& i hope you die

i hope we both die

A sermon on Namaan & his healing

There are no heroes here. There are no heroes in the church.

If this were Hollywood, an action movie; Namaan would be the hero. He’s the natural born leader, with all the victories under his belt. He’s the one comfortable with a sword; and not too hard on the eyes, either…

Namaan is the goal. He was then, and he still is today. 

The hero. Strong and victorious. 

Only, a pall had been cast over Namaan’s once bright future. And anyone could see the writing on the wall, too. In fact, it was written all over Namaan’s face. 

You see, Namaan had leprosy. A disease with no known cure. A disease you couldn’t hide. 

When the disease showed itself on Namaan’s skin; suddenly this man who had once inspired awe, became the subject of the people’s sympathy. 

“Did you see Namaan today,” they would ask. “I think it’s spread even more…”

Namaan was quickly becoming someone whose better days were long in the past…

And we can all relate to that, can’t we?

We’ve all had our wins. AND, we’ve all felt the panic when those days seem to be firmly fixed in the rearview mirror…

*And if that hasn’t happened to you yet; don’t worry. It WILL…

A “midlife crisis” is what we call those feeble attempt to bottle up a little of that magic. Now, Namaan doesn’t go out and buy a motorcycle. But he’s just as desperate…

One night as they were getting ready for bed, Namaan’s wife looked up from her book and saw Namaan pouring over some blemish. Offhandedly she said, “you wouldn’t believe what one of the servants said to me today. They said, there’s a prophet in their hometown who could cure that leprosy.”

…They both laugh. 

Namaan, trying to play it cool, asked “which servant.” 

“Oh, you know,” his wife said, “that Israelite one.”

The next morning, while his wife was still at pilates, Namaan found the girl and questioned her. Then, with the details in hand, he went to the king. Waiting until after dinner, knowing that the king will be in a good mood, and asked for permission to travel to Israel and seek a cure. 

With a letter of authorization in hand, Namaan made ready. He got his finest chariots. Rounded up his best servants. And filled his cargo with the most lavish gifts…

You ever been there? So desperate for a win, you’ll try anything?

I know I have…

Only, no sooner did Namaan get to the little, podunk kingdom, than his plans went off the rails! 

The king was a twit. Only worried about war. And then, once the king got word to send Namaan to the prophet; the prophet didn’t even come out to greet Namaan! 

The prophet just sent a messenger, and all the messenger had to say was, “Go, wash in the Jordan…”

“Oh! I hadn’t thought of that,” Namaan fumed!

Of course he already tried washing! And, in far better waters than the piddly Jordan!

That’s the irony. Isn’t it?

When we get desperate, we’ll try anything. But in the end, the anything we try, turns out to be the ‘same thing we’ve been trying all along…

Namaan didn’t actually trying anything new. He only did what he always did. Take his fate into his own hands. Dig deep. Do whatever it takes.

And it’s usually the same with us too, isn’t it?

Have you ever noticed that most self-help manuals peddle the same advice? Dig deep. Try harder. Believe in yourself. Don’t take no for an answer. The same stuff we’ve already tried a thousand times before!

In the end, it boils down to the same mechanism; our own effort…

It’s what Namaans like us, are used to relying on…

Thoroughly affronted, Namaan got ready to stalk off in a rage. 

But before he could, his servants stoped him. “Just go and try it,” they said. “Look, we know you would have done something harder, but since this is so easy, you might as well try.
And anyway, you’ve got nothing left to lose…”

…His servants didn’t mean did, but they spoke the truth Namaan himself was afraid to admit, he does have nothing left to lose anymore. Before long his leprosy would seal his fate. And everyone knew it, too.

So, for the first time in his life Namaan actually tried something new. He gave up! He and his reputation went under those piddly waters of the Jordan.

There are no heroes here. There are no heroes in the kingdom of God.

Well, you know the rest, don’t you? You know that when Namaan came up from those waters, he was cured!

…The only trouble is, for as well as we know this story, it’s not so easy to believe. Is it? Especially when the chips are down. When the going gets rough.

The truth is, we all have a lot in common with Namaan. Don’t we? 

We all have asterisks next to all our wins. We all worry our glory days are long gone. We all worry about what the future holds. 

So we come to church. And while we don’t bring loads of treasure like Namaan, we do bring something we suppose is just as valuable; our best intentions. 

This time we’ll try harder. We’ll pray more. We’ll get our attendance on the right side of fifty percent. Up our giving, even!

But, when we get to the entrance, God doesn’t come out and marvel over our offering! Instead, God just sends a lowly messenger (me), with a word that seems too easy.

…Only, it only seems easy so long as you don’t listen too closely, eh?

What Namaan ends up doing is the one thing that’s hardest for us. The one thing we’d never try on our own; give up. 

That’s what going down to the Jordan means, giving up. 

It’s what your baptism has been all about, all along—giving up. 

Baptism isn’t setting you out on the hero’s journey, it’s calling you to quit it once and for all. To do like Namaan, and just admit you actually don’t have anything left to lose. 

In today’s scripture, and our own lives, the ones God chooses are the ones who aren’t heroes! The perennial losers! The ones who are so accustomed with failure and death, they can’t pretend otherwise.

Like the little, Israelite servant-girl who, in the eyes of the world, is nothing more than the loot of war. Or Namaan’s servants, who could muster nothing better than serving the one the world idolizes. 

Or the saints we’ve laid to rest. The ones who couldn’t stay alive anymore, and so were laid to rest.

There are no heroes here. There are no heroes in the church. 

The faith isn’t about more effort. It’s about less of it. Ideally, none of it! 

And that’s the real struggle, isn’t it?

We’re addicted to our hero-worship, only it isn’t working anymore. Is it?

So just come to these waters instead. 

Like Namaan, we’ve all been tempted to storm off. Buy the next self-help book. Promise to get to the gym a little more often. Or at least budget our time a little better.

But when all that fails. When you can’t ignore the writing on the wall. When you can’t pretend you have anything left to lose, these waters will be right where they’ve been all along. And you, you will finally be ready to do the thing that’s really hard; give up. 

You won’t just wash in those waters, you’ll drown in them. 

And then, The One who comes to you looking like a loser and asking too little, Jesus, he will be right there to heal you. Not partially, either; but completely. You’ll come out, like Namaan. Not looking like a hero, but a young boy or girl. 

And that’s exactly the way God wants it. 

Not because God doesn’t want you being a hero, but because heroes aren’t real. And God is for real people. 

Real people like you and me. Real people who grieve over our lost pasts. Real people who worry about our future. 

God is for real people. 

There are no heroes here. Only real people. 

In the church we have a title for these real people God is for, not heroes, but saints. Saints!

Although the world doesn’t see much in their lives. No movies will ever be made of them. Jesus has done so much more on their behalf. Jesus has harrowed hell and opened heaven for them!

There are no heroes here. Thank God. Only saints.