HEALING, HEALTH AND HOPE

Transcript

1 HEALING, HEALTH AND HOPE The 2 nd Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 4C) June 2, 2013 Lessons 1 Kings 8:22-23, Psalm 96:1-9 (3) Galatians 1:1-12 St. Luke 7:1-10 Semicontinuous Series 1 Kings 18:20-21 [22-29] Psalm 96 (7) Pastor David J. Risendal drisendal@stplc.org facebook Dave Risendal Twitter: drisendal Saint Peter Lutheran Church 9300 East Belleview Avenue Greenwood Village, Colorado voice: 303/ fax: 303/ Prayer of the Day Merciful Lord God, we do not presume to come before you trusting in our own righteousness, but in your great and abundant mercies. Revive our faith, we pray; heal our bodies, and mend our communities, that we may evermore dwell in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. healing from afar God who bridges the distance bringing health and hope Sermon Grace to you and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Amen. What a great day yesterday was. How many of you were able to join us for the Selian 5K? (Please raise your hands.) The weather was absolutely beautiful. The band might have enjoyed a little more warmth. It was kind of tough to get our fingers working well during the set we did before the race, but the cool morning air and the clouds were a blessing to everyone who was running or walking. It was a festive day tables and games and crafts and food filled the parking lot There were more than 150 participants yesterday, and quite a few of them were new to Saint Peter. We had 5K runners, 5K walkers (like me) and 1K participants (both youth and adult). Quite a few of them were new friends, so we re excited about that this was, for some, their very first glimpse of Saint Peter and what we re all about. I think the event represented us very well. So many thanks to Carol and her team for a job well done. 1 Romans 1:7, 1 st Corinthians 1:3, 2 nd Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians 1:2, Colossians 1:2, 1 st Thessalonians 1:1, 2 nd Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 3; New Revised Version Bible ( 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America).

2 The 2 nd Sunday after Pentecost Proper 4C (June 2, 2013)! 2 Bottom line is: we again raised more than $10,000 to support the ministries of Selian Lutheran Hospital and the Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre. That isn t just a check sent off to nowhere. It is a gift that is going to make a concrete difference for many, many people in and around Arusha, Tanzania. It will help to straighten out children s legs, restore women to their families, provide care for the dying, combat chronic disease, train medical staff, and most importantly, a gift that will communicate to the people of Tanzania that God has inspired us to love them, and to care about them, and to make a difference for them in the name of our faith. I m excited about what took place yesterday. I hope you are too. And I hope we ll do a good job in the weeks and months that come of telling this story. In an era when the church s reputation has become somewhat less than stellar, people need to know about these kinds of ministries. They need to know about hospitals like Selian and the Medical Centre. Because when you think about what Jesus calls us to do, these kinds of efforts have a lot more to do with what our faith is all about than most of the stories you ll read in the morning paper about religious groups. The truth is: despite its faults and foibles, the church has done a remarkable amount of good over the centuries. This is even more the case when congregations work together to follow God s call. That is one of the gifts of belonging to a denomination like the ELCA. It gives you and me the opportunity to become part of ministries that no congregation could ever attempt on its own. One of my hopes from yesterday is that folks who don t know Christ will notice that faithful people, with absolutely nothing to gain, are raising money and praying for ministries and volunteering their time to an organization that finds its home half-way around the world from here, and through those efforts, God is making remarkable things happen. People are getting well. Chronic health issues are being addressed. Families are being re-established. Local medical professionals are being trained and hired. Through all of this, the world is getting a glimpse of God s great desire to heal the sick, to care for the poor, and to transform lives. Half-way round the world. Can you imagine that? It sounds a bit like this morning s Gospel lesson. In the seventh chapter of St. Luke, Jesus meets a Centurion in Capernaum. He is a commander of Roman soldiers. He is a friend. The local Jewish elders know him and love him. He cares a great deal for the people. And he is at least partly (if not entirely) responsible for having built the synagogue in that city. This Centurion has a slave who is deathly ill, and he asks some of the Jewish elders to approach Jesus on his behalf. They do, and Jesus immediately begins to make his way to the Centurion s home. Not long afterwards, though, the Centurion sends his own people to tell Jesus that the he doesn t feel worthy enough to have Jesus in his home, but he knows that if Jesus were simply to say the word, the servant will be well. That is exactly what Jesus does. Luke doesn t tell us that part of the story, but he does tell us that by the time the Centurion s people return, the slave is in good health. It isn t across the ocean, of course. It is only across town, but from a distance, Jesus shows God s love and care, and this Centurion is left with a story that he ll never forget as long as he lives. We don t know just how far Jesus was from the slave, when he healed him at least not in physical distance. But we do know know something about the distances that existed between Jesus and this Centurion. Jesus was a faithful Jew, and the Centurion was a Gentile; in those days Jews kept as much distance as possible between themselves and Gentiles. Jesus was a man of peace, the Centurion was a man who was accustomed to using violence in fulfilling his duties. Jesus was a representative of God, seeking to free God s people; the Centurion was a representative of Caesar, involved in suppressing and oppressing the Jewish people. There were distances between these two men that we can t even imagine. Yet God is able to overcome those distances, bringing healing and health to this Centurion s home. That s the nature of our God. God is one who bridges the distance, and makes people well. The distance between countries like the United States and Tanzania. The distance across town in Capernaum, from where Jesus was to

