A Clash of Words

This sermon is based on a re-working of a sermon written by the Rev Dr. Lance Stone, Cambridge, England.

“It’s 10.42 on day 14 in the Celebrity Big Brother house, and Naaman is talking about his plans for when he leaves the house. He’s arranging to see a faith healer in Israel who he hopes will rid him of his skin disease once and for all.”

Anyone ever watch Big Brother? I really try not to, but sometimes, late at night when no one is watching… for those who don’t know anything about it, the concept is to take a really big house, lock a group of misfit people inside, and then keep the cameras rolling in every room, 24 hours a day, every day.

There is a minister, theologian, director of an ecumenical centre in England. This week he wrote that Naaman somehow reminded him of the show, Big Brother. Or rather, that Naaman would make the perfect contestant.

He has everything the show’s producers are looking for. He’s a war hero, a commander of a successful army and therefore a man of great power, and we all know that power is the great aphrodisiac. Indeed he’s a huge celebrity. We’re used to seeing his face at press conferences where the latest military propaganda regarding the Syrian army is dished out. Naaman is no half-forgotten fading star like so many of his companions in the house. This man is hot. And we shall see that he is a man of great wealth, and to crown it all - he is a leper. In other words we see a rare combination of power and vulnerability: just what the producers of this programme are looking for to give it all the ingredients of a real freak-show!

One person however who will not be appearing in the show is a young servant girl, an Israelite who has been captured in one of the Syrian raids on Israel, and who is now a servant to Naaman’s wife. She will not be appearing because she is of no interest to anybody. Indeed she represents a contrast to Naaman in almost every regard.

He is a powerful man. She is a young girl.

He is a commander of a victorious army. She is a prisoner of war, snatched from her people.

He is a celebrity, a man of substance. She is a slave girl who has nothing.

He is a big name. She is nameless, anonymous.

He is a man of violence. She is so compassionate that she sees Naaman not as an enemy but as a suffering human being who she can direct to a source of healing.

He has everything. She has nothing, except one thing. She has her faith, her witness: ‘There is a prophet in Samaria who would heal Naaman of his leprosy.’

So you see, if we were to base this story solely on the traditional understanding – Naaman is the hero. Strangely though, it doesn’t seem to work out that way.

It is this powerless girl that sets off a chain of events that sees Naaman packing up and heading into enemy territory. This is the beginning of a huge illustration about what is truly more valuable – the things the world values, or the things that make us more ‘human’.

See, Naaman lives in a world we really understand, we see it every day on television, and it is a world of celebrity and wealth. It is all about power and influence.

That is all he knows, so as soon as he hears about the healing available in Israel he heads straight off to the King of Israel, wallet bulging, and laden down with a wardrobe of designer clothes: ten changes of clothing, one for every eventuality.

These are the terms on which Naaman lives his life. These are the terms of the world in which he moves, with its protocols, and rituals, and etiquette. It is an exclusive world of winners and losers, of insiders and outsiders, and his problem is that his condition means that he is embarrassingly compromised. As a big chief with leprosy he is a winner - but also a loser. He is an insider - but also an outsider. But he can soon sort that out. There is a prophet in Israel, and with Naaman’s influence on the King of Israel, and his cash, and his wardrobe, he will soon put things right.

Have you ever encountered someone like this? Someone who is sure they can buy their way out of any problem… Someone who is so arrogant that they can’t even see that they are doing it the wrong way?

I bet Naaman has never met anyone like Elisha. Elisha is unimpressed by pomp and prestige and power. Indeed he is so unfazed by celebrity that Elisha doesn’t even want to meet Naaman. He sends a terse message, ‘tell Naaman to go and jump in the river seven times and God will heal him.’

Naaman of course is outraged. He wants to earn his healing. He wants to make healing one more commodity that he can buy, one more battle that he can win. But Elisha will have none of it. ‘Get you to the Jordan!’ Leave your false, inflated world and join this other world, God’s world where that dirty river becomes the River of Life.

You see, this is the point of this story. It is not just about a leper being healed.

