Mark 6: 7-16

At a local hospital, there was no special place for the ministers to park. They were told to stop by the front desk on leaving the hospital, identify themselves as ministers, and the person on duty would give them a dollar to get up of the general parking lot. One minister had been there many times and often asked for the dollar as she entered the hospital and got the room numbers of the members she’d be visiting. The minister said to the candy-stripped volunteer she’d seen at the desk many times, “I understand you pay ministers for coming to the hospital.” “No,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “We pay them for leaving.”

After Jesus left Nazareth and continued teaching in the villages, he called the twelve to leave and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He appointed the twelve to be with him and to be sent out to proclaim the message, and to have authority to cast out demons back in the third chapter of Mark when readers and hearers are introduced to the twelve. After he was rejected by Nazareth in Mark 6 he sent them out two by two.

They went and proclaimed all should repent. They cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. “Those who refuse to welcome or listen to you will keep their dust. You will not take anything with you from there even their dust.” The fate of the towns lies with them and not the apostles.

All this got the attention of King Herod. Herod believed John the Baptist whom he beheaded had been raised from the dead. By doing the will of God in the world, who’s attention do you get? The world does not know the work of Jesus and his disciples because their knocking dust off their feet. The world is hearing about them because of the message and the exorcisms and miracles. The news isn’t traveling to Herod because of the rejections but because of Jesus’ name. The news is good news, but such news to a king is always a threat.

Again, by doing the will of God in the world, who’s attention do you get? Failure to produce fruit, evidence of the Kingdom of God, does not get attention. Signs and evidence of revival get people’s attention. Lives being effective and not being the same afterward gets people’s attention. Church members and fellow believers banding together to take risks to change lives gets people’s attention. Congregations in mass keeping to themselves because they might come in contact with people of a different class or a different race or a different orientation will not get the attention of folks who long for the grace and mercy those congregations know about. Herod began hearing about Jesus’ name because lives were being changed. It’s that simple.

The issue isn’t about getting the king’s attention. Such attention is simple evidence that something is happening. Is there evidence of things happening among us, and who’s attention are we getting? Before you get through the sixth chapter of Mark thousands begin following Jesus and his disciples. Our Lord got the attention of scores of people who wanted all he could give them. Interestingly, according to my wife, this is not what happened in Nazareth. The few that came to him got healed. Those who didn’t come to him did not. Soon, thousands begin following him. He and his disciples got their attention.

The gift of the Holy Spirit that is prevalent, so evident in this church to me through the Spiritual Gifts Inventory is the gift of mercy. According to Romans 12, mercy is a spiritual gift – “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a person’s gift is . . .  showing mercy, let that person do it cheerfully. (Rom 12: 6a, 8b)” There is evidence of the gift of mercy in this church particularly through the food pantry. The food pantry has gotten the attention of those in need in Talladega County, and correspondingly, the pantry has grown. Their attention is evidence of something happening. I would venture to say, also, this congregation has those within it gifted with the spiritual gift of teaching (Romans 12: 7; 1 Corinthians 12: 28; Ephesians 4: 11) The Spiritual Gifts Inventory didn’t bear this out as significantly as the gift of mercy, but there is evidence. Y’all love teaching children way too much to miss the evidence.

Once we focus on this gifting as a work of the Spirit among us, you’ll want to broaden the work of teaching children here as a means to bless kids beyond this congregation. Once that happens, families with children will give this church their attention and bring their children. I know by experience this particularly will change practically everything in this church. One thing will happen, the families with children who become attracted to this church will not necessarily be the homogeneous, upper middle-class families with 2.8 children. They will be the single moms or dads with three kids with unique needs that go beyond not knowing all the names of the disciples or their multiplication tables. But be assured, the attention this church could be getting will be simple evidence that something is happening. 

Jesus sent his friends out two by two with authority to cast out demons, heal the sick and preach the message. Their business was not to be comfortable as they went – no bread, no bag, no money. They healed, they delivered, and they declared the message in Jesus’ name. They didn’t carry with them life’s essentials. They carried with them authority from their Lord to make all the difference, and they got the attention of the king and his cohorts. Such attention is simple evidence that something is happening. When we start operating as a church through the spiritual gifts that are here, we will start getting attention from folks outside and it will be simple evidence that something significant is happening.

(Preached at Lincoln UMC in Lincoln, AL, July 11, 2021)