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The Simple Cure
Naaman, though a mighty warrior,
suffered from leprosy. Elisha said, 'Go, wash in the Jordan seven
times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.'
Naaman turned and went away in a rage. His servant approached
and said to him, 'If the prophet had commanded you to do something
difficult, would you not have done it?' So Naaman went down and
immersed himself seven times in the Jordan; his flesh was restored."
(II Kings 5: 1,10,12,14 NRSV)
In our recent "Neighbor Chats", when asked what vision
for our church those attending had, a common answer was, "I
want people to fill the pews in our church on Sunday mornings."
This is also one of my visions. What is keeping this vision from
becoming a reality?
One of my favorite Old Testament stories is that of the healing
of Naaman. Naaman had leprosy and had a vision of being healed.
When the prophet Elisha told him to do a very simple thing --
immerse himself in the Jordan River seven times -- he resisted
because he thought the answer was too simple. He wanted a complex,
difficult solution to his problem.
The answer to our attendance problem is simple like the Jordan
River experience: Make church attendance at your home
a top priority. It appears that many households attend
church when they absolutely can't find anything else to do. "Will
you be loyal to The United Methodist Church, and uphold it by
your prayers, your presence, your gifts, and
your service?"
So Naaman swallowed his pride, dipped himself in the Jordan seven
times -- the simple cure -- and his flesh was
restored. We can be healed as a congregation when we take the
simple cure, get our priorities straight, and be sure our families
are in God's house for worship on Sundays.
Grace and Peace,
Senior Pastor
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