Loading...Sermon – July 5, 2015
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, LSW
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen, Newport, PA
Pentecost VI, Proper 9, Track 2
He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two…. Mark 6:7
Please be seated.
At one time, I belonged to a learning community with people from all over the US and Canada. Often we worked on how to be more authentically ourselves and thus more authentically interact with each other. We shared a lot about our lives with each other as we gathered a number of times each year.
One thing we looked at and talked about were the lies we tell ourselves. These lies are things we tend to organize our whole lives around. We act as if they are true. One lie I realized I told myself was “I can do it all by myself.” I found it very difficult to ask for help and felt embarrassed, even. I was supposed to do my life all by myself.
This lie really became apparent when I was the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. The Chapter served over 6,600 members with very few staff. The job of Executive Director could feel pretty lonely. One day I was looking at some of the financial information. All of a sudden, I said out loud to myself, “You do not have to do this alone.” I immediately thought about some of my colleagues in other states who had lots more experience than me and started calling them. Over time, I built a support system, frequently reminding myself, “you do not have to do this alone.”
Some of you have experienced me reminding myself not to buy into this “I have to do it all by myself” lie as I’ve asked for help in moving. I’ve really appreciated it!
It seems like each year about this time, we have readings about Jesus sending his followers out, giving them authority to do God’s work, including healing. These readings give us a chance to examine ourselves and examine our community of Nativity and St. Stephen to see how we are being sent out as healers and workers to the world. You’ve possibly heard the saying, “The service has ended. The work begins.”
Hopefully our community on Sunday mornings and at other times when we gather, can be a refuge …a place to recharge our spiritual batteries…a place where we can be ourselves as Christians in this world…a place where we are accepted… and a place where we can grow and be challenged to be followers of Jesus Christ.
Getting renewed and tending to ourselves is important and ultimately, Jesus sends us out! Jesus asks us to go out. One of the things that drew me to Nativity and St. Stephen was the dedication to tithe the generous endowments received by the church. Over $18,000 is scheduled to be given away this year. In addition, the ECW sells grocery store cards and the money from those cards is often given away. In my first week, as request came from Join Hands for some additional help, and immediately, a check was written from the ECW in response to this need. This parish has a long history of being sent out by Jesus to meet the needs of the community.
Then there’s all of the work each of you do as individuals to spread the love of God to a hurting world.
So, Jesus sends us out into the world and with the power of Jesus, we can do wonderful and transformative work. And we must remember that we don’t do this work alone. Jesus sent them out two by two.
It’s always good to have another person with you. Sometimes the work we’re doing is so difficult and we can become discouraged ourselves. It’s helpful to have another person whose gone through the same experience. The load is easier to bear. Sometimes we need another person to motivate us and keep us going. Otherwise we may procrastinate or put off what we know God is calling us to do. Sometimes we need another person to challenge us and keep us from going in a wrong direction. Sometimes we need another person to teach us. Hearing the other person’s perspective and sharing our perspectives can give us brand new insights and learnings.
Consider what God is sending you out to do. Consider what God is sending us out to do. Consider who will be your companion along the way…who will be your support person or group. Jesus is calling you and sending you out…
Amen
