Sermon for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 16, August 26, 2007

The story today is a fascinating one. What is it in people that would make them begrudge a woman who had been crippled for eighteen years from being healed. There had to be a blindness in their hearts and minds that seems to be astounding to me. The healed woman immediately started praising God for her healing, but the religious leaders present immediately became indignant and complained.

It is a strange faith indeed that cares more for its animals than its people. But just like the lesson from a few weeks ago, it is so very easy to get caught up in the details and not realized the implications of what we are saying or doing.

Now animals really were important back in those days. They were critical for survival and signs of wealth. So it naturally was important to take care of them, even on the Sabbath, the animals had to have their needs had to be met. After all, they cannot care for themselves.

So I was scandalized as I read the lesson from Luke and thought of the audacity of treating a human being worse than an animal. It seems inconceivable to me that anyone could be so either hardhearted, or ignorant, or uncaring.

And then I was forced to face the ugly reality of our world. Every night in the United States thousands of people go to bed hungry or without shelter. Millions around the world do so. I have to live in the knowledge that my pets have it better than millions around the world.

Newsweek reports that this year we will pay more than $40 billion to keep our furry friends fed, adorned, amused and healthy—the latter a huge growth category, with more and more owners paying top dollar for elaborate medical treatments to forestall that inevitable last visit to the vet. By the end of the decade, we'll be spending $50 billion on pet products ... . Walk the aisles of Petco or PetSmart, past the Hawaiian shirts and sunglasses for your dog and the $140 Catnip Chaise Lounge for your cat, and you'll discover just how well-trained we Americans have become. "I don't know who's been domesticated: the animals, or the humans?" says Jeff Corwin, Animal Planet's globetrotting wildlife biologist. 56 percent of dog owners and 42 percent of cat owners buy their pets Christmas presents (OK I’m guilty too). Pets can listen to their own Internet radio station (Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" is one of the more popular songs on DogCatRadio.com), post their pictures and make play dates on dogster.com and catster.com, and earn frequent flier miles on United. They even have cell phones now: PetsCell is a bone-shaped telephone that attaches to your dog's collar and allows you to ring him up (sorry, incoming calls only).

It is not that I want to begrudge us all our pets. Anyone who knows me knows that. But I have to think that perhaps we are no better than the Pharisees in this story for our willingness to lavish so much on our pets. The three dogs Emmanuel and I have live far better lives that millions of people in the world.

Of course I can pat myself on the back because I don’t begrudge those suffering people of the relief efforts being made to assist them. I even help out as much as I can. But at the same time I must not let myself off the hook too easily. It is easy to distance myself from the Pharasees because my words are not their words. My actions are not their actions.

Of course, observing the Sabbath was a great idea. It is a good thing. After all the idea came from God. But as time went on from the original institution of the Sabbath more and more rules were created, trying to help people to better understood what was necessary for a good observance. But eventually the rules became the focus rather than the Sabbath as we clearly demonstrated in the story today. As Jesus points out our priorities are obviously wrong for those who are willing to tend their animals on the Sabbath, but not willing to allow a fellow human being to be healed.

It all boils down to whether it is better to observe the letter of the law as opposed to the spirit of the law. How is that played out in Christian churches today?

The people challenging Jesus were drawing lines. They tended to draw lines to keep people out. They used them to decide who was in and who was out.

Jesus, on the other hand, was always expanding the lines to bring people in. Jesus was always pushing people to be better than they were, to be more open to the movement of God in their lives.

What lines do we draw? Do we draw lines to keep people out, or to draw people in?

Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, July 8, 2007

Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, July 8, 2007

Think for a minute of who you might imagine is the most powerful woman or man in the world. Naaman was one of those people. He was someone like Donald Rumsfield or Condelessa Rice or perhaps even better General Colin Powell when he was chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Like each of these individuals, Naaman was a powerful man who had name recognition. At this point in his life, he has everything going for him, success, power, acclimation, adulation, and fame. He is a veritable rock star.

But he was a powerful man with a problem. And all the power in the world could not solve his problem for him. He was stricken with an incurable, horrible, defacing disease. This is a disease that would cause him to be shunned by all of society. He is faced with the total loss of his power and prestige.

