The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

— Luke 10:17

Wally was a church member who had a big heart for mission. He and I led a course for several years about the basics of Christian faith, and we saw a lot of good change in people’s lives during that time. I remember thinking sometimes as I drove home, “It doesn’t get any better than this!”

It seems that Jesus’ disciples sensed something like that in their own context when he sent them out in pairs. Jesus celebrated their success by declaring that through their work, Satan himself was being defeated. What a statement! It truly doesn’t get better than that!

This month we have focused on some big mission words: gospel, witness, holistic, and intercultural. These are important words and concepts. But they don’t mean a thing if they remain just ideas. They come alive and truly mean something when they describe how we join Jesus in the work of changing lives and renewing communities.

As Wally interacted with the people he met, whether it was in his greenhouse operation, talking to a visitor at church, striking up a conversation at the coffee shop, or hosting our course, he wasn’t thinking about those big words. He just wanted to make sure that every person knew they were loved with an everlasting love and that they would meet Jesus. Jesus commissions us, his disciples, with the same call.

Jesus, help me to be available to you. In my interactions with others, may I bring your message of life, healing, and hope. Equip me with your Spirit, Lord. Amen.