It is about a collision between two completely different worlds, two entirely different orders. Naaman’s high-powered world on the one hand and God’s world on the other, the world of nameless nobodies like the captive servant girl, and Elisha.

This is the world where true power lies. And Naaman must make the long journey from one world to the other.

It is just the same with Jesus’ healing of the leper in Mark. Jesus here plays fast and loose with the protocols and taboos of his day. He goes out of his way to touch the leper, something forbidden and something he didn’t need to do. Jesus could presumably have healed the leper without physical contact. But by touching him, and not then isolating himself in quarantine as was laid down in the Law, Jesus is deliberately and angrily subverting the whole order.

Again, this is more than just a healing story. It is a clash of worlds, the subverting of a whole established and accepted way of life.

Of course, that other old, oppressive world is always reasserting itself. If you read on in Naaman’s story you will find that Elisha’s servant Gehazi cannot understand why Elisha does not take payment from Naaman, and he follows Naaman and deceives him into giving him money for the cure.

Ironically, just as Naaman seems to be getting it, Gehazi is going in the opposite direction. And similarly the old order that Jesus debunks reasserts itself viciously in the arrest and execution of Jesus.

But we see something in the figures of Elisha and Jesus who so deftly and so subtly subvert and undermine the old order in the name of the God of Israel. We see what might be possible for us.

Here we are in an increasingly secular culture with its devotion to its false gods, and which seems to clash more and more with the world of Jesus’ kingdom in which we try to live and in which we try to bring up our children. And increasingly we feel marginalised and powerless. In the clash of worlds, how can the world of Jesus’ Kingdom prevail in us?

Well, let us return to the servant girl in the story from 2 Kings: a powerless, young girl in an alien culture that does not worship or respect her God. But look at her again.

She is not powerless. She has the weapon of her quiet witness.

She has her simple testimony to the God she knows.

And it has power to subvert the seemingly dominant world of Naaman.

And so with us here, citizens of God’s Kingdom in an alien land: with our worship, and our witness, and the little opportunities God gives us to speak and to testify and to act.

By such deceptive means God’s Kingdom is advanced and other worlds are undone.

Amen.

Epiphany 5 - B

Do it Yourself

There is something known as the “rule of end stress”. It is a general rule of life that tells us that often what is most important to pay attention to is the last thing happening. Take a joke... the most important part of the joke is the final punch line; deliver that wrong and the whole thing falls apart. Novels have a final denouement that tells us why the whole story mattered in the last few pages. Therapists will tell you that when someone comes in for counselling they often spend the whole hour talking about things until at the very last moment when they are about to leave they say the one thing that you should have been talking about all along.

There is also a rule of end stress in Bible stories. One of the quickest ways I could tell you about this is the story of Jonah. You all remember it, it is a great story. Jonah is called, Jonah rebels, Jonah escapes God in a boat, Jonah gets swallowed by a fish, Jonah gets spit up exactly where God wanted him to be, Jonah delivers a prophecy of doom, the people repent, the town is saved, Jonah gets angry... and none of that has anything to do with the point of the story.

In the end God teaches Jonah a lesson using a fig vine, that lesson is this – God is concerned with what happens to people.

A whole huge convoluted fishing story to come back to one concrete point at the end; God is concerned.

Today we have a story from the life of Jesus before us; it is a story of Jesus ministry in the towns along the shore, about healing, about preaching, about resting... and it ends with this:

“Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.”

Now; consider this. We have a story about how Jesus went into a town and completely changed the lives of the people who heard him. He healed, he taught, he preached; and it affected them so much that as soon as he went off by himself for a little while, they all went to try and find him.

And what does Jesus say in the end? “Come on, time to go.”

This might seem curious until you put it in context. And the context I want you to use is our church.

Most of the time I hear people saying things that basically sound like “if only God would...” We think that God should heal this or that person, that God should solve this or that problem, that things would be a lot better if only God would... you can fill in your own blanks here.

I am not sure what we really think faith is; perhaps many of us have come to think that faith in God means that God will make our lives easier somehow. So we think that here at church things will be better, easier, nicer... and that everything will be okay if we just sit back and wait for God to work it all out.

