A sermon by Senior Minister John B. McCall, October 14, 2007
Luke 17:11-19
You may be familiar with today’s parable from Luke. Still, I’d like to point out a few specifics. Ten people with leprosy approached Jesus and pleaded for mercy. They didn’t mention physical healing but I can imagine that had anything else on their minds. Both they and Jesus knew the law – anyone with a skin disease who was healed must go first to the priests at the temple and be declared ritually clean – then, and only then, could they return to their villages.
So these ten people literally got an answer to their prayers. Notice they headed off and while they were on the way they were made clean. One of them – a Samaritan – returned and fell face down on the ground at Jesus’ feet shouting praise to God for the miracle. Jesus observed that ten were healed and only one expressed gratitude – a foreigner, at that. And, in a rather mysterious twist Jesus said to him: “Your faith has made you well.”
Now, this is curious for at least two reasons. First, it’s clear that all ten were healed of the leprosy by God’s grace through Jesus, not just the last one. So it seems Jesus wasn’t referring to the Samaritan’s physical cleansing but to something deeper. Secondly, it’s curious because Jesus was affirming the faith of a Samaritan, and Jews generally despised the Samaritans’ religious beliefs as a corruption of true Judaism.
So, I have a stack of “previously preached messages” about how this parable shows us the power of gratitude. Ten were healed, one thanked God. We should all go and do the same. Amen.
But I want to look at this from a different angle this morning. I can only plant a seed and a few questions in the brief time available (Thank you, God, there’s so much vitality in our worship service that there’s little time to preach… there’s plenty of time for long sermons in a dying church!)
As I put on the cover of today’s bulletin – we need to be alert to the things we do for love. And we need to pay attention to those things we take for granted. Do you suppose the nine who were healed but who didn’t return to say “thanks” maybe felt entitled to their healing? Or did they think it was enough to designate one from among them to offer the official words of appreciation while the other nine rushed to pick up the lives they had put on hold some months or years before?
The things we take for granted… Certainly there are gifts of God’s grace that we don’t even notice: like the astounding beauty of creation, the miracle of love, the cycle of the seasons and the rhythm of darkness and light…
What are the things we take for granted? What about freedom and democracy? Did you see the news report on the recent naturalization ceremony at the Federal Court House here in Portland? About 75 immigrants become US citizens every month in Maine. It’s a long and demanding process. And those who complete it invariably feel a passionate pride in being a citizen of this great nation. Yet I wonder whether you and I could pass the citizenship exam. I bet they’re quicker to see when the Constitution is in danger, or the separation of powers is at risk in the highest level of government.
But consider, too, those daily blessings and privileges that are so familiar we just take them for granted:
• Drinkable water when we turn a tap
• electric lights when we press a switch
• AND, of course, heat from the furnace when it gets chilly.
This past Thursday I stood with two service technicians who were here to fix a leak in the 50-year-old boiler that steadfastly heats our building year after year. I thought again how much we rely on the unseen hand and the unnoticed wisdom by which others make everything work as we think it should.
The things we take for granted. Including things right here in our own church. You may have noticed, as I have, that attendance this fall is lower than in years past. I chew on that a lot and wonder what we can do better to encourage more of you to be in worship regularly. I know life is busy and opportunities for recreation seem too few, but as we receive new members today, we all need to remember our promises to worship regularly and to prayerfully, actively participate in our church so we can be faithful in living the Gospel. Where’s the church when we have lots of names on the list and so many fewer in the pews? It’s a slippery slope.
Members of Old First Church, United Church of Christ, in Springfield, Massachusetts, recently gathered in their sanctuary to conduct very important business. Their historic building on city square was once a stop on the Underground Railroad and hosted statesman Daniel Webster and abolitionist John Brown. The church was established by the first generation of European settlers in 1637 – that’s 370 years ago. At this meeting, five weeks ago today, 70 of the remaining members voted to disband their church – one was opposed. Over the years the once thriving congregation had dwindled to the point that they had no option but to close. Their last service will be December 30.
You can bet they never imagined a generation ago that they’d simply close their doors some day. Any church is vulnerable when we take it for granted. Attracting people to join us in our worship and mission and education and fellowship is everyone’s work. Inviting a friend to come, and encouraging that friend to commit is as much your calling as it is mine and Elsa’s. God can use any avenue to redeem a life and to call someone into the fold.
And, yes, churches experience ebb and flow like everything else in creation. But let’s not be naïve: we’re ministering in an age that’s unlike any other we’ve ever encountered. We who are the church must make the case for why it’s important to be together in worship, no matter how many demands you have in your weekly calendar.
As we approach Consecration Sunday next week, each of us needs to decide what we’ll give for mission and ministries in 2008. That’s not the responsibility of the few, but of everyone who considers this church home – everyone who turns to us for worship, counsel, outreach, education, baptisms, weddings, and funerals. None of us can assume that someone else will pay the bills.
The blunt truth is that a high percentage of our most generous households are our oldest members – those who’ve been here for 40, 50, even 60 years – loving, serving and doing their share. And one by one, we say goodbye to them and lose their generous support. A new generation must meet the challenge.
If we approach our giving with our focus on “the things we do for love” – for God and for our church – we’ll give gratefully and generously.
If we approach it with our focus on “the things we take for granted” we’ll assume we don’t need to be generous because others will commit what’s necessary to make everything work out.
Scripture and experience tell us that God is ready to transform our lives when we remain open to the Holy Spirit. Generosity flows from our gratitude. And as people of faith we need always to turn our hearts to “the things we do for love…” and always be alert to the things we take for granted.