Sharing the Good News of God’s Kingdom is Important, Urgent and Risky Business
The Reverend Shearon Sykes Williams, Saint George’s Episcopal Church, Arlington, Virginia, Pentecost 4, July 6th, 2025
“Whoever listens to you, listens to me, and whoever rejects you, rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” Luke 10:1-11,16-20
This 4th of July week-end is a time to be reminded of the humanitarian principles upon which our country was founded, freedom, democracy, and equality. It is also a time to remember that we are all immigrants or descendants of either immigrants or slaves, unless our ancestors were Native Americans. One of the great strengths of our common life is the diversity upon which it stands. And those foundational ideals have of course never been fully realized, we have never achieved a perfect union, our values have been tried and tested, and yet those enduring ideals have always called us back home. Our founders had white men of European ancestry in mind when they framed our democracy, but the full rights of citizenship and participation in our common life were later extended to include African Americans, women, and other previously marginalized groups. Our concept of who is included in our democracy has expanded over the years, enriching and strengthening us.
It has often been said, and attributed to various world leaders over the years, that the true measure of any society is how it treats its most vulnerable members, the poor and the dispossessed. And that idea is very resonant with us, not just as Americans, but as followers of Jesus. Scripture is replete with admonitions to care for the sick, the orphan, the widow, prisoners and those from foreign lands. Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” Jesus himself was poor and he relied on the generosity of others. When we care for the needs of vulnerable people, we are caring for our Lord. Caring for the vulnerable in our society is not optional for Christians. It is an essential, foundational, fundamental aspect of discipleship. And we share that belief with our Jewish and Muslim friends.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the 70 he has appointed to prepare the way for him to bring the good news, “Whoever listens to you, listens to me, and whoever rejects you, rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” Up until this point in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus has been proclaiming the Kingdom of God only to the Jewish people, but now he travels through Samaria and extends his preaching, teaching and healing to the people there, people who were akin to estranged cousins of the Israelites, so this represented a first step in spreading the Gospel to all people.
And there is a definite sense of urgency in today’s Gospel. In the early days of his ministry, Jesus had called 12 disciples to assist him in his mission, but now he calls 70 to prepare the way for him as he travels through Samaria on his way to Jerusalem, where he will be crucified. Time is of the essence, which explains the urgent and ominous tone. “Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals, and greet no one on the road.” Sharing the Good News of God’s Kingdom is important, urgent and risky business. Today we too are called to prepare the way of the Lord and announce the coming of his kingdom and exhibit courage in doing that. The bill that was just passed by Congress and signed into law last Thursday cut over a trillion dollars from the Medicaid and SNAP program and will deprive millions of poor Americans from receiving adequate healthcare and nutrition. It also added billions for the deportation of immigrants, creating an even greater climate of fear. This new law has been roundly denounced by mainline Chrisitan denominations, The Episcopal Church, the Catholic Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the list is very long. Why? Because it is directly counter to Jesus’ teaching about how we are to love God and love our neighbors s as ourselves.
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King spoke prophetically in the 1960s, in the heat of the Civil Rights Movement, with words that resound loudly today.
"The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. ..If the church does not participate actively in the struggle for peace and for economic and racial justice, it will forfeit the loyalty of millions and cause men everywhere to say that it has atrophied its will. But if the church… will (recover) its great historic mission, will speak and act fearlessly and insistently in terms of justice and peace, it will enkindle the imagination of mankind and fire the souls of men, imbuing them with a glowing and ardent love for truth, justice, and peace. Men far and near will know the church as a great fellowship of love that provides light and bread for lonely travelers at midnight."
That is why we stand up for people who are being deprived of human dignity. We speak out because benefitting the rich at the expense of the poor is morally wrong. We speak out because inhumane treatment of immigrants is wrong. Our Lord and his family were refugees. After Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, his mother and father escaped to Egypt when King Herod ordered that all of the male babies were to be killed. Protection of vulnerable people, children, the elderly, the sick, prisoners, people fleeing persecution, is at the very core of our faith. And we are called to be the conscience for our nation when we have lost our way.
But we do not lose heart. We go forward in faith, hope and love today, continuing to pray and work for justice and peace, as Jesus called us to do, remembering that the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice, as MLK reminded us. The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations will continue to advocate for policies that support vulnerable people. Our diocese will continue to work for racial justice. Here at Saint George’s, our food pantry will continue to feed those who come to our doors. Our refuge ministry will minister to the needs of people fleeing violence and oppression. We will continue to support our sister congregation San Jose in very concrete ways. In all of these ways, we carry on the work of the 70 in today’s Gospel, preparing the way for Jesus, who shows us how to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves.