There are a couple of quick correctives to this from the Bible. First, almost no one has an easier time when they get into a relationship with God. Second, is the story we read this morning. Jesus came to show us what life with God would be like; and basically, he taught a bit by word and example, and then says, life with God is about working these things out on your own; and moves on to the next town.

Think about how that could change out entire understanding of church. Jesus expected the people he taught, his followers, to continue to do his work after he left them. There was just this brief moment of contact, when you became aware of what God was really like, and the rest of your lives were spent following in the footsteps of the person who showed you.

As we come to another year in the life of our congregation, as we gather together once more to have n annual meeting, set policy, look at directions, and think about what God is calling us to do... We need to hear this.

Faith was never meant to be a sit back and see what God does next type of thing. Church was never intended to be the place where we came to sit back and celebrate what god has already done. This is the front line of the disagreement between the way the world is and the way the world should be... and the outcome is up to us, not God.

Some 5000 years ago Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians. Again. And the prophet Isaiah looks at the people who are sitting around, head in hands, and crying out “why did God do this? Why did God let this happen?” and he says in no uncertain terms: “Have you not heard? Have you not seen? Is God not good?”

But get up... rebuild... do the work... and God will still be with you. God never swoops down and fixes things for them; it is up to them to figure out how to make things work out as God would want them to. And Isaiah promises them that if they can just keep their minds and hearts focused on what it is that God is... it will be so much easier for them to be the ones who do God’s work.

Of course, he says it more poetically: “...but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

A long time before that Moses stopped at the edge of the promised land and looked at the rag tag bunch of exiles he was leading and spoke the way God would have wanted when he said: “I put before you this day two choices, life and death, blessing and curse...choose life...”

So Jesus comes. Jesus has empowered you. But Jesus never intended to stay hand help you solve all the problems. That is not the way God works. God leaves you with a question: Are you going to follow me and change the world?

The Bible is a reference book filled with the choices that other people made. It tells us how the people who were enslaved in Egypt chose; it tells us who the people who were overrun by Assyrians, Babylonians, and Romans chose; and it tells us how the followers of Jesus chose. In all of the stories we find wisdom that we can apply today – but not hard and fast rules about what it would look like for us to choose God.

This is a different world, a different time, a different context – and we have the stories that Jesus told to help us figure out what God is like... now it is up to us to apply it.

If God is love... if God looks out for the least and the last first... if God is all about relationships... then how are we going to treat those who society looks down on?

If the faithful of the past have learned that money corrupts... if they learned that things are less important than people... if they learned that following the letter of the law mostly destroys the spirit of the practice... if they learned that sin is choosing not to be in relationship... then how can we apply those rules to living in the last days of the current Western Empire?

It might be scary... but now it is our turn to live as God wants and Jesus taught. Let’s try and make all of our decisions from that knowledge. At the same time, remember, as Isaiah says in his words of comfort:

“The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”

Let us pray.
Lord God we come here to acknowledge that we have often failed to understand your way in our lives. We do not love out your love, acceptance and compassion as well as we could; we often place too high a priority on maintaining the status quo, on protecting what we have, on making sure we are safe. Push our boundaries, send your strength, and remind us of our duty.
From this moment on we will choose to rethink your love and teachings for our day. We will become part of the work that Jesus began in reconciling everyone to each other, and to you. We will live in hope.
Amen.

Epiphany 4 - B

I WROTE TWO SERMONS THIS WEEK... The first one just didn't seem like what I wanted to say... feel free to leave a note if you think I chose the wrong one... I preached the second one (grin)


Fear and Wisdom

“Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

I knew a guy who had that painted on his truck once. It worried for me for two reasons: the first was: why would you paint that on your truck? Especially if you were a dairy farmer – which he was – what did it say about you that you felt the need to have everyone hear that phrase when they saw your truck go by?

Secondly, as a newly ordained and settled minister in a small town in Quebec, I was a little worried that if this really was the beginning of wisdom – I was out of luck – because I simply had never thought about being afraid of God. For as long as I could remember I had been told that God is love, and I don’t think love and fear really go together.

