Exod 19:2-8a
Matthew 9:35-10:15

Introduction: God has called us together in mission. In Exodus God sends Moses to Pharaoh to “let my people go”. God, in faithfulness to God’s promises to Abraham, delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, from the house of bondage. But that delivery was not merely for Israel’s sake; it was for mission – to be a witness in the world, a blessing to all people, through obedience to God, to be a “priestly kingdom, a holy people.” What does that look like for us, today? God has delivered us from the slavery of the world around us through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. I hope you know how abnormal you are, and how beautiful that abnormality is. That is not to say we don’t have our failures, our sin, our struggles to live faithful individually and as a people.

But The Father has pulled us together in the Son by the Spirit for mission, to be that holy people, a kingdom of priests. Sometimes we’ve tried to image ourselves as a way station for pilgrims. God gathers various “sojourners” to us, we who ourselves are sojourners, and here we commit together to care for the needs of the saints and to provide hospitality for strangers on the Way. We emphasize engaging in the acts of mercy, it’s necessity to experience the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit within to sanctify us holy – as individuals and as a people.
You know that it’s a lot of work running a way station. You know that you can’t live a “normal life” according to the world. For instance, Larry is very ill. Dave has been amazing in his care, but, honestly, it looks like the coming months we’re going to learn how to die with Larry. We need to find some way of protecting him, carrying for him, learning from him, calling him to baptism, suffering with him. Honestly, that’s work, not real pleasant work, and it’s going to hurt emotionally. Then, of course, we can complicate things around here from within. We can squabble about things not central to who we are, or how is the best way to do certain things. We can get hurt feelings, or feel ignored or isolated because we can hurt feelings and ignore and isolate each other. Or maybe we just get hurt because we do. When it happens, it hurts mission; it hurts our witness. It kind of drains from the intense energy it takes just to keep the way-station running.
But I wonder if the way-station image, as descriptive as it is and as beautiful a connection to our heritage as Christians, is adequate for us in light of today’s Gospel reading. I wonder if it’s too stable, solid, fixed, localized to understand our mission. I don’t think we need to reject it, but even as we live as a kingdom of priests, a holy people, I wonder if we need to put into our imagery, this story from the Gospel of Matthew today, as we look to living our mission together to be this blessing to the peoples.
1. The story begins with a description of the activities of Jesus – look at him go!
A. Jesus appears as a transient with a purpose! Jesus teaches, tells that the kingdom of God has come – the good news that God has begun to bring about the restoration of Israel; God has begun to gather Israel to make them whom they are supposed to be. Jesus teaches that God is doing something new in him – and then shows it in his healings. Jesus speaks of the good news about the kingdom where the poor are blessed, the hungry, fed; those who mourn are comforted; where enemies are loved; where eyes are not taken for eyes, but evil is overcome by good. That’s good news! And Jesus is teaching it, and calling those in the villages into this new reality. He is the entry point for this kingdom – he does not announce a freedom like democracy; he announces the freedom of life under a true king!
B. Why? The people were harassed and helpless. Like sheep without a shepherd. What made them helpless and harassed? Sin. Of yeah, their sin, their personal sin. Rebellion against God seen in the depths of character that led to rivalries, conflicts, meanness, inability to live in harmony with others, habits that just stopped them from being able to flourish. The sin of others as well, seen in the way they were treated, the poverty that they endured from others hoarding land, collecting goods that left them little, if any, to live upon. Sin because they had put under the rule of an unjust kingdom. From the sin of this false kingdom, internalized in the bodies, they felt the harassment; they had been made to experience that they were helpless. God did not create human beings in God’s image to lived harassed and helpless – Jesus looked on these with compassion, devoting his life to the kingdom that God has sent him to begin.
C. Jesus comes on the scene as an activist royalty – he speaks and acts to show the goodness of the kingdom that has drawn near!

