July 6, 2025 • 24 mins
What does it mean to share good news in a world overwhelmed by bad news? In this episode, Rev. Bri-anne explores Luke 10 and the radical vulnerability of discipleship. Drawing on themes of evangelism and spiritual community this sermon speaks directly to the congregation at East End, but offers wisdom for anyone seeking meaning, connection, and hope in uncertain times.
Whether you're part of a faith community or spiritually curious, hear how God breathes life into dust—and sends it out with purpose.
📖 Scripture: Luke 10:1-11 The Seventy Are Sent Out
🎶 Music: Dust in the Wind by Kansas
Sung by Bri-anne. Guitar by Raymond at Acoustic Lounge (thank you).
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⛪️ East End United Regional Ministry is an Affirming (🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ positive) community of faith, part of the United Church of Canada in Toronto.
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Sermons from the East End is a sermon podcast brought to you by the people of East End United Regional Ministry, part of our online ministry serving those both within and beyond the East End of Toronto, Canada.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm the reverend Brianne Swan, and this is
sermons from the East End forMonday, 07/07/2025. Hi there,
(00:30):
and welcome to Sermons from theEast End, a podcast brought to
you by the folks from East EndUnited Regional Ministry in
Toronto. Now I'll be honest.This week's reflection is a
little more insider focused thanusual. Is addressed first and
foremost to the members,adherents, and beloved mischief
makers of East End United.
(00:52):
It speaks directly to where weare right now as a community,
our calling, our questions, andthe quiet courage it takes to
keep showing up for one anotherin a world that often feels like
it's falling apart. That said,if you're listening from outside
our walls, curious, questioning,and maybe even craving a little
(01:13):
good news, there is somethinghere for you too. Because
ultimately this sermon is aboutwhat it means to carry peace
even when we feel small. What itmeans to keep going even when
the dust clings to our feet. Sotake a breath, settle in, and
(01:33):
let's begin.
Luke chapter 10 verses onethrough 11. After this, the Lord
appointed 72 others and sentthem ahead of him in pairs to
(01:55):
every town and place where hehimself intended to go. He said
to them, the harvest isplentiful, but the laborers are
few. Therefore, ask the lord ofthe harvest to send out laborers
into his harvest. Go on yourway.
I am sending you out like lambsin the midst of wolves. Carry no
(02:17):
purse, no bag, no sandals, andgreet no one on the road.
Whatever house you enter, firstsay peace to this house. And if
a person of peace is there, yourpeace will rest on that person.
But if not, it will return toyou.
Remain in the same house eatingand drinking whatever they for
(02:41):
the laborer deserves to be paid.Do not move about from house to
house. Whenever you enter a townand its people welcome you, eat
what is set before you. Cure thesick who are there, and say to
them, the kingdom of God hascome near to you. But whenever
you enter a town and they do notwelcome you, go out into its
(03:04):
streets and say, even the dustof your town that clings to our
feet, we wipe off in protestagainst you.
(04:09):
All we are is dust in the wind.It's a haunting song even after
the music fades out. Thefutility of striving, the
smallness of our lives againstthe backdrop of the universe.
It's melancholy, yes, but alsokind of liberating, if we let it
(04:32):
be so. The wind blows where itwill and we, we are just dust,
fleeting, fragile, here todayand gone tomorrow.
And Scripture agrees. From thevery beginning we are reminded
(04:53):
that we come from dust, and todust we shall return. But what
Kansas doesn't say, and what theGospel insists on, is that God
works with dust. God breathesinto dust, shapes it, calls it
(05:14):
good, sends it. This is theparadox of discipleship, of
being human really.
We are so small, and yet we arecalled to do and be so much. In
today's passage from Luke, Jesussends out 70 disciples, 70
(05:39):
ordinary people with dustysandals and probably a whole lot
of questions. They're sent inpairs to go into towns, to
prepare the way, to share peace,to heal, to say, The kingdom of
God has come near to you. Jesusdoesn't sugar coat it. He says,
(05:59):
I am sending you out like lambsinto the midst of wolves.
