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1 Corinthians 13:4-12

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Special Savings
II Kings 5:1-17 and Luke 4:16-29

1. The Little People
There is a great line in Horton Hears a Who – a book / movie of great value. Horton who is protecting the people of Whoville who live on a speck, numerous times announces that “people are people, no matter how small.”

In the story of Naaman, the little people in this story make it move, make things happen. Though nameless, they possess great power.

2. Preference For King Over Prophet
Naaman was commander of the armies of Aram around the 9th century before Christ. Aram had the upper hand over Israel. Though Naaman was a mighty and competent commander, he suffered from leprosy. He was vulnerable and grew tired of watching people watch him. Tired of not being able to shake hands, tired of this skin disease that robbed him of confidence, tired of being unable to find a cure in Aram.

His help came from a young Jewish girl who had been taken captive during one of the military raids on Israel. Knowing Naaman's suffering, this unnamed little girl recommended through Naaman’s wife that he go see the prophet in Samaria, then his leprosy would be healed. She is undoubtedly a captive, one of the countless victims of war between the powerful, and she must have some memory of what Elisha could do and what he represented. People without power have to work between the lines and behind the scenes, and this little girl gets things started with her observation.

It sounded crazy, go hunting for healing across enemy lines on the recommendation of a slave girl. Sometimes you do crazy things when you want healing bad enough. So the star general received permission from the King of Aram to go the king of Israel, with letter and money and gold and garments. He must have wept in the night even while he put on a brave face in public. He makes his way in the zone of greatness. He walks and talks with kings, he rides at the head of an army, and he has the wherewithal to assemble a great treasure to offer in return for a cure he thinks he can surely buy. He anticipates the best available health care, private, luxurious room for his period of confinement.
Naaman and the King are in agreement that this is the way toward healing. You avoid the prophet and go to the king. They do what comes naturally, they relate to their "own kind."

“When this letter reaches you,” it said, “know that I have sent to you my servant naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” Naaman and the King of Aram thought that if there was a cure, the King would be the one to administer it, the king would hold this power. Only the king did not have nor did he know about such a cure. He knew about political and military power, but nothing of healing power – the power of God. So when he received the letter and Naaman, he was furious, seeing it as a political trap. He could only see this as a political stunt. Ironically, there is a whole lot of powerlessness among these powerful men. The king of Aram had asked him to do something he could not do. His response is political; unfortunately, it’s the only language he knows.

When Elisha heard of the king’s anger, he summoned Naaman so that Naaman would learn that there was a prophet in Israel. This is the prophet whom the little Jewish girl knew about even though the king of her country did not. Though the people in power tried to avoid the prophet, the prophet still summoned. Sometimes prophets demand a bit more from us than kings. Again, sometimes you do crazy things when you’re looking for healing.

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The Ancient Journey
Hebrews 11


1. We'll show you the way
The other day I entered the sanctuary with groom and groomsmen. We waited there for the bride and her party for what felt like a very long time. Then the flower girl arrived in her brilliant red dress carrying a white basket full of red rose pedals followed by the rest of the party. Slowly walking before the bride down the long aisle she drifted from camera to camera, offering the cutest smile I’ve ever seen to each captivated photographer. It wasn’t until she neared the front of the sanctuary that she remember the pedals and began carefully placing them in the aisle.

The ancient church and our Jewish ancestors loved their young enough to tell them what they had heard from God and waited for them to follow. They loved the children enough to say "You don’t have to make up the way as you go. You don’t have to reinvent the path to God on your own. We’ll tell you. We’ll show you the way. We'll teach you how to trust, not in your own insights, but in God's.”

Faith means dependence upon God. You know what it's like when a child places trust in you. They count on you to provide, to care, to be there. That is what God is hoping for from us. On numerous occasions during VBS this past week I watched teenagers carrying kids on their shoulders, getting them from place to place, providing them with snacks, crafts, love. They were the recipients of trust. I could see not only the delight in the children, but also in the teens knowing they had the trust of children all around them. I believe it must feel good to God as well when we allow him to carry us, get us from place to place, provide us with the love we need.

If you ask your spouse or good friend if she or he "believes in you," and they respond, "Yes, I believe that you exist" you don’t not really come away from that conversation with the confidence you were looking for. You are looking for something beyond knowledge; you are looking for a certain confidence given.

The entire chapter of Hebrews 11 is dedicated to those who believed in God and trusted God to provide. They did not see with their eyes all that was going to unfold but they knew that God was leading them and so the journey began.

Abel is noted as righteous though we have no record of what he said. We only know what he offered to God. Somehow by his good works, he speaks.

