Show Notes
In this fourth week of “Ordinary” (or “Normal”) time, we reflect on from 2 Kings 5, meditating on how God is glorified no matter how mundane our work or home life may seem.
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Episode Transcript
Four weeks after the Holy Spirit fell, with tongues of fire resting on each of the disciples, we pause to consider the ways in which that enduring little light of God’s presence, as our children sing, might shine bright in our everyday worlds.
A reading from 2 Kings 5, beginning in verse 1.
1 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”
8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”
11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.
13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
One of the goals of Formed for Faithfulness is to encourage and equip Christians to live fully and yes, faithfully for God in the public square. To be inspired to pursue their calling in the marketplace, whether that’s in academia, advertising, or accounting, knowing that they can help shape their community and witness the glory of God through their efforts. But what if it doesn’t feel like it? What if you’re stuck in a situation that seems mundane, even meaningless, just a way to meet your needs and no more? What if you have no sense of mission about your everyday responsibilities? Let me encourage you that in the kingdom of God, there are no dead-end jobs. Your work may not feel especially rewarding and it may not be recognized, but it is important nonetheless. You have opportunities to make an impact for God right where you are in your seemingly insignificant corner office. Consider Joseph. He served diligently first in Potiphar’s household and then in prison, which opened the door to greater opportunity and responsibility. But faithfulness may not lead to recognition as it did for him. The road to healing for Naaman, the commander of the Aramite army, began when his wife’s servant girl spoke about Elisha the prophet. She had been taken captive by the Arameans and pressed into service. She could have complained and grumbled, but from a reading of the account in 2 Kings 5, she seems to have served willingly and pleasingly enough that she felt she could risk a commitment to her mistress. When she heard of Naaman’s condition, not only did she show concern for her oppressors, but she also got the courage to speak up when there was no seeming advantage to her. And she must have displayed enough character for Naaman and his wife to consider the word of a nobody. In due course, Naaman was healed of his leprosy through which he was made aware of by the power of the God of Israel. We don’t know that this young servant girl ever received any reward. She certainly never got any recognition, but through her “dead-end” situation. She helped bring new life and wholeness to someone of influence. Remember her as you head into that dispiriting situation you may find yourself in.
The 30th Psalm, a psalm, a song, for the dedication of the temple of David.
I will exalt you, Lord,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
Lord my God, I called to you for help,
and you healed me.
You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
you spared me from going down to the pit.
Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
When I felt secure, I said,
“I will never be shaken.”
Lord, when you favored me,
you made my royal mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.
To you, Lord, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:
“What is gained if I am silenced,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;
Lord, be my help.”
You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.
Let’s pray together with the missionary, John Birch.
In a world of self-seeking, of self-sufficiency, there’s often very little space for love, little time for giving or receiving. In the midst of living, the bustle of the shopping center, the noise of the office or workspace, the party small talk, there is real loneliness, unnoticed by all but you. Give us discernment, to see people as you see them, to be your love in this world. Be willing to give sacrificially of time and self, that others might know the depth of your love. In our busy lives, Lord, help us to be your love in the world. All these things we ask through your glorious name, lovingly, heavenly, Father.
A reading from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 10.
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’
16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
