9 Proper C

Charlotte Collins Reed
Christ Episcopal Church
July 7, 2013

9 Proper C

One of the most memorable fireworks displays I have ever seen was over Lake Michigan when I was in seminary and we lived in Evanston, just north of Chicago. Don and Slocomb were out of town, so Caldwell and I had joined some friends for a 4^th of July picnic where all the talk was about the incredible fireworks over the lake later that night. As the evening progressed and the sky began to darken, we gathered up lawn chairs and blankets and headed to the beach, along with thousands of our closest friends.

At about 10 o’clock that night, the fireworks began and the show was mesmerizing. The colors were brilliant-purples, reds, blues, and yellows lit up the sky. The sound of each explosion was victorious. The atmosphere was electric. And the reaction of the crowd was appreciative, but hushed. Rather than applause and cheers, there was a reverent silence.. Perhaps we were all just tired at the end of a long, lovely day. But perhaps that magnificent display of power that symbolizes our independence as a nation also reminded us of our own vulnerability. In the face of such power, whether used for good or for ill, we can feel pretty small.

Interestingly, on this Sunday after the 4^th of July, all of our readings emphasize the strength that comes from vulnerability , and the independence that comes from our dependence on God and each other. In 2 Kings, the great and powerful Naaman, the mighty warrior, suffers from leprosy. As is fitting for a person of such great accomplishment, Naaman is sent by the King of Aram to the King of Israel to be cured, having heard from a young captive girl of a prophet in Israel who could heal the warrior. The King of Israel sent Naaman off to the prophet Elisha, not quite so fitting for a mighty warrior but, in the hope of a cure, Naaman will go to the prophet. The prophet, however, will only send a messenger to see Naaman, saying "Go wash in the Jordan seven times and you shall be clean." Naaman is furious. At the very least, he deserves an audience with the prophet, who could call upon his God to heal him with a great display of power. The nerve of Elisha to suggest that this mighty warrior bathe in the Jordan when Namaan has perfectly good rivers at home. But Naaman’s servants intervene to say "If the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult-in other words, something worthy of a mighty warrior-would you not have done it? How much more when all he said to you was ‘wash and be clean.’" Naaman actually listens to their counsel, washes in the Jordan and is cured. But without swallowing his pride and admitting his vulnerability, no matter how grudgingly, Naaman would not have been made whole.

Paul tells us the Galatians this morning to bear one another’s burdens and in this way fulfill the law of Christ. Now that sounds like a command for someone strong. Strength is required to carry someone’s burdens, be that strength emotional, physical, or spiritual. But just when we start to feel the least bit puffed up about our ability to carry someone else’s burdens, Paul comes back with "For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves." Paul is calling us to the strength that comes from humility-the humility that carries another’s burdens so that the other person can become strong. And the flip side of "Bear one another’s burdens" is "Let your burdens be born by one another." Strength and pride and rugged individualism are not the virtues Paul commends. Humility, vulnerability, and service are what Paul commends.

Lastly, Jesus tells the 70 as he sends them off to various town and places "See, I am sending you out like lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road.... Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide." Lambs in the midst of wolves? That is not just vulnerable-that is borderline bad judgement. Then Jesus says ""When ever you enter a town and the people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, "The Kingdom of God has come near." Be humble and eat what is provided. Serve the people by curing their sick. And then say "The Kingdom of God has come near."

How do we know when the Kingdom of God has come near? Naaman wanted a complicated treatment plan to cure his leprosy, but he was simply told to wash in the Jordan and be healed. The Galatians were told to bear one another’s burdens to fulfill the law of Christ, and presumably know something of the Kingdom of God. The 70 were told by Jesus to make themselves vulnerable to those they came to serve, to eat what was provided, heal the sick, and then proclaim that the Kingdom of God has come near. Jesus’ promise to the 70 and to us is that, whether the world realizes it or not, the power of the Kingdom of God is made known when God’s people are willing to act with humility, serve the world with grace, and find strength in weakness.

Amen.