I have found over the years that becoming more faithful has always seemed like a steeplechase race for me. There are countless little hurdles that I come across and have to make my way over in order to keep going. Life is about the journey, and part of that journey is towards God, towards a closer relationship with God and a deeper faith. God gave us a brain, a heart, a sense of curiosity, and put us smack down in the middle of a frustratingly difficult to understand world.

It is our job to try and make sense of it all.

And some times the smallest thing will stop us short. One day for me it was a slogan painted on a parishioner’s truck: “Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom.” And right then and there I had to ask myself ‘do I believe that?’ Why not?

And so I went and looked up what other wise people had to say on the subject and found that the word “fear” was a very bad choice of translation from the original. In fact it would be much closer to use a word like “awe” or “reverence” or even “respect”. Learning that simple fact changed things for me… If I rewrote the sentence as: “Reverence for God is the beginning of wisdom. Respect for God is the beginning of wisdom. Or even, awe of God is the beginning of wisdom.” It made a lot more sense to me.

==


But still; do we believe that? Do any of you feel awe and reverence for God? Perhaps if you ever encountered the Northern Lights, or were feeling particularly good about a sunset you might be moved to some sort of awe.

I would wager it is not language we use all the time though.

In fact, our relationship with God is pretty confusing isn’t it? I am not sure we ever get to the point of feeling like those people who write Psalms and poetically express such deep faith and devotion; such uncompromising assurance that God is both in control and worthy.

But what if I asked you this? Who do you trust? Whose voice are you most likely to listen to?

What “authority” do you follow in your life?

Back to the Psalms for a second; these writers were trying to express not only their faith, but their utmost devotion to an ideal – and that ideal was the “Way” of God. This way, the love, the order, the peace, the hope, was worthy of not only adoration, but of following so closely that it was your ultimate authority. If you could do this, it was the beginning of wisdom.

The Bible is constantly trying to answer a question for us – and the question is this: should we put our faith in God?

When Moses was about to leave the people of Israel – and they were about to cross over into the Promised Land; they knew that their prophet and leader was leaving them forever; it must have been a stressful time.

So Moses told them in no uncertain terms – God will raise up another prophet; God will still be with you; but the choice is still up to you… do you listen to the words of the prophet? Or do you listen to other authorities?

It is so easy to listen to other authorities; isn’t it? All those authorities that tell us that if we just spend enough, or save enough, or invest enough, or trust enough, or share enough, then we will be happy.

In today’s world some of those things seem to be breaking down almost every single day.

Scientists have led us astray about a lot of things, from Cigarette smoking right through to the impact of things on the environment. Economists have led us astray by trying to make risk look safe and safety seem risky. Television has led us astray by making reality into fantasy and thus easier to dismiss.

Through it all our faith tells us to walk that middle way of faith. A way that lives through the current disasters ignoring the rhetoric that tells us the sky is falling; because we know God has bigger plans.

The only thing we are asked for in return for this knowledge is to try to live our lives as examples; so that others might be brought on board. God wants everyone to get with the program; and it is up to us to show them how.

If we give God’s way the authority to guide our way – then others will see it.

That is what is at issue in Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth.

He talks about a very practical issue, eating meat, and to make the whole story shorter comes up with this… if you really do have faith, you walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Saying I believe something to be true, and then using that knowledge to hurt other people, means I am not being authentically faithful – if I do everything out of a sense of love for other people – even giving up some of the things that bother them… then I am more authentically living as Jesus wanted me to live.

Because that is just it, isn’t it – what we say is not nearly as important as what we do. Take our story about Jesus… we are told that he was preaching and teaching at church one day… but Mark does not even bother to write down one word of that sermon. Instead, Jesus heals someone who is struggling with some sort of inner demon, and everyone looks at him and says: “What is this? A new teaching! He speaks with authority!” Jesus authority did not come from what he said, but from what he did…

And that made all the difference. People were able to recognize in Jesus a new thing, something they had never seen before, a faithfulness that came from action. Jesus ate with the outcasts, talked to the lepers, cured the possessed – and that gave what he said authority.