It's not exactly a moralebooster. He gives them no purse,
no bag, and no back up plan justeach other, a blessing to offer,
and the authority to shake thedust that is inhospitable people
(06:23):
off their feet if things gosideways. This is not a
triumphant crusade. It'svulnerable mission. There is no
plan B, just dust and breath andhope.
And still they go. This littlerag tag group goes into strange
(06:48):
towns and stays in otherpeople's homes and eats whatever
is put in front of them. Novetting, no dietary codes, no
Yelp reviews, no spreadsheets.They go where they're welcomed,
and they stay there. And whenthey're rejected, they don't
(07:08):
lash out, they don't shame orthreaten or curse, they just
leave.
They shake the dust off theirfeet. A boundary, a signal that
they will not carry thatrejection with them into the
next place. I wonder, if we weresent out into our neighborhoods
(07:33):
to day, trying to get ourselvesinvited for dinner at some house
on Rhodes Avenue, what would webe saying? What good news would
feel so pressing to share? Theword evangelism has a lot of
baggage heavy, colonial, abusivebaggage.
(07:53):
It conjures images ofmanipulation and coercion and
spiritual harm. For many of usthe idea of evangelism is
something we have tried veryhard to separate ourselves from,
and perhaps rightly so. But tobe an evangelist simply means to
(08:15):
be a bearer of good news. To bean evangelist is to say, come
with me to this soup and breadthing on Thursday night. Or,
hey, my church is talking aboutthe climate crisis this Sunday,
and I think you'd like it.
That's all. That's evangelism.It doesn't mean to be a
(08:38):
conqueror or even a closer oftheological deals, just someone
who carries something beautifuland life giving and offers it
freely. And isn't that exactlywhat the world is crying out for
right now? A little bit of goodnews?
(08:59):
Isn't that what you're cravingtoo? We are a product of our
time and context. We've beentaught that evangelism is kind
of about us, about having theright answers, the perfect
argument, the theological micdrop. And I know, like most of
(09:20):
you listening to this right now,I am not really into any of that
at all. But Jesus sends out the70 not with a script or a sales
pitch, but with peace.
He tells them to go where theyare welcomed, to be present, to
eat, to heal, to speak of God'skingdom, which is so much
(09:44):
greater than any earthlyoppressive regime. He tells them
to invite others into the dream,and then to move on if it's not
received. That's it. That'sevangelism. Which means
(10:07):
evangelism in the way Jesusmodels it isn't about control.
It is about invitation. It isabout relationship and offering
without demanding. It's so easyto think, Who am I to share
this? Who am I to say anythingabout Jesus when the church has
(10:30):
done so much wrong? That'sunderstandable.
But strangely, and again, thatcenters us. And it's not about
us. It's about the message wecan carry, and who is aching to
(10:51):
hear it. A message that says Godis bigger than the cruelty of
this world, a message that saysall people are beloved, a
message that says healing andjustice and mercy are possible,
even now a message that invitesthose who are seeking to be held
(11:12):
in community. That is good news,and that is worth sharing.
But it's hard. It's not verycomfortable. To bear good news
in a world that profits off badnews is to be dangerous. To
(11:34):
speak of love in a world that'saddicted to domination is to be
radical. To show up with peacein a culture of violence is to
court rejection.
That is the cost. But there isjoy in it too. When the 70
return from their travels, theyare bursting with stories. They
(11:57):
are amazed. Jesus doesn't denytheir excitement, but he does
redirect it.
Don't rejoice that the powerslisten to you. Rejoice that you
belong. Here at East End United,we know something about the slow
(12:18):
work of building community. Itdoesn't happen overnight. There
are no quick fixes.
There's a lot of planting andwatering and waiting. And
sometimes it feels like not muchis growing. But the harvest is
plentiful. Jesus said it then,and it's still true now. What's
(12:44):
maybe changed is our posturetowards it.
