Lent: Journey Through the Holy Land – Part 22

Jesus called the Twelve to him, and sent them out in pairs. He gave them authority and power to deal with the evil opposition. He sent them off with these instructions: “Don’t think you need a lot of extra equipment for this. You are the equipment. No special appeals for funds. Keep it simple. “And no luxury inns. Get a modest place and be content there until you leave. “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.” Then they were on the road. They preached with joyful urgency that life can be radically different; right and left they sent the demons packing; they brought wellness to the sick, anointing their bodies, healing their spirits.

Mark 6:7-13 The Message

As we journeyed through Israel, we covered a lot of ground. It amazed me how far Jesus and his disciples traveled by foot. I started to wonder how he had covered so much ground. The land wasn’t flat like Kansas, he wasn’t walking down paved roads and he couldn’t just call up his pals in the next town over to tell them the good news. It was a laborious mission, spreading the good news.

Throughout all of this blogging and reflecting, I have done a lot of reading. A LOT. Which for some of you the amount of reading I have done is not very much, but in comparison to how much time I used to spend reading, this is a ton.

I have reread my travel journal several times. I have reread chapters and sections of books I used to prepare for the trip. I have read chapters and sections of brand new books. I have read passages of scripture over and over again. I have compared translations of scripture. I have outlined the four gospels and lined them up section by section to determine the best chronological order for posting my journey and to best overview the life of Jesus.

It has been laborious. And exhausting. And I’ve almost given up at times. It’d would be 11 o’clock at night and I’d be out of words. I wouldn’t know how to best explain and connect scripture to my journey. I’d think about just posting every other day, or every two days. I’ve stretched the content thin, so I could just have fewer lengthier posts. I have come up with every single reason not to post every day.

I’m exhausted. I’m emotionally and physically drained – from writing, from reading, from social media, from the news, from work, from life. But spiritually, it’s different. I have never been so open about my faith. I have not spent this much time in scripture in years. I have not prayed this much in months. And every time I even start to think about giving up – I have to remind myself that this is so rewarding for me spiritually. I have to remind myself that by sharing my story, maybe someone will feel compelled to seek God and believe in the transformation he can have on their life. That the more time I spend in scripture, prayer, and reflection, the more I can reflect God’s love to others.

As I outlined the rest of these blog posts late last week, I found scripture that occurred in three of the four gospels that I had never really heard before. It’s titled “The Mission of the Twelve” (Matthew 10 and Luke 9) or “The Twelve” (Mark 6). This may be in the book of John – but I couldn’t find it (let me know if you do!). What I found really interesting, is that that these are found in roughly the first third of the chapters of each of these books, so this is most likely relatively early on in Jesus’ ministry.

At this point in time, Jesus calls the twelve disciples and sends them out into the community. He gives them a set of instructions and they go on their way.

Right now we are in a time of “social distancing.” It’s not easy. We as humans have a longing for connection with others. I think this passage shares three important messages during this time – especially with social distancing:

“Don’t think you need a lot of extra equipment for this. You are the equipment.”

You don’t have to have a fancy Bible, or know all the worship songs, or have the right words for prayer. You don’t need hours of preparation. You just need you. You don’t have to quote scripture or have a philosophical speech, just tell others how you have seen God at work in your life.

“They preached with joyful urgency that life can be radically different […]”

Right now in the panic of it all, you can joyfully share the comfort you have in Jesus. You can share the hope you have through your faith. Be urgent, be intentional. Often times we wait until the going gets tough to share our faith. Do it now! Share messages of hope and encouragement of how life can be changed through Jesus.

“[…] they brought wellness to the sick, anointing their bodies, healing their spirits.”

Pray for those around you. Pray for their spirit. Call or text an old friend and ask them how they are spiritually – how’s their soul? And don’t just pray for them, ask if you can pray with them. Pray for those who are sick, pray for those who are healing the sick. Pray for those who are afraid and those who are anxious.

Send a care package or a card. Send a hug. Give financially to those in need. Maybe give some of that extra toilet paper you’ve stocked up on to the neighbor who has none.

With how early this passage of scripture is in the gospels, and with the pep talk Jesus gives the disciples – I’m sure they didn’t feel ready for this. They didn’t feel equipped.

Maybe that’s how you’re feeling right now. Maybe you’re struggling to see how we can be the church at this time while apart from each other. Maybe it feels like this is going to be laborious – trying to find ways to share God’s love in the midst of the distance. Maybe you feel like you didn’t have enough time to prepare – that everything is happening so fast.

But amid the chaos, know one thing – Jesus was named Emmanuel, God with us.

We’re not alone. Even when we physically are apart, we are not alone. God is with us. He will lead us. He will guide us. Put your trust in him. You can do this. Encourage those around you. Pray for others. Pray with others. Be in community with one another.

God, thank You for always being with us. We don’t know what the days ahead hold, but let us be Your light, Your love, Your peace to the community and world around us. Amen.

Abbey Jo