When he said, “follow me and I will show you how to live.” People recognized that he was on to something. Jesus was someone who we need have no fear in trusting. And by following they became wiser and wiser.

This is why I think that nothing is as important as continuing to struggle with our faith and learn about how it gets lived out practically. This is why I continue to put most of my energy and thought into church – I believe that it is here, as a community of followers, that we are challenged to grow into authentic believers.

I also believe that no program, no new gimmick, and no special worship service is going to bring people into church. Rather – people will see how we live, if we do it right, and want to be a part of that. The authenticity of our lives being lived faithfully, and happily, will speak volumes in a world where no one quite knows what to do to find the secret of happiness.

I began by thinking about the authority of God, and I have ended up talking about how you and I can live and act with authority in our lives…

It was intentional – That is the point of the Psalmist when we read, “Reverence for God is the beginning of Wisdom.”

This is a full circle sort of thing – when we recognize God and the importance of God in our lives, we begin to act out of a sense of deep wisdom. We begin to become the people we were meant to be and live out of love and respect. Knowing that God is the ultimate authority for our lives won’t change us all at once – but it is a start. And when we move from there to take those small steps, and jump those small hurdles – we will continue to become the type of disciple Jesus knew he could count on – and perhaps we can spread that wisdom around a bit.


Faith and Freedom


All over Scotland, England, and Wales people are talking about God; specifically, whether or not God exists. Their discussion has been prompted by some 800 buses bearing this advertising banner: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” The campaign throughout January has been sponsored by a loose collective of atheist organizations, including the British Humanist Association.

The ads developed from the response of comedy writer Ariane Sherine to a similar bus promotion last year led by evangelical churches: “Jesus said…” When Ariane visited the website given in those ads, she read of the “lake of fire” as the scene of everlasting separation from God that awaited the unbeliever. In an online blog with a local newspaper, she wrote that if she were to declare on London buses that a lion had escaped from the city zoo, she’d be required to give evidence, so why wasn’t any required of Christians for their advertising. Sherine hoped to raise enough money for a set of counter-adverts on London buses if enough people pledged £5. Her appeal brought pledges of £140,000 (US$210,000) and the proposed campaign became far more widespread. Sherine included the word probably to meet British advertising standards and not “claim absolutes.” She reflects that this is “more light-hearted, and somehow makes the message more positive.”

Plans are in place for a follow-up series of posters in the Underground (subway) that will quote prominent atheists or agnostics. One includes poet Emily Dickinson’s words: “That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.”

The ads have unleashed a wave of public response, with one devout Christian bus driver in the south of England being supported by management in his refusal to drive a bus adorned with the ad. The slogan has gained attention from some Members of Parliament, who have called on the government to ban it.

The concept is now spreading across Europe. It has been adopted by similar agencies in Spain, but rejected in Catholic countries of The Netherlands and Italy. The American Humanist Association has also expressed some interest in using the slogan.

The response of the churches in Britain has been mixed. Whilst a group called “Christian Voice” has lobbied to have the ads removed, Rev. Jenny Ellis, Spirituality and Discipleship Officer of the Methodist Church said it (the campaign) would be a “good thing if it gets people to engage with the deepest questions of life” and suggested it showed there was a “continued interest in God.” On behalf of London-based Christian think-tank, Theos – who donated £50 to the campaign – Nick Spencer commented, “Since Brits are frightfully embarrassed about bringing up God in public; it is a godsend in some ways to have the atheists do it for us.”

Talking about our faith that is not something we do very well, at least not openly with other people. We have not grown up in a culture that promotes people talking about their religious beliefs and so we end up with groups of people making religious statements and conversations taking place in a very public forum instead of in our living rooms or dining rooms.

It is far easier for a group to make a statement than individuals there is a lot at stake to talk about your faith. Talking about our faith, what it is we believe, live and do because of our fundamental beliefs means that we are engaged with it and open to change and conversation, deep conversation with other people. It means getting into the muck and mire of life and see how our faith applies to life and our experiences, does it make sense?

