July 04, 2004 - Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

2 Kings 5:1-14
Psalm 30
Galatians 6:1-6, 7-16
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

The Reverend Vernon L. Suter

My sermon this morning is a simple one. It's a sermon about the Good News of Jesus Christ that so often seems complicated, but is, indeed, very simple. I could sum it up right now with the statement of Jesus from the last part of our Gospel reading. Jesus said, ". . . I have given you authority . . . over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

Let me make that even shorter. - - Rejoice that your names are written in heaven. - -

That's as simple as it gets. However, even though I have no doubt that all our names are written in heaven and that we are all the recipients of the Good News of Jesus Christ, there are some stumbling blocks that we need to watch out for. Now, I say "stumbling blocks," but I did not say they will keep our names off that list. We all know that God's grace is free and that we don't have to earn it, but sometimes we have to work a little harder for our personal peace on earth than we need to, - - because of our pride.

In our Old Testament reading, Naaman's personal pride almost got in the way of the healing of his Leprosy. He had some very strong rebellion at God's word given him through Elisha, instructing him as to how to get clean of this horrible disease. However, with pleading from his servants, he relented and followed the guidance of God, leading him to healing and peace. Indeed, as we see in today's Gospel, I'm sure that Naaman discovered that he, too, was able to rejoice that his name was written in heaven.

Now I'd like to address a few lines from our psalm.

"O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me."

This most certainly applies to Naaman, as does another verse from the same psalm, which reads, "As for me, I said in my prosperity, - - (I might add here, or in my fits of arrogant pride,) - - I shall never be moved." Naaman sure wasn't moving shen he thought his rivers were better that the river Jordan. - - And I must admit that this sometimes applies to me. It's when I think I have all the answers and no one can tell me anything, that I encounter those roadblocks to God's love and help. I can picture Jesus standing there with his arms crossed and saying, "O.K. buster. Whenever you get over this and follow my direction, you will be able to say to me as the psalmist did, 'You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.' Until that time, I guess you'll have to struggle with your sackcloth. In the meantime, I'll be here for you and your name is still written in heaven. I guess you'll just have to struggle a little bit more with this part of your life."

I can just imagine Jesus saying that to me sometimes, during some of my more stubborn moments.

(I probably wouldn't be admitting that I have such moments, except for the fact that I'm leaving.)

So you see, the simple message is, Rejoice, our names are already written in heaven, but we can make our present existence good or we can make it unpleasant, depending on our recognition of the Good News of Jesus, the news that we are his and will always remain his. His grace, as I said earlier, is free, but remembering this good news can effect how things go for us today and all of our days to come. - - - -

What are some of the other things that God asks of us to do so that we can be happy? For one thing, Paul points out in his letter to the Galatians that we need to bear one another's burdens, and in this way we will fulfill the law of Christ. In other words, God suggest unity and togetherness as a road to happiness. He sent out 70 people in pairs. He didn't send them out individually. There were rough roads ahead and only together, in the love and support of one another, and in unity with Jesus, could they accomplish their goal. So, as Paul wrote, ". . . whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all." - - - -

All of our readings today point out how personal success can, in the short run, hinder our happiness. Again Paul speaks to this. He says, "May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."

Material success can bring on that arrogance displayed by Naaman when he thought his rivers were better than the river Jordan, in which Elisha told him to wash. Material success can bring about a negative quality, when we claim that success to the exclusion of anyone else, including our Lord Jesus Christ. My wife, Bonnie, is forever saying to me, "God sure takes care of you," and the truth is, she's right. I've been in scrapes, both financially and physically, and come out smelling like a rose. I've had emergency surgeries and I've been broke, but everything falls in place and comes out for the good. I've never asked Bonnie, but I often wonder if she says that so often just to remind me that I didn't accomplish those things by myself. Indeed, God had plenty to do with it. - - - -

Jesus said to the seventy before sending them out, ". . . cure the sick who are there, and say to them, The kingdom of God has come near to you."

It's important to note that we are the representatives of The Kingdom of God. We need only show it in our behavior toward others, whether they be the wealthy in business or the homeless on the street. In this way we prepare the way for Christ, who leads us, as well as those to whom we carry the message, to that everlasting peace of The Kingdom of God, on earth, as it is in heaven, - - but we must not forget that Jesus said for us not to rejoice because the spirits submit to us, for that would be a huge exercise in personal pride. We can however, rejoice to the top of our lungs, that we are children of God and that our names are, indeed, listed in the Kingdom of Heaven.

I very much like a story I heard once, I think it was in seminary. Whether true or not, it makes the point quite well.

Now, before I tell this story, I respectfully ask the clergy present today not to get on my case if I'm misquoting, but I think the story is about Reinhold Niebuhr, one of the great Christian theologians.

Reinhold Niebuhr taught and wrote many great books on Christian theology. As one would expect, Mr. Niebuhr's work was intellectually very thorough.

As the story goes, when he was on his death bed, he was asked by a news reporter what the most profound discovery he had made as a result of his lifetime of study and theological research. Mr. Niebuhr's answer was quite surprising to the reporter, given Reinhold Niebuhr's intellectual fame. He said, "Jesus loves me, this I know; because the Bible tells me so."

Now, whether I have the author of that quote wrong, or even have the story wrong, it still makes a simple but true point. We can all leave this church this morning rejoicing in the fact that our names are written in heaven because Jesus loves us. - - And this we know, because the Bible tells us so.

Amen