Imperfect Messengers/Wounded HealersMark 6:1-13July 5, 2015

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from Jesus Christ the Hometown boy who became Savior of the world, amen.

All of our texts appointed for today deal with people who are imperfect messengers or wounded healers. Ezekiel is sent out by God himself with the somewhat less than a confident endorsement. In essence God tells Ezekiel these are the words you are to speak, but I’m sending you into a group of hard hearted rebellious people. They aren’t going to pay any attention to you, but go and tell them what I’ve told you so that at least they will know that a prophet has come among them. In other word do your best, but I already know you’re going to fail… The Psalm for today could have been written by Ezekiel after he had a taste of the rejection he encountered in his preaching. “Have mercy O Lord, for I’ve had enough of their scorn…” In the second reading Paul talks about asking God to remove his handicap, but is told by God that Grace is sufficient. Paul was certainly a great spreader of the Gospel, but

even he had to overcome his limitations and learn to be content with his lot in life. In the Gospel text Jesus instructs the Disciples what to do when they encounter rejection. He wouldn’t have done that if he thought, even for one second, they would always be successful. Jesus was preparing them for the inevitable failures they would encounter along the way. He knew these Disciples very well. Remember the story we heard just two weeks ago about the storm on the Sea of Galilee. When the Disciples woke Jesus up from his nap, terrified they were about to perish, Jesus rebuked them with the stinging words, “Have you no faith?” These faithless Disciples are the exact same ones Jesus is now sending out, entrusting them with His authority and His power to deliver the Gospel message. Talk about imperfect messengers… This bunch even rejects Jesus in the end and runs away when Jesus is arrested. Even after the resurrection those who come to the empty tomb leave and say nothing to no one for they were terrified…

Even Jesus Himself was not a perfect messenger according to the Gospel writer. He was unable to do works of great power in his own hometown and among his own friends and family. Take a look ahead at the rest of the story and recognize the trajectory Jesus own ministry is taking. He is on a collision course with the religious leaders of his time and even Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, fails to convince them that it is God’s righteousness that saves and not our own good works. His absolute refusal to back down from God’s message leads to His inevitable crucifixion. Certainly Jesus is a wounded healer and an imperfect messenger, at least by the standards of this world…

We’re no different today. When I first heard Jesus call my name, I was as far away from God as I could possibly have been. I put on a good façade, but I was effectively a functional atheist. I thought of God as a mean, demanding, even sadistic creature who delighted in smiting humans for the sport of it. Then God began to work on my heart. He sent me a perfect companion to soften me up. God has used nearly every objectionable thing that has happened in my life, and there have been plenty, to show me His grace and His mercy. In my case it took 39 years for me to hear and understand that God wasn’t the cause of all the bad things that happen in this world. Just like Paul says in the Second Lesson, at first we don’t think of the bad things that happen to us as gifts. Satan pushes us to our knees and does his best to get us and keep us down, but God never gives up on us!

What about your call to ministry. You are called by Jesus just like the Disciples were called. In our Gospel text Mark tells us that Jesus called the twelve and began to send them out two by two. My friends, you may think you are here right now because you made the choice to be here. You may think you decided to follow Jesus. You may think that it all depended on your choice, your actions, but the Bible tells us differently. You’re here because Jesus called you. You’re here because Jesus chose you. You’re here in order that Jesus can mold you into the imperfect messenger that He needs to bring God’s reign--God’s Kingdom a little bit closer. Jesus came with the message that the Kingdom of God has come near. He didn’t say the Kingdom of God has arrived, but that it is near. My fellow wounded healers, my fellow imperfect messengers, we have all been

called to this place right here and right now in order to receive authority from none other than Christ Himself to go into the surrounding villages and tell everyone the Kingdom of God has indeed come near.

You were given the authority to proclaim Jesus’ perfect message when you were baptized. At the moment of our baptism God gives each baptized person the authority and power to spread God’s message of love and forgiveness, and of repentance. God doesn’t usually make grand displays of this empowerment, but most generally transforms our hearts and our minds gradually, over time through Christian education, through hearing God’s voice in preaching, and through the voices of fellow imperfect messengers and wounded healers just like us.

On the day of our Baptism we received the gifts of the spirit. Each of us was commissioned by God to go forth and begin our ministry under the authority of Jesus Christ and in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Triune God. Are we a perfect messengers of God’s Word?--Probably not… God doesn’t require perfection, only faithfulness. Just like the Disciples of long ago, Jesus still calls us together today. We are called together to Worship God, to hear God’s voice in scripture, word, and song. We are called together to learn what it is that God wants us to be about in this world. We are called to gather together, but that isn’t the end of the story. The point of Church isn’t so that we can all get together and celebrate God’s greatness every week while patting ourselves on the back for being such good Christians. We are called together so that Jesus can heal us, instruct us, and send us out of this place

with His message of repentance, healing, and love. Church isn’t like attending a concert or a movie. This isn’t a place where you come to be entertained. This is the place you come for healing, instruction, and equipping so that when you go out there and face the evil opposition as Ezekiel did you will be prepared for what Satan throws at you. This is the place where you return when the evil opposition wears you out and you come back to repair, retool, and reinforce your story. This is your battery charger for life. But this isn’t the be all and end all of ministry. Ministry is about what we do to and for people who are not members of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. Our mission statement says we are about seeking, welcoming, and serving all. As the new president of Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Rick Barger, often says, “all means all.” I remember when we were coming up with this Mission Statement it was pretty easy to figure out the “what we do” part. The seeking, welcoming, and serving came very early in the process and we all thought those three words described what we do. The harder part was the “why do we do it” part. Why are we spending a great deal of time, treasure, and talent on seeking, welcoming, and serving all? Those of you who are sitting here have found a place where you feel God’s love. When you scrape away all the fancy jargon and Church-isms, that’s the “why we do it” part. We’re here because this is the place where we come to get our daily bread. God’s love is here and we need that love every week. That’s a good reason to come every week, it’s a good message to share, and it’s the why in our Mission Statement. Why do we seek, welcome, and serve? Because of Christ’s love for us.

Because Christ first loved us. So, In Christ’s love, we are empowered to do our seeking, welcoming, and service. This week I challenge you to find one person you know who needs to hear words of encouragement and share words of Christ’s love. If they ask how you can be so sure and confident, tell them where you go to find Christ’s love. This is the place, right here on the corner of Oakes and G-P Roads. Tell them if they want to find hope and encouragement and love, there’s a place in the little town of Pitsburg where it’s given out generously and for free by all, for all. Will your message be perfect? Nope. Will you meet rejection? Probably. Is this what we are called and sent to do? Absolutely! So, this week I send you with Jesus’ authority and God’s power to proclaim what you know to be true. God loves the world and God is standing ready to accept every person who returns regardless of what they’ve done or haven’t done. Seek, welcome, and serve everyone you know and all the while do it in, and because, of Christ’s love for you.

May the love of Christ surround you this week as you share God’s message of repentance and love. My God’s authority give you the power to use the gifts given to each of you in Baptism to share God’s love. May you see God’s Kingdom come near as you are called and sent out in mission. Amen.