we need faith

for the same reason it's so hard to find

 

The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke the SeventhChapter!

He sat there, shifting his weight to one side and then the other. It wasn't because of discomfort, though; he was anxious...

Behind him, a room. In that room a beloved slave was dying. In front of him, the doorway. A little ways out the doorway, a procession of respected elders bringing Jesus; Jesus the prophet, the healer...

He didn't feel worthy...

 

She sat there, shoulders tense, wondering if anyone was looking at her slip of paper. It wasn't that the question was complex, it was simple: How have you been blessed to bless others.

The slip of paper sat on her lap, blank. She didn't think she had an answer that was worthy of writing down...

They sat there together, eyes down. They sat there, fiddling with their hands, digging their feet into the ground. It wasn't that the request was too much, simply fetching someone. It wasn't that the person making the request didn't deserve their help, either, he built their synagogue.

The request wasn't too much, contact the healer, prophet. It was just, they didn't know if Jesus would heal the servant, if Jesus would grant the request of an unclean Gentile, an officer from the occupying army.

They weren't sure Jesus would think the soldier was worthy...

 

He sat there. He had raised children, taught Sunday School even.

The question was projected in front of the sanctuary, the ushers were coming to collect the offering. He always tried to be faithful, to answer questions well and honestly.

It wasn't that he didn't think the answer was good, it was that he couldn't believe those were his words. The answer seemed to be too good. How could he be worthy of writing such wisdom...

 

He had just finished preaching to a multitude. He wanted to pray. Before he could get away, though, some leaders from the local synagogue approached him. He listened to them, taking in their words, listening to their request, noticing how sincere they were.

This Roman, this solider needed someone to heal his slave. This Roman, this soldier was worthy of this favor they said.

Jesus does not comment. He did go with them, though.

The hands trembled, the author remembered that terrible day. The awful sound of metal colliding unto metal, and collapsing unto itself.

The question hung in the air, 'where have you witnessed God's grace.'

The author wrote down the answer that sprung into their chest right when the question was asked. 'God brought me to life after a terrible accident,' they wrote.  

Jesus went with the leaders, there was excitement in the air. Would there be a healing?!?! Could this prophet heal, too?!?!

Another consort approached their envoy.

They were Gentiles, they looked embarrassed.

"Don't bother," one of them finally said. It was obvious they felt awkward. Apparently the centurion changed his mind.

Well, he didn't change his mind, so much as he felt it wasn't proper to have this Jesus under his roof. He wasn't sufficient enough to have Jesus as company.

The healer, the prophet, does not comment.

They had to rush.

There was so much to do. All on one of their few precious days off, and 9 am came all to soon.

Somehow they made it into the pew before the service began. The songs, the sermon and then a question. In the midst of everything, a question; 'where do you have more than enough, what can be given up to simplify.'

"I have more than enough things, I can give up the constant desire for more wealth," one of them wrote.

The soldier had said he is a person under authority, too. The soldier had said he knew a thing or two about giving commands. The soldier said he knew Jesus didn't need to go to his house to heal the slave, Jesus just needed to say the word.

Now Jesus was taken aback.

Suddenly that sermon he had given on the plane seemed ages ago. Suddenly he wasn't so worried about finding time by himself to pray.

Now he comments.

Suddenly the words burst from his mouth:

"I've never seen this kind of faith, not even in Israel!"

The savior of the world, God; walking, talking, breathing had been shocked...

The Gospel we hear today, for as many years removed from us as it is, hits close to home.

It hits close to home.

This Gospel story hits close to home when is shows so much chasing after ways to get worth, wealth, more.

The centurion helped build the synagogue, so in the eyes of those elders, the centurion was worth the help...

The centurion knew that although he had the power to order others hither and yon, that this Jesus outranked him, outranked even the emperor, in his own estimation he wasn't worthy of the help.

We know these pursuits, these never-ending pursuits, these pursuits that once embarked cannot seemed to be quit.

Perhaps we've raised our voices, indignant that we weren't getting something we felt we deserved; after all, we put in the hours.

Perhaps we've sat home, sat alone, or afraid, or hurt, or anxious - sat there and didn't ask for help because we didn't think we deserved it...

We know these chasings after worth, and we know how terrible the race is, how it never seems there is enough...

That is why this Gospel story quiets us so, yes it does hit close to home; all these characters chasing after worth. Perhaps that Jesus; the healer, the prophet, perhaps he can flip everything today the way he did then, and that is why we listen so carefully.

Thankfully, when today's Gospel hits close to home, however, this Gospel scene takes the way things all to often are, both now and then, this chasing after worth, and flips the entire shoot and matchstick upon its heads.

This Gospel scene flipped everything on its head when Jesus doesn't listen to the claims of worth, but only cries of faith.

Jesus doesn't listen to claims of worth, but only the cries of faith.

When the centurion doesn't think he is worthy, and when the elders of the church insist he is; Jesus ignores the game of worthiness or worthlessness altogether.

And things begin to turn topsy-turvey.

There is someone to heal, that takes precedence.

So it is when something finally grasps Jesus' imagination, it isn't a claim of worth.

What yanks Jesus' attention so, is that this person, this person who has only heard about Jesus, that this person trusts Jesus' authority.

The game of getting worth flies out the window...

The centurion no longer trusts those games or worthy and worthlessness, instead he places his hope in Jesus' authority.

Just say the word, that centurion reasoned; and like a servant sent one place or another by a command, so his slave will be healed.

And after that, Jesus can't keep quiet any longer. "Nowhere have I seen this kind of faith," Jesus blurts out...

It isn't a claim or worth or worthlessness that gets Jesus off balance; it is trust.

That chase after worth, ends all together here in this cry of trust. That chase after worth, we know too well, somehow comes to an end.

And so it is, that these stories that hit close to home, we wonder could Jesus still be unconcerned with worth, could it be that faith is enough - that faith makes us worthy...

Perhaps that Gospel scene can be true in our world today now, although we're removed by so many years...

It is these questions, it is this power of the gospel, that brings us here week in and week out.

It is these desires, to be freed from the constant chase after wealth; it is this promise of life again after those terrible accidents in our days; it is all that, that brings us here - it is in all of that, and more, that we need, we long for this old story of the prophet, healer to be true; true today.

Just as 2,000 years ago, we still need things to be flipped upside-down.

In today's Gospel we see all these people wrestling with claims of worth, and we know this wrestling all too well.

In today's Gospel we hear about a, NO our, messiah who doesn't measure us, who doesn't play games of worth, but instead insists we are enough, we are worthy.

In today's Gospel we meet a, NO our messiah who insists that all those claims of worth and worthlessness be dropped, and instead trust that Jesus' Word, Jesus' authority be enough.

Jesus' authority, Jesus' word must be enough...

In today's Gospel we meet a God we need, a God who can save folks like you and I. Our God who flips things upon their heads, to free us, free the world.

Although this is good news indeed, none of us unfortunately know what it took to get that Roman, that Soldier to the point when finally he reasoned that Jesus' word must be enough. And unfortunately the story doesn't follow that Gentile, that centurion any further, we don't know if that once he got to that point, everything was hunky-doory for the rest of his life.

Unfortunately, however, it is safe to say that the healed slave did die - I mean he isn't still around, not that I know of anyway.

Unfortunately it is also probably safe to say that the centurion had his  struggles, struggles even after that healing.

And Unfortunately, still, we know how hard it is to finally put down all those pursuits of worth, and trust that Jesus' authority, trust Jesus' words are enough.

I will tell you, it is a struggle.

The morning when I find myself trusting, all too often seems to give way to night when I'm wanting to spend money on some thing I don't need, and that won't give me the worth that lasts.

Or as that panel on the quilt reads, I can give up chasing after wealth, but like the rich young ruler, it is hard.

It is hard, isn't it?

The lure of things, stuff, junk - the lure of all that, that finally won't deliver its promise; to give us worth, doesn't go away easily, if at all.

That is why today's Gospel rings all too true, why it hits so close to home, why it matters.

It is those pursuits of worth, wealth, more and more; that make it all to easy to find ourselves in this story. Although our Lord and Savior flips the ways of the world upon its head for us, all to often we run back to bondage.

It is those pursuits of worth, wealth, more and more; that make the words of this centurion even more remarkable, even more promising, even more hopeful.

 

Listen, we know it is terrible that these pursuits of worth, these ways of measuring ourselves and one another persist nearly 2,000 years later. We know that we wish these silly pursuits of worth could be given up, but we know it isn't easy.

It is in how well we know these ways of measuring that we see in this ancient story, that this same story becomes good news - good news for today.

It is good news that there are moments, moments when yes, we have nowhere else to turn, but there are moments even at all when we give up all the pursuits of wealth, and cry: God your authority, your word must be enough.

It is good news that in those moments, moments when yes, we've thrown a "hail-mary' as the expression goes, that in our desperation or faith, is what grasps Jesus' attention; not claims of worth.

Finally, it is good news that the savior we meet in today's Gospel, the one who is able to be shocked, does not play the game of worth... 

It is good news that the savior we hear proclaimed is one who doesn't measure us up, but comes to us when we cry, "nothing else works, so your authority, your word must be enough."

It is that good news that flips our world today, just as it did that day the slave was healed.

Here is the good news, sisters and brothers, that what shocks Jesus, what shocks God living, breathing, talking is when - as our hands shake, as we can't believe the words we've written, as we worry our words aren't enough, as we feel we aren't enough, or even as we struggle to insist our worth; the good news is that what gets our Lord and Savior's attention is our cry for help - regardless of worth or even worthlessness.

When we cry for help, when it seems nothing else will work except Jesus' authority and word, that in those times and places when we finally cry out, "Lord your authority is enough," that we hear in return that same Lord and Savior proclaim, "Nowhere have I seen such faith" and once again everything flips upon its head.

AMEN