My Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

This past week I found myself thinking about the iconic 1980 movie The Blues Brothers. Jake (played by John Belushi) and Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) are on a quest to save the Catholic orphanage in which they grew up. They plan to raise money by getting their R&B band back together. Along the way there is rousing music and song by the fabulous James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and Johnny Lee Hooker. … Despite this star-studded cast, what everyone remembers is the signature line, … “We're on a mission from God.”

Make no mistake – the Church is on a “mission from God,” too. This Sunday we get a better picture of what that entails for us as disciples of Jesus Christ.

I prefer to say “disciples” rather than “followers of Christ,” because “disciples” better describes who we’re meant to be and what we’re meant to do. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “disciple” as “one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another.” We are not meant to just passively follow Jesus. We are to actively spread the Good News. 

In Sunday's Gospel, for example, Jesus sends out “seventy (70) others … ahead of Him.” These are seventy other disciples – not the twelve (12) apostles, not the spiritual forerunners of our bishops and clergy. … In effect, they are the laity. We see that all of us are to be sent, to go, and to take part in a mission from God. 

There’s really no such thing as an arm-chair disciple of Christ. Faith is about putting our trust into action. When the harvest is plentiful but “the laborers are few,” we are sent as the advance team. And God knows we are sorely needed today. We don’t have to be “experts” because Jesus does not only call the equipped; He also equips the called. Trust that we have or will be given the needed gifts for the mission.  

Christians often forget this sending and going part of discipleship. We can sometimes treat the church as the final destination of our faith journey in this world, seeing it as an offramp, if you will, from the crazy callousness of society, but it’s really an on-ramp for bringing peace and love out of the chaos that swirls around us. 

Breath, do not be afraid, and trust. We are not called to conquer or coerce for Christ. Simply offer the Good News of God’s love to one and all, and be carriers of God’s peace. By word and deed, we are to show others the authentic Jesus. You’ll be amazed how receptive people are to a message that they can see embodied in you.

Embrace your identity as missionaries of the Kingdom in service of our Lord’s Prayer – that God’s will will be done on earth as in heaven. 

When God asks, Whom should I send? We should all sing, “I will go, Lord.”

Simply put – we are being sent into the world on a mission from God to do what Jesus did: to feed those who are hungry; clothe those who are naked; heal those who are sick or broken; comfort those who are hurting; and to speak a word of hope to those who are despairing.

It’s true, of course, that some people will not share in the peace we offer – at least not initially. Jesus experienced the same in His earthly ministry. But it’s still important to let people know about the good news that God’s kingdom has come near. We don’t know how the Spirit will later work in their lives. Just shake off the dust of disagreement, division, and rejection, and go on. Remember, you’re on a mission from God. 

In Christ's Love,
Mark Andrew+

"Anxiety weights down the human heart, but a good word cheers it up" (Proverbs 12:25).