Our Mission Retreat

Gospel: Mark 6: 7-13

Here is the original mission of the disciples of Jesus: preach repentance for sins; expel demons; anoint the sick with oil; and cure others of their infirmities.  The first point to consider in this list is how repentance for our sins alone has the power to expel demons from our life and to cure us of many infirmities of body, mind, and spirit.  How many of our sinful habits keep us chained up like a demon, and how many of our sinful habits harm us in body, mind, or spirit? The turning away from these sins can do wonders in these other areas.

The second point to consider is how far removed the modern church is from this original mission.  Leaving aside the simplicity of the provisions of the original disciples compared to the modern apostle, what of these core actions? Yes, we preach repentance of sins, but only those that conform to our political allegiances.  Yes, we anoint with oil, but only as a peripheral activity.  And how much of our curing ministries been sold to for-profit corporations? And how often do we leave others to their demons or even create some for others through abuse and scandal?

If we are to have synods and strategic planning sessions and mission retreats, let us consider these things.  Let us consider how we might return to this core mission of the Church's origins in all its fullness, and free ourselves from the demons of political power and wealth acquisition that hold us bound and deter us from this core mission.