by Scott Hahn, Ph.D.

Gospel: Mark 6:7-13

In commissioning the apostles in today's Gospel, Jesus gives them, and us, a preview of His Church's mission after the resurrection.

His instructions to the Twelve echo those of God to the twelve tribes of Israel on the eve of their exodus from Egypt. The Israelites likewise were sent out with no bread and only one set of clothes, wearing sandals and carrying a staff (see Exodus 12:11; Deuteronomy 8:2-4). Like the Israelites, the apostles are to rely solely on the providence of God and His grace.

Perhaps, also, Mark wants us to see the apostles' mission, the mission of the Church, as that of leading a new exodus - delivering peoples from their exile from God and bringing them to the promised land, the kingdom of heaven.

Like in Amos 7:12-15, the apostles are not "professionals," who earn their bread by prophesying. Like Amos, they are simply men (see Acts 14:15) summoned from their ordinary jobs and sent by God to be shepherds of their brothers and sisters.

Again this week, we hear the theme of rejection: Amos experiences it, and Jesus warns the apostles that some will not welcome or listen to them. The Church is called, not necessarily to be successful, but only to be faithful to God's command.

With authority and power given to it by Jesus, the Church proclaims God's peace and salvation to those who believe in Him, as we sing in Psalms 85:9-14.

This word of truth, this gospel of salvation, is addressed to each of us, personally, as Paul proclaims in Ephesians 1:3-14. In the mystery of God's will, we have been chosen from before the foundation of the world - to be His sons and daughters, to live for the praise of His glory.

by The Rev. Dr. Janet H. Hunt

Gospel: Mark 6: 7-13

"Jesus 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." (Mark 6:8-9)

I'm what you might call a 'defensive packer.'

I pack for 'what ifs' --- hoping to be prepared
for any eventuality in terms of weather or occasion.

One or even two pair of shoes might not be the right ones
so at the last minute I can be found sliding in just one more pair.

For that matter, if my journey is by car, I'm not yet always willing to rely on my GPS unit alone. As often as not I'm printing out a map to my destination as well.

I was among the early buyers of what we then called 'car phones.' You may remember them --- they came in a bag and were as large and heavy as a brick. I bought it not because I wanted to stay in touch with family and friends. Rather, the story of a young woman disappearing on the highway just up the road frightened me enough I thought I should have one 'just in case.'

I'm what you might call a 'defensive packer.' So you can probably imagine how I felt some years ago now when I needed to travel several hours away to a meeting. I'd gotten up early, taken a walk, paid some bills, and gathered the papers I would need for the lunch meeting on my calendar. I headed out of town with plenty of time to spare, arriving at the restaurant ahead of the others. I stepped to the counter and ordered my meal. I reached into my purse for my wallet and discovered it was not in its usual place. I checked and double-checked all the pockets and sure enough I was not mistaken. Finally, I looked at the young woman behind the counter and apologized, explaining I seemed to have left my wallet at home. I took a seat in a nearby booth to wait for my lunch companions. When they arrived they graciously picked up the tab for lunch that day. I called a colleague who insisted I stop by and she gave me $10 for the road. When I finally arrived home I found myself ever so grateful as I thought about all that could have happened but did not in that day's journey: things like a flat tire, or being stopped by the police --- circumstances in which one's wallet would certainly have come in handy.

'Traveling light' as Jesus calls his disciples to do today certainly makes no sense, does it? Especially since it wasn't just an ordinary lunch meeting they were headed out for. Indeed, especially not given the potential danger Jesus was asking them to walk into. For, in fact, we've already heard that those who had heard Jesus in the synagogue were more than skeptical about his origins and that in spite of his ability to heal, believing was beyond their grasp. And yet, Jesus sends his followers out there in a state of utter vulnerability.
Now it is true, of course, that you and I live in a much different time than did Jesus and his disciples. It is true that perhaps 'hospitality to the stranger' played a larger role in that place and time, so it was more likely that their needs would have been met regardless of what they hadn't packed for themselves. It is also true that Jesus' first disciples didn't own nearly as much as I do that I like to carry with me wherever I go.

Even so, Jesus' words always get me thinking and for that reason I know they still speak. Indeed, I wonder sometimes just what all of my 'luggage' or my 'baggage' gets in the way of me experiencing:

As I turn my attention to guard my belongings, how am I less able to reach out with a gesture of kindness to another?

