SUNDAY SERMON: Apostles All Around
By Rev. Stephen Baldwin
OT: Psalm 100
NT: Matthew 9.35-10.8
Sometimes we lose sight of the bigger picture. That includes here in church.
Each week in worship, we read a passage of scripture from a
particular book. A few verses from one of the 80 books, containing hundreds of characters and thousands of pages in total. The official term for these short passages is pericope. Pericope is defined as, “a distinct, self-contained excerpt or passage from a text that forms a single, coherent unit of thought,”
We read these pericopes in order to dive down into a piece of scripture and make sense of it in light of the larger story of faith. But sometimes, we lose sight of the bigger picture.
The bigger picture behind the pericopes we’ve been reading for the last month or so is the passing of the torch. That’s what happens; Jesus has passed the torch on to his followers.
After Jesus is killed, his followers witness his resurrection. They receive the Great Commission to continue his work and the Holy Spirit to empower them to do that difficult work. Then they see Jesus ascend into heaven, and the torch is officially passed. It’s their turn now.
Because of their transformational experiences, they’re as ready as anyone could be. None of them had been qualified for the job from the jump. Except that they’d been willing to follow. And in the course of following Jesus in his ministry, something remarkable happened. They learned his ways. They gained confidence and power. They began doing the work to which he had called them. They fed the hungry and healed the sick and served the people.
Did you notice the turn of phrase in today’s pericope about how Matthew refers to them? Matthew 10.1 calls them disciples; Matthew 10.2 calls them apostles.
What’s the difference? Disciples are followers. Apostles are sent out. Jesus calls them disciples until he passes the torch, and when he does, they are no longer mere followers. They are apostles, sent out to DO HIS WORK.
What are you? What are we? Disciples? Apostles? Has that answer changed over time?
If you look at the 12 apostles Jesus sends out to do his work, they are not who you would expect Jesus to choose as leaders the future of the church depended on. Nor were they of one mind about what to do or how to do it. Matthew worked as a tax collector for the government and Simon wanted to overthrow the government! Peter was loyal while Judas was plotting betrayal. Thomas says every thought that comes to his mind and Thaddeus never said a word.
These were the 12 apostles who were sent out to build the church we have today. How in the world did they manage to do it? By the grace of God. For God sends us out to follow in different ways, with different people.
Sometimes we lose sight of the bigger picture. But not this week. This week, we saw it clearly. I’ve had two funerals and a wedding, and those events have reminded me that there are apostles all around.
Our community endured a tragedy this past week which drove that point home to me. Spencer Arnold died after a car accident last Sunday morning. He was a 40-year old father of two boys who absolutely adored him, both of whom were baptized at Ronceverte, a loving husband to Tasha, and beloved youngest son of Pam and Rusty Arnold, who minister to all of us during our times of grief via the funeral home. He was also the nicest guy you’ve ever met.
At his funeral, there were more people in the sanctuary than I’ve ever seen in my almost-20 years in the church, and it reminded me of the apostles. A diverse group of people from all walks of life who had every reason to see their differences, but instead we only saw what unified us. Our love for Spencer and his family. Our savior Jesus Christ. Our brothers and sisters in faith.
There was bluegrass music, sacred music, and Gospel music. There were three pastors–a non-demononational Pentecostal, a Black Baptist, and a Presbyterian. (Rusty called us The Three Amigos!) After the service, there were 80 people all breaking bread in the basement together, fed by a small group of Presbyterians. It was a beautiful thing.
In the face of that tragedy, it felt like we regained perspective as apostles of Jesus Christ, united in being sent out to serve him and do his work, no matter our differences, no matter the circumstances, no matter the difficulties.
Friends, believe the good news: God turns disciples into apostles, followers into leaders, and you into exactly the person you need to be. That’s the bigger picture we are called to trust. Amen.
