Sunday's Sermon

Lessons for the Sixth Sunday of Epiphany:
2 Kings 5:1-14
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Mark 1:40-45

As I write this I'm still in Cody, WY where for the past three days I had both the pleasure and honor of leading a workshop on "Creativity and Spirituality" at Thomas the Apostle Center. In this retreat setting we explored different ways of expressing the Holy... in art, meditation, alternative worship liturgies, music, drumming, not to mention a very frigid labyrinth walk. We used methods that were both ancient and modern, and my intent, as leader, was to provide time and space for these participants to think outside the box... but more importantly, to encourage them to be as creative as they were led to be.

My final task for the weekend was to preach at Christ Church. As this Sunday had already been designated "Evolution Sunday" the sermon was to be on the topic of Evolution vs. Creationism. But the Scripture lessons were mostly to do with healing, or at least health related, (as you'll see). Time for me to put my money where my mouth was about thinking outside the box, and come up with something of value to say based on the texts at hand. I gave it my best shot, and the congregation was wonderful about bearing with me. What follows are excerpts to give you the gist of the sermon:

Beginning with the lessons: basically, you could say they are all about health. The first and last deal specifically with illness, (both cases just happen to be leprosy) and their subsequent healings. Then in the middle there's Paul's letter to the Corinthians where he essentially says: "Keep in shape! Stay fit so you can run the race, but more especially so you can run it to win." For Paul, keeping fit in this context is of utmost importance. He's not concerned about your abs or your muscle tone or that you'll be more attractive and have more friends. He wants you to win. Paul would be an excellent Olympic coach, except that for him, this is a race of life and death, a race of good over evil.

So... what does health remotely have to do with evolution?
Not much.

So lets dig a little deeper. In 1 Kings we have a story of a quite important man—Naaman, commander of the armies of Aram. He's successful, yet he's also been brought low by the disease of leprosy. In his time this disease doomed anyone who contracted it to the life of outcast. (Much as the disease of AIDS has done in our own society.) But his wife's slave girl knows of a prophet in Samaria, and she claims he can heal Naaman. At this point I'd like to take a different spin on the text and suggest that the story is not so much about healing as it is about misconceptions and preconceived ideas. Case in point: Naaman's king. He sends a letter of introduction to the King of Israel. "Here's my very important commander of my army; heal him of his leprosy."

Whoa— that's not what Naaman's wife's slave girl said. She said prophet, not king. But kings have their own ideas of how these things work. They know all about political ramifications and appropriate protocol, and Naaman's king only talks to other kings. He only has part of the picture and that's what he acts on.

Moving on... the King of Israel gets the letter and he panics. Tears his clothes. Probably convenes his cabinet— and comes up with the second misconception—the conclusion that the King of Aram is trying to pick a fight.

Thankfully Scripture makes a long story short. Elisha the Prophet hears about the problem and sends his king the message "Not to worry. Send him to me and we'll get him healed and the God of Israel will be glorified." So Naaman arrives at the prophet's house with his contingency of camels and gold and silver and party outfits, and we're on the brink of our third misconception.

Elisha sends out the hired help. Leaves Naaman essentially parked at the curb while the valet delivers the message "Go dunk yourself seven times in the Jordan." Naaman is insulted. He has in his mind a very vivid and preconceived idea of how this healing should and therefore will occur. he has no room in his mind for an alternative approach, and as a result he shuts out totally a healing opportunity that's staring him smack dab square in the front of his face. He won't see it. It's not possible.

But Naaman is a lucky man. He has servants who appeal to the side of his ego only they would understand..."If the prophet had asked you to do something difficult, you'd have done it. So why not give this a shot? What do you have to lose?"
Well, if you've read the lesson, you already know the rest of the story. They prevail and Naaman is healed. In spite of himself, he gave in to that last appeal to think outside of the box.

Now lets move on to Paul. (Bless his heart.) I think that's what they say in Texas... about somebody who can be difficult or disagreeable. Well, Paul, bless his heart, has a very good point in this scripture. But he's also missing a very important piece of the puzzle and mystery of our life together in Christ. And that is the concept that Henri Nouwen calls the power and ministry of the Wounded Healer. Paul makes the assumption that only the fit can win the race for Christ, and in my heart of hearts I know that's just not true. It's a preconceived and dated idea that leaves no room for broken people to minister to other broken people. Yet we do it all the time. If I have sinned (and I have) then I have walked in your sinful shoes. And I can compassionately embrace you because in this we are more alike than we are different.

Now to the final lesson: in which the leper, who starts out so exquisitely humble in his statement of faith, "If you choose you can heal me"... once healed decides he knows more than the Son of God what to do with this information. Despite Jesus specifically saying "Tell NO one", he spreads the story all around the countryside. From one end of town to the other... and as a result, Jesus cannot walk the streets openly anymore.

So, in conclusion... (to those of you who have waited so patiently for me to get to the evolution vs. creation part, you can stop holding your breath.) Because I'm not going to say much about that. Except this: These three lessons are brimming with examples and metaphors of people and situations where someone had a preconceived idea about what God looks like and how God acts. These ideas were based on their own individual pieces of the puzzle. They were, in truth, partly correct. It was in assuming that they were totally correct that they sinned, and ended up missing out on the mystery and majesty of what was smack dab square in the front of their faces.

Genesis gives us one of the most poetic and condensed metaphors for God's creative process. Evolution, along with the New Story of the Cosmos and our unfolding Universe, gives us a much more drawn out and detailed description of God's creative process. For me, each is an individual piece of the puzzle. As we study both, let us pray that we do not assume that the box in which we wish to stick our God is where He, or She, or It, or We will stay forever. Amen.