October 13, 2013
Pine Valley Christian Church
Luke 17:11-19
Rev. Dr. David Hansen
Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. He is on the border between Samaria and Galilee. Measured by feet it was a short distance from Samaria to Galilee, but spiritually it was a long journey. Israel was divided into two kingdoms: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. In 722 BCE, Assyria conquered Israel and hauled off most of its people, and then resettled the northern kingdom with foreigners who worshipped their own Gods and who had their own religions. The Jews who remained in Israel adapted to the situation. Over time people intermarried. Religious practices were often a mixture of cultures. This is the history of Samaria.
The southern kingdom of Judah was captured by the Babylonians in 600 BCE. This population was also taken into captivity. Then 70 years later, 43,000 Jews returned to their homeland. But the people of the north, the Samaritans, opposed this repatriation. And for their part, the people of the south detested the people of the north—the Samaritans—a people of mixed blood and diluted faith. The great divide that separated the north from the south was as deep as the chasm that separated the rich man from Lazarus and Abraham.
Maybe that explains why the 10 lepers could not approach Jesus. They could not bring themselves to cross the barrier between Samaria and Galilee. The cultural divide and historical animosity were simply too great to bridge. Or maybe they kept their distance because they were lepers. Leprosy is a disease that attacks the skin and nerves and eventually the muscles. Effective treatment of the disease first appeared in the 1940s. The disease has not been eradicated, but it is no longer as feared as it once was. When I lived in Hawaii I was able to visit one of the few remaining leper settlements in the world today. It is on the island of Moloka’i. The island is divided—topside and seaside. The two parts of the island are separated by a steep cliff that is 200 or 250 vertical feet straight up. Today there is a trail leading from one part of the island to the other. But in times past, there was no passage. Seaside Moloka’i is surrounded on three sides by ocean and one side by the cliff. There is no way off the peninsula. In the past lepers were taken to the island by ship. When the ship approached the island, lepers were forced to jump into the ocean and swim for their lives to shore. Once on the island they became invisible to everyone but their loved ones back home.
Maybe these men stood at a distance because they were lepers. There are historical, spiritual, physical and psychological barriers that create such isolated colonies today—even in our time, even in our town—there are such isolated communities. I was shocked to read in the October 9th issue of The Wichita Eagle describing the 44 square miles of food desert in Wichita. A food desert is a place without a full-service grocery store within a mile. We have 44 square miles of food desert here in “Shocker country,” the heart of the wheat belt. Food is available, but vegetables are rare and fresh fruit is scarce. I was talking with a friend about this situation and he said, “It is not a food desert, it’s an empathy desert.” Out of sight, out of mind, we don’t see “them” so we forget about the problem.
Measured in feet, the distance from Samaria to Galilee is not great, but the spiritual chasm is deep. Standing at a distance, the lepers cried out to Jesus, “Have pity on us.” Do not let our want of health or our lack of wealth be the measure of our value. Here is the cornerstone of the gospel. This, I believe, is the heart of the good news: God’s love does not seek value—it creates value. Our value is not an achievement, it is a gift. It is not something to be won; it is something to be celebrated. God so loved the world, that God came and dwelt among us. That is the message of the gospel. In Ephesians we read that while we were yet far off, God loved us. In First Peter we are reminded that “Once we did not know mercy, but now we know God’s mercy.” Take this precious bread, Jesus said, and eat .Take this loving cup and drink it. Take this love which is poured out for you and for many, and live it.
I am sure you have heard the story of Malala Yousafazai. She is a 16 year old Pakistani woman, a Muslim, who is the youngest person ever to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. She was attached by the Taliban while riding on a school bus. They shot her in the head, but she survived. When interviewed on the Daily Show, John Stewart asked her where she found the courage to take a stand and speak out for the rights of women to an education. She said that first of all she got it from her father who valued education for his daughters. Then she was thinking about the government or the army or others could be doing to support education, and then she asked herself, “What am I doing?” “Why shouldn’t I do something?” Then she asked herself, “What would I do if the Taliban came to me and threatened me?” She said her first thought was that she would take off her shoe and hit him. When she thought about that idea, she decided that it would simply justify violence. So instead she said, “I would tell him that I want an education for myself and for your children. What do you want?”
Before we can break the cycle of violence, or tear down the walls of separation, before we can cross the empathy desert, we have to first confront our fears, and then we must say clearly what we want. “They stood at a distance and they called out in a loud voice, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us’.” And he heard them and he replied to them. It was a long way from Samaria to Galilee. But Jesus reached across the great divide because he knew, as we know, compassion and holiness are companions. We cannot withdraw from our neighbor and draw nearer to God. The royal law is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This is visionary love. And we are a visionary people. In our Mission Statement we affirm that “Pine Valley Christian Church is a progressive faith community practicing unconditional love and seeking justice in an interfaith world so that all people may experience abundant life.” We are a progressive faith community. That means something.
1. We affirm the equal worth and dignity of every person, and the supremacy of love
2. We are rooted in the Christian tradition
3. We embrace the freedom of individuals to seek their own way
4. We draw on diversity as a source of strength
5. We find meaning in the search for understanding
6. We encourage the creation of an inclusive community of mutual respect and responsible action
7. We use inclusive, value-based language
8. We commit to journey together with openness, respect, and courage. These are the eight principles of the progressive Christian fellowship.
Pine Valley is a progressive faith community. We are one of twenty congregations in the Disciples of Christ to sponsor a resolution to the 2013 General Assembly, the national gathering of the denomination, Pine Valley is one of only 20 congregations to sponsor a resolution calling on the denomination to become a “Open and Welcoming” community of faith. By that we mean a community that welcomes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people and their families and friends. We are not part of the GLAD Alliance, a national Disciples of Christ organization. Members of this congregation are working with others in our community to create safe places in our community for people of all sexual orientations. In November some of us will be going to Fort Benning, Georgia to stand with thousands of other people from all across the United States and from countries around the world to call on our government to close the School of the Americas—a school that trains paramilitary and military forces in Central and South America to wage war on citizens in those lands. We will go there to say “No in our name.” This Tuesday at 5:15 I will be joining community activists and labor outside the Hyatt, where the Kansas Policy Initiative is hosting a dinner to advance their political agenda in our state. I will be there to stand for the common good. Protecting pensions, creating a fair tax policy, funding public education, providing accessible health care, and preserving the environment are all part of the common good. If we value these things, we need to let our voices be heard.
When the lepers cried out for mercy, Jesus told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And on the way, Luke says, “As they went, they were cleansed.” Even unwashed people living in a no-man’s land can be ambassadors for Christ. Sure God has a place for you and me. Acting on our values and embracing our vision, lives are changed and communities are transformed and we can be healed.