Too often the Church has satback and expected people to come
to us. We have built beautifulsanctuaries we've made lovely
programmes we've set the table.And in my time here at East End,
I have witnessed this shift fromhoping the numbers of people
(13:07):
showing up on a Sunday or aThursday will increase because
we hope to survive, to seekingto grow because we have
something special to offer thatthe world sorely needs right
now. The invitation is not aboutus, but about meeting the
(13:28):
longing of our neighbors in themost authentic and loving ways
possible. East End has so muchto offer, more than many of us
realize.
This community is growing,stretching, reaching out in new
ways. Having Leslie Sinclair onboard right now to help with
(13:53):
communications is a huge step.But the work is not hers alone.
It's all of ours. The world isterrifying right now.
Fascism is on the rise. Theclimate is unraveling. People
are lonely, isolated, anddisoriented. And the systems in
(14:17):
place seem increasinglyunwilling to help. And if you
watch the news or follow socialmedia, you'll start to realize
that our despair and outrage isbeing monetized for the benefit
of oligarchs creatingcatastrophe in the first place.
But faith communities, when weare doing what we are supposed
(14:40):
to do, are uniquely equipped tooffer sanctuary, solidarity, and
deeper purpose. To care for oneanother in a society that
thrives on disconnection issubversive. To build community
when everything is telling us tolook out only for ourselves is
(15:02):
revolutionary. To show up foreach other week after week, when
the world keeps breaking ourhearts, that's discipleship.
That's the work.
And it matters. Which brings usback to dust. All we are is dust
(15:28):
in the wind, says Kansas. Butdust can carry seeds. Dust can
ride the spirit's breath.
Dust can become flesh, dust canbear witness, dust can speak
good news. We are not dust lostto the wind. We are dust with
(15:52):
direction, dust with purpose,dust scent. We are called like
the 70 to move lightly, speakboldly, love fiercely, and carry
peace wherever we go. And whenwe are rejected, and we will be,
(16:13):
we don't fight or shame orretreat, we shake it off.
We remember who we are and whosewe are. We keep going. So here
is a simple invitation. Think ofsomeone you know, someone who
could use a little morecommunity, a little more
(16:36):
meaning, a little more room toexplore the mystery of it all.
Someone who's been knockedaround by the world, or maybe
someone who just needs a spaceto exhale.
We recommend restaurants we'veloved. We share books that have
changed us. We rave about filmsthat made us weep. Why not this,
(17:01):
too? Why not tell someone abouta faith community that is daring
to care, to ask questions, tostay awake to injustice, to
search for beauty, to love Godand love people, and is trying
to get it right, together.
(17:23):
Not for our benefit not to fillthe pews, but because if this
place has been life giving toyou, why wouldn't you want
someone else to taste that lifetoo? You don't need the perfect
words. You don't need to becertain or polished or
persuasive. You just need tocare. You just need to offer the
(17:47):
peace you've found here andtrust that it might be enough.
May we be bold enough to extendthe invitation, and gentle
enough to let the Spirit do therest. Amen. At East End United
(21:52):
Regional Ministry, we believethat faith should mean something
in the real world. That itshould feed people, house
people, advocate, accompany, andagitate for change. We seek to
live God's love out in public.
We also know that in a worldthat can feel so overwhelming
and frightening at times, weneed spiritual nourishment and
(22:14):
opportunities to connect withthe divine and with community.
We run two worship services eachweek, Sunday mornings at our
Eastminster campus and Thursdayevenings at our Glenroads
campus. We offer programming forchildren and youth and provide
some of East Toronto's mostvital food justice and shelter
(22:35):
programs, including our NourishEast End Food Bank and Out of
the Cold Outreach Ministry. Butwe can't do any of this alone.
If you believe in the work of anaffirming, justice seeking,
community rooted church, weinvite you to support East End
United.
You can give online ateastendunited.ca/donate. Every
(22:58):
gift helps us keep going andkeep growing. Thanks for
(23:25):
spending time with me. If you'repart of East End United, you
already know this isn't justtheory for us. It's our
practice, our promise, our hope.
