There is a universal truth found across religious texts:

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words;
Watch your words, for they become actions;
Watch your actions, for they become habits;
Watch your habits, for they become character;
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

Scripture is about revealing what God has destined for us and inviting us to freely respond to that destiny with our lives.

The Gospel of Luke reveals that destiny through him, with him, and in him. Through the resurrection, with the ascension and in Pentecost, we come to know that God is love in the unity of the trinity, and that we are created in God’s image, destined for unity. Not only that, but we have been given power to get there. Therefore, our thoughts, words, actions, habits and character here and now must all be directed by this power towards that end.

Luke calls this process of being united with God our mission. As soon as he identified it, he begins telling us what we need to do to live it out. Before this, Jesus makes clear that he is calling us to commitment. He says, “When the days for his being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.” One person said, “I’ll follow, but first let me go bury my father.” But Jesus says, “let the dead bury the dead.” Another said, “first let me say farewell to my family at home.” Jesus responds to their lack of commitment; “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks back at what they are leaving behind fit for the Kingdom of God.”  Without commitment, we will not get far in the Christian life. Commitment is what makes faith more than an idea – it makes it a way of life.

Today, Jesus gives the disciple instructions on how to use the power he is giving them. The power Jesus gives is, above all, the power to reconcile and to unify, to bring people together. Commitment to the mission so as to reconcile and unify.

He says, “I am sending you like lambs among wolves.” In the Bible, the wolf scatters the flock and preys on the lamb that is left alone. So, at the center of the mission will be the gathering of the flock, the gathering of people, overcoming fears and divisions.

Jesus is referencing Isaiah 65:25: “The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. They will do no evil or harm on all my holy mountain.”

If you have ever seen a Jehovah’s Witness Watchtower magazine, this is an image they use often, a perfect garden where a kid is petting a lion, nothing is attacking anything, perfect harmony and union.

Jesus is using this image to say that wolves are not to be feared. Now don’t go to Yellowstone to try and pet a wolf. What this means is that the activity of gathering and reconciling is going to extend even to the wolves—meaning, even to those whom you might at first think you should consider to be enemies. But the Church is called to be the sacrament of the unity, so even the big bad wolf is deserving of God’s grace. Sorry little red riding hood. You exist as a Christian to draw people together by being a source of healing for those who are wounded and hurt, wolves. That is why Jesus gives the disciples power to heal and to do miracles: it is an extension of reconciliation.

There are four instructions Jesus gives the disciples in order to do this. First:

“Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals. Greet no one along the way.”

Jesus is warning the disciples that there will be things that could divert them, distract them, from the mission. What tends to be the biggest threat? Money and fame, human power. Unfortunately, we are not so good at moderating human power, and it often leads to the neglect or abuse.

The disciples cannot be influenced by human power otherwise they will choose to minister in Bellevue and not South Park. In one there is the promise of wealth and safety, it is more dangerous to walk through south park, but Jesus wants them to be missionaries of Christ, not millionaires of Christ, and the gospel must reach every area, especially those that seem more dangerous and undeserving.

The second instruction is to go with the sign of peace: “Peace to this household.” The Gospel is first of all a message of peace, a message of the love of God, which affirms people as children created in the image of God. “If a peaceful person lives in the house, your peace will rest on them. If not, it will return to you.”

To be effective missionaries they must always begin with the message of peace, you cannot lose when you affirm others, worst that can happen is they don’t believe it. However, you can lose if you start with telling someone their sinfulness. That might work for some, but for most people, it turns them off. It is the spirit of peace, not the spirit of fear, that will convince people of the truth of the Gospel. Maybe they won’t accept the truth right away, but if you turn them off, they probably won’t even consider it.

In the third instruction, Jesus tells the disciples to stay in one house in each particular town they visit and not to move around so much.

The focus here is consistency. We have to be a constant Christian presence in the lives of those around us. Sometimes conversion takes time. It could take years. In our personal life, that means not being so quick to cut people off who are not hearing the gospel. Sometimes we might be the only Christian witness they have. In parish life, that means not being so quick to say “Well, this ministry or program isn’t working.”

And then there is the Final instruction: “Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it, and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand.’”

These are actions of involvement. To eat with someone means there is an openness for relationship. In order to cure someone, you have to know they are sick, meaning there is established communication. This is a big ask from Jesus… he is telling us to be in relationship with the world, in the midst of world, and at the same time, be different. That is how the power of God enters the places where human power tends to want to dominate.

But what if they don’t accept? Jesus says, “but, whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the street and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off.’”

Shaking the dust off their feet is a sign that the disciples are different. They really don’t want anything from people. They’re offering people the love of God. But if people do not accept that, they don’t condemn them. They say, “Okay, if you’re not ready to hear this, then we’re not here to force you or to take anything from you. We’re not even here to take a speck of dust from your town.”

Fam, the gospel today offers us practical advice on how to be effective Christians.

1. Don’t lose focus. Your priority in life is not to make money or become famous, it is to be a witness of God’s love. Everything else is secondary.
2. Be a person of peace. Seek to see the good in others, and affirm them in their goodness.
3. Be consistent with those around you. Don’t go too far out of contact with those who are important in your life.
4. Nurture your relationships.

All of these things are ways in which we can prioritize our faith.

If my thoughts are of the love of God, they will become loving words.
If my words are of the love of God, they will become loving actions.
If my actions are loving, they will become virtuous habits.
If my habits are virtuous rather than vices, they will shape my character.
And if my character is Christian, then union with God becomes my destiny.

May this week be a time when our thoughts, words, actions, and habits align with the love of God, so that our destiny is fulfilled in Him.