3 The 2 nd Sunday after Pentecost Proper 4C (June 2, 2013)! 3 where the Centurion was. Even the distance that exists between people; a distance marked by race or ethnicity or economic status, or political sentiment, or religious beliefs. God is one who bridges those distances and guess what: God wishes to bridge those distances through the church today. It seems as though there is so much, these days, that divides us. Where do those divides exist? Who is it that we ignore, or dislike, or suspect, or fear? Who might think the same way about us? Or feel a bit uncomfortable; perhaps even unwelcome, here in our midst? With whom are we estranged? With whom are we unfamiliar? Think about those who are at distance from us, in a variety of ways. God wants to make a difference in their lives. God wants to bring them healing and hope. God wants to transform them with the power of the Gospel. God wants to invite them into the peace and joy that comes from faith in Christ. God may even be planning to do that through you and me. So thanks be to God for the great witness of yesterday s event. Thanks be to God for the example of how a few people can help a whole bunch of us transcend the barriers of race and space, to make a difference in the lives of those who need healing and hope. May our relationship with Selian hospital inspire our relationships with those who surround us in this world. And may God continue to break down the barriers that exist between us, that we might be united in faith, hope and love. Amen. David J. Risendal, Pastor Gospel Lesson; English Text 2 7:1 After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death. 3 When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. 4 When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, He is worthy of having you do this for him, 5 for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us. 6 And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; 7 therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, Go, and he goes, and to another, Come, and he comes, and to my slave, Do this, and the slave does it. 9 When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. 10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health. 3 Gospel Lesson; Greek Text: 7:1 Ἐπειδὴ ἐπλήρωσεν πάντα τὰ ῥήµατα αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰς ἀκοὰς τοῦ λαοῦ, εἰσῆλθεν εἰς Καφαρναούµ. 2 Ἑκατοντάρχου δέ τινος δοῦλος κακῶς ἔχων ἤµελλεν τελευτᾶν, ὃς ἦν αὐτῷ ἔντιµος. 3 ἀκούσας δὲ περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἀπέστειλεν πρὸς αὐτὸν πρεσβυτέρους τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐρωτῶν αὐτὸν ὅπως ἐλθὼν διασώσῃ τὸν δοῦλον αὐτοῦ. 4 οἱ δὲ παραγενόµενοι πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν παρεκάλουν αὐτὸν σπουδαίως λέγοντες ὅτι ἄξιος ἐστιν ᾧ παρέξῃ τοῦτο 5 ἀγαπᾷ γὰρ τὸ ἔθνος ἡµῶν καὶ τὴν συναγωγὴν αὐτὸς ᾠκοδόµησεν ἡµῖν. 6 ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἐπορεύετο σὺν αὐτοῖς. ἤδη δὲ αὐτοῦ οὐ µακρὰν ἀπέχοντος ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκίας ἔπεµψεν φίλους ὁ ἑκατοντάρχης λέγων αὐτῷ κύριε, µὴ σκύλλου, οὐ γὰρ ἱκανός εἰµι ἵνα ὑπὸ τὴν στέγην µου εἰσέλθῃς 7 διὸ οὐδὲ ἐµαυτὸν ἠξίωσα πρὸς σὲ ἐλθεῖν ἀλλὰ εἰπὲ λόγῳ, καὶ ἰαθήτω ὁ παῖς µου. 8 καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπος εἰµι ὑπὸ ἐξουσίαν τασσόµενος ἔχων ὑπ ἐµαυτὸν στρατιώτας, καὶ λέγω τούτῳ πορεύθητι, καὶ πορεύεται, καὶ ἄλλῳ ἔρχου, καὶ ἔρχεται, καὶ τῷ δούλῳ 2 A list of Bible lessons for the coming weeks is available at 3 St. Luke 7:1-10, New Revised Standard Version Bible ( 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America).

