Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward” (Matthew 10:40-42).
It was a hot summer day on the farm and my grandmother had sent me on an errand. Bring this basket to your grandfather – he’s in the hayfield. I wondered what she had packed… I hoped it was cookies and I hoped she had packed enough for me to have one too.
I trudged over the fields to where my grandfather was working and hailed him as he came around the corner of the field. Seeing me and the basket, he stopped the tractor and walked over to the shade tree. It was a hot day and so he mopped his brow before opening the basket. Hoping there were cookies inside, I could wait for him to unpack the basket… but he took his time.
Don Juel, one of my seminary professors, helped me to understand how to unpack the message of the Bible. This too takes time – and he suggested that we start by asking the right questions. Unfortunately, we don’t always ask questions - as many faithful Christians treat the Bible as simply a book of rules, or as a set of commandments, so the question we tend to ask is, “What does the Bible tell me to do?” And while the Bible does teach lots of commandments, especially in the Old Testament, that’s not all the Bible has to say. Indeed, if we jump to the question of what should we do first, we might miss the most important message that the Bible has to teach us.
The Bible tells God’s story in history – but it is not a history book. God’s story continues today. It teaches commandments for how to live a good life but it also gives words of lament as God’s people grieve in pain and loss and offers profound words of promise as God’s people hear a word of hope. Dr. Juel taught that the first question to ask when reading the Bible, is “What does this text mean? And secondly, what does it mean for me?”
So let’s begin with the first question: What does this text mean? Putting it in context, Jesus is talking to the disciples who he is sending out to villages ahead of him and proclaiming Jesus’ message, healing the sick and preparing hearts and minds to come and see Jesus. Jesus has warned them that it won’t be easy. Not everyone will accept them. But they will not be alone. They will be welcomed and when someone welcomes them… they welcome Jesus too.
But now let’s ask, “what does it mean for me?” Rolf Jacobson, another seminary professor, invites you to look for where you, the reader, is located in the text, because the Bible is not simply a history book. It’s written for you and me too. The first line of today’s text reads: “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” The “you” in this line is plural so what Jesus is saying in our Gospel today is that whoever welcomes you’all is also welcoming him, Jesus – and Jesus’ Father in heaven. And that’s a promise. God is with you’all.
So we can understand what that meant for the disciples, but we aren’t going out into villages ahead of Jesus, healing people and proclaiming the good news. We are somewhere in the middle of social unrest because of the racial injustices facing our black and brown brothers and sisters AND a pandemic – trying to be safe and to keep physical distance between one another while at the same time trying to live life in a way that makes sense until a vaccine is developed. So what does it mean for us to be sent out and what does Jesus’ promise mean for us?
Our circles, those we interact with on a regular basis, feel like they have gotten smaller, for a time. And yet… Jesus has sent you’all out –like the apostles – to share God’s love with people in your circle, people who are in a variety of places and who have a variety of attitudes about Jesus.
Of course, being sent out doesn’t always mean that we need to be physically present in order to share God’s love. In this time of physical separation, God has still been at work as congregational members call, mail, email and use social media to extend a word of care to another. God has been at work in healthy conversations about the need to change racial injustice. God’s word is being sent out in a variety of ways – from online worship to radio services to mailed out bulletins and sermons.
And sometimes, we are called to show up. This past week I was invited to lead the celebration of life for Dave Olson, the husband of Heather and father of 10 year old Noah and 5 year old Lily. We held the service in a nearby park and friends and family and most of the guys from Dave’s work came too. There were lots of people – but people wore masks and did their best to both try to be safe and to support the family. After memories were shared, they welcomed me to share a word of grace and God’s love in this time of pain and loss. And as they welcomed me, they welcomed Jesus Christ. And Jesus gave me the words to speak into their pain, words of God’s love and care and presence with them always.
After the service, the extended family, wearing masks and gloves shared God’s love another way – by offering hotdogs, pulled pork and a whole smorgasbord of food for the whole community. The cross of Christ shone brightly on their foreheads as they served their neighbor. Jesus sends us out to share God’s love in many ways. And helps us unpack it.
After I gave my grandfather the basket my grandmother had prepared, he carefully unwrapped something wrapped in newspaper. I waited with anticipation. As he unwrapped it, I heard a clinking sound and watched as he opened up. It was just a mason jar filled with ice and water. But the way my grandfather savored that ice cold water made it look like he had received the finest drink in the world. It looked so good that I asked if I could try it. He smiled and shared it with me. It really was still water. But it was good. And so were the cookies that he shared that had been hidden under the water jar. But that cold water and clinking ice in the mason jar that had been carefully wrapped in newspaper by my grandmother wasn’t just water. It was love. And I was glad to be the messenger who was sent out to bring a cup of love to him.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are messengers of God’s good news. Sometimes we deliver it in mason jars filled with water and sometimes with cards and messages of hope and sometimes just with a phone call, a text message or tweet. But, however we share God’s good news, Jesus is with us and blesses us and the message we share. In Jesus’ name. Amen.