“TWO MULE
LOADS OF EARTH”
[A sermon on Naaman
and the “holy land”]
|
|
An sermon preached at Readings: 2
Kings 5:1-19a, Luke 10:1-2,17-20 |
II Kings 5:17
“let me,
your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry”
The
ancient Etruscans were forbidden from leaving the sacred lands
where their forefathers were buried –
so whenever they moved to a new location,
they dug a hole in the ground and buried the earth of their old city
beneath their new dwellings.
When
Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula wished
to emigrate from Transylvania to London,
he took ship with a shipload of Transylvanian earth, without which –
due to the unusual sleeping arrangements of vampires –
he could not survive.
The ship itself was called the Demeter –
named after the ancient Greek god of the earth.
And
when Wembley stadium was handed over to the developers,
30,000 pieces of Wembley turf were sold off to fans
who wanted a bit of the “hallowed turf” in their back yard.
There is in human society a deep seated sense of the
sacredness of place,
dating back at least as far as Moses –
“Take the shoes from your feet, for where you stand is hallowed ground”.
In today’s set OT lesson, we find another story
about Elisha.
Elisha has cured Naaman of his leprosy.
Naaman is returning to his home country –
but as a parting gift asks for two mule loads of earth to take home with him.
Why?
Because he wishes to worship the God of Abraham and Isaac,
the God of Israel, who has healed him of leprosy.
But he lives in a foreign land,
and if he is to worship the God of Israel he must take the earth of Israel with
him.
Within our Christian tradition we have some real
sense of sacred ground.
Only
recently we celebrated our Church Anniversary here
and reflected on the fact that prayers had been offered
in various buildings on this site for over 900 years.
And that is a powerful link with the saints of old who have worshipped in this
place.
It is good to feel that we stand on holy ground.
And
in September we are holding a Congregational consultation
to look at the concept of “sacred space”
particularly as it relates to this building and our redeveloped worship
area.
And to that extent maybe we sympathise with Naaman
wishing to take holy ground back with him,
like a tourist carrying home a bottle of Jordan water
or a stone from the Mount of Olives in his hand luggage on the plane.
And yet as Christians we would wish to argue
strongly that -
whilst it might have been a helpful and even powerful symbol
to have some soil of Israel with him –
it was by no means necessary.
The God of Israel (and this was where Naaman has missed the plot)
is not bounded to one piece of territory –
he is the creator of the Universe
and can be worshipped on any and every piece of land.
When
the Pope was a younger man,
we all remember how on coming off the plane in a new country
he would kneel and kiss the airport tarmac.
He did not need to bring Holy Ground with him from Palestine or Rome –
he was recognizing that wherever he went,
this was a part of God’s earth and hence it was holy blessed land.
This is the tradition of Moses,
who did not uproot the burning bush and take it growing in a pot with him –
no he looked for the God who was to be found in cloud and fire ahead of him,
already in new places awaiting his arrival.
Oh that Naaman could have
realised
that the God of Israel was already awaiting his return.
What has this all to say to us today?
1. As citizens of a Nation.
There is no place for imperialism or Zionism
based on some belief in God’s extra special blessing
for one particular land, nation or people –
be it for Israel or the US or the UK.
Yes our lands may be holy and blessed and chosen –
but so is every land –
so it is not for us to lord it over others as some sort of divine right.
The New Jerusalem, when it arrives,
will be located in the Kingdom of Heaven,
and until such time as God’s Kingdom comes,
we can find glimpses of that Kingdom in every corner of the globe.
I
think one of the most thoughtful and helpful comments
on the war in Afghanistan was made by the British Prime Minister when he said
–
“Remember that the sanctity of life in the hill villages of Afghanistan,
among the winter snows,
is as inviolable in the eye of Almighty God as can be your own"
The
Prime Minister was Gladstone
and the war was the 2nd Afghan war of 1879.
But the truth remains for our generation.
