Thomas J Parlette
“Improvising Along the Way”
Matt. 9:35-10:8-23
6/14/26
I admit this passage from Matthew has always bothered me a bit. This morning we find Jesus travelling all over the region of Galilee, visiting the cities and the villages, teaching in the synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing diseases everywhere he goes.
It’s a big job, no doubt – so Jesus gathers up his 12 disciples and gives them authority over the unclean spirits and sent them out to do some of the work in his name. Jesus gives them explicit instructions – don’t go to the Gentiles, don’t go to the Samaritans, just go the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Proclaim this good news – “The kingdom of God has come near.” Go ahead and cure the sick, raise the dead and cast out the demons, but don’t accept any payment. Don’t take any money with you, no bags, no luggage, no extra clothes, nothing. Although Jesus does seem to imply that it’s ok to accept food, because he says “laborers deserve their food.” Wherever you go, if they welcome you, stay with them. If they don’t welcome you, shake the dust off your feet and leave.”
Interesting commissioning service. But it’s this next part that has always bothered me. Jesus warns his disciples to keep on their toes, “I’m sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves, so be wise.” When they hand you over to be persecuted, don’t worry about how you will speak or what you are to say – for what you are to say will be given to you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit speaking through you.”
That’s what bothers me – “don’t worry about what you will say, it will be given to you at the time.” That doesn’t sit well with me. I’m more of a planner. I like to have everything prepared beforehand – especially when it comes to speaking in public.
Every Sunday, when we pray the Lord’s prayer, which I’ve said literally thousands of times in my life, I always have the words printed out up here in the pulpit – just in case. The same goes for the words of Institution at Communion – I’ve said those words hundreds of times, I know them by heart. Every morning when we celebrate communion, I run through those before coming to church, just to have them fresh in my head – but I still have them printed out in front of me – just in case. You never know when your mind might wander or the words just suddenly fly out of your head or you lose your train of thought. I like to be prepared.
I’m that way when it comes to sermons too. I always preach from a printed manuscript. That’s the way I was trained in Seminary, and I’ve always stuck to it. I’ve seen people preach without manuscripts, prowling around the front of the church as they speak. Congregations are often very impressed by that. But they’re usually not impressed by the content – they’re impressed by the presentation. More often than not, someone preaching without a manuscript is a guest preacher, who has probably delivered that sermon dozens of times, they know it by heart. Or, if this is a preacher who preaches to the same congregation every week with no manuscript, they probably end up repeating themselves on a sort of a loop, and never provide any movement. The sermon doesn’t go anywhere, it just circles around the theme endlessly.
So, when I hear Jesus say, “Don’t worry about what you’re going to say, words will be given to you in the moment,” – I get concerned, I get nervous, and a bit afraid. That’s not something I do. That seems a bit too improvisational for my taste.
Improvising is also something Abraham and Sarah were being asked to do. You remember last week, we revisited the story of how God called Abram to leave everything and follow the Lord to a new land, where God would bless him with many descendants and make of him a new nation. And without a word, Abraham goes. He begins a life of improvisation as he follows God.
Today, we hear the story of how God is going to go about making that new nation a reality. God is going to bless Abraham and Sarah with a son. An extremely unlikely scenario since both Abraham and Sarah are well into their Social Security years and would be unable to have children. Sarah overhears this news while she is preparing a meal for the mysterious visitors Abraham welcomes – and her response is laughter. She laughs out loud at this preposterous idea. “I’m going to have a baby – at my age – are you kidding? No way!!”
It is a rare instance in the scriptures where a very human response is recorded. Sarah’s reaction is one we can all identify with. “A baby, at my age – not going to happen, can’t happen. No way.” And yet it does. Now she and Abraham will need to adapt- they will need to improvise as they raise a child when he’s 100 and she is probably in her 80’s.
Starting with Abraham and Sarah and continuing all the way down the years to Jesus disciples, God calls us to improvise along the way. That’s not always a comfortable situation – but that’s what God calls us to do.
Most of us are familiar with the term “improvise” through the world of comedy. Improvisational comedy groups have a been a popular form of entertainment since the 16th century, but improv as we know it today didn’t come into its own until the mid-1990’s. Viola Spolin’s 1963 book “Improvisation for the Theater” laid the ground work for groups like the Compass Players, Second City, the Upright Citizens Brigade, the Groundlings and the Committee that produced such performers as Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, Amy Poehler, Kate McKinnon and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The basic rule of improve is quite simple – “yes, and…” No matter what is going on, you agree and add to the scene. No negativity – just Yes… and, and go from there, building a character and a scene.
Three other basic rules for improve would include:
1. Make choices – before yes, and – you and your partner have to establish three key pieces of information. WHO is the character you’re playing, WHERE are you, and what is the central CONFLICT. Once you have those – you can move forward with yes, and… as you each make contributions to the scene.
2. Listen actively – obviously to be a part of scene, especially when there is no script, you have to listen closely – otherwise you’re missing everything and you’re flying solo.
3. Get physical – use your body and engage whatever space you have. Your middle school English teacher probably taught you – “Show, don’t tell,” and that is true for improve. Don’t tell people what you’re doing – show them. (1)
In both of the passage before us today, we see first Abraham and Sarah and then the disciples improvising along the way. They make clear choices – Abraham and Sarah to follow God’s instructions, while the disciples follow Jesus’ instructions. In both stories, the characters listen actively – in Sarah’s case we know this because she laughs at the situation. And then, in both stories, the characters get physical. Abraham and Sarah set out on a journey and begin the job of raising a child. The disciples begin travelling and proclaiming the good news. Throughout these stories, people following God say “yes, and” as they improvise their way through life. What we see here is that God will always give us WHAT we need, WHEN we need it - just as Jesus says in Matthew.
Some of you know that for the last several years I have served on one of the Institutional Review Boards for the Clinic. I fill the role of a community member on a board of doctors and medical professionals that review research projects using human subjects.
I remember one of the training activities we participated in a few years ago. It centered on the difference between Equality and Equity. Very similar, I know. I had never really thought about the difference before – but there is a difference between thing being equal and things being equitable.
Here’s the example I remember. Say you have two different sized people – one is 6 foot four and the other is 5 foot one. You provide each with a bicycle – the exact same bicycle. All things are equal – it’s the same bike. But are all things equitable? No. Each person is going to require a different size bicycle, one that fits them, for all things to be equitable.
The same applies to parenting. Let’s say you have three children. You could raise them exactly the same and provide them the exact same resources, clothing, after school opportunities, etc… But we all know that each of our children are different – they require different things. As a parent, you want to be equitable and provide each child with WHAT they need, WHEN the need it.
God does the same thing for us. God provides us WHAT we need, WHEN we need it. For Abraham and Sarah, God would provide the skills, the patience and the insight they would need to raise their child, even at their advanced age. For the disciples, Jesus assured them that even though they would face hardship and persecution because of him, the Spirit would there to provide them with what they needed. That might not always be the most comfortable thing in the word if you’re a planner like me – but that what God is going to do.
God will provide WHAT we need, WHEN we need it, as we improvise along the way.
And for that, may God be praised. Amen.
1. Adam Pasulka, Everything You Need To Know About Improv, last updated: Sept. 17th 2024, www.backstage.com