The work we're committed to weekafter week, dust and all. And if
you are listening from beyondour little corner of Toronto,
(23:47):
thank you. I hope something hereoffered you peace or courage or
even just the reminder that youare not alone. If this
reflection meant something toyou, maybe share it with someone
else or better yet offer themthe peace you carry. That could
be exactly what they need today.
(24:08):
Until next time, go gently, goboldly, and shake the dust when
you need to.
I'm the reverend Brianne Swan, and this is
sermons from the East End forMonday, 07/07/2025. Hi there,
(00:30):
and welcome to Sermons from theEast End, a podcast brought to
you by the folks from East EndUnited Regional Ministry in
Toronto. Now I'll be honest.This week's reflection is a
little more insider focused thanusual. Is addressed first and
foremost to the members,adherents, and beloved mischief
makers of East End United.
(00:52):
It speaks directly to where weare right now as a community,
our calling, our questions, andthe quiet courage it takes to
keep showing up for one anotherin a world that often feels like
it's falling apart. That said,if you're listening from outside
our walls, curious, questioning,and maybe even craving a little
(01:13):
good news, there is somethinghere for you too. Because
ultimately this sermon is aboutwhat it means to carry peace
even when we feel small. What itmeans to keep going even when
the dust clings to our feet. Sotake a breath, settle in, and
(01:33):
let's begin.
Luke chapter 10 verses onethrough 11. After this, the Lord
appointed 72 others and sentthem ahead of him in pairs to
(01:55):
every town and place where hehimself intended to go. He said
to them, the harvest isplentiful, but the laborers are
few. Therefore, ask the lord ofthe harvest to send out laborers
into his harvest. Go on yourway.
I am sending you out like lambsin the midst of wolves. Carry no
(02:17):
purse, no bag, no sandals, andgreet no one on the road.
Whatever house you enter, firstsay peace to this house. And if
a person of peace is there, yourpeace will rest on that person.
But if not, it will return toyou.
Remain in the same house eatingand drinking whatever they for
(02:41):
the laborer deserves to be paid.Do not move about from house to
house. Whenever you enter a townand its people welcome you, eat
what is set before you. Cure thesick who are there, and say to
them, the kingdom of God hascome near to you. But whenever
you enter a town and they do notwelcome you, go out into its
(03:04):
streets and say, even the dustof your town that clings to our
feet, we wipe off in protestagainst you.
(04:09):
All we are is dust in the wind.It's a haunting song even after
the music fades out. Thefutility of striving, the
smallness of our lives againstthe backdrop of the universe.
It's melancholy, yes, but alsokind of liberating, if we let it
(04:32):
be so. The wind blows where itwill and we, we are just dust,
fleeting, fragile, here todayand gone tomorrow.
And Scripture agrees. From thevery beginning we are reminded
(04:53):
that we come from dust, and todust we shall return. But what
Kansas doesn't say, and what theGospel insists on, is that God
works with dust. God breathesinto dust, shapes it, calls it
(05:14):
good, sends it. This is theparadox of discipleship, of
being human really.
We are so small, and yet we arecalled to do and be so much. In
today's passage from Luke, Jesussends out 70 disciples, 70
(05:39):
ordinary people with dustysandals and probably a whole lot
of questions. They're sent inpairs to go into towns, to
prepare the way, to share peace,to heal, to say, The kingdom of
God has come near to you. Jesusdoesn't sugar coat it. He says,
(05:59):
I am sending you out like lambsinto the midst of wolves.
It's not exactly a moralebooster. He gives them no purse,
no bag, and no back up plan justeach other, a blessing to offer,
and the authority to shake thedust that is inhospitable people
(06:23):
off their feet if things gosideways. This is not a
triumphant crusade. It'svulnerable mission. There is no
plan B, just dust and breath andhope.
