In scripture, we encounter a God who is continually working to gather us back to himself. In Exodus (19:2-6) we hear God working through Moses to gather the Israelites to himself by telling them that they will be his special possession if they listen to his voice and keep his covenant.
In Matthew (9:36-10:8) we have Jesus amongst a crowd of people who were troubled, confused, and left to spiritually fend for themselves. He felt pity for them. They were vulnerable to those who would separate, divide, and scatter; those who would lead them away from a loving relationship with God; lead them away from true happiness, peace, and freedom; lead them away from the one who came to save them.
There were so many people that Jesus summons his 12 apostles to help gather them to himself, to lead them to the Kingdom of heaven. They were to go through towns, doing the same works Jesus did, proclaiming the good news to those they met, that the Kingdom of Heaven is here.
Jesus is still gathering today. In our world we can see division. We can see attempts to scatter and confuse. Efforts to tempt people with prosperity and a false sense of happiness for the aim of making a profit or gaining power. Leading people away from the person they are really searching for.
We see these people, we know these people, we love these people, and probably feel for them the way Jesus felt for those in the crowd. That feeling is our cue. Because of our love for Jesus and our neighbor, we respond by adding our name to the list of the 12, and with a courageous heart, go where he sends us. We help him gather those at our work, in our school, our families, and at the margins of society to himself.
We begin our work with our presence. Not just any presence, but a listening presence. Listening is an act of love. If the person we are with is open and true, and we are open and true, over time, listening will build trust. If this trust is authentic, it eventually leads to an invitation to carefully enter a person’s heart. By sharing whatever it is they hold there, we can bless them with our presence, with love and with truth, proclaim the gospel message into their life, and affirm for them who they really are, a beloved son or daughter of God. Our listening and patience can result in an encounter with the love of Jesus.
God continues to gather us to himself, through Moses, the 12 apostles, and now through us. We help Jesus by listening to those we are with, those we care for, those we love, leading them to the Kingdom of Heaven, which is here, which is where we find true happiness, true peace, true freedom in the one we are really searching for. Get out there and keep listening.