Pack This, Not That.

Sermon 7-8-18

Grace to you and peace from God our creator from our Lord and savior Jesus the Christ by the power of the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

To me, and maybe for some of you, one of the most fun things about summer is traveling. For example, just this month I’m going to St. Louis and then driving through Illinois to WI to see my family. But before I became a pastor and moved to the East coast…. while I was still in college, I usually stayed home all summer and worked as a camp counselor… and loved every minute. However, even though I was in one place all summer, I still did just a little packing and a little traveling, at least around the camp itself. Every counselor was assigned to a different cabin each week. So, my colleagues and I quickly learned that the mores STUFF you brought with you… the more STUFF you had to shlep across the camp from week to week. The best packers among us had it down to a science – just enough to only have to make one, or MAYBE two trips tops. Or…. You just made a lot of friends to convince to help you do it for you.

Pine Lake Camp, WI, circa 2004

Then once the campers arrived, often there would be at least ONE in every cabin each with that just packed WAY too much stuff… hair straighteners and footballs and board games and nearly every pair of shoes in their closet. WAY more than they could ever use for just 5 days at church camp.

I think we’ve all been there when preparing a trip, or going to camp, or camping, or going to the beach, or any kind of travel really – we have every intention of packing light. But then we second guess ourselves - maybe we really do need three books instead of two… that extra sundress… a few more pairs of socks… six spare sunglasses…. another towel… and pretty soon, our suitcases are pretty big and pretty heavy. All in the name of “being prepared” for “just in case.”

Fortunately for us, the gospel of Mark is a master class in being no-frills and to the point. No word is wasted here. Mark is the shortest Gospel - you can easily read all of it in one sitting. There is no nativity scene or story of Jesus’ birth, no Sermon on the Mount, no Jesus in the temple at age 12… and Mark only takes 3 chapters to describe the evens of Jesus’ last week, compared to 8 chapters in the Gospel of John. There is not even TECHNICALLY a resurrection story, if you remember my sermon ALLLLLL the way back on Easter.

Mark does not mess around. So, it’s not entirely surprising in Mark, Jesus gives us a packing list of what we will and won’t need to do ministry… and Jesus is pretty much telling his disciples – and us – to pack light.

Do you remember a book that came out a number of years ago, called “Eat this, not that?” People went nuts over how it debunks some of the health food myths out there. And following that book’s success, a whole series spun off – “Cook this, Not That” …. “Drink This, Not That” … you get the picture. Well, as you might have guessed, Jesus has his own version to give to the disciples as they are about to embark in this ministry adventure in Jesus’ name. “Pack this, not that.”

What does Jesus tell us to bring along on this mission? A staff for walking…. Sandals on their feet…And that’s about it. No money. No extra clothes. No snacks, not even a backpack. So really, mostly “…Not that”!

On the surface, Jesus’ packing list is going over-board on this “minimalist, packing light” idea at best, and actually dangerous at worst. Traveling back then was very different from traveling today. Anything could happen to the disciples while out there on the road – they might get hungry, they might get robbed, they might need a place to stay for a night – and there was no Google to help find the nearest Motel 6. What Jesus is suggesting here seems to be pretty foolhardy – the very mission to spread God’s kingdom seems to be utterly dependent on the hospitality of complete strangers.

But look what happened…. Where we might think that Jesus sets up his followers for failure… instead, they are wildly successful! They cast out demons! They anointed the sick and cured them! People welcomed them into their homes! I would call that a BIG success!

Jesus knew something that we tend to forget… or ignore – the more we bring with us…. the more stuff we gather around us in the name of “being prepared” … the more things to surround ourselves with in the name of trying to be “successful,” the more we are burdened and weighed down, both physically and mentally. We worry too much about stuff, what we do have and what we don’t have, and what we may think we need.

Now, Jesus is not saying that we should not be ready and prepared AT ALL… but instead, Jesus is helping us differentiate between what is necessary and what is not. Or, to put it another way, what to pack on this journey of discipleship, and what to leave out of our suitcase. “Pack This, Not That.”

Here is Jesus’ packing list:

First, before they even leave on their journey, you hopefully noticed that Jesus didn’t send the twelve out one at a time. He sent them out two by two, so that no one person would shoulder the burden and the stress by themselves. Having partners in ministry is important to encouraging us when times get tough, to keeping us on track and accountable, to pray for us, and to labor next to us – “work smarter, not harder.”

Next, Jesus says told his disciples to bring a staff, or a walking stick, and a pair of sandals. For when the path ahead gets rocky and becomes hard to climb, or when the way gets dark and difficult to navigate, we could all use some support and assistance. Sometime this takes the form of a supportive posse of people who love us. And sometimes this takes the form of some comfortable walking shoes.

That’s it for the physical items Jesus tells us to pack. But there are some intangible once that don’t weight a lot but are essential. The most important thing that Jesus gives us on our journey is the call to do his work in his name… in other words, the most important thing we pack is our baptisms. Jesus gave his disciples the authority to heal and to cast out unclean spirits. When we were baptized, we officially turned our backs on the empty promises of the world, and all the powers of the world that draw us away from God. God chooses us as beloved children, then sends us out into the world with the power and presence of God.

Your baptism is pretty portable. In fact, you carry it with you wherever you go. And it takes up less room than your toothbrush. There, on your forehead, is the invisible mark of the cross that was drawn on your forehead on that momentous day. From then on, the promise that God is with you is there forever, no matter what where you go, or if your journey takes you far or near. No matter if you succeed or if you fail.

I would argue that Jesus gave his disciples one more item on his packing list: a spirit of openness. Jesus hinted to the twelve that not everything would go the way they wanted, and not everyone would welcome them. To quote the great modern prophet Taylor Swift: “Haters gonna hate (hate, hate, hate, hate, hate) … and the fakers gonna fake (fake, fake, fake, fake) …. But baby, I’M just gonna shake (shake, shake, shake, shake) Shake it off, shake it off.”

Or, as Jesus said it first: “If any place does not welcome you… shake the dust off your feet.” Because sometimes you can do everything right and things still don’t work out. Look at what happened to Jesus at the beginning of this section of Mark – Jesus showed up in his home town and it turns out that there he could do diddly-squat. And that kind of gives me just a little bit of comfort. 

But Jesus continued the work, even in the setbacks. And sometimes our hard work will actually pay off. But not because we bulked up and packed everything and the kitchen sink. It’s because we remembered to pack Jesus.

There are lots of things we don’t have. But there are lots of things that we DO. We have generous hearts. We have an eagerness to learn and to try new things. We are willing to work hard and work together. And those things, I think, will be extremely useful to take along this journey with us. Thanks be to God, amen.