Sermon 7/4/04
On the Road Again - Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
(view lectionary notes for this text)
Today we start a series of preaching that will try something a little different, at least on my part. If you were here in the fall, you probably remember that the Worship Committee conducted a survey about worship services here at St. Paul's. One question asked you to list some favorite hymns. We compiled the results, and came up with a top ten list that included, "Amazing Grace", "It Is Well with My Soul", "Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore," "In the Garden," "Let There Be Peace on Earth," "On Eagle's Wings," "Here I am, Lord", "Old Rugged Cross," "How Great Thou Art", and today's selection, "Pass It On."
Our hymns are more than musical interludes between scripture and sermon. They're part of the way we worship God - through tunes that stir our emotions, and through lyrics that challenge and inspire our faith. But sometimes when we're singing them, particularly our favorites that are so well-loved that we practically know them by heart, we forget to stop and consider what they mean. What's the message that our favorite hymns convey? This summer, we'll have a chance to answer just that question, as we take a hymn each week, and examine it in light of our faith, and tie it to the scriptures we are studying.
So today we start with "Pass It On," number 6 on our 'top ten' list. "It only takes a spark, to get a fire going, and soon all those around can warm up in its glowing. That's how it is with God's love, once you've experienced it; you spread his love to everyone; you want to pass it on. What a wondrous time is spring, when all the trees are budding; the birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming. That's how it is with God's love, once you've experienced it; you want to sing, it's fresh like spring, you want to pass it on. I wish for you, my friend, this happiness that I've found; you can depend on him, it matters not where you're bound. I'll shout it from the mountaintop; I want my world to know; the Lord of love has come to me, I want to pass it on."
The hymn "Pass It On" was originally part of a musical, written in 1969 by Texan Baptist musician Kurt Kaiser called, "Tell It Like It Is." Write The Baptist Standard, "In the minds of many people, Kaiser and his friend Ralph Carmichael revolutionized the gospel music industry. In the mid-1960s, the duo collaborated to write a series of musicals that incorporated the new sound of rock and roll to reach out to the youth who were feeling increasingly neglected by social institutions, including the church. Kaiser and Carmichael were amazed as the [musical] sold out its first run of 2,500 copies. Carmichael then ordered a second run of 100,000 copies, which filled an entire warehouse as well as part of the house of his boss, only to see that run sell out. In total, they sold about 500,000 copies of the musical and saw people around the globe singing Kaiser's song "Pass it On," which remains his signature song." (1) Today, this song is often considered a 'camp song'. At least, that's where I have most frequently experience singing it - sitting around a campfire. So what puts it on our favorite list?
Well, hold that thought for a minute, and let's turn our attention to our gospel lesson for today. In the gospel of Luke, we find Jesus sending the disciples - not the twelve, but a larger group of seventy followers, out to spread the good news that the kingdom of God has come near. Jesus advises that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. More are needed to do God's work - more are needed to reach out to the many who need to hear about God's kingdom. But Jesus doesn't just send them out on the road - he gives them some instruction, some directions for their journeys - directions that might strike us as odd. He tells them to carry no purse, no bag, no sandals - he basically tells them to go totally unprepared, unequipped, and unprotected, into places they have never been, to places where they have no idea how they will be received. Jesus tells them that some places they will be received - here they can relax, enjoy hospitality, and share the message of God's good news, and greetings of peace on the house. Other places will not want to receive the strange messengers or the message - here they can shake the dust of the town off their sandals as they leave - a sign that they carry nothing of this place with them. But, they must still share the message: The kingdom of God has come near. When the seventy return, they are filled with joy - but the joy seems to be at their own power, as they proclaim to Jesus: "in your name even the demons submit to us!" Jesus, however, leaves them with a kind of caution - "I have given you authority," he says, "but do not rejoice at this . . . but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
If all this is involved in spreading the gospel, in sharing the good news of God's grace, some of us my wonder if we're up to the task after all. It's hard to imagine heading out for such a trip so seemingly unready. If you've traveled abroad yourself, you know the sort of preparation that is involved, even for brief trips: passports and immunizations, packing and repacking, planning itineraries, budgeting and calculating, booking airfares and hotels far in advance. Imagine, then, taking an impromptu trip without any of these details taken care of in advance. Imagine how scared and unsettled you might feel.
Jesus, however, reminds us that we don't need or want a lot of baggage with us on the road of discipleship. We need only to take God with us. Everything else that we think we need just distracts us from our mission and purpose of sharing the good news with others. What baggage do you keep dragging with you in your attempts to follow God? What can you just not seem to lay down in order to travel the road with Christ?
I think that often when we think about sharing the good news, we get frightened that we aren't equipped, we're not ready, we don't know what we're doing, or how we can share. But Jesus only asks the disciples to share two things: God's peace, and the wonderful news that God's kingdom, God's presence is already here, right in our midst. Can you think of ways that God is already present in your life? Have you felt the peace in your heart that comes from a deepening relationship with God? If you can, you've got all you need to journey as the disciples did, be it physically or spiritually, and share the good news with whoever you meet. We don't need anything else - we don't need our plans and our distractions. We don't need our busy-ness. We only need to know that God travels the road with us.
As we turn back now to our hymn focus, Pass It On, we can look with fresh perspective at the message it conveys: It only takes a spark, to get a fire going, and soon all those around can warm up in its glowing. That's how it is with God's love, once you've experienced it; you spread his love to everyone; you want to pass it on. I wish for you, my friend, this happiness that I've found; you can depend on him, it matters not where you're bound. I'll shout it from the mountaintop; I want my world to know; the Lord of love has come to me, I want to pass it on."
This message is not complex. We are reminded that we can never know what small event will help someone experience God again or for the first time. Last week, at our new member breakfast, as old and new members shared how they found their way to St. Paul's, I think we all realized that sometimes the simplest gesture, offered with faith and sincerity, can produce amazing results. It only takes a spark.
So let's get on the road again. We don't have to plan and plan until we've put of our journey altogether. We don't have to wait until we feel better equipped, or until we get our hands on better resources. We're ready right now, as long as we can speak to our own experience of God's love and grace. We're ready right now, if we claim a relationship with Jesus the Christ. We're ready right now, if we're ready to usher in the kingdom of God. Peace be on this house - pass it on!
(1) http://www.baptiststandard.com/2002/1_7/pages/kaiser.html