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SERMONS

The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
June 16, 2002

By David Christian

Spring is the season of graduations. Over this past month young people--and those not so young--throughout the country have been caught up in commencement ceremonies. The papers have been filled with pictures of smiling faces in cap and gown. There has been talk of colleges and of jobs and of moving.

One of my most memorable graduations was over twenty years ago. That was my graduation from medical school. For four years my classmates and I had studied and worked as medical students. Then on a spring Sunday afternoon, we were graduated. In a moment we went from being student to doctor. In a moment identity and expectations were changed.

Today's gospel recounts a similar change. You may not have noticed it, it happened so quickly. But it is there. Matthew records: "Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. And these are the names of the twelve apostles ..."

Did you catch it that time? In the first sentence Matthew mentions the "twelve disciples." In the very next sentence he speaks of the "apostles." That is the change, the "graduation" that I am talking about. It may not seem like much. After all we talk all the time about the disciples or the apostles. We use the two words pretty much interchangeably. But there is an enormous difference between them.

A disciple is a student, a follower. Someone who is staying close at hand- listening, studying, learning. An apostle is one who is sent out. An apostle is someone with a message, a doer.

Today's gospel is Matthew's account of that transformation. Up until this point these companions of Jesus have stuck close beside him. They have listened, they have discussed, they have questioned. Now Jesus decides they are ready for more.

Now he gives them a mission. He gives them a message: "Proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' " This message is not words only. It is also action. He goes on to charge them to "cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons."

And off they go to do the work of apostles. Just as, twenty-four years ago, I was sent off to do the work of a doctor. One thing though-even though I was a doctor in name, I still had a lot of learning to do. There was still much I did not know or understand. I still needed guidance, supervision, a helping hand.

Scripture shows clearly that those apostles didn't know it all either. The gospels and the book of Acts recount incident after incident where they messed up.

And yet, there is a church today because of their witness. We have heard the good news because they were faithful to their charge. Now it is our turn.

When we think of the word apostle we think of those first twelve. Yet in our baptismal vows we have promised to "proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ." We are the heirs of the apostles. Jesus' charge to them has been handed down to us. We, you and I, are also apostles.

Often we tend to think of the church as an end to itself. We think of the church as a place where we come to learn, to worship, to be fed, perhaps to escape from the difficulties of the world outside. A place of comfort and safety.

All of that is true. But that is not all. We can't be content to rest here, to hide here. For the apostles' call is in the world. Our call is in the world. A world filled with people who feel harassed and helpless. A world filled with fear. A world in need of the good news of God's love.

It's a mighty undertaking. You may feel like you don't know it all. That's ok, you don't. You may be afraid that you will make mistakes. That's ok, you will. But you are not alone. The power and presence of God's Holy Spirit will be with you.

This is scary business.

But if you don't do it, who will?

David Christian
The Chapel of the Cross
Madison, Mississippi

Exodus 19.2-8a
Romans 5.6-11
Matthew 9.35-10-15