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Homilies by Rev. Andrew Collis unless indicated otherwise.
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Ordinary Sunday 11, Year A
South Sydney Uniting Church
June 18, 2017
Psalm 116; Matthew 9:35 - 10:13
‘Following, being sent’
The tablecloth is green today. Green means it’s time to grow, it’s time to learn something new. God be with you …
Perhaps you’ve heard the word “disciple” used in church. Disciples are students committed to a particular course of study or discipline. We could also say that disciples are pupils, trainees or apprentices. And we could say that disciples follow the example of a leader or teacher.
Have you ever played the game called “Simon Says” (“Simon Peter Says”)? It’s a game that shows us what it means to follow a leader …
In the New Testament we read about Jesus the Teacher who called many people to be his disciples. They followed him in the north country called Galilee. They followed him as he walked to Jerusalem in the south. Listening to him, and doing what he did …
There are some objects on the Table this morning to help us learn a little more: a clock, a calendar, and a carton of eggs (there may not be any eggs inside). These objects all have something in common. Can you see what it is? …
In our reading today from Matthew’s Gospel, we learn that Jesus called 12 disciples for special instruction. Twelve was the number of the Jewish tribes, the sons/tribes of Jacob/Israel, so Jesus is wanting to reach out to all the people of his day, and to renew the nation, to bring hope and unity. The 12 are also called apostles – and apostle means someone who is sent, someone sent on a mission.
Now, the names of the 12 apostles can be fun to learn. Some have the same name. There was Simon Peter (Cephas/Rocky) and also Simon the Zealot. A Zealot was a member of a revolutionary group that was trying to overthrow the Roman government and free the Jews.
There was James the son of Alpheus (sometimes called “James the Less” [we might say Jimmy Jr] because he was younger than the other James). James (Big Jim), the son of Zebedee, was the brother of the Apostle John. They worked together in their father’s fishing business before following Jesus. They were known as the “sons of thunder” because of their tempers. John was one of Jesus’ closest friends. Later, when Jesus was dying on the cross, Jesus asked John to take care of his mother Mary.
Some of the apostles have more than one name. Matthew was also known as Levi (Matthew 9:9 and Luke 5:27-
And there was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother; Philip and Thomas.
Apostles are disciples sent on a mission, disciples with a task, a job to do. Have you ever been sent on a mission? … That can be exciting.
In our Gospel reading Jesus sends them out to announce good news, to offer peace, to heal and cleanse, to cast out and set free ... always remembering how much God loves them and the world, keeping this love at the centre of their lives …
Action: bringing a glass of cold water, a copy of the SSH, flowers, herbs …
You might notice that all 12 apostles were men (Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Thomas, Matthew, Bartholomew, James the less, Simon, Thaddeus, Judas).
It was normal in those days for men to be made leaders and to be given missionary work to do. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t many women disciples and leaders of religious groups or churches. There was Mary and Martha of Bethany, and there was Phoebe and Lydia, who worked with the Apostle Paul (a later apostle). And there was Mary Magdalene who was called Apostle to the Apostles – because she was the first to witness the resurrection of Jesus and because she was very wise and strong.
The story of Jesus and the disciples and apostles goes on … In the Spirit, Jesus continues to call men, women, younger people, older people, fisher-
What do I see in today’s Gospel? I see Jesus sending the 12 apostles on a mission to meet new people. Jesus knows that they will learn how to share by going out to discover the goodness and kindness of other people. That’s why he tells them not to pack large suitcases or carry much money. He wants them to learn to trust in the goodness and kindness of strangers (as well as discovering their own goodness and kindness), to make friends and to be friends, to learn as they go (listen and look), as they live deeply in the friendship of God.
One more thing. All disciples, including apostles, make mistakes – learn, grow, move, need encouragement and forgiveness. All disciples, including apostles, are loved by God, and guided in goodness and kindness. Amen.
“With the notion of ‘Christian mission’ we are necessarily sent back to a theology that is lived before it is made doctrine, a theology that can be thought only if it is incarnated in a vita philosophica vel theologica” (J.-