The 4th Sunday after Pentecost-Proper 9C

The 4th Sunday after Pentecost-Proper 9C July 7, 2019 A couple of weeks ago, I did a funeral for someone I had never met and who didn’t really have ties to this church. His name was Victor Evans, and he was 35 years old. He died of a drug overdose. Over my years of priestly ministry, I have learned that there is no more important kind of hospitality a priest and her church can give than to do a funeral for a family who needs a place to have a funeral. So I said yes. During Victor’s funeral, I was struck by how the church was mostly full of Victor’s peers—other 30-40 year olds. And as the weeks have gone by since Victor’s funeral, when I am out and about at various places in greater Savannah, someone will come up to me out of the blue and tell me that they had been at Victor’s funeral and how they just wanted to tell me how much they appreciated it. These encounters, along with our readings for today, have served as important reminders for me. In the Old Testament reading, Naaman, a foreigner general who suffers from leprosy, finds healing through unexpected sources. God uses Naaman’s wife’s slave girl, the prophet Elisha, and the Jordan River to not only heal Naaman but to also bring Naaman to conversion, confessing that the God of Israel is the only one (this is in verse 15 which we don’t read today with the rest of the passage). But Naaman, who shows up with all of his wealth and prestige and power almost misses it. He is offended that Elisha doesn’t even come out to meet him and that his cure is one that is too simple-almost beneath his dignity. It’s only by listening to his servants, who urge him to at least try to cure given him by Elisha that he does and through which he is healed. In the gospel reading, Jesus sends out 70 of his followers in pairs to spread the good news. Some of the highlights of this story include that Jesus sees abundance where others see scarcity (“the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few”). Vulnerability is implicit in discipleship (take nothing with you and eat whatever they give you). The faithfulness of the 70 leads to successes that have unexpected results (not only do they spread the good news but they discover that even the demons submit to them). And even though the 70 disciples receive great power from God, the greatest benefit of their faithfulness is their relationships with God develops and deepens through their trust in God and not in their own power. In all of these (the Old Testament and gospel readings for today and in the encounters with people around town who attended Victor’s funeral), I have been reminded that God’s power works through unexpected sources and God’s healing and abundance is freely shared when we are faithful. Jesus’ knows that there is an abundance here in this community, even when we are tempted to only see scarcity or what is lacking. It is important for us to remember that it is God who is the agent of healing and growth—not us. We are called to pray for healing and growth, to be open to healing and growth and to organize and work together in a way that anticipates that God will show up in unexpected ways and people, and that people will respond to the work that God is doing here through us in spreading the good news of God’s love through the person of Jesus Christ. This week, I invite you to pray for St. Thomas. Pray that we may be faithful and follow where God leads and that we may see God when God is revealed in unexpected people and ways. If growth here is important to you, then I invite you to pray for that as well and to pray that we all will be open to growth and willing to work together for that. In closing, I want to share with you a prayer/blessing by a woman named Kathy Galloway. Bless us Our brother Jesus, you set our feet upon the way and where you lead we do not like or understand. Bless us with courage where the way is fraught with dread or danger; Bless us with graceful meetings where the way is lonely; Bless us with good companions where the way demands a common cause; Bless us with night vision where we travel in the dark, keen hearing where we have not sight, to hear the reassuring sounds of fellow travelers; Bless us with humor—we cannot travel lightly weighed down with gravity; Bless us with humility to learn from those around us; Bless us with decisiveness where we must move with speed; Bless us with lazy moments to stretch, rest, and savor; Bless us with love, given and received; And bless us with your presence, even when we know it in your absence; Lead us into exile, Until we find that on the road Is where you are, And where you are is going home. Bless us, lead us, love us, bring us home Bearing the Gospel of life. i. i. Kathy Galloway, in Coracle 3, no 11 @Iona Community, 1992.