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This sermon is about being people of peace. As we navigate each day, we are faced with countless decisions. We have to decide how we are going to behave, what we are going to say and do, and when to remain silent. This sermon is going to explore how we can be people of peace who respond thoughtfully and lovingly to the world around us instead of reacting impulsively.
As many of you know, I’ve just returned from vacation and it feels so good to be back with you. I’m returning feeling rested and much more at peace than when I left. The big adventure during my time away was a 3-day backpacking trip into the Olympic National Forest with my family. We all love hiking and have logged a lot of wilderness miles together here in WA and in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. But this trip was complicated.
After months of meticulous planning, obtaining permits, organizing maps and gear, and getting the kids excited, we had to pivot at the last minute. We had been planning on a trip to the Enchantments just outside of Leavenworth and changed our plans because of the ongoing manhunt in that area a few weeks ago.
Now, I’m a planner and people in my household don’t always pivot very easily. But we did it. We responded thoughtfully and carefully to the situation and made adjustments.
We packed up four packs with tents, sleeping bags, food, and all the “necessary” items for 60 hours or so spent in the mountains. We camped at 5,000 feet of elevation and hiked to the top of Buckhorn Mountain, topping out around 8,000 feet. It was a wonderful trip with breathtaking views and a much-needed break from the routines of life and the buzz of our world.
As we made the journey out of the mountains back to the Kingston Ferry terminal, my phone started pinging with all of the missed messages and news alerts.
We learned of disappointing Supreme Court decisions, arrived to a broken and closed ferry terminal, and ended up taking a very long and circuitous route home. In the normal course of life, these sorts of things would send me into orbit. A broken ferry?! Drive around?! You’ve got to be kidding. But after three days of a mini-sabbatical in the wilderness, we channeled our newfound peace, and calmly drove around to Bainbridge. And just like that, we were back.
As I read today’s gospel, fresh from this experience in the wilderness, a few things really caught my attention. Following the Transfiguration atop the mountain, Jesus and his followers continue their journey towards Jerusalem.
They stop along the way to pray, to preach, to heal the sick, and cast out demons. They stop in a Samaritan village and are refused. They shake the dust off their sandals and keep on walking.
In the portion we heard today, Jesus appoints 72 of his followers to go out in pairs to villages. They are scouts and evangelists, setting out on a journey to bring peace and good news of the gospel to those they encounter.
But get this, Jesus says, “Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals, and greet no one on the road.”
I spent 3 days in the wilderness and took a thirty-five pound backpack and these guys just stand up and walk out the door. Did they have a hydration system?! What if they needed sunscreen, a bandaid, or a snack?!
Jesus told them they were lambs being sent into the midst of wolves. You would think he would have calculated the risk assessment and at least given them a water bottle and some Costco protein bars, maybe some bear spray, but no.
All joking aside, what Jesus is telling us in his directions to these 72 evangelists is that spreading the good news of the gospel is vulnerable work.
These ministry partners had to trust Jesus and one another implicitly. They had to trust the people who would receive them. They had to enter this space of vulnerability faithfully and boldly as they set out to proclaim that the kingdom of God has come near.
Jesus gives them an invitation to step out of the reactivity that our world reinforces. Instead of reacting, Jesus asks them to respond.
How often do you find yourself reacting to the world around you? When I left the serenity of the wilderness and returned to the world via my cell phone, I started reacting right away. Seeing the headlines I had missed over the past few days invoked a lot of strong feelings; disappointment, anger, fear, frustration, and stress. The habit of picking up my cell phone and reading the Seattle Times or New York Times often causes me to react strongly to the world.
What daily habits cause you to react? Is it reading the news first thing in the morning, scrolling through social media, or responding too quickly to emails or messages? What could things look like if we accepted Jesus’ invitation and chose to respond to the world around us rather than react?
When I respond, rather than react, it looks like this. When I feel that hook, something that triggers an emotional reaction, responding requires a pause. Deep breaths sometimes. I try to prayerfully consider the situation, factoring in my values, logic, or empathy. And only then, do I respond.
This might look like waiting 24 hours to respond to an irritating email or voicemail. Sometimes, it looks like taking a break and going for a short walk or getting some fresh air before responding to a family member who has done that same really irritating thing for the 37th time that week.
In my daily practice, responding is saying Morning Prayer and drinking a cup of coffee BEFORE reading any of the news. I’ve found that beginning my day in silence and prayer is deeply grounding and helps as I navigate things beyond my control. I am less likely to react to the news and instead respond to the news when I’ve taken the time to tend my soul first.
You might be wondering, why does this matter? Why does it matter if we react or respond to things in our daily lives? God gives us the freedom to choose our actions. That is not trivial! God loves us so much that we are given the freedom to make our own choices, even when we make the wrong choices. Therefore, we have to choose to follow Jesus. We have to choose to be people of peace. We have to choose empathy, love, and compassion.
In this gospel, the 72 evangelists set out on a journey. They step into a place of vulnerability and trust. And when they enter a home, Jesus tells them to say, “Peace to this house!” Luke’s gospel goes on to say, “And if a person of peace is there, your peace will rest on that person, but if not, it will return to you.”
There is so much we cannot control. The loss of health insurance for millions of Americans. Funding cuts for public schools, universities, and scientific research. The dehumanizing treatment of immigrants and refugees. The list goes on and on and there is very little within our control. Sometimes, we talk about what to do about these giant systemic problems, but today I want to focus on our inward experience. How do we respond internally and eventually, outwardly to these things which trigger us?
We can choose to be people of peace. We can choose to take mini sabbaticals from the pressures and stresses of the world, not escaping, but seeking respite.
For me, mini sabbaticals are backpacking in the mountains and turning off my cellphone, starting each day with prayer, and choosing to respond to the news rather than reacting.
Whether it is 15 minutes of prayer and meditation or 3 days in the wilderness, this habitual grounding of my soul helps me become a person of peace. Worshipping with you every Sunday does the same thing.
I was talking with a parishioner the other day about a broken relationship in his life. He told me that he is at peace because he acknowledges the other person’s freedom and that person has decided to walk away from the relationship. “Let them,” he says. And the second part is this, “Let me.”
By accepting the other person’s freedom and decision to walk away, this man has found peace within himself to let go and carry on. He is responding instead of reacting.
Jesus tells the evangelists to greet people in peace. “And if a person of peace is there, your peace will rest on that person, but if not, it will return to you.”
Sometimes, responding looks like walking away and accepting your peace as it returns to you. This can still be disappointing or frustrating, but carrying on as a person of peace is ultimately joyful.
There is freedom in being a person of peace. God leads us to a place of rejoicing, but it is up to us to make the decisions to carry us there.
So may we pack lightly, walk humbly, and carry peace wherever we go—trusting that even when it’s not received, it will return to us, and guide us on.