A homily based on the sending of the seventy.

It all began with one.

Descending from on high, amid so much noise, the origin story is simple. One Father, one Mother, one Son. Even then, on closer inspection, this particular narrative holds more.

The child grew as all do; first one –

Crawl,
Step,
Walk,
Run.

Their speech developed as you might expect; first one –

Sound,
Syllable
Word,
Phrase,
Sentence.

And before you know it the One was in the temple, having full conversations, amazing teachers with he had to say.

It wasn’t always easy going for the One. They were tempted, in the desert, but would not succumb. They were baptized, in the waters, cleansed for all to see. A dove descended. The heavens opened. One voice, filled with pride then did speak. This is my Son. The Beloved. With whom I am well pleased.

Now grown, tempted, blessed, a time of addition, for the One, had come.

Join me, He offered two by the sea. I will teach you to fish. Not in water but on land. They dropped their nets and went. The two soon became four. Then eight. Then twelve.

Day by day, step by step, their numbers grew. The twelve watched as storms were calmed, thousands were fed, illness was healed, water turned to wine. The One challenged empire. Questioned religion. The ways of the One were unlike anything the twelve had ever seen.

Now it’s your turn, he told them.  The time for you to lead has come.

Go –

Heal the sick.
Cure disease.
Proclaim the kingdom of God.

Pack light. Your needs will be met. The twelve departed, proclaimed, healed. Oh, there were setbacks. But the movement was starting to grow.

Spurred on by their success more leaders were readied. This time the One appointed seventy. It was now their turn to lead. Go, he told them, two by two. Prepare the way of the Lord.

The work would not be easy. For the harvest is plentiful. But the workers few. Fear not, he told them. Ask for help from above.

Your task is simple.

Share peace.
Break bread.
Drink, together.

And when you encounter sickness? Heal. Then say this: The kingdom of God is near. What is this kingdom? they might ask. It is in the peace, the bread, the cup. It is in the touch that heals.  For when you do this, I am with you, said the One.

Some will welcome you. Great! Others will not. That’s ok too. Just move along. Wipe the dust from your feet. And then get back to that which you’ve been called to do.

The seventy went, doing all that was said. When they returned joy filled the air. We used your name! The darkness disappeared! It was replaced with light, life, love! The seventy were ecstatic.

Seventy. Per Genesis, the number of nations in the world. Making clear that the light, light, love this kingdom represents is to be for all.

That this text falls in the season of Pentecost is perhaps no surprise. It is a season of growth; the color is green.

I have to confess, the part where Jesus says the harvest is plenty, the workers few always gives me pause. Lots of work and not many people to do it? That doesn’t exactly seem like a recipe for success.

Yet Jesus doesn’t seem too worried about it. Where we see scarcity he sees abundance.
Fortunately, our task is simple.

Go, sharing –

Peace,
Bread.
Drink.

Heal those in need.

For it all began with One.
The movement grows still.
Continuing onward –
one, by one, by one.  Amen.