Gospel of St. Mark, 6:7
[Jesus] “called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick—no food, no traveler’s bag, no money He allowed them to wear sandals but not to take a change of clothes.
‘Wherever you go,’ he said, ‘stay in the same house until you leave town. But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.’
So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil.”
The first time attempting anything can be a scary time. It’s Saturday night. September 1969. 17 years old. A high school junior. WOMT radio, AM 1240. The last disc jockey went home, and I’m alone while the 45 record he put on the turntable is coming to an end. If I wait too long, the listeners will soon hear ssshhh, ssshhh, ssshhh. I need to flip that microphone switch and say something, anything. The first time is the hardest, especially when you’re alone. But I didn’t feel alone because all the radio announcers I’ve heard during my young life were now living within me. WCFL, WGN, WLS. All those Chicago powerhouse jocks lived within me in the tiny Manitowoc radio station at 250 watts at dusk. I was not alone.
Johnny Carson wouldn’t have lasted thirty years without the guy on the couch. Sonny Bono had the one with a single name. Michael Jordan needed two of these guys. Kathie Lee had hers. For years. Enough examples? Companions on a journey. Walking with one another to make the journey less tedious and more supportive. Someone to talk to, regardless if the mood was humorous or arguing.
Here’s one, I mean a pair, for you. Has “a” Mormon ever visited your home? I think not. Like the other examples, they travel in pairs; in solidarity whether to soften disappointments or to embrace successes.
No need to carry much stuff or what scripture calls provisions. It’s those intrinsic gifts and talents that we all slowly uncover and then use for the betterment of the world. It’s been said that these gifts are “given to us by God,” but I don’t think that’s true. Instead, I believe God blesses those gifts as they become an essential part of our lives. When gifts and talents are performed for the good of humanity then, during trying times, the Holy Spirit empowers them with the grace of fortitude. That same Spirit also sprinkles them with the graces of satisfaction when the phrase “well done, good and faithful servant” is felt in our hearts and souls.
No matter your occupation, whether doing obvious church work or driving an Amazon truck with Nike’s emblem on both sides. The tried and true slogan of our beautiful Christian faith? “All for the greater honor and glory of God.” It is our Christian badge that sticks to our chest during all of our actions, especially in our relationships and in our personal lives. It is our trademark not visible on our foreheads but heard through our words and actions. It is our coat of arms not worn … but warmly felt by the words and actions others give to us.
“Two by two,” St. Mark tells us today. Those two’s are coupled with provisional gifts that do not belong to us but are used for the greater glory of God. I was about to use the word “empower” again, but that’s too churchy of a word. Instead, I choose “a thumbs up.” Up to where we already know.
It’s now midnight that first Saturday night after five and a half hours behind my first radio microphone. I turn off the transmitter and lights and lock the door. I walk home with a delightful spring in my step. I’m not alone. Walking beside me is Wally Phillips, Roy Leonard, Larry Lujack, Dick Biondi, John Doremus, Franklyn McCormick, and Lionel Dean. Why this delight at the end of the day? Because I get to get up at 5:00 am. to do it all over again.