And still they go. This littlerag tag group goes into strange
(06:48):
towns and stays in otherpeople's homes and eats whatever
is put in front of them. Novetting, no dietary codes, no
Yelp reviews, no spreadsheets.They go where they're welcomed,
and they stay there. And whenthey're rejected, they don't
(07:08):
lash out, they don't shame orthreaten or curse, they just
leave.
They shake the dust off theirfeet. A boundary, a signal that
they will not carry thatrejection with them into the
next place. I wonder, if we weresent out into our neighborhoods
(07:33):
to day, trying to get ourselvesinvited for dinner at some house
on Rhodes Avenue, what would webe saying? What good news would
feel so pressing to share? Theword evangelism has a lot of
baggage heavy, colonial, abusivebaggage.
(07:53):
It conjures images ofmanipulation and coercion and
spiritual harm. For many of usthe idea of evangelism is
something we have tried veryhard to separate ourselves from,
and perhaps rightly so. But tobe an evangelist simply means to
(08:15):
be a bearer of good news. To bean evangelist is to say, come
with me to this soup and breadthing on Thursday night. Or,
hey, my church is talking aboutthe climate crisis this Sunday,
and I think you'd like it.
That's all. That's evangelism.It doesn't mean to be a
(08:38):
conqueror or even a closer oftheological deals, just someone
who carries something beautifuland life giving and offers it
freely. And isn't that exactlywhat the world is crying out for
right now? A little bit of goodnews?
(08:59):
Isn't that what you're cravingtoo? We are a product of our
time and context. We've beentaught that evangelism is kind
of about us, about having theright answers, the perfect
argument, the theological micdrop. And I know, like most of
(09:20):
you listening to this right now,I am not really into any of that
at all. But Jesus sends out the70 not with a script or a sales
pitch, but with peace.
He tells them to go where theyare welcomed, to be present, to
eat, to heal, to speak of God'skingdom, which is so much
(09:44):
greater than any earthlyoppressive regime. He tells them
to invite others into the dream,and then to move on if it's not
received. That's it. That'sevangelism. Which means
(10:07):
evangelism in the way Jesusmodels it isn't about control.
It is about invitation. It isabout relationship and offering
without demanding. It's so easyto think, Who am I to share
this? Who am I to say anythingabout Jesus when the church has
(10:30):
done so much wrong? That'sunderstandable.
But strangely, and again, thatcenters us. And it's not about
us. It's about the message wecan carry, and who is aching to
(10:51):
hear it. A message that says Godis bigger than the cruelty of
this world, a message that saysall people are beloved, a
message that says healing andjustice and mercy are possible,
even now a message that invitesthose who are seeking to be held
(11:12):
in community. That is good news,and that is worth sharing.
But it's hard. It's not verycomfortable. To bear good news
in a world that profits off badnews is to be dangerous. To
(11:34):
speak of love in a world that'saddicted to domination is to be
radical. To show up with peacein a culture of violence is to
court rejection.
That is the cost. But there isjoy in it too. When the 70
return from their travels, theyare bursting with stories. They
(11:57):
are amazed. Jesus doesn't denytheir excitement, but he does
redirect it.
Don't rejoice that the powerslisten to you. Rejoice that you
belong. Here at East End United,we know something about the slow
(12:18):
work of building community. Itdoesn't happen overnight. There
are no quick fixes.
There's a lot of planting andwatering and waiting. And
sometimes it feels like not muchis growing. But the harvest is
plentiful. Jesus said it then,and it's still true now. What's
(12:44):
maybe changed is our posturetowards it.
Too often the Church has satback and expected people to come
to us. We have built beautifulsanctuaries we've made lovely
programmes we've set the table.And in my time here at East End,
I have witnessed this shift fromhoping the numbers of people
(13:07):
showing up on a Sunday or aThursday will increase because
we hope to survive, to seekingto grow because we have
something special to offer thatthe world sorely needs right
now. The invitation is not aboutus, but about meeting the
(13:28):
longing of our neighbors in themost authentic and loving ways
possible. East End has so muchto offer, more than many of us
realize.
