4/7/10 -  Proper 9

Respect!

BIBLE READING

2 Kings chapter 5 verses 1-14  Naaman the leper

PREPARATION

You may wish to show photographs of people affected by leprosy if you think it appropriate – but the shock value may detract from the worship. http://www.leprosymission.org.uk/

INTRODUCTION

Ask who has had measles, chickenpox or other illness which affects the skin.  Find out what happened when they became ill – were they allowed to come to school or see their friends?  Did they have to wait until all the marks had disappeared before things got back to normal?  What would have happened if the marks had never disappeared?

THE MESSAGE

Explain briefly how there is a disease called leprosy which never goes away once you have caught it, and for many hundreds of years people who caught it were thrown out of their homes and had to go and live where they could not infect other people.

There is a story in the Bible about a very important man, a famous soldier, who caught leprosy, and who very nearly missed a chance of being cured because he was so proud.

Tell how Naaman went to a neighbouring country to look for a cure for his leprosy because his servant girl had told him about Elisha, the famous man of God.  But Naaman  was so important, that he didn’t go looking for Elisha, he went straight to the king of the country and expected him to sort things out!  When at last Naaman finally arrived at Elisha’s house, Elisha didn’t even bother to come out and see him – instead he sent instructions that Naaman should go and stand in the river and duck his head under the water seven times.  Naaman was furious!  He was angry because Elisha had not come out to see him and treated him with enough respect.  He was also angry because the river Jordan was shallow and muddy – not like the much better rivers back home!  In fact Naaman was so angry that he began storming off in rage – but one of his servants stopped him.  He bravely asked him why he wouldn’t do what he was told – after all if the man of God had asked him to do something really difficult he would have done it wouldn’t he?  So why not do something really easy?  Naaman was not stupid – he realised his servant was right, and so he went and dipped himself in the river as he has been instructed to do, and after seven times he came up clean and well!

Sometimes we refuse to listen to other people’s ideas because we think we always know best, we don’t respect them.  If Naaman had been like that he would never have followed the advice of his two servants and of  Elisha the man of God, and he would not have been healed.  Will his story help us to remember to treat other people with respect also?

PRAYER

Pray for the people who are treated without respect because they are poor or ill, young or old, or seem unimportant.  Ask that we may remember to respect others, just as we wish to be respected ourselves.