Whether we are talking about the deserts of Iraq,
the mountains of Afghanistan, or the refugee camps of Palestine,
we are talking about holy lands inhabited by chosen people,
God’s places, God’s people,
to be treated with the respect deserved by all holy things.
2. As members of the Church
This
weekend we have welcomed Brazilian visitors to the Mint,
and they were helping lead our service here this morning.
In our increasingly international congregation here
we give thanks that God’s grace is known and displayed
in every race and every tongue.
Last week’s Methodist Conference agreed
what is in effect a Mission statement for British Methodism.
It reads as follows (and note the consistent use inclusiveness of the language)
-
“In
partnership with others wherever possible,
The Methodist Church will concentrate its prayers,
resources, imagination and commitments on this priority:
To affirm its
conviction of God’s love in Christ,
for us and for all the world;
and renew confidence in God’s presence and action
in the world and in the church.
“As
ways towards realising this priority,
The Methodist Church will give particular attention to the following:
“Underpinning
everything we do with God-centred worship and prayer;
“Supporting
community development and action for justice,
especially among the most deprived and poor –
in Britain and worldwide;
“Developing
confidence in evangelism
and in the capacity to speak of God and faith
in ways that make sense to all involved;
“Encouraging
fresh ways of being Church;
“Nurturing a culture in the Church
which is people-centred and
flexible.”
We
need to reflect on what this means for us in many ways –
but it certainly means this –
that as Christians we have a Gospel which is not rooted in any particular
national soil
nor limited to the cultural or geographical boundaries of one group or class.–
our Gospel is for all people everywhere
3.
As inhabitants of the planet.
If the whole earth is sacred space,
then we should respect and honour and care for it as such.
We do not tip rubbish on the communion table –
that would be to desecrate it.
Well neither should we pollute the planet –
or we desecrate our holy land, our holy earth, our holy planet,
God’s dwelling place.
I
mentioned the history of this site.
Of course 900 years ago prayers here were offered by Benedictine monks.
And the monastery here would have been self sufficient.
That was the Benedictine model.
Unlike many earlier religious traditions,
the Benedictines did not see manual work as demeaning.
Quite the reverse –
they built their great Churches (as they did here)
but the monks not only said their prayers,
they tilled and cared for the land around.
There was a continuity between spirituality
(the sense of sacred space in worship)
and husbandry of the planet
(a sense of making the earth fruitful)
which we could learn of afresh today.
There is a passage at the end of a book
by the poet and ecologist Wendell Berry,
which talks about ploughing and cultivating the earth
as a sacred task like sharing in Communion.
He says:
“To live, we must daily break the body and shed the
blood of creation.
When we do this knowingly, lovingly, skilfully, and reverently,
it is a sacrament.
When we do it ignorantly, greedily, clumsily, destructively,
it is a desecration.
In such desecration we condemn ourselves to spiritual and moral loneliness
and others to want”
(“The
Gift of Good Land” San Francisco, North Point Press, 1981, quoted in Sean McDonagh, “To care for the earth” Geoffrey Chaplman 1986 p.130)
Yes – as we gather here at the table then we kneel
on holy ground.
But when we go out into the world and return like Naaman
to our homes, our fields, our employment,
we are still walking God’s sacred earth –
still challenged to live holy lives in a holy land.
But in conclusion, let us not be too critical of Naaman
wanting to take God’s earth that he might worship God in his own place –
his intentions were good,
and it is no bad thing to remember and honour that place where first we met the
Lord.
But remember this -
whether we are thinking about
international politics, Church Mission or the care of the planet,
there is not a plot of earth anywhere which is not God’s little acre,
nor one living soul who does not stand on holy ground.
I leave you with Psalmist’s words,
who could perhaps have taught Naaman a thing or two
on his travels –
“Whither shall I go from thy spirit?
or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there:
if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me,
and thy right hand shall hold me fast.”
(Ps
139:7-10)