“Taking Your Faith on the Road” – Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 – July 8, 2007

One evening my wife and I were on our way to a restaurant. On the way there my wife said, “Oh no, I forgot my jacket.” She said that rather emphatically, because to her it was a real crisis. I asked her if she wanted me to return home and get it but she said, “I guess I’ll just have to be cold.” Restaurants are air-conditioned, which is nice, but they usually keep the temperature low for the workers. To give my wife assurance I reminded her I had a jacket in the back of the car and if it was too cold she could wear mine. Or, we’d just leave and dine in a restaurant that wasn’t so cold.

That incident illustrates how people in our society travel. We like to be prepared. We carry extra clothing, equipment and other necessities because we don’t appreciate being uncomfortable. One of the latest trends in automobile travel is to have a DVD player installed in the family van in order to entertain the children. When I was a kid we had Travel Bingo. The object was to find something along the road that started from A to Z. The first to complete the alphabet was the winner. And why are mini-van and SUV’s so popular these days? Because you can carry more stuff.

I read recently that 60% of the people who fly carry a lap-top computer. I guess the modern traveler can’t stand to be away from their email for more than a few hours. And just last week we were introduced to the I-Phone, a telephone made by Apple Corporation that is also a media player and an internet device. For a small fee of $500 your phone will give you access to everyone, including all your favorite music and give you world wide web access. Now you can go anywhere and never have to be fearful of being in touch, knowing what the stock market is doing, or not having music to listen to.

Traveling has literally become the art of taking everything on the road, including the “kitchen sink.” We now have all the comforts of home with us on the road. We just don’t like to be without. Or, we are afraid to travel because of all the news about terrorists. Daily reports of suicide bombings frighten us. Bombs going off in airports, subways and hospitals do not make a welcome atmosphere for those who want to travel.

When Jesus sent his disciples on the road he told them to travel light. He said, “Take no purse, no bag and no sandals.” Traditionally we have understood this passage to be for missionaries, who are spreading the word of God to all of the world. Jesus didn’t want them to be distracted. He wanted them to be focused on the mission of building the kingdom. But perhaps this message could also speak to anyone who is traveling for any reason, even us today. Perhaps Jesus just wanted them to be free just like he wants us to be free. Perhaps he wants all those who follow him to enjoy the ride. Also, perhaps he wants us to trust that God will provide for us wherever our life’s journey may take us.

A traveling salesman was traveling on a train through the countryside when it suddenly stopped. “Why have we stopped?” he demanded. “I’m a salesman and I have an appointment in less than an hour in the next town.” The conductor smiled and said, “Nothing to worry about, sir. Just a cow on the tracks. Gotta wait her out.” The salesman returned to his seat, fuming and fidgeting until the train started moving again. It chugged along for another fifteen minutes when it suddenly stopped a second time. The exasperated salesman replied, “Now what?” The conductor assured him it was just another temporary delay. What the salesman didn’t know was that this particular train allowed for delays on the tracks from passing cows. The salesman made his appointment but was totally stressed out when he arrived. He did not trust the train to get him to his destination on time. Consequently his journey was a stressful one.

I believe folks resist being more mobile because they are afraid. They lack trust in God to provide the necessary provisions. They are too focused on their destination instead of experiencing life as an adventure. Consequently people travel to the same old places, follow the same old roads, and burden themselves with all kinds of supplies, equipment, and other resources. By traveling light we can experience the freedom of living in faith on the road.

Jesus also told his disciples to move on when those they visited were not hospitable. He didn’t want his missionaries wasting their time on people who were not willing to listen. It was more important for them to get back on the road and find those who would. On the other hand, perhaps Jesus did not want them to be burdened with feelings of guilt or failure. Not all our stops are going to be a success. Not everyone will appreciate our visits.

For the same reason our lives do not have to be loaded down with guilt because of our mistakes and failures. Sometimes we take the wrong turn. Sometimes we get on the wrong bus. Fortunately we worship a forgiving God who wants us to be free to move forward. By “shaking the dust off their shoes,” the disciples were free to continue their journey without any burden of guilt or shame. Likewise we can shake the dust off our shoes when we experience a time in our lives where we have made a mistake or failed.

Laura Ingalls Wilder once had an old dog, named Shep. As he grew older, Shep’s eyesight became poor, and he didn’t always recognize friends. Wilder wrote, “Once he made a mistake and barked savagely at an old friend whom he really regarded as one of the family, though he had not seen him for some time. Later, as we all sat in the yard, Shep seemed uneasy. At last he walked deliberately to the visitor, sat up, and held out his paw. It was so plainly an apology that our friend said, ‘That’s all right, Shep, old fellow! Shake and forget it!’ Shep shook hands and walked away perfectly satisfied.”

Jesus sent his disciples out on the road to be ambassadors for peace. He wanted them to extend an olive branch to those who did not know God. He told them to say “Peace be to this house.” What I like about this story is that it is not open ended. It is one of the few times we know the outcome. “The seventy returned with joy and even the demons submitted to them.” In other words, they survived the journey. They were in fact able to travel with the freedom of traveling light. They experienced forgiveness and the grace of God since no evil had become them. Satan was no match for the traveling saints of God.

Near the end of his life, Mickey Mantle received a liver transplant after years of alcohol abuse. Even in this difficult situation, graciousness toned his words, as Mantle told the media: “You talk about your role models. This is your role model – don’t be like me.” Mantle squarely faced the fact that while he had been a superstar o the field, he could not manage his personal life off the field. Near the end of his life, Mantle pleaded eloquently with others to take heed of his mistakes. In return, during his final days, fans new and old showered him with an outpouring of love. They did this in response to his great baseball heroics and his honest self-appraisal of his personal pain and regret. Because of his pleas, organ donations increased virtually overnight all across the country. Mantle was repentant for his mistakes and his fans forgave him. Consequently he experienced great joy. (from God’s Little Lessons on Life for Dad, Honor Books)

The disciples had experienced the kingdom of God because of the freedom they experienced on their journey. They had learned to venture out, learning to travel with trust that God could provide all they needed. They returned with no burdens and no guilt, therefore getting a sample of life in heaven. The kingdom of God is realized when we can travel light, live in trust and receive the forgiveness of God.

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