Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there. Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere (Luke 9:1-6).
Moments of transition—August leading into the school year, Sunday night moving into the week, heading out the door into the workday—can all be fraught. They mark endings and beginnings that can create anxiety, rushing and even dread.
Naming these transitions and normalizing their uniquely liminal, and sometimes tension-filled, qualities is an invitation into ritual. Ritual becomes a moment of marking the transition and inviting God to be especially present in it.
Jesus sending out the Twelve Apostles with power and authority represents a significant moment of transition in Luke. The overall structure of Luke includes the same three major sections typical of Mark, Matthew and Luke: Jesus’ ministry in Galilee (ch 3-9), on the way to Jerusalem (ch 9-18), and in Jerusalem (ch 19-24).
Jesus commanding the Twelve to cast out demons, cure diseases, proclaim God’s reign and heal is a turning point. Jesus’ ministry in Galilee ends, and the journey toward Jerusalem, which will culminate in Jesus’ betrayal, crucifixion, death and resurrection begins.
This transition marks the end of one way of Jesus and his disciples being in the world. Galilee will no longer serve as their home base, and the disciples won’t be in Jesus’ physical presence as regularly.
Jesus commands the disciples to start moving with more independence, to begin stepping into their own power and authority as apostles. The Greek apostolos indicates one who is sent with a message and represents the authority of the one who commands the sending. The Twelve are taking on a new role.
In this transition, Jesus commands the disciples to travel with significant physical vulnerabilities by bringing nothing with them, no staff to walk with or defend themselves, no food to nourish themselves, not even an extra tunic to clothe themselves. This vulnerability will make the disciples entirely dependent on the hospitality of strangers.
While in Jesus’ culture, the rights of guests were virtually inviolate, there is still inherent risk in striking out on one’s own. But with this risk comes the rituals of hospitality. The washing of feet stepping over the threshold. The serving of meals. The sharing of news from the road and the good news of Jesus. These rituals ease the transition from road to village, from stranger to friend.
Not only does Jesus ensure rituals to ease the beginnings of their visits with hospitality, he also commands a distinct way to signify the end of them if they do not receive welcome. As the disciples leave town, as they cross the threshold of the village limits to the open road, they are to shake the dust off their feet, bearing witness against the lack of hospitality. There is a way of metabolizing the sting of rejection, and perhaps reestablishing their resolve, as the disciples, to reference Taylor Swift, “shake it off.”
So while Jesus commands the disciples to do a risky, vulnerable thing in stepping up to a new form of ministry with more power and authority as those sent by him, he wraps them in ritual to support the transition. Following the commands as they do a new thing becomes a reminder of his relationship with him, although he isn’t physically present.
Each start of the school year, the week, the day is a beginning, a beginning with inherent risks, with invitations to step into a new way of being in one’s life and ministry. Naming and normalizing these moments can be both exciting and trepidacious. Jesus reminds us to tend to these rites of passage. To comfort ourselves and remind us of our relationships with God and one another.
Rituals need not be liturgically complex. They are simply actions that mark a passage of time. A blessing of a backpack or briefcase can mark the start of the school year. Sharing highs and lows can start the week. A happy dance before getting into the car can start the day.
Use this Scripture to reflect on your own turning points, the transitions large and small, and how you might wrap you and yours in ritual along the way.
Discussion Questions:
1. Name a “fork in the road” moment in your life that represented significant transition. What was it like? What were you thinking and feeling at the time?
2. What new identity/identities did you take on in that moment? How did that new perspective change how you understand transitions?
3. What ritual(s) might have supported that transition or might continue to make meaning out of it now? What’s a small, simple thing that can help ease the change and remind you of God’s presence?
Closing Prayer:
God who sends us out,
you are a God who calls us to be on the move.
To risk new things, To claim the power and authority you have given us.
Help us remember to take comfort in the rituals that ease the road.
That you are present in washed hands and warm bread,
That there are moments of reflection and repose
As we strike out into the unknown. In the name of Jesus, the maker of disciples. Amen.
Drawing from her previous experience as a seminary professor, Dr. Crystal Hall helps bridge the gap between what women know intellectually and the actions they want to embody, to create truly sustainable ministries. She’s a certified coach and holds a PhD from Union Theological Seminary in New York. Crystal lives on the Connecticut shoreline with her husband, their son and their cat, Lady Blue.