Sermons for the Month
The Advantage of Being Christian
DATE: October 14, 2001
TEXT: Luke 17:11-19“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
Many years ago in religion class, I had to memorize this Bible verse from the 5th chapter of Matthew's Gospel, from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount: "He (God) makes the sun to shine upon the evil and upon the good, and sends rain upon the just and upon the unjust." I think it was part of a unit on God as the All-Powerful Creator and Sustainer of the earth and its inhabitants. Now, I knew I wasn't supposed to feel this way, but I had the nagging sense that this was not fair! (The verse itself, not having to memorize it.) Jesus is saying that the sun shines upon the picnics and swim parties of the wicked? The bullies, the liars and cheaters and trouble-making kids? Just as much as it shines for the Sunday School and church youth group outings?? The Lord sends rain upon the flowers and fields of the people who sleep late and read the newspaper and watch cartoons on Sunday morning, just the same as He does upon the land of those who wake up early, get uncomfortably dressed up, and spend the whole morning at church? What's fair about THAT? Or, more to the point, where's the advantage in being a Christian?? As I said, I knew I wasn't supposed to think those thoughts, but truthfully, I did. And variations of them have troubled me now and again in the years since then. Why ARE fortune and misfortune parceled out the way they appear to be? Beautiful homes; well-paying jobs; healthy, bright, high-achieving kids; vacations on sunny tropical beaches, gentle rain on lush green lawns - these are enjoyed by people of all manner of beliefs, people of great moral character and people of few if any moral scruples, and all shades in between. And conversely, sharp and sudden tragedy and loss, or long-standing struggle and sorrow, or chronic pain and frustration, also inexplicably darken the lives of those who just don't deserve it as well as those who, in our judgment, might benefit from some character-building experiences. It's hardly fair, is it? And where's the advantage in being a Christian?? As today's Scripture story begins, we meet ten men who were at a real disadvantage in life. They had been infected with leprosy, a bacterial illness (incurable at the time) which causes skin ulcers and loss of sensation somewhat like the effects which diabetes eventually can have on someone's feet and legs, only in this case affecting also the hands, face, and trunk of the body and striking previously healthy people of all ages. Although not knowing germ theory, the people of the time observed that the illness seemed to be passed from person to person, and so the "lepers" were forced to live outside the city walls or village limits, associating only with themselves, and were required to shout warnings to passers-by who might unknowingly stray into their colony. In this particular group, outside a village in this borderland between Samaria and Galilee, 9 of the 10 were Jews, and one was a Samaritan, one of those hated half-breed, non-orthodox kinsmen and neighbors whom the Jews detested, and who disliked them just as intensely in return. In fact, we might see a silver lining in that their common illness and its limitations seem to have made it possible for Jews and a Samaritan to tolerate each other's company, when there was no one else with whom to associate. Into their shared misfortune comes Jesus; and at their simple, common prayer - "Master, show us mercy" - Jesus extends blessing…healing…good fortune beyond expectations. Jesus does this without distinction between one who undoubtedly deserved His gracious attention; another who barely made it over the bar of faithfulness and good character; another who didn't deserve to have Jesus lift a finger for him; and then this Samaritan, who wouldn't know the True God if he fell over him, or so the Jews thought. Every one of them was blessed with complete recovery, every one of them was set free to go back to their families, to return to work, to feel well and strong, to enjoy the company of their friends, to get on with life just as it had been before. One of them had all that, and much, much more. One of them came back - one of them looked into the face of God - and although Luke does not specifically tell us this, I would suspect that the first human touch which that man felt on his newly-sensing skin was the hand of God incarnate grasping his and raising him up to a life which could NEVER be "just as it had been before." Because of the gracious providence of God, all ten of these men were blessed with healing. Because of his "faith," one man was "made well," our translation says; but "saved" is the literal translation, made whole again not only in body but also in spirit. This miracle story, which is also a teaching story, suggests to me that the advantage in being a Christian has to do with thanksgiving - that is, in knowing WHOM to thank, and WHY to thank, and HOW to thank. Can you imagine your life if you did not know whom to thank for it, if you did not know that there is Someone who is responsible for your life and health and daily bread, who is there at your birth and at your death and in all that is in between? When you see the colors of the sunrise, and of the autumn leaves; when you hear the voice of an old and dear friend; when you snuggle with your sweetheart; cuddle your precious little ones, watch them grow and one day hold little ones of their own - what if you did not know that there is One who knows the thoughts of your heart, hears your prayers and is moved by your tears of joy and thanksgiving?? When life gets hard, what if you did not know that we still can give thanks, that our Lord still is there to receive our prayers and tears and petitions, still there and providing blessed moments of peace, love, and even laughter in the very midst of our very real troubles? Oh, we are so blessed that the face of God has been shown to us in Jesus, and shown to be turned toward us with kindness and mercy that is every bit as glorious as his awesome power and might. And, as Christians we know WHY we give thanks to our God - not just for food and shelter, for health and safety, not just for the "stuff" of this all-too-brief life. We know that His provision for us, our healing, our salvation, is so much, much more; that, in the words of Paul, as we are "buried with Christ by baptism into His death, so we are raised by the power of God to walk in newness of life," a brand new life which begins now and extends into an eternity which never again will be darkened by sorrow, anxieties, questions, or fears. We live this life secure in the knowledge that if we enjoyed ALL the rich blessings earth has to offer, it would still pale in comparison with the deep and abiding joy we are promised as the chosen people of God, joy that already we begin to experience within His family gathered here. Finally, as Christians we know HOW to thank. Thanksgiving begins with worship, with praise and adoration of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, living and reigning forever, and drawing us into the circle of their perfect holiness and perfect love. Thanksgiving is the Samaritan ex-leper, running back to Jesus, shouting praise to God, throwing himself to the ground at Jesus' feet. Thanksgiving is our singing, and shouting, and clapping, and communing, our listening, our prayers and our tears, when we're gathered together and when we're alone with the Lord. And then our thanksgiving continues on. After Jesus and his new friend have hugged and hollered and laughed till they both cried, after they'd rolled on the ground and slapped each other on the back and celebrated, then Jesus said to him, "O.K., time to get up and go on your way." Probably 90% of the things we do are just the same as the things non-Christians do - going to work, taking care of kids; doing homework, driving a car, walking a dog, paying the bills; playing ball or watching the game on television - just getting up and going on our way. Our thanksgiving isn't isolated to the "church-related" 10% or less. Most of our thanksgiving to God is done in the sharing, and the caring, of our daily lives, as we pass along - spread around - what He has first given us - our possessions, our "stuff" … our talents, our abilities, our giftedness, our passion … ourselves, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God has already prepared for us, that we might do them to the praise of His name. he nagging question remains, is this fair?? I'd have to answer "no." I don't know about you, but I've never done anything to deserve the kindness of the Lord, the redemptive healing of Jesus Christ, the honor of the Spirit's call to service. What riches come TO us in response to a simple plea for His mercy; what thanksgiving, and thanks-LIVING, properly flows FROM us in response. Thanks be to God, who makes it all happen! AMEN