"Free To Be Me"
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20 July 4, 2010
Today is Independence Day. It marks the day that the 13 American colonies declared that they
were a free and independent nation. On July 4, 1776 the architects of the document passed it and
the Revolutionary War began in earnest.
As we look back on the founding of our nation, it seems quite fitting that we come to this text in
the book of Luke. For just as Independence Day marks a new beginning for our country, Luke 10
marks a new beginning for us as followers of Jesus.
Up until this point, Jesus had been the primary actor in the new movement he had begun. HE was
the one doing the preaching, teaching, healing and reconciling. HE was the one that reached out to
the crowds with the good news. HE was the one who people flocked to for a hope they had
thought was beyond them.
But in Luke 10 all that changed as Jesus called 70 disciples together and sent them out into the
world to continue his mission. It was the first glimpse into what all of us would be called to do
once Jesus had finished his earthly work.
You see although Pentecost is known as the day the church was born, this day we are reading
about is the day where Jesus set the whole thing in motion. It is our Lexington and Concord. It is
our night of Paul Revere’s ride.
In Luke 9 Jesus confronts three would be disciples with the fact that following him will be
difficult and they all turn away. Here in chapter 10 Jesus finds men and women who are up to the
challenge, who are willing to risk all to follow him and he prepares them and sends them out.
Matthew and Mark also tell a version of this story and that points to its significance. We are meant
to see this as a pivotal point in the story. They talk about the commissioning but here is what makes
Luke’s story especially noteworthy. He tells us the rest of the story. He tells us about their joyous
return and their victory over evil.
That’s good news for us. Let’s face it. Ministry today can be a thankless task. Religion in
America is being pushed to the sidelines and more and more people are simply ignoring any
message we try to share. Less people are attending church. More and more people feel faith is a
private matter. The last thing most people want to talk about is God, unless it is about what God
can do for them.
Yet Jesus reminds us that the harvest is great and the workers are few. You and I are needed if
the word is going to get out there. The truth is that in Jesus’ day he was fighting secular religion
too. No one wanted to hear about a faith that at times went against popular sentiment. So Jesus
warns them that success is not guaranteed. He tells them they will meet opposition and even be
rejected. But then he urges them to go anyway.
The truth is that most of us would never take on a losing proposition. When we decide to do
something, we want it to be successful. We want to know that we will make a difference. You’ve
heard the story about the star fish haven’t you?
There is a story of a boy and his grandfather walking along the beach. The beach was covered
with starfish that had been washed ashore. Every so often the grandfather would stop, pick up one
of the starfish and toss it back into the ocean. After awhile the little boy said to his grandfather,
“There are thousands of starfish on the beach. Throwing a few back into the ocean can’t possibly
make a difference.” As the grandfather tossed another starfish into the ocean, he said, “It will make
a difference to that one.”
That’s why we answer the call. We may not be able to save everyone but we will save some.
Jesus says it is more important than you will ever know. Forget the disappointment. Forget the
failure you may face. Shake the dust off your feet if you enter someplace and they reject what you
have to share. It’s their loss. You just follow me.
As the disciples return Jesus commends them and tells them that God is pleased with their work. It
may not have seemed like much, he says but while you were out there evangelizing, “I saw Satan
falling from Heaven like lightning.” And today your names were written down in heaven.
The truth is that there is more going on than you and I will ever see. There is a cosmic battle
being waged. We get a glimpse of that here. God wants to save every soul and we are his infantry.
When we live our lives and share his love we are building his case and touching hearts and
changing destinies.
Today we are called to go out just like those seventy disciples but we are free to do it our own
way. Jesus gives them the recipe and we can modify it to suit our own gifts and personality. Jesus
says to go out and bring the gift of peace, to heal the sick and to preach the good news.
Now I know lot of people think of giving out tracts on street corners when they hear the word
evangelism. That works for some people. But that isn’t the only way. My newspaper column is one
of the ways I do it.
I was in Subway yesterday and three different people came up to me and commented on my
column this week. The truth is that I simply tell stories about my life and relate them to some
aspect of faith. All of us can do that. As we live faithfully in the world God will lead us to places
where we can give our testimony and speak to the good news.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Holy spirit was leading those seventy to places where the
Word was needed. The Holy Spirit does the same thing today.
We will be led to people who have physical and spiritual needs. In Jesus day, he healed both
physical and spiritual needs. He cast out demons that threatened to suffocate the spirit and before
you jump on that, I believe demons are still present today. They just have different names.