As I rely on my own careful planning for every eventuality, how am I less open to what God may have waiting for me?

If I already have everything I need, how am I less able to receive the gifts of those I meet along the way?

So perhaps Jesus' sending the disciples out 'traveling light' makes perfect sense after all. Maybe this is especially true when we are sent with the Good News as the disciples were --- so that both those who are sent and those who are receiving would more fully be able to receive the gifts of God.

• Why do you think Jesus has the disciples 'travel light?
• What was absolutely essential for the disciples' journey?
• What should we 'leave behind' as we are sent on our journeys of sharing the Good News?
• What is essential for us as we are sent with the Good News of Jesus? For us as individuals? For our congregations?

by Peter Ilgenfritz

Gospel: Mark 6:7-13

One of the things I am most looking forward to this summer is going on an overnight backpacking trip. Although I have done a good deal of hiking and camping, I have never put my tent, sleeping bag, and food on my back and walked out into the woods to spend the night.

There is a lot I don't know about doing this and so I am delighted that a friend is going with us who knows how to deal with my issues like the lack of bathrooms and the possible presence of bears.

Despite those concerns which could keep me out of the woods this summer, what I know is that getting out in the summer woods reminds me what doesn't matter and what really does.

Last month over a cup of tea, Jan Jacobson asked me the question that is the focus of this Sunday's sermon. She said, "I think I understand most of what we say in our church covenant each week, but what does it mean to 'reject the false gods of society'?"

Events in the past month have made me think deeply about this question of "false gods" and what it means to find Life in saying "No".

I have learned over the past month that a false god is whatever we are afraid of that we don't need to be afraid of or whatever we are chasing that is not worth chasing.

Rejecting false gods is at the heart of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Jesus called his disciples together to do two things: To be with him, and to join him in doing his work of taking power away from "demons" - those false gods that were trapping lives in fear, anxiety and illness - and freeing up God's healing presence in the world.

That is a big job description. And yet, instead of sending his disciples out with an extensive packing list of what to take, he sends them out with clear list of everything they should not.

Listen for the word of God:

Jesus called the Twelve to him, and sent them out in pairs. He gave them authority and power to deal with the evil opposition. He sent them off with these instructions:

"Don't think you need a lot of extra equipment for this. You are the equipment. No special appeals for funds. Keep it simple.

And no luxury inns. Get a modest place and be content there until you leave.

If you're not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way."

Then they were on the road. They preached with joyful urgency that life can be radically different; right and left they sent the demons packing; they brought wellness to the sick, anointing their bodies, healing their spirits.

(From "The Message" paraphrase by Eugene Peterson)

In clearing away what doesn't matter, Jesus hopes that his disciples will have room to see what really does.

It's not about taking some extra cash or a change of clothes, the super-saver coupon book for fine restaurants and hotels. It's not even the expectation that people will treat you as well as you know you deserve to be treated. They won't. But no forcing yourself on others. No grudges and self-pity either. You have to leave all that at the door.

Clearly saying no to what you think is essential and even your "right" makes room to hear what really is essential.

Last week, I was away a week-long silent retreat with the Zen Buddhist community I am a member of. I take two or three weeks every year for these times away in silence. I understand all too well the fear of clearing space to listen deeply every time before I go on one of these retreats. I think of all the work I really need to do, that this is really bad timing to be away. I know enough to fear these times for I know everything that comes up when some empty space is made.

After years of doing these retreats, I still don't have a clue what "enlightenment" is. But I am learning that it has something to do with "lightening your load". In clearing away what I thought was "essential" to just sit, breathe and listen is all that is needed to feel what is in the pack of care you are carrying around with you.

To sit attentively, breathe deeply, and listen with care is something we all can do. And yet, to do it, takes great effort. To just sit, breathe deeply and continue to listen to the swirl of everything that comes up. For me: worries and anxieties, fantasies and history, shame and guilt, hurt and confusion, great doubt and the pain in my back. To just face it, feel it, release it.

In the clearing away, what becomes clear is how much stuff is in you. What a lot that doesn't really matter and maybe a little bit clearer about what really does. Beyond what I like and don't like. Beyond my notions of right and wrong.

I know that going away for a week like this means asking for and accepting the support of many people and I know that all the people in my life benefit from my taking this time.

Finally, we don't need to be afraid of silence. We need to reject the "false gods" that keep us from it. For in the clearing away and listening space, we find our ways back to our heart and the very heart of God that has been there all the time.

