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Go To Serve the Lord
Most Sundays, the deacon, who is bound to be in contact with and the servant of the community, proclaims at the end of the service: Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord.
 This is very special to me. Whether deacon (20 years) or priest (6 years) this has always been my personal directive. First, I must GO out - and to GO in the proper spirit of peace, not to disrupt or harm, not to destroy or cause pain, not to complain or discourage, but with a peaceful, non-prejudicial and open and vulnerable demeanor. And in doing this, one should be better equipped to love not only the Lord but all those encounters - and that includes the worst of the worst to the best of the best, the sick, the mentally ill, the sinner, the liars, cheaters, deceivers, the criminal and abusers, the underdogs and those just desperate for a word or touch of Hope. We are ordered to love all of these and then serve them for the Lord who gives us life and breath.
Luke records that Jesus rounded up a crew of seventy followers, sort of like interns in addition to his twelve apostles and said now it’s your turn. You are in training to become true disciples. You are to Go in peace and do my work. You are to heal in many ways and styles. The author of Luke does not tell us if this was an all-male contingent or if it included any women, but I hope it had both. He commissioned each of them to go out in pairs to every town and place to which He was about to travel on His rigid schedule toward Jerusalem. They would precede him like an advance team today, those front men for political leaders, rock stars, celebrities like Mick Jagger, LeBron James, Drake, Snoop Dogg, Tim Tebow or Oprah.
These would be similar to John the Baptist preparing the way for the Lord in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. These seventy guys were to open doors, to advise people something good was coming down the road behind them, that a time was near when their lives could be transformed by healing, by new hope, by salvation. Jesus the great healer, teacher, and savior was coming through in person. In that time, no one anticipated what the reception could be. Jesus was not necessarily welcomed in Palestine or Samaria or Jerusalem. And likewise, the seventy would be testing the waters, and calming the waves encountered. They were laborers bound to bring in a plentiful harvest of believers, of the curious, and potential followers, who would welcome the Master as He moved through each town. They would also hear the rumored new teachings, the good news of the Messiah. They would find out for themselves if He was a controversial rebel defying Jewish priests and leaders or was He what they all had hoped and waited for.
Interesting, these seventy were already prepared for ministry, for mission work, for spreading His words. Jesus could trust them to take the message of His arrival down the road ahead. He may not be able to make it to every spot, but someone would. Remember Jesus was on foot, by sandal, and walking in a group with constant stops to teach, heal, and to touch others who came to him. In an hour he could hardly have made one or two miles over dirt paths and up and down hills. A very fast walker without Nike cross country shoes might cover four miles in an hour without stopping or idling and on good road conditions.
Jesus sent out these novices in pairs, two by two, just as animals were brought into Noah’s Ark in pairs. Sending messengers two by two was common among the Jews. It provided companionship, protection and the double witness prescribed in Deuteronomy. When I began ministry into the AIDS hospital in Uruguay, my Cuban Bishop’s wife, Martha, also a deacon, and I asked if we might visit the hospital to minister to the sick and dying. It was a refreshing reinforcement that we could give each other. We were completely different in histories but together in our faith and mission. One was better at verbalizing prayer, the other more skilled in counseling patients. I was new to this fatal disease of the 1990s, Martha had tremendous experience after ministering in the Aids hospital in Cuba. We also had the language factor: Spanish was her natural language. I stumbled along phrasing it as if it were English, but somehow together, we blended as a team trying to bring the hope and love of Jesus to people in desperate situations. And I promise you, we shared the experience of many miracles in that hospital including an emotional visit by the then Archbishop of Canterbury Carey on a quick visit to Uruguay.
Later, when I returned to Memphis, my ministry was solitary, limited by the fact I worked on the road less traveled with high risk, often dangerous people no one else wanted to work with and in situations that chewed up a tender heart. But I was always secure in the knowledge I’m only a go-between for the Lord and the person in need and He had my back and front.
Jesus warned his first missionaries, as He does us, that the task would not be easy. The seventy were like lambs with good intentions being thrown to wolves only interested in filling their bellies. They would be unarmed, absolutely defenseless, and dependent on God alone. So, Jesus set up a few regulations - such as don’t stop and chat on the road. Greetings, like in Latin America, were lengthy and could delay travelers for hours. Best to say only, “Peace be with you, and move on. Lots of ground had to be covered. Jesus’ days on earth were limited. Time was of an essence.
The seventy were also told not to load themselves down with gear and baggage like full blown travelers. They were to go as they were, accept what was offered to them and to stay at whatever place whey were welcomed in the first place, eat what was served, not worrying if it was clean or unclean, something they liked or didn’t like and never ask for extra pillows. They were to accept hospitality and offer “Peace” to those who were friendly hosts. It’s the same to those on our mission trips today to Honduras, Haiti, Ecuador, and beyond.
Even in England, the assignment was life-changing for me. When preparing for ordination in 1994-5, one of my tasks was an internship in a small parish where I was at the mercy of the people who worshiped there. I was sent to Sherwood Forest area in Nottingham, to spend two weeks in a parish going through struggles. I was housed in two homes and depended on the parishioners to transport and feed me. One even took me to Nottingham Prison where I bonded with pastors and was able to converse with a hard-nosed criminal who knew the system well. The Brits were patient, loving people with charming accents and great hearts. I probably had too much luggage. I certainly did not have to shake off the dust from my sandals. I had been well received.
Jesus finally encouraged his disciples by confirming how important each one was on this mission. Each would have power of authority. If someone listened to them, it was the same as listening to Jesus himself. If someone threw them out, it was the same as throwing out Jesus, and at the same time rejecting God the Father. Whatever happened, their struggles would not be wasted. Jesus was always with them and more, He promised he would protect them from all evil things - serpents or snakes, scorpions and I guess spiders, and the enemy’s strength, so that nothing should harm them while they were engaged in this ministry to which they were signed up.
You don’t know how often I trust His protection when I’m in North Memphis or Hickory Hill or in a gang home or in detention or fighting for kids abused by their parents day in and day out and I get threatened. Jesus covers all of us who are working his Love on all people. His is THE blessed assurance and secures my faith so I can continue to go forth in his Name everywhere I go. And the crucial word here is to GO. GO OUT. Go in Peace.
As St. Teresa of Avila said: Christ has no body on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ looks out to the world. Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which he is to bless others now.”
So, the prize was at the return of the seventy because they began to realize what they COULD do: healings, miracles, to beating down the demons and doing good things. Jesus had kept his hand on each of them and had parted the waters so they could walk through danger unharmed to accomplish His Will. You can feel the excitement and joy in the room as they tell their experiences. Then Jesus said, but such success isn’t what is important. It’s not that the spirits submit to them. Important is that they and we can rejoice because our names are written in heaven. Wow. The names of all of us who Go into the world to love and serve the Lord are linked with His and are already written in the books of heaven. Sign up now, friends. You are in His hands. Amen. Amen.
~ Rev
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audrey@audreytaylorgonzalez.com
www.audreytaylorgonzalez.com
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