Twefth Sunday in Ordinary Time A

[cappie]

Jesus prepares his twelve closest followers for their first mission apart from him. They are to demonstrate what God’s Kingdom looks like. Earlier in the chapter, Jesus empowered them to do the things Jesus does: cast out demons, heal people with every kind of sickness, teach about God’s ways. It is a small miracle that Jesus trusts them with such spiritual authority so early in their understanding of who he really is. This miracle of Jesus’ confidence in his twelve disciples offers us hope. We, too, struggle to comprehend Jesus’ power and “keep the faith,”  yet we are sent out anyway to proclaim the Good News amid daily life.

You can imagine Jesus on the cusp of sending his disciples when he pauses to equip them with a final spiritual gift: the ability to persevere in the face of resistance. He doesn’t sugar coat the dangers of the mission; he gives it to them straight: “Some will welcome the Good News, others won’t. They will resist the message and the change that comes with it. And you’ll be the target of their resistance.” Then, like a good pastor, he reminds them that our Heavenly Father is both incredibly powerful –pronouncing judgments that yield life or death – and incredibly tender – noticing every sparrow that falls and counting every hair on our heads. By remembering the character and faithfulness of God, the disciples have what they need in order to endure beyond their fear of rejection and violence.

Jesus’ speech before the sending of his disciples is only one moment of their lifelong process of character formation – one moment in a life full of learning what it means to follow Jesus. Jesus shows the twelve: who they truly are – children of God; what they are capable of when they are aligned with God’s grace – healing others and reconciling communities; and how to hold onto that truth even when the going gets tough – by remembering God’s character, God’s faithfulness, God’s goodness.

It took years of being with Jesus, eating with him, watching him heal others, speaking truth to power, listening to his teachings, and overhearing his prayers for them to become the kind of men – and women, for we know Jesus had women disciples, too – who were willing to lose their lives as martyrs, testifying to God’s peace, in a world still enraptured by powers and principalities. Christian identity and character formation are lifelong processes. 

By virtue of our baptism, we find a new dimension of family beyond blood in the Church. There, we learn Sunday by Sunday about forgiveness, being released from what enslaves us, so that we can move joyfully into God’s future. By hearing the Scripture, week by week, day by day, the Spirit equips us with knowledge of God’s character – both the almighty maker of Heaven and Earth and the merciful Lord who watches over the sparrow.  “ Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So, there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.”

In the storms of life, we are not to be fearful. The question is not “Why are things going wrong?” Maybe we should ask, “Why is no one bothering me?” Perhaps your faith has not so changed your life that anyone else can notice.

For as Verna Dozier, author, teacher, and great champion of the ministry of all baptized persons, once wrote, “Don’t tell me what you believe. Tell me what difference it makes that you believe.”

When your faith leads you to make public stands that are not popular, opposition will come. Problems will arise. This is to be expected. But we also know that we do not face these problems alone.

The anchor has long been a symbol in Christian art for the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. As the old hymn goes. We have an anchor that keeps the soul Steadfast and sure while the billows roll Fastened to the Rock which cannot move Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love. Though storms may come, we have a sure and certain hope that gives us purchase on the rock. Hold fast to the faith that is in you, knowing that Jesus said, “Even the hairs of your head are counted. Do not be afraid.”