February 12, 2012

Joy in the Morning

2 Kings 5:1-14
It seems that often in the Bible, the power of God is demonstrated in unlikely ways and with unexpected people.  That is the case in this passage from 2 Kings.  Naaman, a man described as a “mighty warrior” and “great man” suffers from leprosy.  It is a young slave girl who suggests Naaman visit the prophet Elisha to be healed.  Naaman follows her advice, and after a miscommunication between Naaman and the King of Israel, Naaman is told by the prophet Elisha that in order to be healed, all he need do is wash seven times in the Jordan.  Naaman becomes angry with Elisha – he wanted and expected Elisha to make a big spectacle of the healing.  Instead, Naaman’s servants convince him to wash in the river – and his leprosy is cured.     

Psalm 30
The psalmist offers a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s presence and healing.  We don’t know whether the psalmist faced an illness, or some other desperate situation, but whatever the circumstances, the writer now praises God saying, “Weeping may linger in the night, but joy comes with the morning.” The psalmist also invites others to join in the praise saying, “Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones…” 
 
Mark 1:40-45
In these verses from Mark, a leper comes to Jesus begging to be “made clean.”  Jesus stretches out his hand and touches the man and the leprosy leaves him.  Jesus warns the man to say nothing to anyone, but to go and show himself to the priest.  But instead of doing what Jesus asked, the man goes out and tells everyone what has happened, and as a result, the scripture says that now, “…Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.”  

Sermon Notes
There is definitely a theme of “healing” in the scriptures for today.  In the psalm, we don’t know why the psalmist needed healing – only that healing took place and God is to be praised. In both the Old Testament and Gospel lessons, someone is healed from leprosy, and in both cases the healing is done with small gestures rather than grand spectacles.  So, why is it that after healing the leper, Jesus warns the healed man to “say nothing to anyone?”

Shalom, Pastor Lisa Bowersock