February 15, 2009 Sermon
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Epiphany 6 - B
February 15, 2009 Allan Conkling
The troubled times in which we live have us all thinking about other moments in America's history when our great nation and its people have had to endure hardship and setbacks. The late 20's and early 1930's, for example--the era when this wonderful church building was constructed--has many parallels to our age. That good things can come out of bad should not be a surprise to anyone at Emmanuel. Whenever we enter those doors and kneel in these pews to pray, and come forward to the rail for Communion, we should be reminded that God has greater designs and that God's vision is different from our own.
Barack Obama, in his inauguration speech as 44th President of the United States, echoed lyrics of a song written almost 80 years ago:
"Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America."
Obama was quoting lyrics from a 1936 film, Swing Time, starring Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers:
Nothing's impossible I have found, For when my chin is on the ground, I pick myself up, Dust myself off, Start All over again...Don't lose your confidence if you slip, Be grateful for a pleasant trip, And pick yourself up, Dust yourself off, Start all over again
Actually, the year 1930 is memorable in that there were several tunes with of similar outlook, including "Happy Days Are Here Again" and "Just direct your feet to the sunny side of the street".
I know why people write songs like that: to make us feel good. But, gosh darn it, sometimes life just is not that easy! Now if for you, happy days are not always here again; or you are not currently walking on the sunny side of the street; if in spite of everything you try you just find it impossible to "pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again"...then take heart. This sermon is for you!
No amount of nice words could ever help the men in our Bible stories today. In those days Leprosy and the variety of diseases known as leprosy were to be feared. It was the mark of God's curse. Leprosy affected ones family, ones neighbors and the community. It was hopeless. The treatment for the condition was painfully simple: banishment. Away from town, away from others, the leper lost job, family, home, and unless miraculous intervention happened, a person was permanently marked as an outcast. It was a disease of spirit as well as body.
Nowadays skin disorders are mostly treatable. But if you let Leprosy become as it were, a metaphor for the loss of hope, then I would say that we see people with Leprosy around us all the time. We all know of individuals who have lost the spark for life, lost hope in the future, who have lost their direction and grounding. In fact, if you are honest, you too have suffered with this disease at one time or another. We all have. Life is going along OK when, Boom, the bottom falls out and a dreadful malaise begins to take hold. Dreams turn into nightmares. Every day is filled with more and more bad news. What can we do?
According to the Bible the answer is simple: You gotta have faith. Now I realize that if we are not careful, this can sound like the tunes I mentioned earlier. On the other hand, I believe that there is an essential truth that resonates through the ages. I know that the ancient world is far removed from our world today, but the bottom line is the same: that without hope without the promise of something greater than ourselves to draw us beyond ourselves and our fears...we can become sick in our spirit; we become "leprous" inside. We can wither and die.
For the Christian, however, there is an antidote. There is hope in troubled times. If we see in these readings that God does desire our wellness, then we can affirm that in Christ there is health and fullness of being. In him there is wholeness of body, mind and spirit. In his Resurrection, Death was overcome, giving meaning and hope to those of every age and culture that put their trust in God.
In the story of the leprous man, we see that true and lasting hope will never be grounded in all the world has to offer. As good as it gets life can be literally here today and gone tomorrow. But we have a rock upon whom we can stand firm. And no one is excluded. In God's realm there are no outcasts, no untouchables no one who is unwelcome. God's arms open embrace us all.
Moved with pity, Jesus stretched forth his hand and healed the ailing man. He does so for us today.
Pray God to help us, to give us humble our hearts. Draw near with faith. Seek his healing touch. We do have help in troubled times. Amen.
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Revised: 02/26/09