Our rector’s, Fr. Eric Funston’s, sermon for Sunday, February 12, 2012, the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany is now on line.
The reading from the Hebrew Scriptures today is the story of Naaman, a general from the country of Aram (modern day Syria). Naaman is a leper who comes to Israel and is cured when, following instructions of Elisha the prophet, he bathes in the River Jordan. It’s a wonderful story of the healing power of God. But … I’m troubled by the fact that the reading from the Hebrew Scriptures ends where it does. As the story continues in the rest of 2 Kings 5, we find that Naaman, inspired by his healing, has become a follower of Yahweh, and this presents him with a moral dilemma, an ethical problem, a conflict between the demands of his religion and the demands of the world….
To read the whole sermon, click here.