6th Sunday after Pentecost/Year B
July 4, 2021
Psalm 48; Mark 6:1-13
It’s summertime…and this summer, a lot of people are beginning to travel again….
There’s excitement in the air for some…as they get to travel off the island of Sitka to visit families and friends in other places….and there’s excitement in the air, for those who get to travel here to Sitka! Lots of summer activities are filling up the calendar these days…ranging from summer camps to music festivals to fishing trips…to fourth of July weekend festivities…
There’s a lot to think about when we prepare to travel…especially in a time such as this, as we are moving into a new season of the COVID-19 pandemic that is still with us, and still effecting the lives of so many vulnerable people, near and far…
So, when we travel now, whether for fun, or for medical reasons, we have to research the covid-19 protocols at the airports we will fly in and out of and the protocols in place once we arrive at our destination…Are we vaccinated yet? if not…where can I get the vaccine before I travel, or where can I get the covid test before/after I travel??
As we prepare to travel these days…it’s a clear reminder that it’s not only about us who is traveling…but about those around us too…
And, yes, as always, we will have to decide what kind of clothing we will pack, where we will stay, how much money we will need, for meals, for transportation, for activities……
Yes…a lot to think about when traveling for vacations and family visits or medical visits…
In today’s gospel…we learn about a different purpose for travel… travel for the sake of proclaiming the love of God, as made known to us, in Jesus…travel with the hope of bringing a message of light and love and healing to those who will listen and hear…..and with the hope that they will be filled with the love and joy and peace of knowing that with God we always have a traveling companion with us, leading us and guiding us, to be a companion for others too, as we journey through the twists and turns, and the joys and sorrows of this earthly life, together…
So, for this type of travel…Jesus gives instructions to pack light…
Preacher Kate (an Episcopal priest and blogger at water daily spiritual reflections -http://preachergirlkate.blogspot.com/) has this to say about Jesus’ instructions to pack light…
I would have flunked Jesus' Packing 101. As he headed out on another teaching tour, he sent his disciples out too: He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He 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.
I guess he didn’t mean sandals in seven colors, did he? They were to carry nothing, no luggage, no change of clothes, no money. As we will see when we look at his instructions about where they were to stay, he insisted they rely completely on the resources they could find in the villages to which they went. They had to live by faith and the Spirit's guidance.
Could we do this for even one day? Some do; others have tried it. I know of a bishop who lived homeless in New York City for a month, and there is Barbara Ehrenreich’s experience detailed in her book “Nickel and Dimed,” in which she attempted to live in America on minimum wage jobs, which would be even more challenging today. I don’t think many of us would get very far.
Why would Jesus insist on such stringent conditions for his disciples on their first trip out? To go with nothing, no money, no safety net?
Perhaps it’s because he didn’t send them out with nothing. For one thing, he sent them in twos; nobody went alone. And He sent them with the Spirit’s power and authority over unclean spirits. They had ammunition against the strongest danger they faced, spiritual temptation and interference from the minions of the Evil One. Physical challenges they could handle, if they could learn to trust.
Absolute faith would be required for those who were to carry forward the mission of God revealed in Christ. Absolute faith is still required.)
So, you see…Jesus’ instructions to pack light…are meant to help us turn and focus once again…on what is truly needed to travel through this earthly life…putting our faith and trust in the love of God, as made known to us, in Jesus…Putting all of our faith and trust in Jesus’ message that calls us to go…to be bringers of light and love and healing to those who will listen and hear…with the hope that they too will be filled with the love and the joy and the peace of knowing that with God we always have a traveling companion with us, leading us and guiding us, to be a companion for others too, as we journey through the twists and turns, and the joys and sorrows of this earthly life, together…
We will pray, later in our service this morning, for travelers…as we do every week at St Peter’s…
But, here I close with another short prayer, based on the hymn (Lead me, Guide me) to help us prepare for the kind of travel Jesus is sending us out to do….
Let us pray:
God of grace and traveling mercies: Lead us and guide us, along the way…Lord, let us walk each day with you…Give us your strength and power to help us in our weakest hour, putting all our trust in you…Lead us and guide us, and let us walk each day with you…Amen.
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, Alaska