CAMINANDO WITH JESUS: Witnesses of God's Love

"He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them."

- Mark 6:1-13

“He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two…”

Whenever I hear this now I seem to have a synaptic short circuit. Music begins, a sincere young man in white shirt and tie comes into view, and I hear sung Hello, my name is Elder Price. Now, the musical The Book of Mormon was composed to tweak the noses of some-to-many religious types (not just Mormons). The thing about such (including Monty Python’s sketches about the Inquisition) is there is a grain or two of salt about the preciousness and the pretentiousness of our sometime efforts to tell about faith. Sometimes our efforts can be too much or too little (think of the Three Bears), rather than just right. Perhaps it is because our ‘us’ gets in the way of proclaiming the love of God through Jesus.

Now, I am not prepared to take on the methods of the Mormon missionaries or the Jehovah’s Witnesses going door to door. I do honor their diligence, take the time to speak to them, and offer refreshment if it is in the hot of summer. You never know when you might be entertaining angels unaware. There are the street preachers and those on community stations that challenge our Anglican sense of propriety. I have reached the stage in my life where I have learned that God is multilingual, speaks in many dialects, so there is not one way to share the Good News…though I have my preferences and comfort zones.

So what makes the difference when we are asked to speak of the love of God? Are we to go out like those named above? Are we to shout on the street corner? Or are we to be reticent but hopeful that just perhaps someone might have the good sense to come to church? When it comes to speaking of the love of God, we often put Norwegian bachelor farmers to shame in our reserve. What might we be asked to do when we go out without our versions of bread, bags, cash and no extra set of shoes or clothes? This is a hard one for me because I like/need to be well-prepared, organized and with the ducks very much in rows. There are times for organization, but there are times when it is about trusting, being sure that whatever will be needed will be at hand. Perhaps too much planning (aka, baggage) gets in the way of what we hope to accomplish.

So I am struck by the instructions to enter a house, stay there if received well but, if not made welcome, then just move along…shake off the dust that is on your feet. We can see this as the need to pass judgment, while another view suggests that it is about the other and not about us. Though Mark celebrates immediacy, there is a way to see that we are invited to be present, to listen, to wonder and walk along with someone whose questions may be in the negative or in the positive. These words of our Lord offered through Mark say that we are to listen in new ways that help us to hear what is on the heart and mind of the other. It is not about arguing or doing battle, but it is about responding to what the one before you worries or wonders about in their journey. Perhaps this is an early expression of the anam cara of the Gaelic soul.

It is my task, my responsibility, to listen, to affirm and to show caringly the love of God to someone for whom this might have no meaning, no experience. It may be to someone who has suffered because of the church. It may be with someone who has lost their way. It does not matter. What matters is that I do not need to do anything other than to be a living witness to the love of God.

The Rev. Murdock Smith is the priest-in-charge at Christ Church, Albemarle.