Proper 8-A (6/29/08)     Gen 22:1-14; Rom 6:12-23; Mt 10:40-42

Parish Church of Christ the King, Oshtemo                  Fr. Joseph Neiman

Theme: “Whoever welcomes you, welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me.” (Mt 10:40)

What a profound statement! Whoever welcomes you, welcomes Jesus, and whoever welcomes Jesus, welcomes God Almighty!

Throughout the world in nearly every country there exists the practice of diplomatic immunity, the respect given to one who represents another country, a respect that grants him or her privileges, such as protection from arrest, and so forth. The concept rests on a similar understanding behind this saying of Jesus: The diplomat or ambassador is the leader of a mission and  represents the country and in therefore accorded certain privileges and respect similar to what one would give to the leader of that country, the President or Prime Minister.

You and I are ambassadors for Christ, in fact that is what the term “apostle” means. Each week we say in the Nicene Creed: “We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.” The Church is apostolic because we, as members, are sent to take our place in the mission and ministry of Christ in the world, to represent Christ in all we say and do.

Then if you look at the Catechism for the definition of the role of  the ministers of the Church in the mission and ministry of Christ, you find the very first statement for the ministry of the laity, the bishop, the priest, and the deacon says: “The ministry of lay persons is to represent Christ and his Church. The very same words are used for bishops, priests and deacons: “to represent Christ and his Church.” Then more specific descriptions are given for each.[1]

The sayings we heard in the Gospel this morning are a continuation of Chapter 10 of the Gospel of Matthew. It begins this way: “Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness” (Mt 10:1). And he adds: “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Mt 10:16).

Listen to the implications of that statement. You and I as disciples of Jesus, and consequently as representatives of God, have the authority and the power of the Holy Spirit to cast out “unclean spirits” and to cure “every disease.” In other words, God, through the words and deeds of Jesus, and now through our words and deeds in Jesus’ name, is seeking to eliminate evil and disease in the human community! We’re ambassadors of God to change the people of Michigan for the better! We have a cause, and it is a great one!

Remember John told us Jesus said: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.” And further: “Indeed God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (Jn 3:16-17).

That first verse gets abused by some poor preachers and disciples who want us to believe it means accepting what they are teaching and belonging to their church. It is so much more profound and powerful than that. I am certainly not saying that all we have to do is lay a Bible verse on someone or get them to come to Church and all will be well. What we do do, is use our mind and talents and resources in “wise” ways to further the mission and ministry of Christ in the world believing as “innocent doves” that it can happen. And when we do that, not only are we transformed, but others will be interested in learning from us to whom they can turn, what they can do, to become involved in this great mission to transform the human community.

But why? Why should we be interested in doing this? What’s in it for us? That’s an usual question I get when I speak like this. It is a question one will hear when you speak with agnostic Christians today, who do not really have a personal relationship with the risen Lord but still claim membership.

To begin an answer, having an intimate relationship with the risen Lord, being part of a worshiping community, serving others in Jesus’ name, these and other activities lead us to an abundant life, one filled with joy and hope, and “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding” as St. Paul described it to the Philippians (Phil 4:7).

John tells us Jesus said: “I have come that you may have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). He said further: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another….I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete” (Jn 13:34; 15:11).

A joyful, abundant, and creative life is the gift we receive when we take part in Christ’s mission and ministry in the world and that gift is the fulfillment of our deepest desires, indeed, the maturing of our very humanity.

When we were baptized – if as an adult – or when we renewed our baptismal promises, as we do several times a year, we promised before God and the Church that we “renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God.” We also promised to “renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God;” and to “renounce all sinful desires that draw (us) from the love of God.”[2]

Satan. Forget the Hollywood concept of Satan with the spinning heads and green vomit. Later in Matthew’s Gospel, when Jesus speaks of going into Jerusalem and the apostles know it will be dangerous because of the opposition to Jesus’ teachings, Peter advises Jesus not to go, and Jesus says to him, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things” (Mt 16:22-23). Jesus does not mean Peter is the devil incarnate, but he is saying anyone who seeks to turn us away from what is good for us in God’s eyes, is an adversary, a satan. You can see this prosecutor role clearly in the book of Job.

