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After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But at the judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. (Luke 10: 25-27) Reflection A Camp Mount Luther staff person could explain this better than I can but I will give it a try. As I understand it, each week of summer camp there are what are Cabin Groups - two cabins of campers with two counselors who go through their days and all activities together. I believe the model is called small group camping and it starts with pairing two counselors. In pairs there is a trust in teamwork, an understanding of strengths and weaknesses and the assurance of support. All for the sake of the campers having their best time at Mount Luther and staff to be the faithful servants that they are. I can make many connections from how Jesus sent out the seventy to how Mount Luther staff go through their weeks. In pairs. To serve many children and teens. They carry just backpacks everywhere they go with a GPS (no, not that kind of GPS, but a resource called the Guiding Principles for Staff), a Bible, a first aid kit, water bottle, sunscreen, bug spray,...actually, I don't know what all is in those backpacks but I am almost certain they could survive days with just the contents. Here is where the seventy and the Mount Luther staff differ. While the seventy may have wiped dust off their sandals and moved on to other towns at times, Mount Luther staff are more likely to wipe mud off their sandals after the rainstorms and head right back to the cabin, the dining hall, the ropes course, pond or wherever on those 400 acres and always with campers in tow. Here is where the seventy and the Mount Luther staff are the most alike (along with being in pairs). They declare, "Peace!" and they say, "The kingdom of God (is) near to you." In fact, it's as close as Camp Mount Luther. --Ruth Gates Prayer Lord, we pray for the campers and staff at Camp Mount Luther. Help the staff to share Christ and plant seeds in the lives of those who come to this place set apart. Open the minds of the children, youth, and adults who attend, so that they can encounter you in new and exciting ways. Help them to experience the beauty of your creation and come back to our congregations, ready to live a life of discipleship and service to you. Amen. (from the Holy Communion and Camp Opening worship - June 12, 2022 - prayer by Bishop Collins)
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