COVID had struck.
My sinuses were stuffed
My head seemed fuzzy.
My chest felt heavy and congested.
My breathing, more shallow than normal.
And then I stepped into that warm, steamy shower. The water soothed the pressure in my aching head, loosened my heavy chest, and I could breathe . . . deeply, freely. . . and in the simplicity and beauty of that moment, I felt whole and fully alive.
Naaman is instructed through the prophet Elisha to go and wash in the waters of the Jordan. It is a simple message, delivered indirectly, and Naaman is offended. Can such a simple remedy bring healing? Surely there must be more to it than that!
Living where we do in this world, it can be easy for us to take water for granted - fresh water, clean water, abundant and life-giving water. How easy it is for us to turn on the tap to access safe water for cooking and cleaning and drinking and bathing. When our lawns and gardens become dry, we simply turn on the hose, and water emerges to bring life and healing to parched plants.
Water is so ordinary. Water is so everyday. Water is essential. Without water, we will die. Without water, plants and animals will die. Without water, life on this planet will cease.
Commander Naaman, in all of his importance, expects special treatment. To conquer this disease that is defeating him, he expects extraordinary measures. What Elisha offers seems far too simple and ordinary to be effective, “Wash and be clean.” Yet it is precisely through the basic and the simple that Naaman is healed.
The core of our identity as children of God is that we have been washed in the waters of Baptism. It’s as simple as that. God chooses us first. Before we begin to comprehend the depths of God’s love for us, God has already enveloped us in the embrace of God’s love. And God uses one of the most basic elements of creation - water - to remind us of this love. Water is ordinary. Water is essential. Water is life- giving.
When we use the ELW Service for Holy Baptism, we reference the waters of creation, the waters of the flood, the waters that lead out of exodus, and the waters of the Jordan - the same flowing waters where Naaman was instructed to wash.
Where there is water, there is life. And because access to clean water has been easy for so many of us throughout our lives, we can easily lose our appreciation for the great gift that water is to our lives. Like Naaman we may take it for granted, regard it as ordinary, fail to recognize the gift of healing that water can bring to us and to all of creation. But is that true in Puerto Rico right now? Jackson, Mississippi? Flint, Michigan?
For those who choose to focus on the gospel reading for the day, consider the setting for both of these healing stories. Naaman is healed in the waters and open air of creation. Like Naaman, the ten lepers are given a cure that seems far too simple and easy, as Jesus instructs them to go and show themselves to the priests. While they are on their way - walking in the open air of creation - they discover that they are healed and made whole.
Pastor Karen Behling (she/her)
Chippewa Falls, WI
Since moving to Wisconsin five years ago, Pastor Karen Behling (she/her) has been transforming their lawn into more and more pollinator habitat. Such a glorious front lawn has sparked many meaningful conversations with neighbors of all ages. Living in the heart of Chippewa Falls and within a mile from Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Chippewa Falls, WI allows for walking to be Karen’s primary mode of transportation most days. Previous calls over these past 34 years have been in Minnesota, Iowa, and North Dakota in congregations small, medium and large.