Now when we say someone is possessed by a devil, what do we mean? Imagine a young girl sexually abused by her uncle time and time again. In her mind and heart and emotions, she carries with her the personal presence of her uncle in the act of abusing her. Picture the two little images on her shoulders like the cartoonists do: one advising what is good for her (representing the Holy Spirit), the other the abusive uncle seducing her. She is possessed by a spiritual force of wickedness. This is clearly an unclean spirit which has to be cast out by love shown to her again and again by mature Christian persons, and probably by careful counseling as well.

There are many other “spiritual forces of wickedness” we can discuss at another time. Christian Psychiatrist Scott Peck has probed this concept in depth in a book called, People of the Lie, the Hope for Healing Human Evil..

We all can name some of the “evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy” not only us, but all “the creatures of God.” Greed, war, abuse of power, theft, extortion, murder, and many, many others we can all name. We renounce them by naming them and working in various personal and corporate ways to eliminate them or reduce their influence on us, and on all “the creatures of God.”

We all understand “sinful desires” as well. These are our addictions which grow within us as compensation for the failure of other relationships or the lack of personal maturity. Drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, gambling, sloth, and such.

We also represent Christ in seeking to “cure every disease and sickness.”

I happen to be the chief chaplain of the volunteer chaplains corps at Bronson-Lakeview Community Hospital in Paw Paw. At our meetings we regularly have in-services on the intimate relationship between body, mind and spirit, on the growing awareness in the medical field of the impact of spirituality on healing.

A simple statement: we know stress has a generally negative biochemical impact on our health.  The opposite is also true: joy and inner peace have a generally positive biochemical impact on our health. Medical schools are adding courses in spirituality, and there are various centers associated with universities that focus on the relationship between spirituality and health. According to one study of the professional journals, in 1980-1982 there were 101 articles in the journals showing the relationship of religion and medicine. In 2000-2002 there were 1108 articles! There is even a popular magazine in stores called “Spirituality and Health.”[3]

So we are representatives of Christ sent and empowered to cast our unclean spirits and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness. Bringing the Good News of what God has done, is doing and will do in and through the life, death, resurrection and glorification of Jesus of Nazareth, through his words and deeds, can greatly impact the lives not only of ourselves but of the people whose lives we can touch individually and corporately loving and serving them as Christ has loved and served us.

For your homework this week (I give homework and let the good Lord do the testing), I ask you to reflect alone and to discuss with friends what needs healing in your own life, and open up your heart, mind and spirit to Christ’s power to heal you or cast out unclean spirits. It is real. As a result of the love of others toward us, we can come to believe deep within us that we are beloved sons and daughters of God, and that belief can heal many wounds and cast out many unclean spirits. Claiming our true identity is powerful.

Working to bring health care to others is part of this mandate as representatives of Christ, but some times it is simply our words which heal. Fr. Henri Nouwen says: “When we talk to one another, we often talk about what happened, what we are doing, or what we plan to do. Often we say, "What's up?" and we encourage one another to share the details of our daily lives. But often we want to hear something else. We want to hear, "I've been thinking of you today," or "I missed you," or "I wish you were here," or "I really love you." It is not always easy to say these words, but such words can deepen our bonds with one another. Telling someone "I love you" in whatever way is always delivering good news. Nobody will respond by saying, "Well, I knew that already, you don't have to say it again"! Words of love and affirmation are like bread. We need them each day, over and over. They keep us alive inside.”[4]

Review your political involvement also. Are you informed about justice causes which seek to impact the evil powers of this world? Are you informed about the issue of health care for all in America? Getting informed should then lead not only to voting based upon Gospel values, but also involvement in some of these activities in which you can quietly or even more articulately represent the mission and ministry of Christ in the world today. Casting out unclean spirits and curing all kinds of illness will require much effort, but it is a challenge which will not only benefit us, but also all the creatures of God. We cannot be cynical and withdraw from the political process. It is two important. Let us bring the Gospel to bear upon the process for the wellbeing of not only ourselves, but the people of Michigan and all the creatures of God.