Simple Acts/Amazing Results Sermon July 8, 2007
Scripture: 2 Kings 5:1-14 and Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
The story of Naaman, so nicely acted out for us, has all kinds of interesting things: power, arrogance, simplicity, anger, wisdom from unexpected sources. Did you realize that Naaman was an enemy of the Israelites? He was the commander of the Army of the King of Aram (which is ancient Syria) yet it was the King of Israel that he was sent to see about his healing. I don’t know why he was not sent directly to the prophet Elisha whose name he was given by the captured Israelite slave girl as the one that could bring about the healing of his skin disease. So he finally is referred to Elisha, and the prophet refuses to see him. Remember as Commander of the Army, Naaman felt pretty proud of himself. In spite of his skin disease, he had a sense of authority and confidence. How could the prophet Elisha refuse to see such an important man? Not only did Elisha not have a face to face meeting, he told Naaman to do a very simple thing: go wash in the muddy River Jordan seven times. What kind of a cure is that! This River was not any more than a muddy creek along much of its course, not like the grand rivers in Aram that Naaman was familiar with. Naaman expected the prophet to come pray over him and wave his hand over the spotted skin till it was healed—something with a dramatic flair. This simple solution that was proposed made Naaman angry. It was his servants, the little people, the people not given a name or title as with the slave girl, that convinced him to bathe in the river. They used a bit of reason, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was ‘Wash, and be clean’? So as we know, in the end, Naaman, who represented the "enemy," left praising the name of Israel's God.
Naaman’s healing is a countercultural vision of the pathway to healing and wholeness. Today whether it’s traditional cures or alternative cures, we seek clearly-articulated techniques that guarantee healing. In this story it is asserted that healing doesn’t have to be complicated. Instead the story shows that healing can occur anywhere, by any practice, through any mediator, and at any pace. To sum up this healing story, an unlikely person seeks healing, the powerful Naaman. Naaman finds a path to healing from an unexpected source, a Hebrew slave girl, who testifies to the power of her God. Naaman encounters an unexpected healer, Elisha, a Hebrew, who points the general to an unexpected healing modality, a dip in the nearby and rather undistinguished Jordan River.
This story tells me that healing does not have to be dramatic. God seeks healing in every circumstance and virtually any encounter can be a source of personal transformation. and healing . When you and I say “yes” to Christ’s question, “do you want to be healed?” many possibilities open up for us. In fact, I believe that usually what we need to be whole, to be transformed is right within us or in front of us.
One of my favorite authors, Mark Nepo, tells the story about his looking across the lake and seeing the most exotic place, especially as the early morning light beamed down. After watching the other side for several days, he just had to cross the lake to see it up close. When he got to the other side that mysterious, exotic otherness was gone. He started laughing at himself as he looked over to the other side, his home side, and saw the early morning light causing the water to sparkle and look as exotic as the far side had from the home view. He writes “so often we imagine that There is more full of gold than Here…We see the light everywhere but where we are, and chase after what we think we lack, only to find, humbly, it was with us all along.”[1]
This story of simplified healing leads me now to our Gospel lesson where Jesus sends out 70 disciples, two by two to help him spread the message of peace and love. He instructs them to take no purse, no bag, no sandals. This reminds me of the story my husband, Neill, tells about when he first came to this country to live and all he had was carried in two bicycle panniers—large bags that strap on to a bicycle. For those of you that helped us move in to either of our houses in Deering or Hillsboro, you know how much stuff we now have! I’m also reminded of St. Francis of Assisi, who when asked by the Pope why he insisted upon having no property at all of his own, and why he insisted that his disciples too must own nothing. Francis replied that "if we had any possessions, we should need weapons and laws to defend them." I often hear people talking about wanting to get rid of stuff and live more simply but how hard it is to do. Jesus goes on to tell his followers that they are to share their peace and convey that the Kingdom of God is near. They went about healing and exorcising demons. When they returned they had much joy that they were so successful: “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us.” Jesus replied that although they have authority over the power of the enemies and all the evil spirits, they must not rejoice because of this. In other words, they must not be blown up and superior acting, but act humbly. The thing that Jesus says that they need to rejoice about is that their names are written in heaven.