Today we have the demons of alcoholism and drug abuse. We have the demon of domestic
violence and abuse that we see paraded on Oprah, The Jerry Springer Show and Hard Copy. We
have the demon of addiction and oppression. Some of the demons have names and others don’t.
One thing is true. It is the power of Christ that we carry with us that can overcome these demons
and vanquish them.
Here is the good news. When we walk with Christ, we have his power at our fingertips. When we
sit with a friend who is battling alcoholism, when we confront a friend who is living a lie, when we
embrace a colleague whose life is falling apart, we knock Satan off the throne he has established in
their lives. And we do this, each in our own way.
I think that is the great myth that the devil likes to put out there. All Christians are alike. You have
to change and become something you are not. We are not Stepford Christians. We are free to be
ourselves in Christ. And that is the good news. God uses each of us with our unique talents to
reach out to those in need of the good news. The funny thing is that your way may be a-typical but
it could be just the way God wants it so you can reach out to a certain population with unique
needs.
I heard a funny story the other day about a barber. It seems there was a barber in a small local
town who had been the only barber in town for years. Everyone went to this barber to get their hair
cut. Then, one day a big hair salon franchise came to town and opened up shop. They advertised,
“All Haircuts for $3.00”
Slowly, the barber’s business began to dwindle. He just couldn’t compete. In a last ditch effort to
save his business, he hired a business consultant. The consultant spent a day pouring over the
barber’s books asking many questions. At the end of the day the barber asked the consultant, “So
what do you think ? Should I close up shop ?” The consultant said, “Not yet. I’ll be back
tomorrow.” The next day the consultant showed up with a huge banner that he hung in front of the
barber shop that said, “We Fix $3.00 Haircuts!”
The world offers people all kinds of things that lead to sorrow and disappointment. Riches, fame,
success, sexual fulfillment, power and authority all can be had by simply selling your soul. But you
and I have the ability and the power to fix these things and restore people to God’s good graces.
Every time we reach out in Christ’s name we make a difference to someone and that brightens the
heart of God. So today I encourage you to be you. I encourage you to invite Christ to walk with
you as you leave here today and to go out and share the good news that God loves us. Then invite
the people you meet to come and join you as you walk with the Lord in worship and service.
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20 July 4, 2010
Today is Independence Day. It marks the day that the 13 American colonies declared that they
were a free and independent nation. On July 4, 1776 the architects of the document passed it and
the Revolutionary War began in earnest.
As we look back on the founding of our nation, it seems quite fitting that we come to this text in
the book of Luke. For just as Independence Day marks a new beginning for our country, Luke 10
marks a new beginning for us as followers of Jesus.
Up until this point, Jesus had been the primary actor in the new movement he had begun. HE was
the one doing the preaching, teaching, healing and reconciling. HE was the one that reached out to
the crowds with the good news. HE was the one who people flocked to for a hope they had
thought was beyond them.
But in Luke 10 all that changed as Jesus called 70 disciples together and sent them out into the
world to continue his mission. It was the first glimpse into what all of us would be called to do
once Jesus had finished his earthly work.
You see although Pentecost is known as the day the church was born, this day we are reading
about is the day where Jesus set the whole thing in motion. It is our Lexington and Concord. It is
our night of Paul Revere’s ride.
In Luke 9 Jesus confronts three would be disciples with the fact that following him will be
difficult and they all turn away. Here in chapter 10 Jesus finds men and women who are up to the
challenge, who are willing to risk all to follow him and he prepares them and sends them out.
Matthew and Mark also tell a version of this story and that points to its significance. We are meant
to see this as a pivotal point in the story. They talk about the commissioning but here is what makes
Luke’s story especially noteworthy. He tells us the rest of the story. He tells us about their joyous
return and their victory over evil.
That’s good news for us. Let’s face it. Ministry today can be a thankless task. Religion in
America is being pushed to the sidelines and more and more people are simply ignoring any
message we try to share. Less people are attending church. More and more people feel faith is a
private matter. The last thing most people want to talk about is God, unless it is about what God
can do for them.
Yet Jesus reminds us that the harvest is great and the workers are few. You and I are needed if
the word is going to get out there. The truth is that in Jesus’ day he was fighting secular religion
too. No one wanted to hear about a faith that at times went against popular sentiment. So Jesus
warns them that success is not guaranteed. He tells them they will meet opposition and even be
rejected. But then he urges them to go anyway.
