July 7,2019      Imagine,.. the Kingdom of God                             

This morning, I would like to focus on Jesus sending out of the 70. In our gospel lesson, he sends them out without extra clothing, bags, or money. That’s easy enough, Jesus wants them to rely on God, rather than themselves. He sends them out in pairs, certainly so they can show by example how to treat one another, but also, so they can be witnesses for one another. Jesus tells them to go to one household and stay there for a number of days, rather than go from house to house. The explanation for that is he doesn’t want them to be predators, taking advantage of one household after another, but rather to build community within the one household they visit.

He tells them to announce peace to the household, and if they accept that peace, to stay in that house, but if not, peace will return to them. And if the town does not receive their peace, they are to shake the dust off their sandals, and announce that the Kingdom of God has come near. That’s the part of the passage I meditated on this week.

Obviously the peace they were to announce was not the kind of peace the world offers. The world offers peace at the point of a spear, police officers, or money. The disciples of God are called to offer a peace that comes from the Spirit of God’s love for one another. The kingdom of men, is one that is apathetic to the suffering of others, and Jesus disciples are called to offer a vision of the Kingdom of God in which people genuinely care for one another. So I tried to imagine what that would look like…….. 

Back in 2003, the United Church of Christ ran a stewardship campaign called Imagine. In a series of articles, it sought to help people imagine a different world than the one in which we lived at the time. For instance, In a world where there is prejudice and racism, imagine a world where people of different races and faiths get along together. In a world where family farms are going under because of unstable grain and fertilizer prices, imagine a world where markets are stable, so that family farmers can get through tough years without losing their farm. In a world, where pollution is filling our skies with smog, and our rivers and lakes with debris, imagine a world in which the skies are clear, and our waters clear.

Now these are just three of the articles from over a dozen that were listed in the campaign, but the point of it was, that we as Christians, were called to seek a better Kingdom in which to live, than the Kingdom we currently inhabit. Rather than the Kingdom of men, we are called to imagine the Kingdom of God in our midst. And by doing that, we will be motivated by the Holy Spirit, to give of ourselves and to act in ways that will bring that Kingdom into being.

At our weekly minister’s lectionary meeting, we spent some time talking about how this week’s sermon might help people to envision the Kingdom of God and what it would look like in Somonauk and Sandwich. Are there people who are hungry, imagine how we might feed them, and if someone is already doing that, how can we help? Are there people who are addicted to drugs, imagine how we can help them address that addiction, and if someone is already doing that, how can we help? I chose these first two examples, because we have both a Food Pantry, and an AA ministry in this town. So let’s move on.

Are there poor and aging people in our town, who are unable to keep their homes or keep them in good repair, image how we might help them fix up their homes, or help them stay in their homes. In both LaSalle/Peru and in Smithton, there were groups that fixed up homes, and got single parents into repaired homes. Are there children or families suffering from divorce or loss, imagine how we might help them in such a time of crises. In Smithton, churches worked together with the grade school  to offer a program called Rainbows, for children who were going through separation and loss. Are there children who are going hungry, through no fault of their own, imagine how we might feed these kids. In Jerseyville, churches offered backpack programs, and a summer feeding program.

What are the problems of this community? Where are people broken and hurting in our town? Can we imagine some ways in which we might bring peace to their lives? Remember, Jesus send his followers into the world, to bring peace, to build households of faith, to heal the sick, and to drive out demons. Through faith, the disciples came back praising God, and rejoicing, not only for the power of the Spirit in their lives, but also, as Jesus said, because their names were written in the book of life!

And the Good News is, that your names can be written in the book of life as well. Amen.