The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society

One of the things that I think most kids like to do is eavesdrop on their parents-I’m beginning to notice it with my twelve year old she’s hearing things that I don’t necessarily want her to here. 

 I used to sit quietly in our living room while my mom was on the phone conversation and then try to reconstruct what was actually being said based on the one half I heard.

Sometimes when I listened I overheard things about myself or heard things that I would rather have not heard the one conversation.

Today in John’s Gospel  the disciples get to overhear-- Jesus’ prayer for them—now I’m pretty sure that they were not eavesdropping, but they are getting to listen in on this very intimate prayer that Jesus is having with God the father- a prayer about themselves.

 

The prayer is part of the Gospel of John that is known as the farewell discourse. It the farewell discourse because it’s the point in the story where  Jesus is on his way out. 

It’s right after the  bread has been broken and the wine consumed  at the last supper Jesus is making arrangements and plans for his followers when he will no longer be with them.  Jesus is passing the and they will take  responsibility for God’s mission on earth--- it mission will no longer rest in Jesus hands but will be taken up by his disciples.

   

Some of what they hear is prayer for their protection.

They heard a prayer about having receiving what Jesus had received.  The words and power that God has poured into Jesus life- has and will been poured into their lives.  “…the words that you gave to me I have given to them.”

They hear a prayer about being sent into the world “As you have sent me… so have I sent them into the world.”  They are reminded that their identity is tied up as people of God  who are  sent--- the word apostle actually means one who is sent – the apostles sent into the world. 

This is where I would like to spend the remainder of the sermon is- spending time on being sent. 

Now I want to ask you a question and it would really impress me if could answer this. 

Vestry members aren’t allowed to help because we already talked about this a little bit last Tuesday 

Does anyone know the full legal name of the Episcopal Church is?

The full legal name--The Domestic and Foreign missionary society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.  

The domestic and foreign missionary society--  I don’t know about you but I think we have over the years have gotten away from being a domestic and foreign missionary society.

What would it look like if the Episcopal church began to recapture that vision of being a domestic and foreign missionary society-  What would it look like if we as individuals starting thinking of ourselves as domestic missionaries sent  into the world – not across the ocean and into a jungle, but to the soccer fields and hockey rinks, to our neighborhoods, to our workplaces- to wherever we go when not in this place.

How might we act differently if we thought of ourselves as missionaries.  Missionaries to our friends and families and co-workers.  Missionaries when we are standing in line waiting at the food truck or cheering on the Bills at the Ralph or in the Apple store getting are Mac book repaired. Missionaries sent to those places. 

Each one of us a domestic missionary- to Orchard Park or West Seneca or East Aurora.  What would that look like for you? 

I guess the mission field might be different. 

What if we saw ourselves as people sent by God, by Jesus into the world, sent into our spheres of influence?

I realized this week that we as Christian people, we at St. Mark’s don’t have a good understanding of who we are  as Christians - what are we to be about?   What our vocations are as Christian people? Is it  just to behave or be nice or are we called to something deeper.

This passage from John would say part of our vocation is to be ones who  are sent into the world. 

The Episcopal Church would say we are domestic and foreign missionaries. 

But what does that look like-- But as Christian, as an apostle, as a disciple—What am I sent to do? 

Think about that for a moment---Any ideas-- 

When I thought about our vocation as missionaries or what we are to do and be this week- I thought about words like transformation- I thought about being missionaries sent to be agents of transformation – transforming lives, transform the world-  bringing transformative power of  the kingdom of God right now—  of course we don’t do that alone- the spirit of God goes with us and w

At the end of the service Deacon Lee will dismiss us with a bold pronouncement to each and every one of us--  He will use the words,  "The worship has ended now let our service begin." 

As we go forth out those red doors--  I invite you to wrestle with where you are being called to be a missionary- and as my mom used to say to me as a kid---have  there are no “if, ands or buts about it.”

Where will you be a missionary today?  

For me it will be on a ball field- even when the umpire makes a bad call-- it will be in a baptism class—it will be on bicycle-- if I get to take a bike ride. It will be when my children are pushing my buttons? 

Where will you be a missionary and what will it look?

We are missionaries – we are part of a great missionary society- the domestic and foreign missionary society that is the Episcopal church.

God speed my friends, God Speed!

AMEN