Instead, most of us remain quite silent about our faith, who Jesus is, what it means to believe in him. And so many people get stuck. They get stuck in thinking that no longer applies to their life or their cultural context. Asking questions and talking is essential for our faith to continue to grow throughout our lifetime. I believe it is the task of all believers to enter into serious conversation and thought, questions and grapple with our faith – to use an image – we must take our faith and work it like clay or play dough – it must remain pliable open to our growth and development as human beings.

In Jesus’ world people didn’t ask too many questions either and as a result people were bound by their beliefs, blinded, confined and hurt many people as a result.

Today we heard the story of a man possessed by a demon, we are told. Now not only was he possessed but he was to be avoided and even more than that, cast aside – alienated – even by the religious authorities. A human being suffering, hurting, and yet alienated because the people believed he was ritually unclean.

You know there is so much in scripture we do not understand and can never grasp because of culture and history but this story of the demon possessed man cured by Jesus we can.

In our world, culture and context there are people who are bound and alienated because of certain beliefs religious, cultural, or otherwise.

How many examples of alienation can we come up with? Mental illness, sexual orientation, weight – too heavy or too thin, poverty, illness, addiction, language, colour, just to name a few. In all these cases we find people held in the captivity of their situation. How often do we comment on people’s weight, or whisper that someone is depressed, or off their meds. And what about people of poverty – people of colour – native Canadians. So many people held in bondage because of the beliefs of others. But those who hold the beliefs are also suffering from being in bondage because they cannot see the value of the other. That God loves those whom we so easily cast aside – we believe God’s love is limited – even though we say with our mouths that God loves everyone. We still manage to put limits on that love.

We must remember that Jesus comes to set captives free, to free people so that they can celebrate their liberation in community. IN all the Gospel stories of healing the people are restored to their communities. It is as if the community is the last part of the healing and restoration.

Now we all know that each one of us is in need of healing. Whether we alienate people, put limits on God’s love, that is not for me to say but I do know that throughout our lives each one of us carries wounds within us that prevent us from being free, from knowing our worth and value, from accepting God’s love.

Mark’s story of the demon possessed man, reminds us that healing and wholeness is available to us through Jesus Christ. His life, love and example are the things that bring healing and wholeness to our lives. For some he is the path to new life, to others he is food for the hungry, water for the thirsty, or light on the journey.

If asked, I would bet that many of us could share stories of Jesus healing us, bringing wholeness into our lives. Think for a moment of a time when your faith, your experience, understanding of Jesus freed you to new life, quenched your thirst or showed you a new path for life. But the truth is there is still a great deal within us that needs healing and wholeness. IT is the work of the spirit to be engaged in constantly growing in faith and self-awareness of where we need healing and liberation. IT is journey, a life that cannot be lived alone.

You see our lesson today points to the other important component and that is community – the community helps us in our search for wholeness and then witnesses our transformation and completes it by welcoming us, who were lost, hungry, and thirsty. As community we follow Jesus’ example together and can then heal others by inviting and welcoming people into the liberation of freedom, love, and compassion Jesus offers.

This is the good news for us, you and I can find the healing our souls seek in Jesus, and we can celebrate that healing with others. Look around this week to see who needs to hear this good news. What in you still seeks healing? Can you be a healing example of Jesus’ love in the life of another?? And then I would add, talk to people about your faith. Go beyond your comfort zone and ask questions with the people of this community. Delve into your spiritual life and talk with others to see where and how your beliefs intersect with our world.

You see, it is not really the idea of God that has most of us worrying, despite what the ads on the bus say. What really worries us is that life is meaningless, and that there is no God. Our faith has freed us from that uncertainty and replaced it with a hope that is tied up in God’s love. Jesus came that we might have life, the Bible tells us, and have it abundantly.

Those ads are going up in Toronto subways. The United Church has already thought up a counter argument. Delete one word. “There probably is a God, now stop worrying, and enjoy life!”