Carpenters Local #1

Jesus was an organizer.
Carpenters Local #1

His mission statement can be found in the sermon on the mount where he talks of those who hunger for righteousness and are persecuted for it's sake.
Where he says no one can serve both God and greed.

¹And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. ²He taught them, saying:

³"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
⁴Blessed are those who mourn,
⁵Blessed are the meek, 

⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
⁷Blessed are the merciful,
⁸Blessed are the pure in heart,
⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,
¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
  ¹³ "You are the salt of the earth;
¹⁴"You are the light of the world.
  ²⁴ "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and greed.

²⁴ "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: ²⁵and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  

 

His strategic plan can be found in today's gospel reading.
He sends them out in pairs, telling them to take little with them so that they must rely on those they come to meet and know.
I have heard it said that the great Labor leader Cesar Chavez would send his people out with only $5 in their pockets and he said, "If you really want to make a friend, go to someone's house and eat with him...The people who give you their food give you their heart."

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two.
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey
but a walking stick—
no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals
but not a second tunic.
He said to them,
“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave.
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet.”

Those who hunger and thirst and work for equality, respect, fairness, dignity,
Those who are persecuted for it's sake,
They are the salt of the earth, the light of the world.
For they have chosen the harder route but the better route.
They have chosen to enter a house, make a friend, eat with them.
They have chosen to give their hearts and receive other's hearts in return.