The Mission of the Twelve Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff: no bread, no bag, no money in their belts, but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. ~ Mark 6:6-13 (NRSVUE)
Now that it is summer, many families will be packing up their things and heading to the beach for a little rest, relaxation, and fun in the sun. I’d like to share a little story with you this morning that a friend of mine posted on Facebook about an observation she made at the beach this week. Now my friend is not the church-going type, so I feel quite certain that this was not written in response to this week’s scripture reading. But I do feel that it may be a reminder to us that the Holy Spirit is always working in, around, and through every one of us, whether we are churchgoers or not.
Her story reads: At the beach today, I watched as a dad arrived with his two kids. They each carried their own towel and boogie board, and the dad also had a can of sunscreen in one pocket and his wallet and phone in the other. Well, that dad and those kids were in the water from the moment they hit the beach until they left in the afternoon. They were having the time of their lives, and I only saw them get out of the water once for about fifteen minutes to buy a hot dog and a drink from the hot dog vendor, reapply their sunscreen, and then head back to the water.
Now on the other side of me, a mom arrived with her two similar-aged children. They made several trips back and forth from the minivan carrying towels, a blanket, an umbrella, chairs, two giant coolers, all kinds of toys, several magazines, a book, and a bag of multiple sunscreens! As they arrived, Mom made it very clear that someone always had to stay by the stuff so that nothing would get stolen. All afternoon I listened to her kids complaining that they didn’t have the right shovels and the sand was too crumbly to build a good sandcastle. The sun was too hot. Why don’t we have good potato chips? And when can we go home?
Now granted, there were lots of different personalities, situations, and variables to this story, and I’m not saying that dads are better parents at the beach than moms are, but my trip to the beach taught me that sometimes less is more. That stuff doesn’t bring us happiness. And that by traveling light we can better enjoy each other and the world around us!
Friends, I wonder, when you leave your house, what do you usually take with you? Your keys, wallet, cell phone, purse, maybe a diaper bag if you have young kids? What about if you go away for a weekend? A change of clothes or two? And a few toiletries? Or how about a week-long vacation? How big of a bag or suitcase do you take? And how much of what do you need to take with you?
My daughter Abbey has always traveled light. Even now, with a two-year-old in tow, she just throws a few things in a backpack and is out the door within seconds. When she was in college, she often traveled during the summers, working with lions in Africa, counting endangered species in the Peruvian Rainforest, and traveling with nomadic Reindeer herders in Sweden and Norway. For each trip, I would drop her off at Logan Airport with a small duffle bag and an even smaller backpack. Even though she would be gone for more than a month at a time, she never had bags to check; she would only take what she could carry with her.
I am always amazed at how differently people look at the things they “need.” And I don’t really understand where Abbey got her ability to travel so light because I tend to pack a little more defensively. I pack for the “what ifs,” hoping to be prepared for anything that might happen along the way. One or even two pairs of shoes might not be the right ones once I get where I am going, so at the last minute, I usually toss in at least one more pair. The same goes for sweatshirts, t-shirts, and anything else I think I might need.
I don’t know about you, but this “traveling light,” as Jesus calls his disciples to do in today’s scripture lesson, doesn’t make much sense, does it? Especially since the disciples weren’t just going away for a weekend or even for a full week, they had no idea where they were going or how long they would be gone. And with the work that Jesus was sending them out to do, they could be facing potentially dangerous situations.
Now, it is true, of course, that we live in a much different time than Jesus and his disciples did. And it is true that ‘hospitality to the stranger’ would have played a larger role back then, so it was more likely that the disciple’s needs would have been met regardless of what they had or hadn’t packed for themselves. It is also true that Jesus’ first disciples didn’t own as much as we do. They had no car keys or house keys, no cell phones, no license, no credit cards, and no pictures of their children or grandchildren or their pets for that matter. All that they had was maybe a few coins in their pocket if they were lucky. Even so, this scripture lesson always gets me thinking.
If Jesus was sending the disciples out to spread the good news, they could be looked at as teachers, but they could also be looked at as salesmen. And let’s think for a minute about a salesperson today. They usually dress nicely. They use technology of some kind to show their wares. Maybe they have flyers with more information or samples to share. They use their cell phones to schedule appointments and to record contact information. And, of course, if nothing else, they leave their business card with you in case you have any further questions or needs. Right? And yet Jesus sent the disciples out two by two with nothing but a staff, the clothes on their backs, and a story to tell.
Friends, sometimes I wonder. I wonder how much the things that we think we need actually get in the way of us truly experiencing the world around us and the moments that we are in. As we turn our attention to guarding our belongings, how less able are we to reach out with a gesture of kindness to another? As we rely on our own careful planning for the what-ifs, how less able are we to be open to what God may have waiting for us? If we already have everything we need, how less able are we to receive the gifts of those we meet along the way?
Friends, in today’s society, we like to know all the details. We want to know exactly what is going to happen, and we want to be in control of the things around us. But sometimes, we need to let go of the what-ifs because what if they never happen? We need to let go of our worry and our need to control every second. We must remember that we don’t need to have everything because when we plan everything down to the last second, we don’t leave room for the Holy Spirit to step in.
Friends, one of the greatest lessons that we can learn is how to let go: to let go of our fear, to let go of our desire to be perfect and have all the answers, to let go of our need to control, to let go of our need to have it all. And to simply learn to be present because only then can we truly enjoy the things that we have been given. Only then do we truly allow space for God to work not only through us but through the people that we met along our journey!
Friends, in today’s scripture lesson, we are told that Jesus sent the disciples out two by two with nothing but a staff, the clothes on their backs, and a story to tell. Now, more than two thousand years later, we gather at the table in a similar fashion, with a simple loaf of bread, a cup of juice, and a story to tell. Friends, please know that ALL ARE WELCOME AT THIS TABLE. It matters not who you are or where you’ve been. It matters not your age, race, gender, or sexual orientation. It matters not if you’ve been to this table before or if you are experiencing it for the very first time. You don’t have to have all the answers. You just need to come as you are because, as we say every week here in Oldtown, “Whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey, you are always welcome here.”
So, brothers and sisters in Christ, this summer, as you hopefully get to enjoy life at a little slower pace, I urge you to take some time to think about the way that Jesus sent out the disciples with just a staff, no bread, no bag, no money in their belts. Then, think about the baggage that might be weighing you down or the things that keep you from being fully present and enjoying life. As a defensive packer myself, I know that it is not easy, but if and when you feel yourself beginning to worry about the what-ifs in life, take a deep breath and hand them over to God. And then, just try to simply be in the moment and enjoy the world around you!
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