This community is growing,stretching, reaching out in new
ways. Having Leslie Sinclair onboard right now to help with
(13:53):
communications is a huge step.But the work is not hers alone.
It's all of ours. The world isterrifying right now.
Fascism is on the rise. Theclimate is unraveling. People
are lonely, isolated, anddisoriented. And the systems in
(14:17):
place seem increasinglyunwilling to help. And if you
watch the news or follow socialmedia, you'll start to realize
that our despair and outrage isbeing monetized for the benefit
of oligarchs creatingcatastrophe in the first place.
But faith communities, when weare doing what we are supposed
(14:40):
to do, are uniquely equipped tooffer sanctuary, solidarity, and
deeper purpose. To care for oneanother in a society that
thrives on disconnection issubversive. To build community
when everything is telling us tolook out only for ourselves is
(15:02):
revolutionary. To show up foreach other week after week, when
the world keeps breaking ourhearts, that's discipleship.
That's the work.
And it matters. Which brings usback to dust. All we are is dust
(15:28):
in the wind, says Kansas. Butdust can carry seeds. Dust can
ride the spirit's breath.
Dust can become flesh, dust canbear witness, dust can speak
good news. We are not dust lostto the wind. We are dust with
(15:52):
direction, dust with purpose,dust scent. We are called like
the 70 to move lightly, speakboldly, love fiercely, and carry
peace wherever we go. And whenwe are rejected, and we will be,
(16:13):
we don't fight or shame orretreat, we shake it off.
We remember who we are and whosewe are. We keep going. So here
is a simple invitation. Think ofsomeone you know, someone who
could use a little morecommunity, a little more
(16:36):
meaning, a little more room toexplore the mystery of it all.
Someone who's been knockedaround by the world, or maybe
someone who just needs a spaceto exhale.
We recommend restaurants we'veloved. We share books that have
changed us. We rave about filmsthat made us weep. Why not this,
(17:01):
too? Why not tell someone abouta faith community that is daring
to care, to ask questions, tostay awake to injustice, to
search for beauty, to love Godand love people, and is trying
to get it right, together.
(17:23):
Not for our benefit not to fillthe pews, but because if this
place has been life giving toyou, why wouldn't you want
someone else to taste that lifetoo? You don't need the perfect
words. You don't need to becertain or polished or
persuasive. You just need tocare. You just need to offer the
(17:47):
peace you've found here andtrust that it might be enough.
May we be bold enough to extendthe invitation, and gentle
enough to let the Spirit do therest. Amen. At East End United
(21:52):
Regional Ministry, we believethat faith should mean something
in the real world. That itshould feed people, house
people, advocate, accompany, andagitate for change. We seek to
live God's love out in public.
We also know that in a worldthat can feel so overwhelming
and frightening at times, weneed spiritual nourishment and
(22:14):
opportunities to connect withthe divine and with community.
We run two worship services eachweek, Sunday mornings at our
Eastminster campus and Thursdayevenings at our Glenroads
campus. We offer programming forchildren and youth and provide
some of East Toronto's mostvital food justice and shelter
(22:35):
programs, including our NourishEast End Food Bank and Out of
the Cold Outreach Ministry. Butwe can't do any of this alone.
If you believe in the work of anaffirming, justice seeking,
community rooted church, weinvite you to support East End
United.
You can give online ateastendunited.ca/donate. Every
(22:58):
gift helps us keep going andkeep growing. Thanks for
(23:25):
spending time with me. If you'repart of East End United, you
already know this isn't justtheory for us. It's our
practice, our promise, our hope.
The work we're committed to weekafter week, dust and all. And if
you are listening from beyondour little corner of Toronto,
(23:47):
thank you. I hope something hereoffered you peace or courage or
even just the reminder that youare not alone. If this
reflection meant something toyou, maybe share it with someone
else or better yet offer themthe peace you carry. That could
be exactly what they need today.
(24:08):
Until next time, go gently, goboldly, and shake the dust when
you need to.
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