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The Rev. Frank Logue
Lather, Rinse, Repeat Lather, rinse, repeat. The Hebrew equivalent of these words anger a Syrian general and threaten the peace of Israel in our Old Testament reading for this morning. We heard an engaging story of Naaman being healed of leprosy by the Prophet Elisha through washing seven times in the Jordan River. The full story, of which we read just over half, is full of dramatic twists and turns, intrigue and irony. Jesus will himself refer to this healing of Naaman as warrant for his own inclusive ministry that takes in outcasts and even foreigners as well as those who would be considered good Jews. I want to open up this story by sharing with you some of the background that one gets by reading these 14 verses in their context in scripture and history. Then we will better understand how Elisha’s words to Naaman have everything to do with how we might could live our lives in the coming weeks. First, there is Naaman. He is the commander of the army of Aram who is in great favor with his king. What you need to know is that he is in great favor with his king, because Naaman led the Arameans into battle against Israel and won. These are enemies of Israel and Naaman is the commander of the enemy troops. But now that he has leprosy, he wants to go to Israel to see the prophet Elisha for healing. This would be like hearing of Osama Bin Laden coming to New York City to visit about a faith healer. It will take diplomatic wrangling and pay out of official bribes to make Naaman’s visit to Israel even possible, now that there is peace between the nations once more. Now comes the first bit of irony. The great man among the Syrians finds a solution to his problems through a young girl, who now works as a slave. She had been captured in Naaman’s campaign against Israel. This young girl holds the key piece of information that will bring the great military leader the healing he needs. She tells of a prophet in Samaria who could heal Naaman. She is referring to Elisha. Desperate for relief from his affliction, Naaman gets his king to set up a trip a peaceful mission to take Naaman back into Israel. However, in a twist on the expected storyline, the letter Naaman takes with him mentions nothing of Elisha by name or even “the prophet who is in Samaria” as the young girl referred to him. The kings letter says, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” It sounds like the king is to heal Naaman himself. This is exactly how he reads the letter. For once he has read the note, he tears his clothes, a sign of repentance or mourning and says, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.” The King of Israel is convinced that the Aramean king is using Naaman’s leprosy to pick a fight. Heal him and peace reigns. Fail to do so and there will be war. But Elisha hears of this dilemma and asks the king to send Naaman to him so that the Arameans will learn that there is a prophet in Israel. Then the great man who had to learn how to be healed through a slave girl is humbled once more. When he visits Elisha, the prophet does not even go out to greet him in person. Elisha sent a servant out to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” At this, Naaman is furious. He has been publically snubbed. He will not be made to be a fool. After all, he has played and replayed the event in his mind already. He knew exactly what Elisha would do. He says, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy!” He goes on to complain about washing in the Jordan River at all. With some national pride he says, “Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” The answer is, of course, “no.” But Naaman still thinks that the issue is washing. He hasn’t yet realized that it is humility and obedience that are required for his healing. Humility to accept that Elisha did not even go out to meet him. Obedient in washing seven times in the Jordan River even though he thinks it will make him look like a fool instead of bring healing. Once again, servants figure prominently in this story of international intrigue. With peace hanging in the balance, Naaman’s own servants approach him saying, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” The humble servants see rightly, that the key is for Naaman to do as his is told. The cure might be a simple lather, rinse, repeat seven times, but don’t walk away from it. Give the cure a try. Naaman listens to his servants and does as he is told by Elisha, washing seven times in the river. He comes out of the water the seventh time made whole. In the verses following out reading, Naaman goes back and confesses his faith in the one true God of Israel. Then he attempts to pay the prophet, but Elisha refuses. Naaman still has a very simple faith. He asks to carry away as much soil from Israel as two mules can carry so that he can still offer sacrifices to God on Israeli soil once back home. Naaman has missed the point entirely that his healing is itself proof that the God worshipped in Israel is not the God of Israel alone. But nonetheless, we do see that he now wants to be faithful. He even asks for forgiveness in advance for having to accompany the king in his own worship of a god he now knows to not be real. Elisha sends him in peace. Naaman has learned faith in God and that his faith will require not just belief, but faithfulness. He fulfills this by taking enemy soil back into Aramean homeland so that he can worship the one true God. Today, we will see an example of this same sort of obedience practiced by Naaman. Today, we baptize Mike Helton and Avery Mooney into Christ’s body, the Church. Outwardly, we won’t do much at all. I will pour a little water over their heads three times. It would be easy to play the role of Naaman here and ask what difference that could possible make. Haven’t Mike and Avery have water splashed on their heads before. Why is this water so different? The answer as to why Avery and Mike should do this is similar to the one Naaman received. The prophet told him God wanted this washing done. He could then be obedient to what God has asked or not. Today, Mike and Avery come to the waters of baptism in joyful obedience to the Christian practice of baptism. Yes, they have had water on their heads before and will again. But never before or again will they do so in response to the Christian call to baptism. The prayer which immediately follows baptism tells what we expect. After the two have been baptized this morning, I will pray, Heavenly Father, we thank you that by water and the Holy Spirit you have bestowed upon these your servants the forgiveness of sin, and have raised them to the new life of grace. Sustain Mike and Avery, O Lord, in your Holy Spirit. Give them an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works. That’s a lot to ask of splashing water on someone’s head. We want forgiveness of sin, death and resurrection, inquiring and discerning hearts, as well as courage, love, joy and wonder. It would seem as impossible as curing disease by rinsing off in a river seven times. That’s because it is just that impossible. This morning we pray for the Holy Spirit to be present in these actions. For without God’s presence in and through baptism, the baptism would remain just a few splashes of water. But the words of the baptismal services say that we do this in joyful obedience to bring people who come to Jesus in faith into our fellowship through baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It’s the obedience in doing this thing that could seem outwardly silly or pointless that matters. The presence of God in baptism is what makes this simple act so much more than pouring water on someone’s head. For those of us who are already baptized, we still answer the counter-cultural call to obedience. We are to actually live into the promises of baptism. We remain called to continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers. This means routine church attendance and prayer in the meantime. We are also called to continue to persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever we fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord. We are called to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ, to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves and to strive for justice and peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being. These are the things we promised or were promised for us in our baptism. We promised to continue following Jesus and to conform our lives to his teachings. The simple act of obedience comes up in things like scripture reading and prayer. I am asked again and again by folks in all sorts of situations how they can have more of God in their lives. I recommend reading the Bible daily, in just short 15 minute or so readings and also having a set time of prayer. These are two small things that add about 30 minutes to your day. And yet, many times, the room is not made, the Bible remains dusty, the prayer time is left untended. And then one wonders, why don’t I feel God present and working in my life? Perhaps the answer is you lathered and rinsed, but you forgot to repeat. Don’t read the Bible once or pray once and see that it did nothing and stop. Naaman could have rinsed once and he would have gone home a leper. Lather, Rinse, Repeat. Find meaningful spiritual practices and do them again and again. We are ten days from Lent, the 40-day time of preparation for Easter. Begin to consider now how you will live into Lent this year. It is traditional to give something up for Lent. And this can be good and meaningful. But I have always made it the practice at King of Peace to encourage taking something on. Consider taking on some spiritual practice that you intend to continue long after Lent. Whether it be coming to walk our labyrinth once a month, or making room for a retreat weekend each year, or taking on daily Bible reading and prayer, find a new spiritual practice. Nothing too daunting. I’m not trying to give you a heavy burden. Make the new thing something doable both in Lent and beyond. And then come a week from Wednesday, when we enter into Lent, you can begin to lather, rinse, repeat making joyful obedience to what God has asked of you a daily part of your life. Amen.
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