Thoughts for the Day

Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, ‘Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there.
Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’ They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

I have been involved in many activities in my life-time - run by churches, and also drama groups, and choirs. All of these whether they were acts of worship, flower festivals, craft exhibitions, or music events, needed advertising. It's no good having the most wonderful concert with a superb choir if no one comes to listen. A lot of my work for the past 60 years (from when I was 15 years old and organised a piece of Christian drama at the Methodist Church), has been about creating posters and telling people of an event that was about to occur. After all no-one will turn up if they don't know when something starts.

In the 1960s and 1970s we possessed no mobile phones or the internet so everything was done by posters, and this continued right up until recently. Big eye catching posters or banners placed at strategic places were best, and I often spent hours hammering in posts holding them. The worst was in the summer - my shoulder has never recovered from hammering them into hard, dry, ground. But get the posters right and the people would come to the Church service or the flower festival.

In first century Palestine there were no phones, internet, or posters. The only way for Jesus to get his message to the people was to pass it on by word of mouth. Luke in his gospel records Jesus instructing the disciples to travel light with no baggage. I often call this, "stuff", for it's stuff that holds us back, stopping us from moving forward in life and taking advantage of new opportunities. He also instructs the disciples to care physically for people - for their bodies as well as their souls - as they spread the Christian message around the world. In the twenty-first century we're still called to care for people's bodies and souls. We are to be concerned about those who will lack money for food or fuel this winter, as well as passing on the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Heavenly Father,
Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
taught His disciples to travel light
and not allow the things of this world
to hold them back in their mission work.
He also taught them to heal physical ailments
as well as caring for their souls.
May we learn to care for those around us
nurturing them as best we can.
Amen.