But God, working in the amazing way that God often does, provided a means to resolve this problem. This means happened to be a young captive girl from Israel. Imagine, having all of the connections of one of the most powerful people in the world and yet. Those connections could provide no hope, no answers to this problem. But a little slave girl, the least powerful in the world has an answer. It is often in the least powerful people in the world that we are able to see God working in amazing ways.

Like Joseph the slave girl was faithful person placed by God in just the right spot, in spite of circumstances that seem far from favorable. Taken as a slave she ends up as one of the pivotal players in the healing of Naaman.

But back to our story. The girl knows of a prophet who could cure Naaman of his leprosy. It had to have taken a lot of faith for her to speak up and to say that. If she is wrong and sends her master on a wild goose chase she will end up paying dearly for daring to speak out. But she must have been rather persuasive as Naaman immediately asks for and receives permission from his king to go seek a cure.

So Naaman heads off to Israel for his cure. Of course he naturally appeals to the king of Israel. If you want something done, you should go straight to the top. The king of Israel however thinks he is being set up. He can't heal anyone and assumes that the king of Aram is setting him up for a reason to attack him. And so the king of Israel freaks out. But Elisha hears of what is going on and gets word to the king of Israel.

And so Naaman finds his way to Elisha's house for healing. Now Naaman expected something dramatic and exciting to happen. And I'm sure he expected a welcome befitting his high station in life. But he certainly does not get it. All he gets is a messenger telling him to wash in the Jordan river seven times to be healed.

This doesn't exactly please Naaman. He has been all over the country side on this mission for healing and this is all he gets for his trouble. Naaman wanted the prophet to come out and do something spectacular, he wanted something a bit more showy than a messenger sending him off to a small and dirty river. In fact, Naaman is so unhappy he stomped off apparently unwilling to do what the prophet told him.

But calmer voices prevailed and Naaman was healed.

In this story we see God working through a wide variety of people. God works through a slave, through kings, through a wife, a prophet, a messenger and servants. God is at work in various ways through each of these players in the story. Some times it is easy to see the hand of God and work and other times it can be more difficult.

And that is how God works in the church. We all have different parts to play in the work God has called us to do, but each part is important to the whole. Some may seem to stand out as greater players in God’s work in the world around us, people perhaps like Mother Teresa or Billy Graham, and God does work through them. But God works even more through the many, many more whose names will never be known. If for no other reason than that there are a lot more of them to go around. These unknowns are often people who serve on the Altar Guild’s, on choirs, on vestries. They are people who mow lawns and clean floors. And they are people who feed the hungry and visit the sick. But it is far too easy to focus on those out in front in the public eye or on those things that are showy.

It was the showy things that spoke to the 70 in the Gospel lesson for today. “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” How wonderful Jesus the power we had when we were out there. It was a mountain top experience for them!

But Jesus said, “Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” I think I’m sort of like the 70 that were sent out. If I had experienced all the things they had I’m sure I would have come running back to Jesus shouting the same thing: “Hey Jesus, even the demons submit to us!” Who wouldn’t be excited about that!

But Jesus says an amazing thing. Don’t rejoice at that, “rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” What a downer. Don’t get me wrong, I do rejoice that my name is written in heaven, but come on Jesus, I have been casting out demons. Can’t I rejoice about that for a minute or so? Can’t I bask in the glow of my victory? It is a completely human reaction. We all want to find God in amazing situations.

But I believe most of God’s work is done in quiet ways by the unknown players. Those like the slave girl. She could have been focused on herself and the great unfairness of her present condition of life. But instead she serves God in a powerful way. Although we never know her name, she was just an important to God as anyone else.

What things are God calling you and I to do? They may not be the things that make the news. But that should not be our concern. Our concern needs to be answering the call of God in the world. God calls on us to be God’s eyes, and hands, and feet in the world today. God calls us, like this slave to be God’s voice in the world. We may be called on to speak at uncomfortable time or in uncomfortable places, but we must be ready to respond to the call of God.

It is not so much in the great and powerful things that God calls us for. It is in those mundane activities of reaching out to others in every day life where we have the ability to share the love of God most powerfully with others.