So what does this all have to do with us? I really don’t expect you to get rid of all your belongings and get on the road barefoot without your wallets and purses yet Christ's message of peace and wholeness still needs to be heard today. We don’t go around talking about evil spirits; however, there are all kinds of things that rob people of joy and peace and life itself: injustice, oppression, hatreds, greed, intolerance and prejudice. We live in a world filled with terrible violence, violence that affects us in our homes, our workplaces, our neighborhoods, as well as in all the nations of the world. Who’s going to share the Good News if not us?
Christ calls us to go out with a message of peace, a proclamation that the kingdom of God is near. When we are faithful in obeying that call, the power of the gods of this world--the powers of greed and selfishness, of hatred and injustice, of evil in all its many forms--begin to crumble.
We must be careful not to be fool our selves that that these forces are only to be found out in the world. As I’ve said many times before, the first step towards true and lasting peace and wholeness must be a journey inward. Within each one of us are attitudes and behaviors that are not in line with Christ's call to peace. We must humbly and honestly confront those attitudes within us if we are to be effective in reaching out to others with Christ’s message of reconciliation and love.
This reminds me of a story I first heard from Gandhi’s grandson, Arun. (I’ve told it to you before.) There was a little boy from the Cherokee tribe, who came home from school one day very upset and angry because the school bully had hit him. He talked to his grandfather about how upset he was and what he could do. The grandfather responded, “Right now a fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, greed, arrogance, resentment, pride, and superiority. The other wolf stands for joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside of you and every other person too.” The child thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied: “The one I feed.” Which wolf will you feed?
Remember that Jesus told his disciples not to rejoice at being successful but to rejoice in being faithful and obedient. In good times and in bad, in times of joy and in times of challenge, we are called to seek the pathway of peace, to speak truth to power, and in so doing to invite others to catch glimpses of the coming kingdom of God. I pray that we will be faithful in sharing the message of God’s love for all people, made known in Jesus our Christ. This message is a simple one--peace, love, healing and wholeness, forgiveness, reconciliation and grace. God works through the unexpected, the little ones, the muddy river. I pray that you will be ready for God’s surprises and realize the amazing consequences of listening to the little ones, to living simply so that others may simply live. Amen!
[1] The Book Of Awakening, p.221.
The story of Naaman, so nicely acted out for us, has all kinds of interesting things: power, arrogance, simplicity, anger, wisdom from unexpected sources. Did you realize that Naaman was an enemy of the Israelites? He was the commander of the Army of the King of Aram (which is ancient Syria) yet it was the King of Israel that he was sent to see about his healing. I don’t know why he was not sent directly to the prophet Elisha whose name he was given by the captured Israelite slave girl as the one that could bring about the healing of his skin disease. So he finally is referred to Elisha, and the prophet refuses to see him. Remember as Commander of the Army, Naaman felt pretty proud of himself. In spite of his skin disease, he had a sense of authority and confidence. How could the prophet Elisha refuse to see such an important man? Not only did Elisha not have a face to face meeting, he told Naaman to do a very simple thing: go wash in the muddy River Jordan seven times. What kind of a cure is that! This River was not any more than a muddy creek along much of its course, not like the grand rivers in Aram that Naaman was familiar with. Naaman expected the prophet to come pray over him and wave his hand over the spotted skin till it was healed—something with a dramatic flair. This simple solution that was proposed made Naaman angry. It was his servants, the little people, the people not given a name or title as with the slave girl, that convinced him to bathe in the river. They used a bit of reason, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was ‘Wash, and be clean’? So as we know, in the end, Naaman, who represented the "enemy," left praising the name of Israel's God.
Naaman’s healing is a countercultural vision of the pathway to healing and wholeness. Today whether it’s traditional cures or alternative cures, we seek clearly-articulated techniques that guarantee healing. In this story it is asserted that healing doesn’t have to be complicated. Instead the story shows that healing can occur anywhere, by any practice, through any mediator, and at any pace. To sum up this healing story, an unlikely person seeks healing, the powerful Naaman. Naaman finds a path to healing from an unexpected source, a Hebrew slave girl, who testifies to the power of her God. Naaman encounters an unexpected healer, Elisha, a Hebrew, who points the general to an unexpected healing modality, a dip in the nearby and rather undistinguished Jordan River.
