On Sunday June 18th, 2017 Scripture: Matthew 9:35-10:16 In the passage we read today from Matthew’s gospel, Jesus gathers 12 of his followers. In this excerpt alone, Matthew refers to this select group as apostles. Usually he uses the term “disciples”, meaning students. But this time he uses the word that means “sent”. The 12 are going to be sent out. Jesus points out that there is a lot of work to be done. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. The poor people of Israel have been abandoned, like lost sheep without a shepherd. As the Roman Empire has moved in, it has grabbed land that rightfully belonging to the Jewish people. According to the prophet Micah, God’s vision was that each family would sit beneath their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one would make them afraid. But the Romans have seized away the land, redistributing large areas to those the Jewish authorities who cooperate with them. This has left the poor of Israel, scattered and leaderless. The apostles are to do Jesus work among these lost sheep. They are now commissioned to do what only he has done so far. They are to travel the villages, healing and cleansing diseases, and casting out demons. They are to depend on the hospitality and kindness of strangers. And they are warned that some will not be kind or welcoming. As this commissioning takes place, I imagine that the apostles are feeling a little shaken up. So, Clare and Owen, you may not think that your chosen majors, Clare biology/environmental science and Owen political science, have a lot to do with this. But, I think that both your chosen fields fit quite well with the work Jesus sends the apostles to do: healing and cleansing, possibly even casting out demons. Clare, I’m sure you are aware, there are many children, in the United States and overseas, who are sick from drinking polluted water. Just last year, the story of lead in the water supply in Flint Michigan came to light. Children who are poisoned with lead suffer terrible consequences, and often end up in serious trouble due to behavioral problems. While Flint was highlighted in our news, there are many places in the United States where adults and children are exposed to toxic substances, through the water and other aspects of the environment. Furthering your chosen field of environmental science, could well lead to the healing of this situation, and many others. And so, I commission you to go out in Jesus’ name and study! Owen, politics are often seen as the solution to many problems, right? And so, it makes sense that if you wish to see improvements in our nation and the world you would go into that field. But I am proposing that our political system as it stands right now, is in a toxic state, too. We have forgotten how to talk to one another and we have forgotten how to listen. The toxicity in politics came to a tragic climax this week, with the shooting of Congressman Stephen Scalise in Alexandria, Virginia. As a political science major, you are called to cleansing and healing of a huge system. That is quite a challenge, and so I commission you too to go out in Jesus’ name and study! But, of course, neither of you will be working in your chosen fields for a while. First you have to complete college. That is the place you are going next. Jesus’ words of sending especially apply to you college years. You will be meeting many new people, from all around the world. There will be those who, in common with you, are Christian. There will be those of other religious traditions, and those of no tradition at all. I encourage you to make friends with any and all who appeal to you, as I’m sure you have done in High School. There will be some who you turn to for hospitality, and some who do not welcome you. If someone resists are rejects your gracious friendship, don’t take it to heart. Do as Jesus says and shake the dust from you feet. You will both be going to school in New England, but I encourage you to not simply think of yourselves as blended with the New England culture. In the past decades the Congregational Church had a tendency to appear to be blended with the culture. I think that reputation has harmed our church. People of other denominations sometimes see our church as undifferentiated from the culture: hazy in beliefs and lukewarm in faith. But being a so called “mainline Christian” does actually mean something. In class discussions and conversations with your college community, don’t be afraid to identify as Christian. If your peers make assumptions about what that means, challenge them. What this means for you will be an individual choice, but here are a few quotes to get you started: “We take the Bible too seriously to read it literally” (Madeleine L’Engle) “Our faith is 2,000 years old, our thinking is not” (from the United Church of Christ UCC.org “Who We Are” page) Then there’s the Gracie Allen quote used by the UCC: “Never place a period where God has placed a comma.” But if the person you are talking with is more intellectual and historically oriented, remind them of what John Robinson said in 1620 to the Pilgrims as they set sail for the New World: “I am verily persuaded the Lord hath more truth yet to break forth out of His Holy Word.” You can remind your peers that the UCC is the Church of firsts:
We can all remind ourselves to differentiate our faith in the culture, and claim the things that make a difference. Finally, though, I’d like to talk about the times when you may feel like sheep among wolves. Whether it’s because of overwhelming homework assignments; or, from the howling of “night wolves” in your dorm, you are seriously sleep deprived; or you begin to question your decisions: are you really at the right school, did you really pick the right major? Your colleges have chaplaincies, places on campus where you can connect and receive spiritual care when you need it. There may be groups for students of faith, worship services and interfaith services. Connect with these services and students, even if their way of faith may seem different from your own. They may be able to provide you with support in times of need. Better still, find a nearby UCC or Congregational church and connect there. It can feel great to get off campus and feel a little bit a part of the community in “outside world.” At this point, I wonder if anyone else in the congregation is wishing they were going to college too. Perhaps some of you will sometime in the future. For others, those days may be over. But, that does not exclude any of us from being sent, like the apostles. We are sent to gather in the lost sheep of our community. And that brings me back to the words I just shared with Clare and Owen about seeking out a church in the community where they go to school. This is not a very common thing among white protestant students from communities like ours. Usually they go off to school and remain on campus among their fellow students. Some may attend chapel services. But few will have a sense of belonging to the wider church, and a need to connect with another congregation while they are away. I learned recently, that things are different in the black church. When African American students come to Boston, or go to other places for college, they often seek out a congregation to attend while they are in school. For students who perhaps feel out of their element, in a new strange place, a welcoming church can make all the difference to the college experience. That was very much like my experience in England. The residence halls felt sterile and bare. The cafeteria food became monotonous and unsatisfying. But I will always be grateful for the local congregations who invited in students to wonderful buffet lunches on Sunday after worship. Many members also extended invitations to their warm and welcoming homes for dinners and other gatherings. In the passage we read today, Jesus talks of a plentiful harvest. It is a harvest of harassed and helpless people, surely in need of this good news. God needs all the laborers available for this task. Wollaston Congregational Church, I believe that there are many young people in our culture today who need a welcoming place to be. It may not seem immediately obvious. The culture among the young is to project the idea that they have many friends. A face looking down at a cell phone does not necessarily mean that they are not lonely. There are many young people who feel lonely, there are even those who are suicidal. There are those who have been bullied by their peers, or have left behind abusive homes. There are those whose former churches have rejected them for their questions, their sexual orientation or gender identity, or their political convictions. Friends, the UCC and the Congregational Church does stand for something: a warm welcome to all who have been rejected elsewhere. I am proud this church is working to obtain permitting to continue our ministry of hosting youth who come here, having been sent to do the work of Jesus in this community. Whether or not the door is shut in our faces by those in control of the permitting, let us not be disheartened. Instead, let’s shake the dust of our feet and discern the ways that we can be a place of welcome and safety any young person who is lost in our world. Let all the people say: Amen
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