Start now. Do not stop to gather up anything or to greet anyone as you go. Do you hear a sense of urgency? This is our call and invitation as well. To go out urgently, each day, in simplicity and non-violence, bringing the message of God’s Good News. We go without trappings because our role, like their role, is to depend utterly on God. God invites all of creation to participate in the great
mission of bringing all things back to our creative and loving God, who is the source of connectivity and oneness.
We bring this Good News in what we say. We bring it even more strongly in how we live, in our intentions, motivations and actions. The newness of Christ’s message is both practical and visionary.
What is my vision of God’s Kingdom, or Kin-dom? God’s vision
is about being kin, about love and acceptance of all, about justice for the poor and excluded, about structures in society that express community rather than self-seeking competition, about harmony rather than self-serving tactics of domination.
However, Jesus warns the 72, “I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.” It will not be easy for them. They will encounter opposition, perhaps even persecution, that they will find
challenging to manage. Perhaps Jesus is already expressing the opposition that he will meet later on. Not everyone wants to receive the gift of the reign of God, of the message that God is “very near to you” (Luke 10:10). God’s presence and involvement are already present in God’s creation. As we attempt to live the message of God’s reign and share it with others through our words and actions, we may also encounter opposition or even persecution.
How does opposition affect me?
Will I choose to continue a way of life that expresses God's closeness and intimate involvement with all that God has created?
Will I choose to respond in love to God’s faithful and unconditional love?
Will I choose to “start now”, to share the Good News each day with my words and behaviour?
Reflections by Kath Knowles