For the past 11 months, Pedro, an 18 year old Guatemalan seeking political asylum has been living with us. He has taught me a lot about rejecting the false god of thinking that I know what is best for everyone else.

Several months ago, realizing that his 10th grade year was coming to a close at the end of June, we asked Pedro what he wanted to do this summer.

"Nothing", he said. "Nothing?", I respond, wondering if I look as appalled as I feel. "I like to sleep." And so do I – and recommend 8 hour every night….

But with visions of him locked in front of the TV set all summer, we enter the work of planning, (and, at times, sheer imposing of will) to create a summer of Something of Value. We made it through our first week this past week, a week of two art classes. And much to his surprise and ours he really liked it. With that and Spain making it to the final four of the World Cup, we are off to a good start.

The importance of the work we did with him planning a summer full of summer school and swim lessons, camping and backpacking, summer camp and typing lessons became all the clearer this week when Pedro learned that the application for asylum he had made last November had been rejected. He will appear before a judge in December who will have the final say. Having Pedro in our family has been a great gift. Truly, one of the greatest gifts in my life. And I know how much Dave and I will miss him if he is deported.

I sat with that grief this past week. Grief for him and the news that he did not want to receive. My own grief. I know how much I do not want him to leave. And I realize that it really is not about me and what I want. I really don't know what is best for Pedro. I don't. I really don't know if the best thing for him is to be here or to return home to his rural village in Guatemala. As this may be Pedro's last summer in this country, on this July 4th, I think especially of the values that I want him to take with him in his backpack whatever the future holds.

Ask Pedro about the false gods in our country and he will be quick to tell you about policies that lead to people crossing the border from Mexico dying in the desert. Whatever it is that keeps immigrant and refuge families separated from each other.

Nations are notorious for chasing false gods. And sometimes, for saying "no" to them. What I want for Pedro to learn is not so much that here a country where you can get a lot of stuff for cheap, but that here is a place where he may learn how to make good decisions.

Not so much that here is a country where we learn that "might makes right", but that here is place which raises up strong women and men who give their lives in service of the common good.

Not so much that here is a place where we measure "success" by abstract notions like grades on report cards, but that here we celebrate what it means to do your best.

That given the complexities of today's world,
that we may look into each other's eyes and
out across the oceans and borders that surround us and
make real the poet's vision,
Give me your tired, your poor,
your huddled masses yearning to be free,
The wretched refuge of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

(The sonnet by Emma Lazarus is mounted
inside the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.)

by Greg Laurie

I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go into the house of the Lord."
- Psalm 122:1

I think we sometimes approach church more from the standpoint of consumers than communers. We may think of going to church the way we think of going to a movie: What time does the movie start? At seven? Well, they roll the trailers for the first twenty minutes, so we'll get there at about seven. We'll park and grab some popcorn first. And when the movie is over, we don't want to wait for the credits to roll, so we'll get up and leave.

We can have the same mentality toward church. Oh well, it's just that worship stuff at the beginning. . . . I'll get in late and maybe check my texts and e-mail while I'm waiting. Oh, and I'll leave early.

But that is not the way to go to church. It is a place of worship, it is the house of God, and believers are the family of God. So we need to change the way we think about it. Worship is not the opening act; worship is prayer set to song. It is a time of communing with God.

And we should not go to church merely to have our needs met. Sometimes people will hop around to different churches because they like the style of music at one church or the teaching at another church. But that is actually not good for us spiritually.

We need a consistent place so we can get a consistent theology. We also need a place to be accountable to those who know us and can check in with us and help us in life—as we help them as well. We need a place to develop our gifts and serve the Lord.

The church is like an oasis of hope in a desert of hopelessness.

by Whitney Hopler

What do you plan to do the next time you're in church? Listening to a sermon, singing songs, praying, and talking with other believers are all noble activities. But God intends for church to be much more than just a local place to find inspiration; God wants it to be a place where He empowers people to join Him in the work of redeeming this fallen world.

If you approach church as a place to passionately pursue Jesus and devote yourself to fulfilling His purposes - like the people of the early church did - then you and your church can be a part of changing the world for the better. Here's how:

Love your neighbors as a way of loving Jesus.