4 The 2 nd Sunday after Pentecost Proper 4C (June 2, 2013)! 4 µου ποίησον τοῦτο, καὶ ποιεῖ. 9 ἀκούσας δὲ ταῦτα ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐθαύµασεν αὐτὸν καὶ στραφεὶς τῷ ἀκολουθοῦντι αὐτῷ ὄχλῳ εἶπεν λέγω ὑµῖν, οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ τοσαύτην πίστιν εὗρον. 10 Καὶ ὑποστρέψαντες εἰς τὸν οἶκον οἱ πεµφθέντες εὗρον τὸν δοῦλον ὑγιαίνοντα. 4 First Lesson; English Text: 8.22 Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands to heaven. 23 He said, O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart, 41 when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a distant land because of your name 42 for they shall hear of your great name, your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm when a foreigner comes and prays toward this house, 43 then hear in heaven your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and so that they may know that your name has been invoked on this house that I have built. 5 Second Lesson; English Text: 1.1 Paul an apostle sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead 2 and all the members of God s family who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel 7 not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed! 10 Am I now seeking human approval, or God s approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ. 11 For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; 12 for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 6 Second Lesson; Greek Text: 1:1 Παῦλος ἀπόστολος οὐκ ἀπ ἀνθρώπων οὐδὲ δἰ ἀνθρώπου ἀλλὰ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ θεοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ ἐγείραντος αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν, 2 καὶ οἱ σὺν ἐµοὶ πάντες ἀδελφοὶ ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τῆς Γαλατίας, 3 χάρις ὑµῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡµῶν καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ 4 τοῦ δόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁµαρτιῶν ἡµῶν, ὅπως ἐξέληται ἡµᾶς ἐκ τοῦ αἰῶνος τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος πονηροῦ κατὰ τὸ θέληµα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς ἡµῶν, 5 ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, ἀµήν. 6 Θαυµάζω ὅτι οὕτως ταχέως µετατίθεσθε ἀπὸ τοῦ καλέσαντος ὑµᾶς ἐν χάριτι [Χριστοῦ] εἰς ἕτερον εὐαγγέλιον, 7 ὃ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλο, εἰ µή τινές εἰσιν οἱ ταράσσοντες ὑµᾶς καὶ θέλοντες µεταστρέψαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ. 8 ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐὰν ἡµεῖς ἢ ἄγγελος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ εὐαγγελίζηται 4 St. Luke 7:1-10, The Greek New Testament, Aland, Kurt, Black, Matthew, Martini, Carlo M., Metzger, Bruce M., and Wikgren, Allen, ( 1983, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft Stuttgart). 5 1 Kings 8:22-23, 41-43, New Revised Standard Version Bible ( 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America). 6 Galatians 1:1-12, New Revised Standard Version Bible ( 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America).

5 The 2 nd Sunday after Pentecost Proper 4C (June 2, 2013)! 5 [ὑµῖν] παῤ ὃ εὐηγγελισάµεθα ὑµῖν, ἀνάθεµα ἔστω. 9 ὡς προειρήκαµεν καὶ ἄρτι πάλιν λέγω εἴ τις ὑµᾶς εὐαγγελίζεται παῤ ὃ παρελάβετε, ἀνάθεµα ἔστω. 10 Ἄρτι γὰρ ἀνθρώπους πείθω ἢ τὸν θεόν; ἢ ζητῶ ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσκειν; εἰ ἔτι ἀνθρώποις ἤρεσκον, Χριστοῦ δοῦλος οὐκ ἂν ἤµην. 11 Γνωρίζω γὰρ ὑµῖν, ἀδελφοί, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τὸ εὐαγγελισθὲν ὑπ ἐµοῦ ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν κατὰ ἄνθρωπον 12 οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐγὼ παρὰ ἀνθρώπου παρέλαβον αὐτὸ οὔτε ἐδιδάχθην ἀλλὰ δἰ ἀποκαλύψεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. 7 7 Galatians 1:1-12, The Greek New Testament, Aland, Kurt, Black, Matthew, Martini, Carlo M., Metzger, Bruce M., and Wikgren, Allen, ( 1983, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft Stuttgart).