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July 8, 2007
Scripture: Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20
Sermon: “The Harvest is Plentiful”

Mission Trips. They are the bane of every Youth Minister’s existence. You are trusted with anywhere from 5-10 or more youth’s very lives. You are trusted with sticking to a budget and keeping track of receipts. You are expected to know who is allergic to what. You are stuck in a van or an airplane with either middle school or high school youth for hours, with the radio turning up, and junk food being passed around.

Mission Trips. They are the blessings of every Youth Minister’s existences. Defensive walls are down and God is working. You get to see a different side to these youth that you are with every Sunday for youth groups. You feel the presence of God among your group.

Mission Trips are a blessing and a curse. And I know that as I say this, it is mission trip season. Churches from all over are traveling by bus, by van, or by airplane to different locations, working and repairing. It is the season of mission trips. Parents are packing the children’s bags and actually are putting work clothes into the suitcases in the hopes, that they will be worn in the process of actually doing work. Parents are sending their children off with extra money for the trip because you never know when your child or children may need extra money. Parents are sending their children off in the early mornings, knowing that their child or children will return in a week. Parents are sending off their children for mission trips with the proper adult supervision and are left the leader’s cell phone number, to call just in case of emergencies.

Mission Trips. They are a blessing and a curse. I remember the first mission trip that I planned during seminary. I had all the details worked out. I had my folder with all my lists. And we were off. We finally arrived at our destination and then began work the next day. I had given our group the usual pep talk. “Remember, we are here to work. We are here to help people. We are here to work.” So we start pulling weeds. We started clearing out brush from a playground. And I looked around to see one of my youths, talking with some of the neighborhood youth. I quickly walked up to him and reminded him that we were here to work, not to talk. Please go find something to do.”

No more than 15 minutes later, I turn to see this same young man taking an early lunch. He was sitting down with a few of the neighborhood children and sharing his meal. I quickly ran up to him and said, “Sean, now you’ve done it. You don’t have a lunch when lunchtime gets here. It is time to get up and work. Remember that is what we came to do. Work.”

By the end of the trip, that was my mantra. “Sean, remember that we came to work. You are not supposed to be talking. You are not supposed to be slacking off. Remember why we came: it is to help out people and work.” I was just thankful when we arrived home and I wouldn’t have to keep track of Sean any more for a while.

After the trip, our youth group sponsored a dinner to share their experience with the congregation. I had told the group to talk about what work that they had done, and how they had helped people out. And how we had done some much for the community.

Each youth got up for his or her presentation and they talked about clearing the brush. And they talked about sweeping and cleaning an old firehouse that would be used for a community center. Each youth got his or her turn at speaking. And then it came to Sean. I thought to myself, “Well, I don’t know what he is going to talk about. All he did was talk to the people. I had to practically beg him to pick up a broom.”

And it was in that moment that I learned my biggest lesson in ministry of all times.

Sean spoke about the people that he had met. Sean spoke about these people’s stories. He knew their names and he remembered faces. Where all I saw was work, Sean saw children of God. Sean had gone on the same mission trip as I had and while I had worked, Sean experienced the Kingdom of God. Sean had showed God’s grace to the community by talking with them, by breaking bread with them, by listening to their stories.

Sean had lived and had created the community of God that reflects the coming of God’s kingdom. Sean had experienced the mission.

Experienced the mission. That is what our story is about. Experiencing God’s kingdom through table fellowship, through care and compassion, through witnessing. It is about participating with Jesus in his mission: To proclaim the Good News. To bring peace, hope and grace to all of God’s children.

Jesus has called together seventy disciples and says I want you to go out and proclaim the Good News. It is not going to be easy. People are going to reject you. That’s okay. Brush it off. No matter what you do: Proclaim the Kingdom of God.

When you come to a town and they welcome you, eat with them, heal their sick, and experience their hospitality.

And the seventy go on this mission. And they work. Then they come back to Jesus to share with him their experience. “Jesus, I got to tell you it was awesome. We were healing people left and right! All we had to do was speak your name and then Bam! They were healed. Jesus, I have got to tell you, even the demons listened to us when we spoke in your name. It was awesome!”

And then Jesus says, “That’s great! But did you experience the mission? Did you just work or did you recognize them as children of God? Did you proclaim the kingdom or did you just pull brush from around their houses? Did you bring hope to the hopeless, bring peace to the weary? Did you bring the grace that overcomes all evil and despair, that renews and heals? Did you experience the mission?

Disciples, did you break bread with them? Did you eat at their table? Disciples, did you see beyond their hurts and offer them care and compassion. Disciples, did you share your experience about the promise of new life?

Disciples, did you create a community that reflects the Kingdom of God?

And we as readers are not given the seventy disciples’ answer and are left wondering and asking ourselves the same question? Are we experiencing the mission? Do we recognize that we are a part of something bigger than just our mission site and something that goes beyond our week for the mission trip?

We are called to experience the mission. The mission is not about building houses or feeding the hungry. The mission is about proclaiming the Good News that we have all experienced in our lives through Jesus Christ. We have experience the peace of Christ in our lives.. We have been given the hope of a new life through the resurrection. We have experienced God’s grace in our lives. We have all been welcomed in as a part of the kingdom of God and now we are invited to extend that invitation to all that we meet: The Kingdom of God is near. There is hope. There is peace. There is grace that will overshadow the evil in your lives. We have been invited to experience and participate in Jesus’ mission: To proclaim that the Kingdom of God is near!

Our story invites us to be a part of something more than who we are today. Our story invites us to look beyond today and even next week as people of God. Our story invites us to remember that Jesus has sent us out to proclaim the Good News. That we have sent out to bring about the Kingdom of God.

The mission that we experience through Jesus Christ is not about how many meals we delivered for Meals on Wheels, or how many shoeboxes we fill for the Hope Center. Or how many houses we rebuild on the Gulf Coast. Our mission that we experience is knowing that when that meal is shared, the Kingdom of God is near. Our mission that we experience is knowing that when that shoebox is opened and the basic necessities of life enable a person to feel like a human being again, then the Kingdom of God is near. Our mission that we experience is knowing that when that family is able to live in a safe and warm environment without any fear, then the Kingdom of God is near.

God is inviting all of us to experience and to participate in Jesus’ mission: Proclaim that the Kingdom of God is near. Bring hope to the hopeless. Bring peace to the weary. Bring Grace to all of God’s children.

God’s Kingdom is a community where all people are welcomed, where all are recognized as children of God, where all hurt and pain is washed away by tears of grace and peace.

Mission Trips. They are times where we as disciples are sent out. We are told to proclaim that the Kingdom of God is near. To break bread together with those we meet. To care for those that we meet. And to proclaim God’s word to those we meet.

Our mission trip does not end in a week. Our mission trip does not come with extra money in case of emergencies. Our mission trip does not come with work clothes.

Our mission trip will continue as long as we confess that Jesus Christ is our Savior, as long as we confess to be people of faith, as long as we are on our faith journey with God and with one another.

Eat. Care. Witness. That is the core of the Gospel Message. And we have been given the call to respond today.

May we all continue on our mission trip as God’s people proclaiming the Good News that God’s Kingdom is near. Amen.

Rev. Heather McColl
Midway Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

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