READING AND REFLECTIONS FOR THURSDAY 1 OCTOBER 2020

Remigius, Bishop and Missionary to the Franks, 530

There had been Christians in what we call France since at least the second century; but much of the Church life there had been destroyed by the invasion of Franks and other Germanic tribes from beyond the boundaries of the Roman Empire.  Remigius is remembered because he baptised the Christian Church in the lands Clovis had occupied.

                                                                                                (Saints and Seasons – ACSA)

The Collect :

God our Creator

You called us out of darkness

into your marvellous light

and you gave us your servant Remigius

to shine as a light in the world:

shine in our hearts

and enable us to proclaim your love:

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Job 19: 21 – 27          Psalm 27 : 9 – 17         Luke 10: 1 – 12

In the Gospel reading this morning Jesus commissions and gives his disciples instructions for how they are to carry out their ministry.

Firstly,  we look at the significance of the number seventy and its symbolism to the Jews.

(a) It was the number of the elders who were chosen to help Moses with the task of leading and directing the people in the wilderness  (Numbers 11:16-17; Numbers 11:24-25).

(b) It was the number of the Sanhedrin, the supreme council of the Jews.

(c) It was held to be the number of nations in the world at that time. Luke held a universalist view, and it may well be that he was thinking of the day when every nation in the world would know and love his Lord.

Jesus commissions the seventy, to a two-fold task – to speak in his name and to act with his authority.

The disciple should not to be entangled in the clutter of the material things of this world; one should travel light. How easy it is to get entangled in the complexities of this life, carrying with us the baggage of the past that can weigh us down and blind us to the beauty of where God calls us and needs us to be.  Dr Samuel Johnson (1709 – 1784), remarked grimly, “These are the things which make it difficult to die.” Earth must never blot out heaven.

The disciples were sent out and needed to be focussed on the task at hand;  “do not greet anyone along the way” verse 4 (b).  This takes us back to Elisha’s instruction to Gehazi in 2 Kings 4:29. This is not an instruction to be rude, disrespectful or bad mannered; rather it speaks to us about remaining focussed on where or what the task is and where it may lead us. Too often we linger on the trivial things of life (majoring in minors) and allow them to side-track us, while there is greater work to be done and much to be addressed.

We are also called to be disciples of the Good News working in various areas and aspects of life.  As God sends us out into the world, we are not become part of the world, but rather remain humble in all the works that we are called to do.  The work to which we are called, is not for what we can gain out of it, (recognition, prestige etc.) but rather, what we can offer freely to others, expecting nothing in return.  As we go out, our dependency is not on ourselves but on God.

God shares his word with us and  commissions us to speak it boldly and plainly to others.

Do the people we encounter recognise us as Christs disciples?

Let us Pray :

 Gracious God,
Your Son, Jesus Christ,
invites all people to follow him
and become his disciples.

Touch our hearts, enlighten our minds,
and stir our spirit.

Amen