Have you ever wondered why a person hates another person? Hate is a very strong word. Hate is a very strong emotion. Hate is a very powerful verb.
I don’t understand the ability to hate another human being, based on appearance or lifestyle choices. Based on religion or politics. Based on financial means or living situations. In any way.
I just don’t get it. I understand dislike. I understand having differences that make it impossible to spend time with that person. But to Hate someone is different.
But as we all know. That kind of hatred is alive and well, not only in the world, but even in our own communities.
I remember a long time listening to Oprah discuss what it means to be prejudiced. To illustrate this she said, “ The world will no longer be filled with prejudiced people, when we don’t look at each other and first see the color of their skin, but rather see the quality of the human being”.
I was once in a car accident in Beaumont, Texas. Thankfully, it was only a fender bender, but nonetheless, scary.
When the driver of the car, and his passengers got out of their car, my first reaction was, “These are the biggest, blackest young men that I had ever seen”. I was afraid.
What should have been my first reaction? Probably, asking them if they were okay.
After figuring everything out, and eventually, speaking to Eric, the driver’s Momma, my fear shifted into calmness and compassion, especially after she invited us to share a meal with her family that evening.
However, The white, Barney Fife like officer on the other hand, treated this young, high school football star heading to college in the fall and his buddies like they had just committed a mass shooting.
Just a few years ago, I was attending a different local church. One Sunday when I pulled into the parking lot, I saw one of my buddies from the street. I asked him if he was cold and would he like to come in and warm up with a cup of coffee. We went into the parish hall where I fixed a cup of coffee with lots of sugar and cream, which he downed in a couple of gulps. I fixed him another, and also gave him a donut, meant for after church crowd.
The looks of disdain on many faces of the congregation were alarming to me. And the next Sunday, I was told that I was never to do that again by a senior member of the Vestry.
I’m sure you’ve all heard this before: You shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover.
I believe that Jesus would say this: We shouldn’t judge a person by their appearance. He certainly did not. And in fact, he sought to spend time with folks from marginalized communities, where more often than not, he was met with genuine Gratitude, Kindness and Faith.
Our Gospel today, highlights those qualities in the Samaritan leper who was healed.
Having leprosy already placed this man in a marginalized community and being a hated and despised Samaritan was a double whammy.
The other nine lepers who were healed, obeyed Jesus’ request to go see the priests and they were healed. But the Samaritan, before he went to the priests, realizing he was healed, came back to Jesus and thanked him, praising his name.
Jesus commended this man for his faith.
I feel so blessed to be part of the St. Marks and Montesano Community Church family where I see and feel love. It feeds my soul and gives me comfort, strengthening my faith.
But how can I take this into the world as one person?
Jesus never promised that being a faithful Christian would be easy. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Standing up for what is right, often has dire consequences.
Sometimes standing up voicing Christian Values leads to others hating the messenger because the messenger speak the truth and not what they want to hear.
It can be uncomfortable speaking the truth. It can even be dangerous to speak the truth.
In these times of uncertainty, will there come a point, where we might be called to speak the truth? When we might be punished for having a practicing Faith in God? Where we might feel unsafe to share our Christian beliefs and values for fear of retribution.
In our Epistle reading today, Timothy is reminding us that the Word of God is not chained. It cannot be held down. It cannot be controlled. God is in charge. He is ever present with us, in every situation and we should as Christian believers, not be ashamed or scared because we believe in the word of truth.
I pray that we are never placed into a situation where we are persecuted for our Christian Beliefs.
We hold steady in the knowledge that God gave his only son for us, to live and die for us, so that we can have eternal glory. It is that Faith that will sustain us and give us life.
Jesus’ finally words to the Samaritan is still very good advice for us all……."Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well".
Amen