Noah is lifted up. God told Noah about an event in the unseen world of the future, the coming flood. There was no evidence in the visible, sensory world to back up this world, so Noah had a choice to make; to trust what he saw around him with his own eyes or to trust God's word. Noah chose God and therefore did what made no sense whatsoever in worldly terms: he built an ark to weather a storm no one could see coming. (Tom Long)

Then Abraham and Sarah, Moses and others; The list is great and moves faster and faster. Though the path was often mysterious and the travelers sometimes wondered where they would get the energy to go on, the journey’s destination was never in doubt. This was a forward-looking journey; they gave no thought to what they left behind but went in search of a better country… a heavenly one (Hebrews 11:16) the city that has foundation whose architect and builder is God (11:10).

Those who signed our Declaration of Independence had such hopes as well. They did not know what would follow but they had faith in God and a driving hope for this new nation. Though the path was often mysterious and the signers sometimes wondered where they would get the energy to go on, the journey’s destination was never in doubt. This was a forward-looking journey; they gave no thought to what they left behind but went in search of a better country.

Something happened through their struggles, through their sufferings, faith was forged. They learned to trust God and one another. They also learned to keep the vision alive. Abraham passed the faith on to Isaac. Isaac who had grown old and blind invoked blessings on Jacob and Esau. Jacob grew old, but the vision of God’s future, passed from generation to generation, was not dying. So Jacob, with his life ebbing away blessed his grandsons. He did not view this as the end of everything, but looked out toward the horizon of God’s future with eyes of faith. Rather than compromise and settle for an easier, less demanding vision, our ancestors strained forward trusting God. Rather than caving in to their fears, our ancestors held on to hope. Faith certainly sees the suffering, the persecution, the struggle. But faith also sees God, the God who promises to accompany us with compassion and strength and in the end bring an end to all that harms and destroys. Hebrews 11:32-38.

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“Saved by Community”

Old Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 15:7-11
If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be. Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking, "The seventh year, the year of remission, is near," and therefore view your needy neighbor with hostility and give nothing; your neighbor might cry to the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt. Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, "Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land."

New Testament Reading: Acts 2:42-47
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Sometimes apartment walls are just a little too thin. Sixteen years ago we lived in married student housing at Princeton Theological Seminary. A few miles away from the actual campus; it was like our own separate town. Twenty apartment buildings, eight apartments each, the bigger ones on the ends reserved for couples with children. Playgrounds, picnic tables and a pool on-site gave us a place to hang out far enough away from the more serious minded single graduate students.

But there was one single woman in those 160 apartments, and she lived next door to us. Somewhere in her late fifties or early sixties, she retired from the Forest Service in the state of Washington and moved to New Jersey for seminary to follow her call. It was not hard to imagine Joann in uniform. Tall, strong, and authoritative, she gracefully commanded any room she entered; which is likely how she ended up with an apartment in married student housing, rather than a tiny dorm room . She was a practical woman. When our friends through us a baby shower with tiny outfits and cute bibs, JoAnn went out and bought a U.S. Treasury bond for Duncan, redeemable in a mere twenty-five years. Joann was a very quiet neighbor.

Our family of three was not so quiet. Colicky babies cry at all hours of the day and night. Four or five months after Duncan was born, JoAnn knocked on our door about midnight. Dressed in her nightgown and sleeping robe, she demanded: “give me that baby!” Often she took him for awhile during the day to sit in her rocking chair, but this was her first late night visit. She had heard him crying through the walls and knew we were not sleeping. Handing us two pairs of earplugs, she demanded we go back to bed and get some rest while she took care of him. She saved us that night and many other times because she made of that apartment building a community.

For the biblical Hebrews who populate the pages of our Old Testament, there was no life without community. One’s family, clan, tribe, town and later temple, was everything. But even then, many laws were necessary to govern community and covenant life. In order to be set apart as a people, rules were established to maintain purity and holiness. Some concerned animals- no eating vultures or buzzards for instance (Deut. 14:11); and make sure if your neighbor’s donkey falls down in the middle of the road, you help it up (Deut. 22:4). Some concerned fruit and vegetables; like “if you go into your neighbor’s vineyard you may eat your fill or grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in a container. (Deut. 23:24) And others concerned punishments so severe for wayward sons (Deut 21:18-21) and assertive wives (Deut. 25:11) that they can’t even be read in public worship. Life in community was everything.

Of all the regulations governing community life, social justice (i.e. taking care of the most vulnerable) remained a constant value throughout the Old Testament straight through the time of Jesus and the early church. The Lord God Almighty was thought to be on the side of the oppressed and well attuned to their cries. Exodus 22 is straightforward “You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. You shall not abuse any widow or orphan. If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry; my wrath will burn…” (Exodus 22:21-24) Our passage today is also very clear, “if there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor.” (Deut. 15:7)

But community values such as these are very difficult to enforce. Unlike other regulations, there was no spelled out consequence in this passage for being tight-fisted, uncaring, selfish or hostile. Only a warning- do not entertain a mean thought, thinking “well, they’ve got help coming”, for if you do, your needy neighbor might cry to the Lord against you and you would incur guilt. It is essentially a spiritual consequence….and a spiritual reward. Because if you give liberally, the text says, the Lord God will bless you. In God’s kingdom, true community means to hold up the most vulnerable and to save them.

