May 29, 2022 Easter 7 Luke 10:1-24

I was serving at a different congregation this Sunday.  The following was created to be read by members of the congregation; with one standing at the altar, one at the pulpit, and one at the baptismal font.


Altar: A

Pulpit: P

Baptismal Font: B



B: Much has been made of Jesus saying, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightening.”

What does this mean?

Is Jesus speaking of some primordial event that caused an overall breakdown of the goodness of God’s original plans for creation?

Was Satan originally an angel that fell from God’s good graces and was thrown out?

Is this downfall some future event that Jesus is predicting?

It is not smart to make too much of it. The image isn’t consistent. Jesus is certainly drawing on Isaiah 14:12 which reads, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!” But that does not refer to Satan. It refers to one of two kings of Assyria; either Sargon II, or Sennacherib. The prophet Isaiah was already mixing images with this reference. Jesus mixes them even more.

Traditions and Christian folklore have associated this “Day Star” with an angel named “Satan” or “Lucifer”. This angel was thrown out of heaven by God for his pride and arrogance. Intriguing as the idea may be, the Bible itself makes no such connections.

Whichever Assyrian king is referred to, he had made great boasts, and (at least from the point of view of the ancient Israelites) made himself out to be a god.

When Jesus draws on this passage from Isaiah he is not making a statement about the origin of evil at all. He is making a statement about the downfall of evil that is being brought about by the work of his disciples.



P: Our gospel reading started off with Jesus sending 70 of his followers out ahead of him to every town he intended to go. Jesus is on his journey to Jerusalem. This journey will be spreading the good news of God’s love throughout the whole region. By the time Jesus does reach Jerusalem there were hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people following him.

No names are given to any of these 70. Certainly the twelve disciples and Jesus’ close female followers were among them. But they are just among these 70 ordinary people.

Think about it. Jesus commissions and empowers 70 ordinary people to go out and proclaim that the Kingdom of God has come near. That’s it. There’s no special sales pitch. They’re not handing out swag. They aren’t selling a product. They’re not performing miracles. They’re just saying that God’s kingdom has come near.

What is the result?

Failure?

Sometime later the 70 return to Jesus saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” Jesus replies, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightening.”

Are we to take that literally? When did this happen? It doesn’t matter. The point Jesus is making is that these 70 ordinary people have been undermining the forces of evil so seriously that evil is being shaken to the core.



A: We live in a world that can feel like it is wracked with evil. People act from greed and fear. They commit violent acts regularly. Domestic terrorism has become a daily event even in our own country. For example, at this point there have been 27 school shootings in our nation this year. (Statistic reported by Education Week and relayed by National Public Radio.)

But evil is not necessarily always obvious and violent. Humanity’s desire for lives of ease and comfort creates colossal demands.

-According to the World Population Review, humans use over 3.6 billion gallons of oil every day.

-According to World Meters numbers from 2017, humans use 374 billion cubic feet of natural gas every day.

-The World Bank estimates from 2016 are that human cities create 5.5 million tons of solid waste every day. (That number does not subtract out the weight of recycled materials though.)

Are those things actually evil? Not necessarily. But the list of humanity’s destruction can go on and on in a seemingly endless list. While climate change may be the hot button issue of the day, it is but one of many issues. It certainly appears as if evil is alive and well. What are we to do?

Jesus sent 70 ordinary people into the world to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God. Those 70 ordinary people shook evil at its core even though they did nothing that felt all that special. They made Satan fall like a flash of lightening. Since the pandemic our church’s attendance has averaged around 70 people. Though we may not like to call ourselves “ordinary” we’d probably not see ourselves as particularly skilled at combating evil. That is just the sort Jesus calls upon! We are indeed equipped to also shake evil to the core.



B: Our journey in the battle against evil began at our baptism. While baptism may seem like just a splash of water, it is far more. In baptism we die from the ways of the world that draw us away from God. God turns our hearts towards him. That alone is a blow to the unbridled power of evil. Certainly we still sin. We make mistakes. We do things that are hurtful, destructive, and wrong. And we still participate in the ways of the world.

But we are different. We know that we are God’s. No one can take that away from us.

We are enough.

We are not lacking.

No one can shame us into doing what we do not want to do. All are just like us – sinners in need of God’s redemption. We see the earth as God’s good creation. We see its resources as things to be used responsibly.

These things may seem like small things to us, but they are not. Evil does not like people to have such a mindset. It threatens the power it is clinging to. And evil knows it will eventually lose.

Baptism tells us that when we look in the mirror we see the face of God looking back at us. And baptism tells us that every person around us is also made in the image of God. We do not shame or condemn others.



A: Our daily battle against evil continues in communion. Like baptism, this may seem like too small a thing. What good can a scrap of bread and a thimble-full of wine possibly do against evil? But evil does not like communion at all.

Where else do: young and old, rich and poor, educated and ignorant, all gather and kneel before their God in silence? Evil cannot stand such a thing! Evil seeks to create dissention and division. Evil tells us we need to have more. Evil tells us to stand out and be special. Evil tells us we can be perfect and save ourselves. Evil does not like people kneeling in equally in submission to receive from God.



P: Words have power. Perhaps we do not preach sermons or shout from the street corners, but our words still have enormous power. So does our silence. Words of kindness and support to are direct assaults on evil. Words of encouragement and praise are also assaults on the power of evil. Evil would have us live in jealousy and fear. God’s word that: ‘We are good,’ and ‘We are enough,’ allows us to be generous in our praise of others.

Silence also has power. When we speak out against the actions of evil we are directly assaulting it. But perhaps we are too scared to speak sometimes. We seek the courage to do so. And even when we keep silent, we do not join our voices with those who seek to do harm. We are countering evil.

Actions also have power. So does inaction.

Every dollar we spend, every purchase we make, can be an act that brings the Kingdom of God into the world.

-Whenever we act with the mindset that we are God’s people evil becomes scared.

-Whenever we connect our lives to the rhythms of God’s world evil doesn’t like it.

-Whenever we use resources to build up others and create opportunities for life evil is threatened.



A: Jesus sent 70 ordinary people out and Satan fell from heaven like a flash of lightening. The biggest lie of all is that Satan actually has power. But Satan’s kingdom is incredibly fragile and frail. Though it may make a lot of noise, and it may indeed cause a lot of pain, Satan’s kingdom is nothing compared to the power of God’s love.



P: Making Satan fall like a flash of lightening does not have to be hard. It is the work of ordinary people. Satan’s power is something we effectively assault each and every day. Live by the power of God’s love and evil’s grip grows ever weaker. Evil is scared of us!