2 Kings 5:1-14
Psalm 30
Galatians 6:1-16
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Mt. Zion UMC, Stokesdale, NC

8 July 2007

Never Just an Amateur

The term "OK" has an interesting legend attached to it. Legend has it, that it originated with Present Andrew Jackson. The story goes that the term "OK" is actually an abbreviation for "all correct." Anybody confused about this? Apparently when President Jackson would look over official documents coming from his office, he would write "all correct” on them if they met his approval. The problem was Jackson was known as being a bit of a "country-bumpkin" whose spelling was not the best. So he would spell "all correct" as he pronounced it, "o-l-e k-o-r-e-c-k-e-d." The presidential aides were aghast at such spelling, particularly on official United States documents. But they were also hesitant to "korecked" the president’s spelling and grammar. So, they simply suggested that the president save time and ink by just abbreviating his approval. And so, "OK" was born. Now, I'm not too certain of the accuracy of this legend. I suspect that it's simply a story as Andrew Jackson was really an intelligent man who would have noticed that his spelling of "ole korecked" differed greatly from the conventional spelling of "all correct." However, the story does highlight Andrew Jackson as a common man as well as Jackson being a champion for common people in America.

Throughout the history of the United States, we have stories of common people coming together for the common good. Often the United States prides itself on this fact. But the United States does not have a monopoly on common people coming together to do uncommon things. Our reading from Saint Luke's gospel also tells a story of common people doing uncommon things. This passage follows last Sunday's reading from Luke. You may remember that in last Sunday's reading; three people approached Jesus and asked to be his follower under certain conditions. Jesus turned down every condition which left me wondering just how successful Jesus' ministry was at that time. Then, we hear this Sunday's reading.

Jesus appoints seventy of his disciples to go "on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go" to proclaim "the kingdom of God has come near" [Luke 10:1-11]. There is some question about whether Jesus sent out seventy or seventy-two people depending which ancient manuscript one uses. There's meaning for both the numbers, but the distinction between seventy and seventy-two is not nearly as important as who was sent out. The people Jesus appoints are not the twelve disciples; they are simply seventy of his followers. They aren't super apostles, or even the leaders; they're simply seventy (or seventy-two) of his normal, typical followers. They are the common people of his group.

The fact that Jesus is sending out his common, typical followers is further emphasized by his statement, "See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves" [Luke 10:3]. OK, this isn't the most reassuring statement, but it certainly does make a point that those he's sending out are not powerful, they're not intimidating, they're just normal people. Essentially, they were amateur evangelists! After all, they were not the leaders like the twelve; they were the normal, everyday followers of Jesus. And Jesus charges these amateur evangelists with the instructions: "Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you'" [Luke 10:8-9]. So, what does Jesus mean by such instructions?

The first instruction to "eat what is set before you" refers to not only fellowship with the people who welcome you, but also getting to know them; learn their culture. Believe it our not, food is one way in which we express our culture. I remember a time when I went to hang out with a friend in college who was originally from Alexandria, Egypt. Ahmed was legitimately excited to have me as a houseguest and so decided to prepare a breakfast that he used to have in Egypt. As I sat at his breakfast table in the kitchen, I watched him make what appeared to be a type of scrambled eggs with cheese and peppers. He then brought a large plate of the egg like food and placed it at the center of the table. Ahmed then handed my some pita bread and sat down across from me with some pita bread of his own and said, "dig-in!" I sat there rather perplexed at what to do next, until I saw Ahmed tear a piece off his pita, reach over to the plate of eggs, pinch some of the eggs in the piece of pita, and pop the bread and eggs in his mouth. I then understood that the plate of eggs was a communal plate that we were sharing. I learned a bit about Ahmed and his culture that morning. Of course one doesn't have to go halfway across the world to observe differences in culture manifested in food. After all, I had no clue what Brunswick Stew was until I moved to North Carolina; and I still haven't found too many people in North Carolina who know what a pasty is. Different foods aside, Jesus wanted those whom he sent to develop relationships with the people who welcomed them and to engage in their culture.

The next instruction Jesus gave, was to "cure the sick who are there" [Luke 10:9]. In some translations it's heal the sick. Regardless of translation, the emphasis is to address the needs of that community as best as they could. Learn the culture of the people you’re with including their needs, and then do what you can to address those needs; care for the people you are with.

Finally, Jesus instructs them to tell the people that welcome them, "The kingdom of God has come near to you" [Luke 10:9]. After learning the people's culture and attending to their needs, share with them kingdom of God. This process of evangelism and ministry makes perfect sense; establish a caring relationship first so that when you do share the good news of the presence of God's kingdom it becomes obvious you're proclaiming this out of authentic caring and not simply trying to change another's ideology. This is a process that first offers friendship and then does the friendliest thing by offering Christ in the proclamation of God's kingdom drawing near.

So, how well did these "amateur" evangelists do? Well, they "returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, in your name even demons submit to us!'" [Luke 10:17]. Apparently they did quite well. They seemed sincerely excited about the missionary experiences they returned from. These "amateur" evangelists did miraculous things in Jesus’ name. Jesus then responds with even greater, more exciting news. He reminds these "amateur" evangelists that the powers they experienced are not nearly as exciting as the promise of salvation; the very promise they proclaimed in their travels.

So often when we think about the proclamation of God's kingdom here on earth, we think of the "professionals." We think of those in full-time ministry, those who are known in the congregation as the most knowledgeable, we think of those saints who always seem to be volunteering for ministries, those who always seem to be the ones who ensure the church keeps functioning. Yet, we just heard a story from scripture where we find the common, everyday, "amateurs" of the church doing great work in the world. Modern studies have shown that the best evangelists are not the "professionals" of the Church, it’s the everyday Christian; the Christian who's out in the world working and living along side non-Christians, the people who are not leading worship but participating in worship from the congregation.

It is a scary prospect, to go into the world and share yourself and your faith. To open yourself up like that can make you feel exposed and defenseless... Like a lamb amongst wolves. Yet, the God who looked after the seventy (or seventy-two) is the same God who looks after us. The people Jesus sent out were not his most accomplished disciples, but they were his disciples. Jesus still sends out his disciples today. And just like the "amateur" evangelists Jesus sent out in our gospel reading, most of the evangelists Jesus sends out today are not the professionals.

So, how are we as a congregation like the seventy (or seventy-two)? Are we reaching out in our everyday lives to proclaim the kingdom of God here and now? The excitement of being a disciple of Jesus did not come in the small groups and gatherings of the disciples, the excitement came in going out into the world and developing relationships with those who did not know Jesus and sharing the good news of God's kingdom with them. In this regard, things haven't changed much in 2,000 years.

I'm an amateur saxophonist. I'm just a common guy who knows a little about the sax. The thought of taking the stage at a jazz club during open-mic night is scary. After all, what if I sound as much like an amateur as I feel? There have been times that I've taken the stage despite the fear of my inadequacies. I'm sure there are aspects of my solos that are OK, you know, "ole korecked;" but I've never crashed and burned as bad as I thought I might. Actually, it was all quite exciting and even encouraged me to go deeper in my saxophone studies. Sharing our faith is similar. We don't have to be professionals to do it and to do it well. Don't let a less than professional status keep you from enjoying and sharing an exciting faith.

SDG