______________________________________________________

 

We have a garden variety of themes, stories, testimonials, and instructions from which we can build a sermon this week. The Naaman story as well as the gospel story always delight as they teach us about sharing the good news; and speaking of gardens, our second lesson leads us right into the field of our lives-what are we planting? So have fun in the Son and share your overhearing with your congregation.

PSALM 30-A PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

The Hebrew title for this psalm is, "A song for the dedication of the Temple; a psalm by David." Someone has attempted to place this beautiful psalm in a specific context to help the reader understand how this psalm might have originally functioned. The four strophes that make up the poem follow a general thanksgiving form-gratitude for healing, triumph over enemies, etc. then a brief insight gained from God’s past actions; the third strophe describes a difficult time, a crisis and the crying out for assistance; the fourth strophe proclaims deliverance and joyful response.

2 KINGS 5:1-14-SEVEN DUCKS IN THE JORDAN

This is the delightful story of Naaman, the commander of the armies of Syria, who suffers from some type of skin disease. In a raid, an Israelite maiden is captured and ends up as servant to Naaman’s wife. As conversations go, the Israelite girl talks big about the God in Israel who has powers to heal. Getting permission, Naaman goes to Jerusalem and presents what must have seemed like a flimsy excuse to go to war: the Syrian king demands that Israel’s king cure Naaman! Elisha catches wind of the dilemma and instructs Naaman what to do-wash in the Jordan seven times and you’ll be cured. "Forget it!" Naaman spouts; but cooler heads prevail (his servants) and he dips seven times and gets cured!

GALATIANS 6:(1-6) 7-16-WHAT’S GROWING IN YOUR LIFE-GARDEN?

We close out our lessons in Galatians with this final passage. The passage contains the famous universal truth: the law of sowing and reaping (vv. 7-10). The imagery, of course, is that of a field-a field of the Spirit and the field of our natural desires. Wherever we consistently sow our seed that’s where the abundant harvest will be. In the second part of the lesson, Paul gets personal with his original readers as he sums up the practice of circumcision with that of the impact of the cross of Christ.

LUKE 10:1-11; 16-20-THE KINGDOM OF GOD HAS COME NEAR

Jesus sends the seventy-two missioners off to prepare the soil of his own arrival as the good news of the Kingdom of God spans out. In the first section of the lesson (vv. 1-10), Jesus gives instructions that these missioners ; through the instructions we can gain a window into what our earliest Christian missioners conducted evangelism. In the second half of today’s gospel lesson, the seventy-two return "in great joy" (v. 17). While they are ecstatic with the power of their delegated authority ("even the demons obeyed us!"), Jesus cautions his enthusiastic missioners to rejoice, "rather because your names are written in heaven" (v. 20).