A sermon done for a Women in the Pulpit event at my seminary.

The biblical readings underpinning this sermon come from the lectionary selection Luke 10: 1-12; 16-20, which I provide here:

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, "Peace to this house!" And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, "The kingdom of God has come near to you." But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, "Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near." I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town. Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.

The seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!' He said to them, 'I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.'

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There is an immediate textual problem in this portion of Luke, one that commentators and scholars have been unable to solve. Were there seventy people sent out, or seventy-two? Ancient manuscripts seem evenly divided, as do justifications for either number. Additionally, this particular text occurs only in Luke, so the other gospels give us no help here.

Regardless of whether there were seventy or seventy-two people sent out by Jesus, we know that this was a major undertaking. One need not have visions of a Cecil B. DeMille production with swarms of people being charged and sent forth to understand this. Imagine a typical graduation at any seminary, as graduates prepare to go back to their communities to carry the charge they’ve been entrusted with from their teachers. They were called to seminary; now they are called to work. What will they face when they get there?

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There is plenty of work to do. A lot of work. The harvest is plentiful, and the labourers are few, which means there’s even more work to do.

When Jesus looked out on the world, he saw much the same situation that we can see today – people in need, people being oppressed and overlooked, people in dire straits.

Every church it seems has a longer list of items that need doing than people available to do them. Hospitals, prisons, and animal shelters all need help. A lot of people outside of these institutions need help. Much of the work is of the ‘Martha’ sort, and some is also of the ‘Mary’ sort.

Workers are needed to pray and look after the spiritual well-being of others as much as they are needed to staff the Community Kitchen. That old, vagrant-looking man we have the urge to walk past rapidly, avoiding eye-contact, hoping he won’t say anything that we’ll have to ignore – even if we stop and give a dollar, a hot meal, or a pair of shoes, are we doing enough? Who cares for this man’s spirit? Who sees the common humanity in his eyes, the image of God in his face?

This is not to say that prayer alone will suffice, either. If we shuffle past the woman who carries her whole life in a shopping cart, who we see day after day in the neighbourhood, and include her in our prayers, even very sincerely, but do nothing to find out her story or her needs, have really done the work we’re called to do?

These stories can be repeated in every city, in every nation, all over the world, every day of the week. Indeed, there is plenty of work to do.

*

We are the ones to do the work. God is calling us, all of us, to be the labourers in the harvest. We are the workers for God.

Jesus called twelve disciples – this we know well. Less well known but very important is the call of Jesus to other people. The gospels highlight the ministry and mission of the twelve, but we see woven throughout the texts that there are others, women and men, who are called to do the work of ushering in God’s realm, too.

Every day, someone is dies in a hospital without family around to support him. We can be there. Every day, someone sits in a retirement centre staring out the window, wondering if anyone still cares. We can be there. We are the ones to do the work. We are called to do the work of God all the time.

In my community it used to be true that a woman was raped on the university on average one night every week. Finally, women responded to the call to take back the night, and local women organised a protest, a great march through the streets, at night, bearing candles, and bearing a message. Some men also arrived in support, which surprised one local reporter. ‘Why are you here?’ the reporter asked one of the men. ‘Because this is a problem for all of us,’ he responded. ‘We are all called to do this.’

Sadly, there are still attacks on the campus in the community, and elsewhere. But more people are concerned about it. More people are aware of it. It happens less frequently because of that. The realm of God moves closer because of the work of people working together in the community. Just as Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs, just as Jesus called disciples around himself to help in his own ministry, so are we called to join together to continue his work of peace.

If not us, who? We are the ones to do the work.

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So then, God has the victory. God’s realm comes closer to us. Our communities are shaped more in the will of God, and God’s purposes move forward in the world.

God’s victory is not like the checkered flag at the Indianapolis 500 speedway. God’s victory is not like an Academy Award given for a job well done. God’s victory is an ongoing process, ever turning and gracious toward God’s creation.

God cares for creation as a mothering hen cares for her chicks, and guards and protects us even when, like those chicks under the wings, we might not be aware of it. Even for those who aren’t interested, or can’t be bothered, or don’t understand, God’s graciousness is present and offered. Jesus said that even for those who didn’t welcome the message or the messengers, still – the realm of God has come near. This isn’t a one-time only offer. God’s gift is never ending. From generation to generation God’s presence continues to be felt, and God’s ongoing influence ensures a world turning for the better.

God’s love for us knows no bounds; God’s glory is never ending. God’s graciousness extends beyond all our imaginings and permeates all our lives.

Victory belongs to God.

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Jesus said on the joyful return of the seventy or seventy-two that he saw Satan fall like a flash of lightning. Satan falls every day, because we do the work of God, and because the victory belongs to God. Evil will not win in the world, even if it momentarily seems to be gaining. The process of God’s purposes will not be turned away.

The harvest is plentiful, and we are called to be the labourers. The work is never-ending, as is God’s gracious message. All are invited by God’s grace to receive God’s gifts of abundance through our work, since we are the workers called to proclaim that good news to the world. We are being sent. Let us be ready.