Sore Feet and No Place to Stay

July 6, 2026

I want to thank Jim Erdman for leading worship and preaching at St. Peter’s last Sunday and the youth of Trinity for leading worship last Sunday! It was awesome! It’s wonderful to not be missed when I’m away! We went to Boston, except for the last day of vacation we went to a Waterpark, Camelbeach. At first, I was walking around barefoot. The concrete was rough, and the deck and stairs were hot on my feet. After a while I put my shoes on when not in the water. I had sore feet!

Sore feet are probably in today’s gospel reading from Luke 10, because of instructions Jesus gives. Jesus sends 72 followers out to all the places he himself will soon go. He sends them out in twos, saying each pair should go to a different village. It’s a big operation.

Jesus tells them, when you go to a village, don’t take a purse, or a bag or sandals. So, he’s saying leave your money at home, don’t take a suitcase, and go barefoot. This starts to sound like a nightmare trip: you have no money, no suitcase and no shoes! Have you ever had your suitcase lost or delayed? It’s no fun! But Jesus did not promise this trip would be easy. He said, “Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.” 

Still, if there are people who are kind to you when you have sore feet and no money, who take you in and help you out, it makes things a little better.

Jesus tells his followers, if people welcome you in a village, that’s great! Heal their sick and tell them, The Kingdom of God is so close! Sometimes the mission will go great!

Next Jesus says, but if you enter a town and they don’t welcome you, shake the dust off your feet at them. But as you leave, tell them, the Kingdom of God is so close! Jesus has little patience for an unwelcoming town. But his followers should still give the townspeople the message, the kingdom of God has come near!

When I read this story, I think, I do not want Jesus to plan my next vacation! It would be a disaster! No money, no change of clothes, no shoes and possibly no place to stay! What was Jesus thinking?

Jesus is sending his followers to tell strangers God loves them, to heal their sick and to invite them to come closer to God and his kingdom. Why does Jesus make his followers leave their shoes and money behind? Because when we get comfortable, our comfort can put some distance between us and other people. If you travel and you don’t stay in someone’s house, if you stay in a hotel room or rental, and you don’t share meals with strangers, it’s harder to grow closer in relationship with new people. Why do we stay in hotels? We are on vacation and we’re not about forming new relationships as much as fun and good food!

Last year we went on vacation to Erie, and it could get very crowded for the free breakfast in our hotel. Sitting on a couch with our plates on the coffee table, somehow we got talking with a man. He told me and Kevin his story. He had found out he had stage 4 prostate cancer, so he prayed to God. He sensed God gave him a scripture verse, Jesus words in John 8:32: “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” So, he set out to find the truth about what to do about his cancer. He felt the truth could make him healthy. He changed his diet. I got the idea it was lots of vegetables, healthy food. Somehow, his cancer was reduced to just a small tumor. At that point he had surgery to remove it. He said, “Now I’m cancer free!” He has invited people to church, saying, “God saved my life! You should come to church and see what He can do for you!” And he’s brought people to church and to God. He is very active in church. His story was a witness and encouragement to me of what God can do! But I only know his story because it was so crowded for breakfast that we were eating with people we didn’t know!

I believe Jesus gives the no shoes, no money, no place to stay instructions so that his followers will need to accept hospitality from strangers. Jesus himself accepted hospitality. He asked the woman at the well to draw water for him. He invited himself over to Zaccheus’, the tax collector’s, house. He said, “Zaccheus, I am coming to your house today!” It was all good, Zaccheus was overjoyed Jesus was coming!

Jesus did not live with kingly comfort! Instead, he suffered some deprivation and need of others. He went to the cross, but before that he lived the way of the cross. He depended on others to help him eat. When we, like Jesus, say yes to taking up the cross, the kingdom of God works in us and through us to the world.

The good news of God’s love spreads when you and I get a little uncomfortable. When we rub elbows with people. I believe you and I are sent out by Jesus to let people know, the kingdom of God is so close! And we have to live a little uncomfortably so other people come closer to God.

Most Christians find it uncomfortable to invite people to church or talk about their faith. The reasons might be, my friends already go to church. Or my friends are happy not going to church.  Or I don’t know how to invite. But there are Christians who love to tell the story! If we are uncomfortable inviting, it’s probably because we don’t practice it much. We are good at worshipping God, because we do it often. We can get better at inviting people if we practice.

Imagine if we practice invitation! What will our church look like in a year, or over 10 years, if we get better at this? Imagine how many people will come to know God and to church because we got a little uncomfortable!

Here’s my challenge for you today: pull out your phone. Think of someone you know who is going through a hard time who is within transportation distance of our church. Send them a text: “I’m at church this morning. Is there any way I can be praying for you?” I know I love it when someone asks me that! It touches my heart!

If you can’t think of anyone, pray about it and text or call when you think of someone. Then be sure to let them know you prayed.

Jesus sent out 72 people to get sore feet and with no assurance they would have a place to sleep at night. The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” It’s both difficult and amazing to go on a mission for God. When we, like Jesus, say yes to taking up our cross, the kingdom of God works in us and through us to change the world!