As the Swiss writer Henri F. Amiel said:

Life is short
and we do not have much time
to gladden the hearts
of those who make this
earthly pilgrimage with us;
so be swift to love
and make haste
to do kindness.

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, Feb, 12, 2006

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, Feb, 12, 2006

In the name of the God the Creator, Jesus the Liberator, and the Holy Spirit the Sustainer. AMEN.

The story today in Second Kings is one of my favorites. It is a story of healing, power, faith, pride, prejudice, and fear all wrapped up in one gripping story.

Naaman has a serious problem – leprosy. Not a good thing to have. Sort of the equivalent of AIDS and HIV when it first struck and no one was sure how to protect themselves against it, but knew that getting it was fatal. People suffering from it were shunned and feared by most. So it was with leprosy. Naaman must suffer the fear and prejudice of others as a result of his infirmity.

Naaman and his family and friends must have all been in great distress over this turn of events in his health. But out of the blue hope and healing is offered. The little servant girl from Israel know of someone who could cure him! This was a very, very lucky break for Naaman.

So Naaman heads over to see the King of Israel. Of course this is not the person the servant was talking about, but political courtesy’s must be respected. Naaman’s own ruler is very excited about the possibility of his best general being healed so he also sends a letter to the King of Israel asking for him to heal Naaman. Now relations have not been the best between these nations and Israel is definitely the underdog. It is sort of like the president of the United States sending a letter to a very weak country, but one he would like to pick a fight with asking for the impossible. Perhaps like the president sending a letter to prime minister of Luxemburg telling him to cure Colin Powel. When the King of Israel gets this letter he is sure that he is being set up.

Fortunately Elisha got word of the goings on at the palace and of the King of Israel’s great distress and tells him to send Naaman right over.

Now when Naaman traveled it was not like you or I getting in our car and driving off. Naaman traveled in style. Sort of like a presidential motorcade. So Naaman arrives at Elisha’s humble abode with all the trappings of power and pride.

But that insufferable Elisha didn’t even have the common courtesy to go out and greet such an exalted guest such as Naaman in person. Instead he sends a servant with a simple message: go and dip in the Jordan seven times and you will be healed.” Naaman is incensed with this answer, perhaps even more so since Elisha didn’t even have the courtesy to greet him at the door.

Naaman wanted to be healed by he wanted it done his way. Naaman wanted to do what he wanted to do not what God wanted to do. Naaman wanted Elisha to make a big show of it all. Something spectacular and flashy for an important guy like me he must have been thinking. Something worth of Naaman’s exalted and high status. But not only did Naaman not get what he wanted, on top of that slight he was told to go wash in the Jordan. This was just too much. The Jordan was a rather dirty river, nothing nice about it at all. Naaman knew that he had much better rivers than this back at home. Why did he have to go to all this trouble only to be told to wash in the Jordan, barely a river by comparison to the wonderful rivers at home. Naaman was not a happy camper.

Naaman was willing to call it quits and give up. His anger eclipsed his desire for healing and wholeness. IN the end a cooler head prevailed and pointed out to Naaman how foolish he was acting.

I wonder how often in our own lives we act like Naaman. We want God to ask on our terms. We want God to act like we expect her to act. Naaman wanted a showy God. Naaman wanted a God which would actually draw attention to himself.

What are our own ideas of God? When you pray to God do you clearly know how you want her to respond to your needs? Naaman though he had God all figured out. But Naaman got the unexpected. When he was truly open to the work of God his response was “now I know that there is no God in all the earth except Israel.” Had Naaman not been willing to change his life and his attitude he would have missed the healing and new life possible through God. When Naaman actually allowed God to work in his life, it changed him forever.

God is in the business of changing lives. But our God is not a pushy God. Naaman could have stormed off and he would have never had the opportunity to see God working so powerfully in his life. All because Naaman expected God to work in a certain way.

Is that the case in our own lives? Do we expect God to work in a particular way? Do we walk away just when God is ready to transform our life because it is not what we want or expect?

We live our lives in the face of a simple choice. Do we want God to be God or do we want God to be the God we expect. Will we try to limit God’s ability to touch our lives by refusing him like Naaman almost did?