Proper 9 c What is expected is not the gift

Naaman is a big-wig in the Aramean (modern day Syria) King’s court. So when one of the Queen’s servants suggests he visit the prophet Elisha for healing, Naaman jumps at the chance, gathering as much silver, gold and beautiful fabrics his entourage could carry to the land of Israel. So it’s not surprising when Naaman is miffed that Elisha doesn’t invite him inside, nor comes out to greet Naaman in person. On top of that Elisha’s directive to wash in the muddy, unimpressive rivere that is really more like a creek, the Jordan adds more insult to the visit after all, as Naaman laments, there are much more impressive rivers back home around Damascus.

Elisha doesn’t behave as Naaman expected, he doesn’t behave as the prophets of old, he doesn’t give a rat’s patoot about Naaman’s riches, his stature, all Elisha cares about is offering the healing God instructs him to give, and that is washing 7 times in the muddy water of the Jordan. Elisha isn’t what Naaman expects so it takes him awhile to accept the grace and healing being offered.

I remember years ago seeing a greeting card that had a figure looking under a potted plant with the caption, “looking for love in all the wrong places.” I guess Namaan was looking for healing in all the wrong places and once he let go of how he thought healing should happen, healing happened.

I can relate. How often do I expect that a solution is to be found in one way, blinded by the actual solution “hiding in plain sight.”

Our expectations often blind us, don’t they?

This is what Paul’s dealing with in our reading from Galatians. Christianity had really taken hold in Galatia (in modern day Turkey), Paul and Barnabas had counted it as one of their successes when Paul gets word that the new Christains are being pressured to get circumcised—to follow the the law of Moses and the teachings of Jesus. Now Paul viewed Christinaity as a natural progression of Judaism, that all the laws and restrictions of Judaism were unnecessary because all those were designed to help humanity receive the messiah. But messiah had already arrived. Needless to say, Paul is ticked off and fires off this scathing letter, assuring the Galataians that the law of Moses was no lionger necessary, Jesus it—the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega. In him all things are reconciled, the old ways led humanity to Jesus and it is through Him that all things on heaven and earth will be reconciled.

But….it is tough to see the gift that is right here and right now if we are busy looking for the gift of yester-year, isn’t it?

On this 4^th of July weekend I for one can relate to expecting the gift of the past. I am not sure what is happening in our country, but I do know it isn’t the country my parents fought for---it isn’t the country my uncle died for in WW2 and it certainly isn’t the country my mother fought for in her decades long woprk in the League of Women voters. I am –personally—deeply grieved at what is happening for it isn’t what I thought would happen, it isn’t what my parents fought for and raised us to believe in. But…when the dreams of what we think will happen, when the expectations of what we think should happen aren’t fulfilled I think our readings today remind us to clear our eyes, look around and seek the gift that just may be sitting in plain sight.

Jesus sent the seventy out to spread his message of love, he warned them that they would be rejected in some places, that they would be reviled and even killed for their message of hope and love. And they went anyway. The world wasn’t necessarily ready for Jesus. But they went anyway.

I find myself lamenting that all my parents worked for seems to be getting dismantled at an alarming rate and that frightens me. But what these readings tell me to do and what I urge all of us to do is to wash our expectations away and look around us for the way forward is clear to God, God is just waiting for us to be clear-eyed enough to see.

Amen.