"It Takes Guts" - Luke 10:1-11 - July 8, 2001

On January 13, 1982, when Air Florida's Flight 90 crashed on takeoff and fell into the icy waters of the Potomac River, Martin Skutnik, age 28, saw the plane go down. He stood with other spectators on the riverbank watching a woman who had survived the crash and was struggling to swim in the cold water. Skutnik plunged into the river and rescued her. He had never taken a life saving course, but he saved the woman's life. He probably didn't use the proper form or technique when he swam to the woman's side, at least as professional swim instructors would teach it. He may not have followed the Red Cross Lifesaving Manual in the method he used to grab the woman and bring her back to the safety of the shore. At that time, Skutnik was a general office worker. He had a wife and two children and lived in a rented town house. He became a national hero on that fateful day by risking his life to rescue that drowning woman. (Homiletics, July 2001)

Most of us don’t have the occasion to be a hero. The extraordinary acts of courage are normally done by extraordinary people. When it comes to the more difficult challenges in life we are accustomed to turning those challenges over to the experts. This has become the trend in the Church. More and more, congregations are leaving the work of the church to paid staff rather than lay volunteers.

In the gospel of Luke Jesus had a mission for his followers; to proclaim the kingdom, spread the word and bring new converts into the life of the church. But, it wasn’t professionals who Jesus challenged to do the work, it was ordinary people. Jesus was calling ordinary folks to do extraordinary work. Why extraordinary? Because the spreading of the gospel was not a simple task. It was dangerous, difficult. In fact, it would take guts.

Jim Griffith is a Church consultant who does workshops across the country on Church growth. One of his main points is that the modern church takes its mission too lightly. Whether we want to admit it or not we are engaged in what he calls, "spiritual warfare." The Church is up against tremendous odds, no less than it was in Jesus’ time. The problems may not be the same, but the challenges are just as difficult.

Recently our church staff was discussing the problem of securing volunteer help in the nursery. Few people will commit themselves to a Sunday morning in the future since they have no idea of where they might be on a particular weekend. This is quite different from the problems Jesus’ disciples faced, nevertheless we still face challenges when it comes to being the Church.

Griffith goes on to say that we in the Church must realize that when it comes to building the kingdom of God we are in fact at "war." What he is saying is no different than what Jesus was saying. To do the work of the church requires commitment. Griffith also says that we can’t just rely on experts or paid professionals to do the work of the church. Building the kingdom of God is the responsibility of all followers, not just church staff.

We just celebrated our independence. We had picnics, parades and fireworks. It is a festive occasion that doesn’t take a great deal of commitment. It is a holiday, time for fun and relaxation. I wonder if we have forgotten the commitment to our freedom that folks like Jefferson and Washington made. Their world was quite different than ours. They lived under an oppressive foreign government. The land was primitive and they struggled to build a society with few resources. They fought a war with very crude weapons. But, they succeeded because they had guts.

I believe Jesus wants us to be people who have guts. First he said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." In other words there is great potential but few people who are willing to make a commitment. Secondly he said, "I send you as lambs in the midst of wolves." The odds against us are great, like David and Goliath. Also he doesn’t hide the fact that being a Christian is not easy, for it can be very dangerous. Third, Jesus said, "Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals." We don’t need high-tech weapons to succeed. We only need ourselves.

For me this is the key. We think we need tremendous resources to do the Lord’s work. We think that unless we are successful, like some mega churches are, that we are not being faithful. True, it takes guts. It also takes guts to be who we are, to do ministry in our own community with the resources we have, no matter how few they may be. The ministry that we do may be overwhelming at times, as Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful." It is not a simple task and there will be times when we fail. We are not all like Martin Skutnik, we don’t rescue people from icy waters on a daily basis. Jesus, however tells us to travel light. We don’t need lots of excess baggage to be faithful followers. We only need guts.

This past week we were shocked to learn that Springhill nursery in Tipp City has closed. A nursery business which has existed since 1849 has shut its doors. Springhill has had a reputation of giving jobs to area residents, especially college students. But, the business was closed last Friday and all the employees were layed off. But, one employee gathered a group together over the weekend to work at the nursery. They didn’t receive any compensation but they wanted to tend to the young plants, hopeful that somehow the nursery would reopen. The chances are remote since the parent company has gone bankrupt. Nevertheless, these faithful employees are dedicated to the care of delicate flowers and plants and continue to nurture them.

This reminds me of a story by Carol Rehme which took place during World War II. Francis Meilland dedicated his life to raising roses. He knew each plant intimately. As he strode through the nursery he came across one very special rose. "Ah, this one," he said, "this one," as he rubbed the particularly glossy leaf with a finely serrated edge. It was a masterpiece, unlike anything he had ever seen. Of all his plants, this one was sensational.

Meilland was anxious to give his precious rose a name and continue to work in his nursery but the year was 1939 and the threat of war hovered over Western Europe. His only hope was to preserve the precious flower from eminent danger. Soon there after, Nazi Germany had occupied northern France and were now moving toward Paris. Waging blitzkrieg, the Nazis attacked one town after another spreading defeat and disaster everywhere.

With little time to spare Meilland took cuttings from his beloved plant and methodically packaged and shipped them throughout the world. He had no idea if they would survive. He could only hope. On one of the last planes that left France just before the Nazis gained control of the airport, one of his precious cuttings, cushioned in a diplomatic pouch, was destined for the United States.

Four long years passed. Meilland received a letter that one of his cuttings had reached a rose grower in Pennsylvania. It was ruffled and delicate. The petals were of cameo ivory and palest cream, tipped with a tinge of pink. His rose had survived. Later, on the very day Berlin fell to the allies, there was a special ceremony that took place in California. To honor the occasion, white doves were set free. After many years the fragile rose had survived the war and now received a name. It was called "Peace." (from Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul, Of War and Roses)

The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. We are sent out as lambs in the midst of wolves. We need few resources to be faithful followers. All we need is guts.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio