Just Do It!

2 Kings 5:1-14

July 7, 2013

I took the girls to the pool the other day and there were some other moms at the shallow end talking.  I didn’t know any of them, but after overhearing some snippets of conversation, and seeing a last name on the bottom of several pool toys I think I figured out that one of the moms has been in e-mail communication with me related to some church/community business.  Part of me thought, “I should introduce myself,” letting her know that I’m the one she’s been communicating with.  But I have to confess I held back, using the girls as my focus of attention.  You see, so many times when I’ve been in social situations outside of the church things get really awkward when people learn I’m a pastor.  It happened 15 years ago at the 4^th of July block party in my neighborhood in Lynn, it happened when I was single and was going to contra dances, it’s happened at the hair dresser here in town.  I’ve never been that good at entering new social situations, even just as Sarah.  But when I come into secular situations as Pastor Sarah, people have all kinds of strange reactions to me.  So at the pool, at book time in the library I’m often choose to stay reserved than to introduce myself and risk the awkwardness when someone new learns I’m a pastor.

Socially, that might be ok.  My excuses are understandable.  But spiritually, from the point of view that I’m a follower of Jesus Christ who has told me to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world it’s really just a cop-out.  It is spiritually disobedient.  When I pray about it, I know this is true.  If I stopped to check-in with Jesus while I’m at the pool hesitant about introducing myself he would be telling me, “Just do it!”

            Most of us like to think of ourselves as good people, we try not to hurt anybody, we try to be loving and give of our time and our money for the good of others.  Yet when we are really truly honest with ourselves and with God, we make a lot of excuses when it comes to living out a full life as a follower of Jesus Christ. 

One of the commandments for the people of God is to honor the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.  That means that one out of every seven days should be set apart, for community worship, and for rest.  No work, no major housework, no mowing the lawn, no shopping.  Take time to hike in the park or climb a mountain with family or friends, paddle a canoe, listen to some lovely music, or make it yourself, read a novel, dance, linger in the candlelight after dinner engaged in great conversation with people you love.  And the practice of weekly worship doesn’t need to be broken when we go on vacation.  That’s a perfect opportunity to meet brothers and sisters in Christ in the place you are visiting, try a totally different denomination, see how they do it differently, receive unexpected blessings. When it comes to keeping a Sabbath we have a lot of excuses, but Jesus says, “Just do it.”

            Another faith practice that some people avoid is communion.  On the night before he died Jesus told his disciples, “Take, eat…take drink…do this in remembrance of me.” But taking communion regularly has been a problem through the ages because there is a passage of scripture that warns against taking communion wrongly.  In the middle ages many people who knew they were sinning and unrepentant would not take communion, often waiting until the very end of their life to make one grand confession and receive the sacrament just before death.  Some of John Wesley’s friends believed that one needed to feel the love and forgiveness of God in their hearts before they could rightly take communion.  In the years that the United Methodist Church has changed our practice from quarterly communion, to monthly communion it has become obvious that some people avoid coming to worship on communion Sundays.  Again there are lots of excuses, from the extra time it takes, to feelings of unworthiness, to discomfort with the whole idea of eating Jesus’ body and drinking his blood.  When it comes to receiving communion we have a lot of excuses, but Jesus says, “Just do it.”

            Then there is the matter of sharing our faith with others.  Jesus said to his followers, “Go into all the world and make disciples.” He told parables which encouraged us to be light to the world, yeast in the dough, to have an unmistakable flavor like salt. It’s not just hard for people who have pastor in their name, it’s hard for all of us.  Some Christians have created a public image that makes us all look bad.  The church’s official stance on many issues is out of sync with the culture around us. It can take a lot of work to explain to someone who asks that our church isn’t like that; the Jesus I love isn’t like that. It’s just easier to go about our business without letting others know we belong to Jesus.  It’s easier to quietly pray for our co-workers who have troubles, than to offer to pray with them.  And as for actually inviting our friends and acquaintances to come to church with us – we tell ourselves, uh-uh – no way; even though personal invitation is the proven most effective way to help any church to grow in numbers.  When it comes to fully sharing the love of Christ with our neighbors we have a lot of excuses, but Jesus says, “Just do it.”

Maybe one of the very hardest spiritual practices of the Christian life is Jesus’ command to love our enemies.  In the very early years of the church this, plus the commandment not to kill led most Christian communities to expect soldiers to give up their work when they converted.  But loving enemies is very spiritually challenging in a world that loves to vilify people.  We like comic books and movies about superheroes who smite the enemy and save the day.  We want to root for the good guys and we love to hate the bad guys.  Sometimes the idea seems attractive from a distance, but when we are actually feeling threatened by an enemy – whoa!  Just remember the public outcry in our state at the thought of burying Tamerlan Tzarnaev.  He and his brother hurt our city and gave us a dreadful fright that lasted most of a week.  The vast majority didn’t even want his body buried, let alone pray in Christian love that his soul will rest in peace. When it comes to loving our enemies we have a lot of excuses, but Jesus says, “Just do it.”

            These kinds of excuses go back to creation and you can see them all through the Bible.  The story we have for today includes some people who were obedient and faithful, and others who were more prone to making excuses.  The story takes place in the time when the Kingdom built up by David was under attack. The Jewish kings were not so faithful, prophets like Elijah and Elisha were living on the edges of society, trying to bring the people back to faithfulness, but having little success. The enemy was capturing people and making them live in exile.  Naaman was a commander of an enemy army of the land of Aram.  He had beaten the army of Israel and he brought home a young girl from Israel and gave her to his wife as a slave.  We learn that Naaman had a chronic illness, a skin disease.  Now to the world this girl had every reason in the world to consider Naaman her enemy, to do as little work as possible for his family, to be angry and bitter that she was being held captive.  And of all the excuses for not sharing the love of God with someone, being that persons’ slave is on the top of the list.  But this girl just did the will of God.  She saw Naaman suffering and she had compassion on him, saying to Naaman’s wife, “Oh, if only my master could meet the prophet of Samairia, he would be healed.”  In this simple statement she shared the love of God with her enemy.

            Naaman was excited, and knowing that some diplomacy would be required for him to go behind enemy lines in search of the prophet, he turned to his king for a formal letter of introduction.  And just for good measure he brought along some extravagant gifts.  750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold and ten sets of designer clothing.

Naaman’s king assumed that the prophet would be famous and employed in the royal court of Israel, so his letter simply asked the king to heal Naaman of his skin disease.  But the King of Israel was not so faithful, and clearly didn’t even know that Elisha existed, or that there were any prophets still in Israel.  Instead, being rather self-centered, the king assumes that the enemy king is making an impossible request. Perhaps it was a scheme.  Failure to comply could provide an excuse for another raid.  Israel’s king was not prone to showing compassion for Naaman’s skin disease because he thought of Naaman firstly as an enemy.  If it were up to the king of Israel the will of God that Naaman be healed would have been blocked.

But the news of this tense diplomatic meeting made its way to Elisha – who knew right away that Naaman was really looking for him, as God’s prophet.  Elisha sends word to the palace that there is a prophet in Israel and the king should send Naaman to him.

            No Naaman was excited. He had suffered for so long and gone to such lengths to find healing.  His expectations were high.  This prophet would treat him as an international guest of honor, perform a very fancy mystical ritual and cure him.  So when he got to Elisha’s house, and the prophet neither came out, or invite Naaman in, but sent a messenger telling Naaman to simply duck under the Jordan River seven times Naaman was indignant.  What, he won’t even meet me personally!  Wash in that dinky little dirty river when we have two much nicer rivers back home in Damasus!  Naaman stomped off, mad as a hornet.

            But the voice of God came to Naaman, through his servants.  “Just do it.”  You came all this way, made all this effort to be healed.  If the prophet had asked you to do something hard you would have.  So just do it.  Just go and wash in the river over there.  So Naaman swallowed his pride, went down to the river and did as the prophet of God instructed.  He washed in the Jordan seven times and he was healed, his skin was smooth and good as new.  As a result of his healing, Naaman was also converted, proclaiming that there is no other god in all the earth except in Israel. And just so he would remember to worship the God of Israel when he got back home, he brought along a load of dirt from Israel, so he could stand on earth from Israel as he prayed to the God of Israel.

            God’s word for us today is “Just do it.”  Whatever spiritual practices you have heard about but haven’t tried yet, whatever commandments no matter how hard.  Don’t make excuses.  Just do it.  Just keep the Sabbath, try setting aside the whole day and doing only holy things, worship, enjoying God’s creation, enjoying the special people God has put in your life and resting.  No excuses, just do it. When your friends and neighbors are in need of healing and strength tell them about Jesus and pray with them.  No excuses, just do it. When you are talking with someone and they let you know they don’t have a faith community tell them about ours and all the blessings we receive from coming together as the Body of Christ.  No excuses, just do it. When you find an enemy before you – an annoying person at work, a driver who cut you off, a family member who did something that feels unforgivable, a Yankees fan. Love them.  Pray for them.  Ask for God to do far more than you can ask or imagine to turn this enemy into a beloved brother or sister in Christ.  No excuses, just do it!  Take communion as often as you can.  Don’t feel you need to be right with God, or need to understand it better before you come.  John Wesley was clear that the sacrament of communion is a sure and certain means of receiving God’s grace.  Receiving communion can help us get right with God. His brother Charles put it this way, “Do not begin to make excuse; ah! Do not you God’s grace refuse; your worldly cares and pleasures leave, and take what Jesus hath to give.  Come sinners, to the gospel feast, let every soul be Jesus’ guest. Ye need not one be left behind, for God hath bid all humankind.  No excuses, just do it. 

            I do need to make two thing clear here.  First, these spiritual practices are not magic. They are not things we do so that we can get God to do our will.  It’s not as if a person who carefully observes the Sabbath every week will be protected from all bad things that could happen. We know from experience the world doesn’t work that way. But these practices, these commandments of God are, instead, aspects of God’s will for our lives.  They are like the instruction manual that comes with a VCR. When we follow the manufacturer’s instructions things just work better. When we do what God asks of us our lives, and the lives of those around us open to more of God’s blessings.

            Second, God’s work of salvation is not dependant on whether we are faithful and obedient.  As we can see with the story of Elisha and Naaman God can work with us, or in spite of us.  God worked with the slave girl in Naaman’s house. God worked in spite of the King of Israel who had little interest or knowledge of God’s prophets.  God will keep on saving the world from sin no matter what we do.  But what a blessing, what a privilege, what a joy to be able to participate in the unfolding of God’s will being done here on earth as it is in heaven.  This is the exciting part of being in ministry, of being part of a church who together as the Body of Christ is serving the world.  This is when “Just do it” turns from a command, to a cheer.  Jesus Christ is offering you and me the opportunity to be instruments of salvation, and has given us specific practices and spiritual disciplines to use in that goal.  So what are we waiting for?  Let’s do it!