Ordered! Shipped! Delivered! Received!

Rooting Peace, Expanding God’s Kingdom

4th Sunday After Pentecost

7.6.2025

[Texts]

Isaiah 66:10-14 Jerusalem, a nursing mother giving life to her children

Psalm 66:1-9 All the earth bows down before you and sings out your name. (Ps. 66:4)

Galatians 6:[1-6] 7-16 Do what is right now and reap at the harvest time

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 Jesus sends out seventy disciples into the harvest

Blessings of Sabbath to you, my dear church.

Staying blessed as the body of Christ can feel both easy and challenging. When we stay connected to the source, God’s Spirit, as part of our daily rhythm, it flows naturally. It becomes like that one essential thing you need each morning to start your day. But when that spiritual habit is disrupted, everything can start to feel like a struggle.

In today’s passage from Luke 10, we see that peace is that essential thing. It is more than a greeting. It’s not only the opening posture of God’s people; it also helps us stay connected to our Creator. When God's peace is offered to a household, that home has a choice: to receive it or not. If it’s rejected, the disciples are instructed to move forward to the next household. But if it’s received and allowed to take root, that household becomes a living witness to the expansion of God’s Kingdom.

This Kingdom expansion began with the birth of Jesus who is humble and small, and grew from one, to twelve, to seventy. But unlike the trajectory of a business or empire, God's Kingdom grows through trust, courage, and Spirit-led willingness. The disciples are not driven by power or profit; they’re sent in search of peace receivers.

What caught my attention most was verse 20, where Jesus tells the seventy, “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Is this about their accomplishments, or is it more about their belonging, being part of God's Kingdom expansion?

As I reflected on this, a tracking system came to mind. When you order something online, you know how you can follow the package. It moves from “ordered,” to “shipped,” to “delivered,” and finally, “received.” Most people don’t even notice who delivered it as long as the package arrives safely in their hands.

In Luke’s story, the package is God’s peace. It is designed and ordered by God, a free gift for every household. But because the delivery territory is vast and filled with challenges, Jesus sends out seventy disciples. Along the way, they may encounter people who act like wolves, snakes, or scorpions, threatening, deceitful, or hostile. So Jesus instructs them not to get sidetracked, not even to greet others on the road, but to stay focused on their assignment.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus said not to greet people on the road? In that cultural context, greetings weren’t quick nods or casual hellos. They were elaborate social rituals. They often involving bows, embraces, and extended conversation. So when Jesus says, “Greet no one on the road,” He’s not discouraging kindness. He’s emphasizing focus. The disciples were on a time-sensitive mission to prepare the way for the expansion of God’s Kingdom. Every moment mattered.

Their calling was more than simply moving from house to house. It was to carry peace, healing, and proclamation into homes ready to receive it. Their role was to offer it freely though not all would welcome it. But if it was welcomed, that household became a sacred place where peace took root. Demons fled. Healing happened. And, most meaningfully, their names were written in heaven. Why does that matter?

Because for Jesus, the household is the most potent place where peace can begin. This is how the Kingdom grows and expands: one household, one story, one name at a time. Think of Jesus as the humble servant. Names are not recorded in heaven for fame or authority; they’re written in love. The more names there are, the more humility and love the world holds. Each name reflects someone who received the peace of Christ and became part of the expansion of God’s Kingdom through healing and hope.

This Kingdom is not about empire. It’s about peace, shalom. About well-being rooted in peace. And peace, as Jesus teaches, doesn’t come from circumstances around us. It flows from deep within.

So what does it mean for peace to flow from within?

Let’s reflect: Can someone truly be rooted in peace just because the war has ended, the fight is over, or the illness has passed? If that’s our definition, then peace is always conditional. But Jesus speaks of a peace that doesn’t depend on the absence of hardship. It’s a peace that holds steady even when the storm hasn’t passed.

So I ask: When life is disrupted, where would you rather be? Among a group that’s anxious and reactive, or among people rooted in God’s peace, responding with care, clarity, and unity, even in pain? That’s the kind of peace Jesus offers.

And here’s the beautiful part: we’re not meant to be peace-bearers alone. Jesus invites us to partner up, to walk alongside someone else rooted in peace. This way, we stay alert to those sly voices from wolves, snakes, scorpions that creep in to divide and distract.

Together, this kind of companionship reveals what God’s peace can do: it sustains authentic relationships, even across different cultures and life experiences. As Paul writes in Galatians 6, bearing with one another is no small thing.

In a church that values inclusivity, that kind of grace and growth doesn’t happen overnight. It takes trust, courage, and Spirit-led willingness to listen across difference. It means making space at the table for voices that were once silenced, honoring diverse cultures and stories, and learning how to bear one another’s burdens with humility and love. When that happens, the body of Christ becomes not just more diverse but also reflects the fullness of God’s image across cultures, experiences, and stories.

So let us remember the tracking system: Ordered. Shipped. Delivered. Received. Jesus offers God’s peace as a free gift. And we are the carriers. When it’s received, abundant life follows.

And let us also remember that every name written in heaven tells a story. A sacred story of how peace entered a home, took root, and joined the expansion of God’s Kingdom. A Kingdom that grows not by force, but through trust, courage, and Spirit-led willingness.

Amen.