NOTES: 1] vv.13-16 as optional. 2] In v.1, 70 & 72 are variants. Jesus (or, LK?) connects either with NUM 11:16 for the 70, or GEN 10 for the 72. 3] The Complete Gospels (Polebridge Press, '94) translates v.9: 'God's imperial rule is closing in'. 4] Forthe 'woes' & threats of vv.12-16, compare 6: 24-26. 5] 'demons' were blamed for bad things that happened to people. 6] v.18 is echoed by REV 12: 7-9. In v.19, snakes & scorpions, like demons, are agents of evil.

WARMING UP: Are you a 'go it alone' person, or one who spreads the load?

TREASURES OLD & NEW: Afterthoughts from, follow-up to last week’s Group, or since?

EXPLORING GOSPEL:

1-12     Do we see ourselves more as those sent on ahead of Jesus' return, or more a follow-up, mopping-up operation? Are we acting more as one or the other? Or, neither? If we lack confidence in ourselves & our ability to reach out to others for Jesus, what is there in this incident to encourage us? What do we need to recover / discover to get our mission going again?
            On our part of Jesus' mission, do we see these same instructions / restrictions (how many?) applying? Or are they off-putting? Are we conscious enough that any 'mission' we are part of is Jesus' & not ours?
            When we go visiting (anyone) have we ever tried saying 'Peace be to this house (& to all who dwell in it)' when we knock on the door, as a blessing on those within & our visit? How good are we at (grace-iously) accepting hospitality? Giving it? Do we see any / all hospitality as being in Jesus' name? Or is hospitality just social, secular, cultural, now?
           Apart from forays into healing ministry of various kinds, is the healing edge of Jesus' ministry now so blunted as to be almost non-existent? If we take what we read here seriously, isn't that something 'up with which we will not put'? (Churchill)
           What signs, if any, can we see of God's Rule (the Kingdom of God) being near / closing in / existing in any meaningful sense? Who / what determines whether God's Rule 'kicks in'? Where do we come in?

13-16  Assuming these verses are optional (as per the Lectionary) because they portray Jesus 'talking tough', have we moved too far to the other extreme, i.e. in being 'soft', not speaking our mind? Is it time we re-activated cursing some people to show we love them? Do we expect people today to understand that in listening to us they're listening to Jesus / in rejecting us they're rejecting Jesus (& therefore, God)? Wouldn't someone outside our ranks think that's pretty laughable? How do we feel about it? Is it just that times have changed, or has something else changed, too? Can we change things back? Where to from here?

17-24  How much of a part does 'joy' play in any / every aspect of our church life? Is it that there's no joy to be found, that we settle too easily for less than joy, or is 'joy' just old hat? How conscious are we of God as a protective power in our life? Or do we look in other directions now? What does it really mean to have our 'names written in heaven'? Is it of any practical use now, or just later? Are we living out the joyful side of Jesus, or just the serious one? Is it time to lighten up a bit?