This summer I am offering a five-part preaching series on The Five Marks of Mission. I began that series today. The Gospel for the day comes from the tenth chapter of Luke's Gospel, verses 1-11 and 16-20.
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.'
"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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The Five Marks of Mission have won wide acceptance among Anglicans (and other Christian traditions) and have given congregations and dioceses around the world a practical and memorable “checklist” for mission activities. They are not a final and complete statement on the Church’s Mission, but they offer a practical guide to work God has given us to do.
They
were first developed as four marks by the Anglican Consultative Council
in 1984, more than forty years ago. A fifth was added in 1990 to address
creation care and the climate crisis.
The
mission of the Church is the mission of Christ. The five marks of that mission
are as follows:
1.
To proclaim
the Good News of the Kingdom.
2.
To teach,
baptize and nurture new believers.
3.
To respond to
human need by loving service.
4.
To transform
unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue
peace and reconciliation
5.
To strive to
safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.
It occurred
to me when I was sitting and thinking one day in June that it might be interesting
for a congregation in the midst of a clergy transition to reflect on these
marks of mission as we continue to do the discernment work of asking where God
is leading St. Michael’s Church. I’m taking some vacation time this summer, but
it really struck me how well the readings fit for the days that I happen to be
in town, and that it might be fun to move through these marks of mission one at
a time over the course of the next two months.
And so we
begin. The theme today, in a word, is TELL. We are called to proclaim the good
news in a world that feels like it could use some. It is the hope of this
preacher in this sermon to unpack that first mark of mission by exploring
today’s gospel reading about Jesus sending the seventy out, two by two.
Once upon a
time, I remember a neighboring parish to the one I served in Holden sending out
their parishioners in pairs to the neighborhood in Worcester. As it happened
they were also a St. Michael’s parish – St. Michael’s on the Heights. They did
something Episcopalians are reluctant to do: they went out and knocked on doors
in their neighborhood. They were not trying to proselytize people; they wanted
to hear their stories and get to know the neighborhood better. They asked their
neighbors if they had any prayer requests.
This is a
pretty bold move and I’m not necessarily suggesting it for this St. Michael’s.
But I share it so that you know it’s not just Jehovah’s Witnesses or the Mormons
who can go and tell in this way. When St. Michael’s did it they learned
something about their neighbors and themselves.
As most of
you know, I worked for a bishop for almost a dozen years. He encouraged,
especially at the beginning of his tenure, that parishioners go out and walk a
mile in each direction from their buildings and just pay attention and notice
where God was already at work out there in their neighborhoods. Maybe we could
do this here, a little less threatening perhaps than going door-to-door two by
two. What would we see if we took four Sundays to head north, south, east and
west of Church and Hope to assess the needs in our neighborhood. What might we
learn? Who might we find as potential partners to share the work of proclaiming
the good news?
Let’s be
clear: “forced worship stinks in God’s nostrils.” You know who said that? Roger
Williams! Too often when people hear the word “evangelism” they get a sour
taste in their mouth because they’ve been at the receiving end of what feels
like a hard sell. And worse, manipulation. You need to come and worship with us
or you won’t be saved. But that’s not what the gospel today is about, nor the
first mark of mission. We invite people, we share with them what shapes
our lives, we don’t force ourselves on anyone or manipulate anyone. Jesus
didn’t do that. He invited and welcomed and connected people and we are called
to do likewise.
The truth is
that this congregation is already ministry focused and doing a lot of work in
the community, especially with our neighbors who are in need. That seems to be
a core value here and I am grateful to be with a congregation that gets that. Even
without the choir here this summer, I know I’m preaching to the choir.
But let me
also say that I know more about the neighbors today than I did last Sunday,
having marched in my very first Bristol Fourth of July parade this past week. I
know there were a lot of tourists, but let me tell you there is a pretty large
fan club of Father Zino out there as well. By the way I appreciated all the
shout outs I did hear from those of you along the route. But having literally
walked this town, or at least the parade route, there was lots to see.
I find myself
wondering about those folks that have found us from Roger Williams – they are
small in number but definitely mighty. I began my work in campus ministry and
one of the things I learned in that time was that campus ministry is not just
ministry to students, but to staff and faculty as well. I know that over the
years there have been greater connections to faculty and staff at Roger
Williams and I find myself wondering how we might strengthen those ties again
and of course with students. I wonder about trying some of those things out
this fall.
In the
college towns of my old diocese, in Amherst and Williamstown and Northampton
and South Hadley they serve late night pancakes right before finals week so
that students can come and eat and get a break.
We are called
to “go and tell.” This is a hard one for Episcopalians, but we can do hard
things. I am not suggesting that we go and tell people who are perfectly happy at
St. Elizabeth’s or First Baptist to come here because we are better. Rather,
I’m profoundly aware that we live in a world that is spiritual but not
religious, and that brunch is a bigger attraction on Sunday mornings than
church is. Yet I also see so many seekers of all ages, including people who
poke their heads in every time our doors are open. I talk with people who
belong to the Church Alumni Association – they maybe came here or another
parish as children but they’ve drifted away, maybe not because they were hurt
or angry (although that can happen) but just as often because they got out of
the habit.
As we heard
today, the harvest is plentiful. I do believe that. I think that the Episcopal
Church is, sadly, a well-kept secret from too many of our neighbors. They are
looking for what we have to offer, theology for thinking people, and openness
to all and not some, to seeking and serving Christ in all people and respecting
the dignity of everybody. No exceptions. We cannot and should not hide that
message under a bushel basket. Go, and tell.
This is the
first mark of mission: tell. Not in an overbearing way. Not only is that not our
style as Episcopalians, but also, that doesn’t work. But over a cup of coffee
or a shared meal, can we lean in even more on the Invite part of Invite,
Welcome and Connect? Can we encourage our friends, our family members, our
neighbors to “come and see?”
The Episcopal
Church isn’t for everyone and we can’t be all things to all people. But notice
that the seventy came back experiencing joy. The encounters with others
impacted on their faith as much as it got others to join in the work.
Maybe a
response to this sermon and seeking to live more faithfully that first mark of
mission would be to intentionally think about just starting small and inviting
one person whom you already know is looking for more in their life to come and
see. Offer to bring them with you to this church because especially if you’ve
been burned by the Church it’s hard to walk in on your own. Some of you already
do this and do it well, perhaps you can encourage others among us.
We don’t do
this because we need to fill the pews, or need more people to fill out annual
pledge cards – although Church is always nicer when it feels like there is
energy in the room and the work of serving as treasurer or bookkeeper or vestry
member is much easier when the budget is balanced. But the whole point of
today’s sermon before I head off on a week’s vacation is to remember that
sharing the good news is an integral part of the mission of Christ.
There is
overlap with these five marks of mission and the Baptismal Covenant. As you may
remember, the first question after the theology questions about God the Father,
Son, and Spirit is about whether or not we will proclaim by word and
example the good news of God in Christ. We Episcopalians are pretty good at
respecting the dignity of every person and of striving for justice and peace
among all people, and I’m so glad that we are. In a world where some churches
offer judgment we offer hospitality and welcome.
But maybe on
this first one, the telling, the sharing of our faith, we have some room for
improvement. A reminder that we do not do it alone. And that we get better with
practice.
We will. With
God’s help.
