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Homilies by Rev. Andrew Collis unless indicated otherwise.

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Ordinary Sunday 13, Year A
South Sydney Uniting Church
July 2, 2017

Psalm 13; Matthew 10:40-42


‘The bonds of Sisterhood’

Perhaps Jesus the Teacher sometimes surprised his disciples with a pop quiz. If he did, I think he probably tried to make it helpful and enjoyable. So let's imagine a multiple-choice quiz for conscientious disciples. God be with you ...

  1. The word "apostle" means: (a) Messenger; (b) Missionary; (c) Envoy; (d) All of the above.
  2. Which of the following were not among the 12 original apostles: (a) Matthew; (b) Bartholomew; (c) Moses; (d) Thaddeus.
  3. Indicate all the correct answers. Among the 12 apostles there was: (a) A stamp collector; (b) A tax collector; (c) A fisher of fish; (d) Somebody with a nickname.
  4. Jesus sent the Twelve to preach good news of love and peace. He instructed them to take: (a) No money; (b) No umbrella; (c) No jewellery; (d) No silly hat.
  5. We read about these things in the Gospel of Matthew, which is the first book in the New Testament. The second book is called: (a) The Gospel of James; (b) The Gospel of Luke; (c) The Gospel of Mark; (d) The Gospel of John.

In today's reading from Matthew 10, Jesus says that faith means welcoming others and allowing others to welcome you. You can recognise faithful people, for example, as those who give and receive cups of cold water. Sounds simple, but there are many ways for us to welcome one another. Can you think of some examples ...

Now, last time we met we noticed that the 12 original apostles were men. We said that the Jewish nation was founded by Jacob/Israel who had 12 sons. So Jesus was, in a way, calling 12 sons to renew the nation — to remind the people of Jacob/Israel and God's blessing the 12 tribes, God's love for all the people.

Today we need to learn about the women called by Jesus to be disciples, apostles, teachers and leaders in the church. It seems fair that we should learn about 12 women.

  1. Mary (of Bethany)
  2. Martha (of Bethany)
  3. Mary Magdalene (witness, teacher, apostle to the apostles)
  4. Salome (supporter of Jesus)
  5. Joanna (supporter of Jesus)
  6. Susanna (supporter of Jesus)
  7. Chloe (of Corinth, a coworker with Paul)
  8. Phoebe (deacon, benefactor, leader from church at Cenchreae, near Corinth, patron of Paul, very influential in the first four centuries)
  9. Lydia (of Philippi, a wealthy dealer in purple cloth, leader of house church — Acts 16:11-15)
  10. Junia (eminent/outstanding among the apostles, wife of Andronicus, evangelist, imprisoned for her faith)
  11. Priscilla (missionary, mentioned six times in the NT, a Jewish refugee from Rome, a tentmaker like Paul, teacher of Apollos the evangelist — Acts 18:26)
  12. Euodia (a coworker with Paul)
  13. Syntyche (a coworker with Paul)
  14. Julia (missionary)
  15. Persis (commended by Paul)
  16. Tryphena (a coworker with Paul)
  17. Tryphosa (a coworker with Paul)

So, that makes 17!

In a world we might say was a "man's world", the mention of these 17 women (not an exhaustive list) means a lot — it suggests that these women were undeniably gifted and respected leaders. In other words, there were many women called by Jesus and in the Holy Spirit to be disciples and apostles.

If we focus on just one of these apostolic sisters, we might imagine Lydia (after whom our library is named). We can imagine Lydia inviting people to her home for prayers, storytelling, a meal, friendship (in the early days of the Jesus movement there were no churches).

Come in, Lydia says ... Can I offer you something to drink? ... Somewhere to wash your feet and hands? ... May I introduce you to these friends of Jesus? ... Are there any concerns or problems we can help you with? ... Do you feel safe? ... Are your family and friends safe? ... Do you have enough money? ...

You are welcome, Lydia says ... There's a place at the table for you ... There's plenty to eat and drink ... You are safe here ... Let's read the Scriptures together, something from the holy book of Genesis, Exodus ... the prophets, the psalms ... We have a new letter from the Apostle Paul, it's very encouraging ... Then we will pray ... Then we will sing ... Then we will break bread and remember what Jesus was really like, how he valued every person as a child of God, and how he gave us new eyes/ways to see the beauty and goodness of the world ... as a place of grace and wonder ...

We thank God for every opportunity to show love, to offer and receive welcome, even if it's simply in sharing a cup of cold water ... In the wintertime, of course, we might prefer a hot cup of soup or tea. Amen.


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