Working with the home crowd
by Colleen Fitzpatrick
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As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near’ (Matthew 10:7).
Read Matthew 9:35–10:8
Jesus is on a roll! Crowds of people are coming to hear Jesus speak as he moves around the towns and villages. Jesus has a real heart for the people who are harassed and helpless. Do you know that harassed and helpless feeling? I certainly do! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to bump into Jesus as he travels around – to hear him preach and teach? Or even to have him heal you and take away those feelings of harassment and helplessness? That would be fantastic!
As Jesus moved about, he felt compassion for those feeling harassed and helpless. We can easily start there. Compassion means having pity that leads us to be merciful or helpful. Instead of sitting in judgement or walking by, Jesus wants us to pause and see how we can help – which may not be so easy after all.
Not only is Jesus conducting that ministry, but he also empowers his disciples to share it. They are sent out to do Jesus-style ministry among ‘the lost sheep of Israel’ – to start with the home crowd. Jesus tells them there is a plentiful harvest and a shortage of workers. Doesn’t that sound familiar?
I wonder what Jesus is telling us today. Should we also be going out to our home crowd to share the good news of Jesus with them? And if we were to do that, who would our home crowd be?
It sometimes feels like I am the lost sheep – the crowd seems to have already moved on from the church and its beliefs and values. Jesus’ message that the 12 disciples were to share is very clear: The kingdom of God has come near. It is up to you and me to share that message within our home crowd. And the good news is that the Holy Spirit can use our words and actions to touch people, draw them closer to God and enable them to bask in the awareness that God’s kingdom is near.
Loving Jesus, thank you for your compassion and healing. Come into my heart and take away my feelings of helplessness and worry. Help me to be compassionate and give me the right words to tell my home crowd that the kingdom of heaven is near, trusting you to help them to understand and come to believe that too. Amen.
Colleen Fitzpatrick is a mother of two, grandmother of three and godmother of four. She is allegedly retired and lives in Adelaide. Colleen trained as a social worker, and after working in the foster care program at Lutheran Community Care in South Australia, she became the director and served in that role for 13 years. Colleen serves on a number of boards and committees within the LCA and the wider community.
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