The truth is that most of us would never take on a losing proposition. When we decide to do
something, we want it to be successful. We want to know that we will make a difference. You’ve
heard the story about the star fish haven’t you?
There is a story of a boy and his grandfather walking along the beach. The beach was covered
with starfish that had been washed ashore. Every so often the grandfather would stop, pick up one
of the starfish and toss it back into the ocean. After awhile the little boy said to his grandfather,
“There are thousands of starfish on the beach. Throwing a few back into the ocean can’t possibly
make a difference.” As the grandfather tossed another starfish into the ocean, he said, “It will make
a difference to that one.”
That’s why we answer the call. We may not be able to save everyone but we will save some.
Jesus says it is more important than you will ever know. Forget the disappointment. Forget the
failure you may face. Shake the dust off your feet if you enter someplace and they reject what you
have to share. It’s their loss. You just follow me.
As the disciples return Jesus commends them and tells them that God is pleased with their work. It
may not have seemed like much, he says but while you were out there evangelizing, “I saw Satan
falling from Heaven like lightning.” And today your names were written down in heaven.
The truth is that there is more going on than you and I will ever see. There is a cosmic battle
being waged. We get a glimpse of that here. God wants to save every soul and we are his infantry.
When we live our lives and share his love we are building his case and touching hearts and
changing destinies.
Today we are called to go out just like those seventy disciples but we are free to do it our own
way. Jesus gives them the recipe and we can modify it to suit our own gifts and personality. Jesus
says to go out and bring the gift of peace, to heal the sick and to preach the good news.
Now I know lot of people think of giving out tracts on street corners when they hear the word
evangelism. That works for some people. But that isn’t the only way. My newspaper column is one
of the ways I do it.
I was in Subway yesterday and three different people came up to me and commented on my
column this week. The truth is that I simply tell stories about my life and relate them to some
aspect of faith. All of us can do that. As we live faithfully in the world God will lead us to places
where we can give our testimony and speak to the good news.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Holy spirit was leading those seventy to places where the
Word was needed. The Holy Spirit does the same thing today.
We will be led to people who have physical and spiritual needs. In Jesus day, he healed both
physical and spiritual needs. He cast out demons that threatened to suffocate the spirit and before
you jump on that, I believe demons are still present today. They just have different names.
Today we have the demons of alcoholism and drug abuse. We have the demon of domestic
violence and abuse that we see paraded on Oprah, The Jerry Springer Show and Hard Copy. We
have the demon of addiction and oppression. Some of the demons have names and others don’t.
One thing is true. It is the power of Christ that we carry with us that can overcome these demons
and vanquish them.
Here is the good news. When we walk with Christ, we have his power at our fingertips. When we
sit with a friend who is battling alcoholism, when we confront a friend who is living a lie, when we
embrace a colleague whose life is falling apart, we knock Satan off the throne he has established in
their lives. And we do this, each in our own way.
I think that is the great myth that the devil likes to put out there. All Christians are alike. You have
to change and become something you are not. We are not Stepford Christians. We are free to be
ourselves in Christ. And that is the good news. God uses each of us with our unique talents to
reach out to those in need of the good news. The funny thing is that your way may be a-typical but
it could be just the way God wants it so you can reach out to a certain population with unique
needs.
I heard a funny story the other day about a barber. It seems there was a barber in a small local
town who had been the only barber in town for years. Everyone went to this barber to get their hair
cut. Then, one day a big hair salon franchise came to town and opened up shop. They advertised,
“All Haircuts for $3.00”
Slowly, the barber’s business began to dwindle. He just couldn’t compete. In a last ditch effort to
save his business, he hired a business consultant. The consultant spent a day pouring over the
barber’s books asking many questions. At the end of the day the barber asked the consultant, “So
what do you think ? Should I close up shop ?” The consultant said, “Not yet. I’ll be back
tomorrow.” The next day the consultant showed up with a huge banner that he hung in front of the
barber shop that said, “We Fix $3.00 Haircuts!”
The world offers people all kinds of things that lead to sorrow and disappointment. Riches, fame,
success, sexual fulfillment, power and authority all can be had by simply selling your soul. But you
and I have the ability and the power to fix these things and restore people to God’s good graces.
Every time we reach out in Christ’s name we make a difference to someone and that brightens the
heart of God. So today I encourage you to be you. I encourage you to invite Christ to walk with
you as you leave here today and to go out and share the good news that God loves us. Then invite
the people you meet to come and join you as you walk with the Lord in worship and service.
Pastor Cal Lord's Recent Sermons
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