This story tells me that healing does not have to be dramatic. God seeks healing in every circumstance and virtually any encounter can be a source of personal transformation. and healing . When you and I say “yes” to Christ’s question, “do you want to be healed?” many possibilities open up for us. In fact, I believe that usually what we need to be whole, to be transformed is right within us or in front of us.
One of my favorite authors, Mark Nepo, tells the story about his looking across the lake and seeing the most exotic place, especially as the early morning light beamed down. After watching the other side for several days, he just had to cross the lake to see it up close. When he got to the other side that mysterious, exotic otherness was gone. He started laughing at himself as he looked over to the other side, his home side, and saw the early morning light causing the water to sparkle and look as exotic as the far side had from the home view. He writes “so often we imagine that There is more full of gold than Here…We see the light everywhere but where we are, and chase after what we think we lack, only to find, humbly, it was with us all along.”[1]
This story of simplified healing leads me now to our Gospel lesson where Jesus sends out 70 disciples, two by two to help him spread the message of peace and love. He instructs them to take no purse, no bag, no sandals. This reminds me of the story my husband, Neill, tells about when he first came to this country to live and all he had was carried in two bicycle panniers—large bags that strap on to a bicycle. For those of you that helped us move in to either of our houses in Deering or Hillsboro, you know how much stuff we now have! I’m also reminded of St. Francis of Assisi, who when asked by the Pope why he insisted upon having no property at all of his own, and why he insisted that his disciples too must own nothing. Francis replied that "if we had any possessions, we should need weapons and laws to defend them." I often hear people talking about wanting to get rid of stuff and live more simply but how hard it is to do. Jesus goes on to tell his followers that they are to share their peace and convey that the Kingdom of God is near. They went about healing and exorcising demons. When they returned they had much joy that they were so successful: “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us.” Jesus replied that although they have authority over the power of the enemies and all the evil spirits, they must not rejoice because of this. In other words, they must not be blown up and superior acting, but act humbly. The thing that Jesus says that they need to rejoice about is that their names are written in heaven.
So what does this all have to do with us? I really don’t expect you to get rid of all your belongings and get on the road barefoot without your wallets and purses yet Christ's message of peace and wholeness still needs to be heard today. We don’t go around talking about evil spirits; however, there are all kinds of things that rob people of joy and peace and life itself: injustice, oppression, hatreds, greed, intolerance and prejudice. We live in a world filled with terrible violence, violence that affects us in our homes, our workplaces, our neighborhoods, as well as in all the nations of the world. Who’s going to share the Good News if not us?
Christ calls us to go out with a message of peace, a proclamation that the kingdom of God is near. When we are faithful in obeying that call, the power of the gods of this world--the powers of greed and selfishness, of hatred and injustice, of evil in all its many forms--begin to crumble.
We must be careful not to be fool our selves that that these forces are only to be found out in the world. As I’ve said many times before, the first step towards true and lasting peace and wholeness must be a journey inward. Within each one of us are attitudes and behaviors that are not in line with Christ's call to peace. We must humbly and honestly confront those attitudes within us if we are to be effective in reaching out to others with Christ’s message of reconciliation and love.
This reminds me of a story I first heard from Gandhi’s grandson, Arun. (I’ve told it to you before.) There was a little boy from the Cherokee tribe, who came home from school one day very upset and angry because the school bully had hit him. He talked to his grandfather about how upset he was and what he could do. The grandfather responded, “Right now a fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, greed, arrogance, resentment, pride, and superiority. The other wolf stands for joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside of you and every other person too.” The child thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied: “The one I feed.” Which wolf will you feed?
Remember that Jesus told his disciples not to rejoice at being successful but to rejoice in being faithful and obedient. In good times and in bad, in times of joy and in times of challenge, we are called to seek the pathway of peace, to speak truth to power, and in so doing to invite others to catch glimpses of the coming kingdom of God. I pray that we will be faithful in sharing the message of God’s love for all people, made known in Jesus our Christ. This message is a simple one--peace, love, healing and wholeness, forgiveness, reconciliation and grace. God works through the unexpected, the little ones, the muddy river. I pray that you will be ready for God’s surprises and realize the amazing consequences of listening to the little ones, to living simply so that others may simply live. Amen!
[1] The Book Of Awakening, p.221.
posted by Sermons given at Deering Community Church @ 1:11 PM
<< Home