2. Yet Jesus is only one; the harvest is great. In response, Jesus gathers the twelve to extend his mission.
A. The harvest is great! The harvest means that the crops are done; the grain is ripe; the fruit matured. Laborers don’t produce the harvest; they gather that which is ready. Jesus sees the crowds, knows that they are harassed and helpless. He prays for presence amidst that which is there so that it might be gathered for its use and redistribution.
B. He then appoints the twelve – even the one who betrayed him. Why? The twelve go as the renewed Israel. They go as those who witness to the kingdom. They go as a visible, mobile, embodied presence that this kingdom that Jesus is not a cute idea, but a positive reality for human life in this world and eternal life is the age to come. They go to invite others to come along, join the adventure, become part of the renewal of Israel for the sake of the world!
C. Jesus gathers the twelve as laborers into the harvest.

3. But laborers can’t hang around in the warehouse! Jesus sends the twelve to proclaim the kingdom, not for personal gain or status, but to spread the peace of God!
A. Jesus sends the disciples with particular instructions. He doesn’t send them out as a sideshow, a group to niche market to sell his product after connecting in another way. Jesus sends them out to proclaim the kingdom come near, to participate in the activities of that kingdom. He sends them to Israel, to the Jews, calling them to participate as the people that God has called them to be!
B. Jesus sends them to live the kingdom in their going. They do not go with coercion, with might, with arms, with violence, with impressive riches, with status – they go with what is necessary for life and peace, to share life and peace with those to whom they go. They are to go without pretense, with poverty. They don’t go to coerce, to nag, to bother, to harass; they go to bring peace. Jesus doesn’t allow them to separate the means from the content of their going – they are going to recruit into the kingdom; therefore, they must go in accordance with what the kingdom is about.
C. Jesus doesn’t send the twelve to add to the harassed and helplessness of the people – they go to bring the kingdom of peace – not merely an individual, psychological peace – but peace – the conditions necessary for human beings to flourish.

4. Okay, now. The message is clear -- Let’s go gather the harvest!
A. We live in a world where folk are harassed and helpless. In the paper this week, a report was recorded that 38% of African American, 37% of Hispanic/Latino persons in California live with what is called “food anxiety” -- fear of not having food to eat. Look at the lives of those 20 and 30 around us. There’s this gulf – those who think that they can make it on the society terms who suffer harassment so that they won’t be helpless, and those that just check out, dulling the nothingness of life with alcohol, drugs, gratuitous sex, mindless leisure activities. Walk to a mall and look around; go to the DMV and stay there for about 30 minutes; hang outside the courts; watch the goings on a a club.

B. The kingdom has come near – go! The harvest is great – laborers are needed. No, I’m not talking about more people working in the nursery and children and with Bread of Life – although that wouldn’t hurt us at all. I’m talking about the harassed and the helpless. I’m talking about those whom you rub shoulders with who need to be brought into the kingdom through baptism. I’m talking about those whose own sin just compounds that sin that they are victims of. Friends, we have good news!!!! God has graciously messed up our lives so that we are not helpless any more in light of the harassment that the world gives. God has sent the Son to bring us to into the kingdom! We need to share the good news with others! Go!
C. But remember, going is not to raise your status. We go to bring peace. One does not do it because one “needs” to for personal affirmation or for financial gain. One does not go with coercion, psychological or political, to get recognition. We can’t separate the means from the ends in the kingdom, friends. The kingdom is peaceable, for it is participation in the Triune God who is Peace, who is Harmony. The kingdom is mutuality, it is pulling us together so that we might not be harassed – it is not a new means of harassment.
D. Let’s go, friends. The harvest is great!

Conclusion: I guess that the vision of this place is a pilgrim way-station, that actively seeks out the harassed and the helpless, those without a king, to bring them, in faith, to this Table so that they can participate in the body and blood of Jesus to be made the body of Christ in the world. You see, that body was harassed, but not helpless, but brought forth the fullness of human flourishing, salvation, in the kingdom. Before we go, friends. Come. Come, participate in God here. Find food, nourishment for our journey.