Ginny Chilton, Seminarian and Organist at Christ Church, United Methodist.
THIS WEEK’S GOSPEL:
LUKE 17:11-19 (MESSAGE)
It happened that as he made his way toward Jerusalem,
he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a
village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance but raised
their voices, calling out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Taking a good look at them, he said, “Go,
show yourselves to the priests.”
They went, and while still on their way, became clean.
One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back,
shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus’ feet, so grateful.
He couldn’t thank him enough—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus said, “Were not ten healed? Where are the nine?
Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?”
Then he said to him, “Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved
you.”
Our church has been focusing a lot on prayer lately.
We started prayer groups. We’re in the midst of a sermon series on prayer.
Everyone is being asked to think more seriously about prayer and how they can
make it a more integral part of their daily lives.
In the Gospel story this week, a group of lepers asks
Jesus for mercy. This story may seem a little mysterious to us, since we are
not immersed in first century Jewish culture. In Jesus’ time, if a person became
well after having leprosy, he had to be checked out and cleared by a priest
first before he could be allowed back into regular society. By telling the men
to present themselves to the priests, Jesus is essentially telling them that yes,
he will cure them of their leprosy! And note the most interesting detail of the
story: the men were made well “while still on their way”. That means they
weren't healed instantly, and they weren't healed as soon as Jesus acknowledged
their request. They were healed once they started to follow Jesus’
instructions. How interesting!
How does this story relate to our lives today, and
especially to prayer? I think this story parallels the process of prayer in
several ways. First, the men cry out to Jesus. That’s what we do, too, when we pray.
Second, Jesus listens to the men, and the same is true when we pray. Next,
Jesus promises the men that they will be well. The same is true for us. Jesus
will always respond when we ask. Finally, the men trust enough in Jesus to do
as he says and begin walking on their way; in this act, they are healed. Similarly,
true healing comes when we trust that Jesus will respond to our prayers, when
we go about our lives with the understanding that Jesus is with us and works
miracles in our lives and in our world today.
That last step is the most important concept to take
away from today’s Gospel. True wholeness and peace come when we walk and work
with God. Prayer is not a letter we mail away and then wait for a packaged response.
Prayer is not just asking something of God, it is living with God. With God we
can put one foot in front of the other, trusting that God has good things
planned for us, that God brings healing, justice, and mercy into our lives
today. That requires a lot of investment on our part, to maintain such a close
relationship. But the rewards are more than worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment