scaled down so that we can do whatever Jesus sends us to do; when our most important “possession” is leaving a place for God to provide.
Because, like the 12, we, too, are sent by Jesus to do what Jesus does.
So of course he’ll give us his strength and his power to do this.
Because, like the 12, when we are sent out to do what Jesus does, we don’t need to clutter our lives up with lots of extras and safety nets.
Just the very most essentials are necessary—if that much, because God does the rest.
Finally, we are reminded this morning that the first sermon the disciples preached, like the first one Jesus preached, was to repent.
Change the direction of their lives and follow the direction of God.
We, too, must allow God to change the direction of our lives and follow the direction of God, if we are going to be seriously Jesus’ disciples.
I want us to remember this gospel for the next three weeks.
I want us to be pondering this gospel for the next three weeks.
Because in the next three weeks, we have several opportunities for you to be sent out by Jesus as his disciples.
A week from Wednesday, we’ll go to Boys and Girls Country to have supper and play games with some of the boys and girls who live there.
Two weeks from today, we’ll start our day at 7:00 AM by driving to Lord of the Streets and serving breakfast to our homeless brothers and sisters.
In three weeks, August 6, we are going to be sent out in twos to do mission work.
All of us. To be disciples.
With only the essentials.
Paper door hangers with information about St. Mary’s for us to place on the doors of our neighbors.
Inviting them to come and be with us.
Because Jesus has not called us to stay happy in church.
Jesus has called us to go out and share with others the abundant life we’ve experienced by being part of the community of St. Mary’s.
Because I know there’s a whole world of people out there who are looking for something but don’t know what they’re looking for.
People for whom God’s answer to their search is to come and be part of God’s family and for some of those by sharing community with God’s family at St.
Mary’s.

For us to do our part, it’s being like the 12 in Mark 6.
It‘s living the mission statement that the people of St. Mary’s discerned through lots and lots of prayer.
Our own version of Mark 6 as written in our mission statement.
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church is a welcoming family.
That magnifies God through worship, education, and service.
Sharing Christ’s love.
We reach out to the community.
For the expansion of God’s kingdom.
AMEN