Matthew 9:35-10:23
Proper 6 / Year A
Are you at all familiar with the expression
‘B.H.A.G.? It is an acronym for Big,
Hairy, Audacious Goal. The notion of B.H.A.G.
is rooted in the belief every individual and every organization needs something
to push and stretch it; something to move it from complacency and comfort to
challenge and daring.
The other day I got to wondering if there is such a
thing as spiritual muscles… values, attitudes, disciplines, and practices we
need to employ to live a Christ-like life.
If there are spiritual muscles, then do they get weak and flabby from
disuse? When, I wondered, was the last
time any one of us came home from church with achy spiritual muscles… not sore
from being abused and pushed around, but sore from being stretched beyond our
comfort zone? What B.H.A.G. calls us
forward as a community in Christ? What
challenge pulls us out of complacency and promises to stretch us spiritually?
Today’s Gospel reading invites us to ponder these
questions. Think about the
disciples. They have followed Jesus
around the countryside. They have
listened to him teach, watched him minister, seen him stand with the powerless
by confronting the powers that be, and witnessed his miracles. To use our language, they have been spiritual
consumers… getting from Jesus what they need and more. But in this lesson, Jesus makes a dramatic
shift in the relationship by moving them from consumers to producers.
Look at what Jesus sends the disciples to do: cure the
sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. Essentially, he is directing them to venture forth
and do what he has been doing. And, to
be sure, if they do what he sends them to do, their spiritual muscles will
indeed be sore.
· Cure the sick: if you have ever stood with someone
through a major illness then you know how exhausting it can be physically,
mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
· Raise the dead: have you ever tried to breathe life
and energy into a person who has given up?
· Cleanse the lepers: think about the most physically
revolting person you have ever known.
This is who Jesus sends the disciples to be with, to love, to touch, to
heal.
· Cast out demons: again, think about the most troubled,
most dysfunctional, most unsettled person you know. This is who Jesus sends his followers to befriend.
You can bet the B.H.A.G. Jesus lays on the disciples
catches them off guard. And to make matters
worse, Jesus basically sends them out with no resources or training. The whole thing about taking no money, no
spare clothes, no food, and no staff suggests the disciples are already
equipped with everything they need to undertake this challenge. And if they accept his commissioning, you can
be sure their spiritual muscles will get sore, but stronger. Eventually they will walk a Christ-like life
with more stamina and confidence because pushing themselves spiritually leads to
growth, fulfillment, and meaningful living.
Churches are interesting places. On one hand we come here to be healed and
comforted. When we leave here we want to
know God loves us and cares for us. We
yearn for a sense of contentment. In the
midst of an increasingly dangerous and chaotic world we want to come to a place
like St. Paul’s and know green pastures and still waters still exist. On the other hand, we sense the spiritual
life consists of more than being comforted and coddled. We know Jesus drops spiritual B.H.A.G.’s on
us from time to time and we know we are impoverished when we continually avoid
taking on big challenges.
I once received an email from a camp director which
ended with this automatic message:
Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in
a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out,
shouting “...holy cow... what a ride!”
Jesus shares his ministry with the disciples for two
reasons. First, there is a lot of work
to do. And second, he wants them to
experience the joy and thrill of life’s ride.
Spiritual muscles, like the tissue muscles of the body, feel best when
used, when stretched, when strained. St.
Paul’s does you a service when you come here and find still waters and green
pastures. But we do you a disservice if
we never call you to something that challenges you and tests you and tries you
and calls you to be more like Christ than you ever imaged or dreamed
possible. St. Paul’s has to be a place
where fearful people take up a calling and in the midst of it shout out, “holy
cow… what a ride!”
