One of my favorite authors is the Baptist minister and sociologist Tony Campolo, who serves as a pastor at a predominately African-American congregation in Philadelphia. He tells the story of an experience he had one day walking in downtown Philadelphia. It was a cold day, and as he was walking down the street, bundled against the cold and the wind, he encountered a homeless man. The man was dirty, with a long beard that had remnants of rotting food stuck in it. The man approached Campolo, and he just knew that he was going to be asked for money. He expected to be the one who would do the blessing that day. But something different happened. The man was holding a cup of coffee, and he held it out and offered Campolo a sip. Campolo hesitated for a moment, and then took the man up on his offer. After taking a sip he asked him, why are you being so generous with your coffee? The man replied that the coffee was especially delicious today, and if God gives you a blessing, you should pass it on. Then he said that he had a request. Tony just knew that now he was going to be hit up for a 5 dollar bill. But instead, he asked Campolo for a hug. And there, in the middle of a busy street in downtown Philadelphia, Campolo writes that he experienced the kingdom of God breaking in on the world. As he hugged the dirty, filthy homeless man, he was the recipient of the blessing that day.

Friends, God often works in unexpected ways. God is at work in the world through unexpected people. The reign of God comes to us in the places that we least expect it. In our scripture readings today, we are reminded of how God works through folks that are not expected to be the bearers of the Spirit. In the gospel of Mark, we read of an incident between Jesus and his disciples. They see someone casting out demons, and demand that Jesus stop him. “He’s not one of us!” they cry. He is not part of the inner circle. He is on the outside, and we are your inner circle. But Jesus simply says, that whoever is not against us is with us. Whoever is doing the work of healing, the work of justice, the work of peace—is doing the work of God. God is working is ways that we can’t even begin to imagine—through people that are not part of us, in places where we might be surprised to find the presence of God’s Spirit. But that is just like God, isn’t it? God is always working in surprising places and in surprising ways to bring about the reign of love and justice.

The problem is that people often find it difficult to see God at work in places that make us uncomfortable. None of us are immune from this. We all from time to time feel like we are the in-group, the ones with access to God’s truth. Those “other people” are just not like us—they don’t think the way we do, they don’t believe like we do, they are not in the right group. But even then, we are reminded that it is not up to us to decide where the Spirit will go. Jesus told us that the Spirit goes where it will—like the wind, the Spirit of God is unpredictable, taking us to places that we may have never envisioned going. And that is the great adventure of discipleship—knowing that God will never cease to amaze us with the joy of new life and presence of surprising grace. Sometimes we find unexpected allies in the place where we least expected to find them. Sometimes we find the word of grace and the voice of hope in the person that we least expected to bring that word to us. Sometimes, we find the Spirit blowing fresh wind through our lives and the lives of others. That is the great adventure, the journey of life that leads us into new places, with a newfound joy.

In our reading from the book of Numbers, Moses had to face the objections of the elders that Eldad and Medad, these two men on the margin of the community, were prophesying—stop them! They are not authorized to do this…they are not the chosen ones, the inner circle, the righteous ones. How often have we heard those words in our time? How often have those in the inner circle, the holy ones, cried out to stop them. We have heard church leaders and those in authority claim to be the bearers of God’s revelation, and they feel threatened when those outside the inner circle receive the presence of God’s Spirit, and bring God’s justice and healing to others. But Moses had a response—would that all God’s people were prophets, that everyone would be given the Spirit and speak healing and justice to the world.

The truth is, we are all called to be prophets. The Spirit rests upon all of God’s creation, and all of God’s people are called to be bearers of the truth to the world. There is no in-group in God’s kingdom, no inner circle where some are in and some are out. There is no place where the Spirit of God is not. God has called all of us, women and men, young and old, black and white, Jew and Christian and Muslim, gay and straight—all are given the charge to speak a healing word to the world. The word of justice, the word of peace, the gift of love—we have been given the Spirit and empowered with a proclamation of life. Just when we think that God can’t surprise us anymore, just when we think that we know where the Spirit will blow—we are surprised yet again with a new voice, bearing the peace of Christ and the love of God for the world. That Spirit has rested upon all of creation, and we have all been called—called to reach out to a world that is hurting and bring love; called to reach out to people who are trapped in doubt and despair, and bring them news that God loves them; called to stand up boldly to the powers and principalities that seek to hoard and gather and destroy, and say to them that God has called God’s creation to justice and peace, to love and to hope.

Several years ago our denomination, the United Church of Christ, held its national meeting, known as General Synod, in Kansas City, MO. It was a special meeting that year because it was being held jointly with our partner church, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). These two bodies came together and joyfully celebrated our joint ministry and the work of God among us. But one day during the meeting, there was a disruption in the spirit of celebration and joy. As the delegates and visitors were filing into the hall for worship, a small group of protestors from Rev. Fred Phelps’ church in Kansas had gathered in front of the convention hall, protesting the inclusive welcome of the UCC toward glbt persons. You’ve all heard of these folks I’m sure. They’re the people who go around protesting with the signs—God hates fags. Well, as you can imagine, the mood was dark as people entered the worship space. The adults were all standing around, not quite sure what to do. People were paralyzed. But then, something extraordinary happened. The youth representatives, in fact the youth from this region of the DOC, decided to do something. They began to go around and gather every scrap of paper they could find, and they made posters and signs to counter the hate. Then, they gathered and staged a counter-protest, witnessing to the love of God for all people. Some of the youth simply knelt in front of the convention center in prayer. As the leaders of the church stood paralyzed, not knowing what to do, the youth took action, And the love of God was proclaimed that day.

Friends, God often works in the world in unexpected places and unlikely people. God is a God of surprises, and we are blessed to be called into this adventure of faith, this journey into the realm of God. The realm of God is a place of radical grace and boundary- breaking inclusion. It is a place where there are no outsiders, where the community does not erect rigid social boundaries, but a place of healing and liberation where all are given the call to speak God’s word of peace and love and justice. The Spirit rest upon all of us, and we have been called to carry the good news of God’s love to a world that is desperately seeking peace and healing. And we are called into a community in which the circle is expanding ever wider, to welcome all of God’s children and learn to live ever deeper into love and compassion. This is the good news. Thanks be to God. Amen.