Readings: Isaiah 66:1-10; Galatians 6:14-18; Luke 10:1-12
It is the summer of 1940 and we are on the northern French coast, north-east of Calais, just below the French-Belgian border. The place is Dunkirk and the British army is surrounded by German forces. German planes and artillery are doing all they can to prevent the British soldiers being ferried from the beaches to the waiting transports and destroyers standing off-shore. An armada of small boats has crossed the English Channel to help in this vast rescue operation.

Two British soldiers were the last ones left on a particular beach. The last small boat available had just been sunk by German planes. The waiting destroyers off-shore looked so near, yet so far. Both soldiers were no-nonsense, practical men, without any religious convictions. Their life-threatening concern was to leave Dunkirk, get to the transport ship and return to the relative safety of England.

At last in the distance they saw a small boat coming. It reached the beach and the soldiers saw an old man beckoning them. The old man seemed sick and feeble, but he was absolutely determined and he managed to bring the soldiers to the waiting transport ship. He explained that he thought he could not make the journey, but at a late stage of the operation, he decided to try it. He did not want thanks; he was just glad he managed. The two soldiers were deeply grateful and felt permanently indebted to him. They were taken safely back to England aboard the larger transport ship.

In the months and years after this incident, the two men differed in their response to what had happened. One felt it was a stroke of extraordinary luck and coincidence. This man was buoyed up by the remarkable experience of good fortune.

The other man felt differently – something happened that seemed to touch him to the very depths of his soul. He had felt utterly hopeless and abandoned when a hand reached out to save him.

Like the first man, this man felt deeply grateful to the old, sick man. But there was a further profound gratitude inside him. He felt that a more overwhelming gratitude needed to be expressed. But to whom? In spite of himself, for he was not a `religious` man, he could think of only one answer: he needed to be thankful to God.

His friend did not see this – this seemed nonsense to him. `Can`t you see it was just a series of very fortunate events for us? We were lucky, very lucky, that`s all.`

`I know that,` replied the other man, `but something further happened to me. I can only express it by saying I met someone – someone who is now very important to me. We met the old man, certainly. But I was rescued by someone greater than the old man in the boat. I now see life very differently. After Dunkirk I cannot help but believe and trust in God.`

It is in the light of this story that I want to consider briefly today`s scriptures.

Isaiah 66:10-16 The word `Joy` is mentioned four times in this brief reading. The word `delight` is mentioned (not a word I hear often today, even in our prosperous, materialist culture).

`Jerusalem rejoice.`
`Flowing peace to Jerusalem, like a river, like a creek in sudden flood – but it`s a flood of peace.`
`Like a son comforted by his mother, will I comfort you.`

In Isaiah 66 verse 9, God says, `Am I to open the womb and not bring to birth?`

Joy permeates the whole Third Book of Isaiah (Chapters 56-66). Chapter 56 opens, `Have a care for justice, act with integrity, include the refugee. Let no foreigner say, `The Lord will exclude me from his people.`

Chapter 56, verse 7 says, `I will make foreigners joyful in my house.`

The ground on which all social justice issues stands is `joy`. As Meister Eckhardt says, `God enjoys himself and wants us to join in.`

Isaiah 66:1-10 uses other images of God: `For see how God comes in fire . . .` `For see how God comes like the storm.`

These powerful images of God are used throughout the Old Testament – in the books of other prophets and many times in the Psalms. They are symbols of God`s effectiveness, God`s continual work with us, symbols of God`s victory – and they are carried on into the New Testament:
2 Thessalonians 1: 8 – `God will come in flaming fire`.

In Galatians 6:14-18, Paul speaks about boasting, mouthing off, bragging. Just what can we followers of Jesus Christ skite about? Wealth, our class superiority, our moral superiority, our brains, our power? What can we have a swelled head about? Paul says, `Nothing but the cross`. Paul says we have died to all these lusts for power and domination and for pleasure for its own sake because of Calvary. Paul says the marks on his body are the marks of Jesus. Paul was flogged and imprisoned – these marks on his body and soul were like the branding marks on slaves, making them the property of the slave owner. And so, like Paul, we can boast about the marks of life`s sufferings on us because they mark us over to God – the Father of our saviour, Jesus. If we are slaves to anyone, we are slaves to God.

Luke 10: 1-12 focuses on the Mission of the 72. Why 72? It all goes back to Genesis Chapter 10, and the table of all the nations of the world. Jesus` mission is to all the nations of the earth. They are sent out two by two. There may be three reasons for this: Firstly for mutual support; secondly, traditionally a living testimony had to be given by at least two witnesses; and thirdly, two by two is an example of peace between brothers or sisters – for example, Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13).

The 72 are sent out like `lambs among wolves`. Like the two soldiers, we can differ as to what this means – are the lambs going to be torn apart, or are they going to lie down with the wolves, according to Isaiah`s dream of the end times? (Isaiah 11).

The 72 `cure the sick`, indicating that the Kingdom of God and not the Kingdom of Caesar nor Herod is present among the 72 (that is, all the nations of the earth).

`The Kingdom of God is near you.` There are warnings in this passage. God will show more mercy to Sodom than to the people who do not welcome the Kingdom of God. This is a warning to the Lucan community itself – the church itself is never immune to becoming deaf to God`s living word – to the Kingdom of God, even to the still small voice of God whispering to that soldier on the beach of Dunkirk.

Indeed, coming to know God and what God is like through the crucified one, seems to be the only way of allowing God to take possession of us, not as a slave owner, but as a lover, whom we welcome with the deepest joy and by whose power we can live cheerfully, lovingly and courageously.

Then the one-whom-we-love will work through us in our commitment to each other and our willingness to suffer in the cause of right.