So what do we do when we hear that right now, today, thousands of reports of child abuse and neglect are not being investigated by the child-welfare department? For those of us trained to report suspected abuse- teachers, ministers, counselors, coaches, boy scout leaders; it is devastating to hear that in Cuyahoga county alone, only half of the 7,000 calls regarding abuse and neglect are heard and the rest screened out. (“Cuyahoga County is not investigating thousands of reports of child abuse and neglect”; Published: Tuesday, June 15, 2010) As was the case with ancient Israel, it is impossible to legislate open hands and open hearts, or to provide any real consequences to punish those who ignore the most vulnerable among us. That’s why, in fact, they are the most vulnerable, because their voices can be easily ignored, at least by humans. But God hears their cries and God sees the abundant holes in the fabric we optimistically call a safety net. God sees the move toward isolation rather than community; toward individuality rather than society, toward apathy rather than compassionate concern, toward greed rather than responsibility. God sees and God hears.

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A Significant Pause
Psalm 68:3-4, 32-35 and Acts 1:1-11


1. Wait
Most of us have had a child or someone familiar to us come up behind us and place their hands over our eyes. With anticipation of our response, they ask, “Guess who?” Usually we can solve the mystery by the feel of the hands or the sound of the voice.

The followers of Christ didn't want to play this game. They wanted to see Jesus and have him near so they remained near to him after his resurrection. They were stunned by what had happened in the resurrection and were wondering about the next play. They were hoping for Christ to fulfill his promise of ushering in the Kingdom, the reign of God; to finish the work begun. But they are told not to leave Jerusalem, to wait there for the promise of the Father. John baptized with water but in a few days, they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

We don’t like to wait. When we have limits on our time and in the rush of life, delays are hard to handle. We stare at the train going by, almost counting the cars. We keep looking at our watch, covertly texting or calling anyone who will listen to our angst. But there is another kind of pause or delay that is even harder; you are not ready yet, you need more time, more maturity, more resolve, more skills. We don’t like this either. Our culture pushes for quick response immediate action. And when we comply, though unprepared, we’re bound to be frustrated. I thought I could handle this, why do I keep slipping back into old patterns, attitudes, and addictions. Sometimes we even wonder what it is we do have to give. We’re being asked to respond, to give, to lead and we’re wondering how?

Then we hear Jesus telling his disciples, “Stay where you are and wait for the promise of the Father” – that is the Holy Spirit. Don’t run off in anxiety, don’t go stewing over crazy stuff because you feel, in a weird way, that it’s better to stew and fret than do nothing. Stay where you are and wait for power. Our waiting implies that the things which need doing in the world are beyond our ability to accomplish solely by our own effort. This significant pause enabled the community to prepare for the rush of God's presence through the Spirit.

2. Power
Though they were curious about the times and the sequence and the coming reign of God, Jesus directed their attention elsewhere. Whereas they would not know the times, they would receive power to testify; to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Instead of curiosity and anxiety about timing, Jesus asked for obedience. In time, they would testify, not by their own power but by the power of the Holy Spirit.

But first they would wait and pray. They are told to be witnesses “to the ends of the earth” and their first response is prayer.
The action demanded of the church is more than busyness and strenuous human effort. Disciples have been told that the promised kingdom is a gift to be given in God's own time by God's own grace. Their mission requires more than striving and straining. Some other power is needed. Therefore the church waits and prays. Our waiting and praying means that we don't harness the power of the Spirit, rather, the Spirit prepares us for work in the kingdom of God. The Spirit comes as a gift which must be constantly sought anew in prayer. The task given to these restless apostles would have been terrifying, nearly impossible, apart from his assurance that the power to obey lies not in themselves but rather in God-given energy: the Holy Spirit.

We do not grasp at the power to control it, rather we are drawn into it. Instead of worry about timing and sequence, instead of anxiety over what we can’t control, we start thinking about the power of God. We start thinking about the immeasurable strength, compassion, wisdom and love available through the Spirit of God. Notice we're not thinking about all our limitations, rather we're thinking about God. We're remembering Jesus and how he lived, whom he loved, how he served. We're waiting in Jerusalem for power from the Spirit.

All of us know this power. Recall what have you felt like when you have served someone in need. What has coursed through your very being when you have watched one pushed down by life suddenly take your hand and let you lift them up. What is it like to work hours on a quilt and give it to one battling cancer and watch their expression upon receiving such a gift? What is it like to stop along the road to help someone with a flat tire and watch that one stare in amazement that someone would actually stop and help. What is it like to notice when someone has not been to church in awhile and stop by to express that they have been missed. When you do this, you are tapping into the power of God's Holy Spirit.

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