EPIPHANY 6 - B

Just a note... this is a shorter sermon focused a little on being the church as this was the sermon preached before our Annual Meeting. Enjoy.

Healing the Body

Introduction

What does it mean to be part of a church?

We often use different words to describe the church; I have heard it called: A Hospital for sinners, the Bride of Christ, A Family, a Community, the body of Christ, and even a home.

Each of these ways of seeing it are trying to get at the same thing. Church is a place of connection. It is a place where we come and are part of something; part of a loving community, a greatful family, a resourceful bunch of faithful people…

There was an old rhyme: This is the church, and this is the steeple, open it up, and here’s all the people.

Well, I think right from the very beginning church was always about people. At first they met in people’s homes, then they built magnificent cathedrals… but at some level the place never mattered…

The Bible never says “where there is an empty building, there is God.” Rather it says, “where two or three are gathered, there am I also.”

Children’s Story

Namaan’s Tale

I find a bunch of things interesting in the Bible stories we have read today. Most interestingly to me is how the characters inter-relate.

Namaan has a slave girl… who is such a part of the Family that she is concerned over his health. The King of Assyria has a general, who he cares about enough to pay exorbitant foreign medical fees in order to cure. Even Elisha the prophet, loner and troublemaker that he is, has no problem curing Namaan. Of course, he has to be all preachy about it and teach a lesson… but that is just who he is.

To me this whole story echoes some very deep truths about God’s love. It is for everyone, it is everywhere, and it doesn’t matter how stubborn we are.

I think those same core values are at the centre of what “church” is. Church is a place of love for everyone, church is an organization that believes God’s love is everywhere, not just inside these walls, and church is a place where we can bring our pain, our doubts, our stubbornness, and still be loved just as well….

The Psalm for this week, for example, talks about being at the brink of death, of our life being a living hell, and God lifting us up out of that…

At its best, that is what each of us could say about church – there was a time in our life we needed it. And the love of God was shown to us there.

If You Choose

A leper once came to Jesus and said, “If you choose, you can heal me.”

Interesting….

Ever thought about how much of life is choice? Ever thought about the choices you have made and where they have led you?

By the way, the Leper here has already made a choice too – he was an outcast, not supposed to talk to people, or touch them, or even come into town… but he seeks out Jesus and says, proudly, “the ball is in your court now, I have done what I had to… “

There might be another little insight into church. It is not like God is up there watching and watching, and is going to pull the strings like you are a puppet.

You seek God out…. That is the way it works…

There was a story once where the gods were up in the clouds trying to think where to hide the secret to the meaning of life… here was the thing, they wanted people to find it, but only when they were ready.

One of them said, “Let’s put it on the top of the highest mountain, only when they are physically perfect will they be able to get to it…”

Another said, “Let’s put it at the bottom of the ocean, then it will take all of their technical skill to search it out and find it…”

After a few moments of silence the oldest and wisest said, “Let’s hide it in the human heart, and then when they find it, we will know they have worked their hardest to get there.”

I think there is a lot to be learned from this simple Bible story we read… it really is about our choice, and what we are willing to do…

And church is a place where we encounter others along the journey who will help us as we learn to be fully human,…

Conclusion

I think we are all capable of making church what it was intended to be… But the thing is, it is a journey and an effort that we must continue each day to work on.