Jesus said that two goals summarize what's most important in life: 1) loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind and 2) loving your neighbors as much as you love yourself. Those two commands are meant to work together; so, don't try to separate them. Every day, aim to do your best loving the people around you (both fellow believers and people who are spiritually lost) as a way of expressing your love for God. When you pursue this along with others in your church community, you can transform whole neighborhoods for the better. Get to know your neighbors' real needs without making assumptions about what those needs are. Then develop friendships with your neighbors so you can walk alongside them as the Holy Spirit guides you all to meet needs and solve problems together.

Rely on the Holy Spirit to empower you every day.

Instead of trying to do ministry work out of your own limited abilities, make a habit of inviting the Holy Spirit to work through you as you minister to people through your church. Read the book of Acts in the Bible and notice the different ways that the Holy Spirit showed up among early church members. Pray for the Spirit to show up in your own life and church in the same ways. Surrender every part of your life completely to God to prepare yourself for the adventures the Spirit wants to lead you to pursue.

Fight fear.

Whenever you feel afraid, ask God to give you the faith you need to overcome that fear and move forward in whatever ways you sense Him leading you to take action. Keep in mind that God promises to be with you every step of the way on the adventures he has planned for you - so, just do what's next and trust Him to keep guiding you. Expect that God will compensate for your own weaknesses by giving you the strength you need to do whatever He calls you to do - from giving financially to support your church's mission work to volunteering for your church's service projects.

Grow closer to God through spiritual disciplines.

Practicing spiritual disciplines each day will strengthen your connection with God and keep it consistently growing, which will prepare you well to serve others through your church. Make prayer your first priority each morning after you wake up. Read, study, think about, and apply the Bible's wisdom every day. Fast regularly as you seek God. Share the Gospel message with the people you encounter each day. Help new believers grow in their faith. Create a lifestyle of service in the context of your church's community.

Let your brokenness motivate you to rely on yourself less and on God more.

Invite God to use the brokenness in your life to prepare you to be used the fullest in His kingdom. Choose to humbly submit to God's work in you; when you do, there is no limit to what He can do through you for the world around you. Your biggest past struggles can become your greatest areas of future ministry.

Open your heart and your hands.

Be willing to give your resources (time, money, energy, talent, etc.) whenever God calls you to use them to serve others through your church. Choose to obey God, no matter what it costs you to do so. Trust God's promise to take care of your own needs when you faithfully give to others in need.

Pursue revival from the inside out.

When you pursue personal revival, you position yourself for God to use you in a revival of your entire community. Confess your sins regularly to God in prayer, and repent of them by doing whatever God shows you it takes to be free of them in the future. Study the Bible to find verses that relate to the specific types of sin for which you're repenting. Then absorb those biblical truths into your mind, replacing previous wrong thinking about those issues, renouncing evil, and asking God to establish a new pattern of faithful attitudes and actions in those areas of your life.

Ask God to dream His dreams through you and your church.

Pray that God would work through you and other people at your church to accomplish goals that He is thinking about in heaven and wants to get done through faithful vessels on Earth. As each of you do your part, more of God's purposes on Earth will be fulfilled.

Establish strong foundations for ministry at your church and all new church plants.

Encourage everyone in your congregation - from children to senior citizens - to pursue ministry work however God leads them to do so. Set aside at least 20 percent of the church budget for missions. Emphasize teamwork, in which the individual contributions of everyone - whether staff member or volunteer - are equally valuable. Urge the people in your church to pray together regularly for the church's mission work. Establish solid processes to train, equip, and evaluate people who want to join your church's mission work.

Help transform your spheres of influence.

Join God in His work changing people's lives beyond your church's congregation. Let your witness and service extend beyond your church to impact people in all of your various spheres of influence. Ask God to give you specific opportunities to help change the lives of people with whom you have relationships through societal areas like: neighborhood, business, medical, social justice, arts, politics, sports, and education.

Adapted from Passion & Purpose: Believing the Church Can Still Change the World, copyright 2014 by Jimmy Seibert. Published by Clear Day Publishing, a division of Clear Day Media Group, Brentwood, TN.

About The Author:

Jimmy Seibert is the founder and president of Antioch Ministries International (AMI). Jimmy is passionate about loving God and making Him known in all the earth. He and his wife, Laura, have been involved in training and sending out church planters for more than 26 years, seeing hundreds of Christians go to the mission field.

Whitney Hopler, who has served as a Crosswalk.com contributing writer for many years, is author of the Christian novel Dream Factory, which is set during Hollywood's golden age.