Jeremiah 29:1,4-7; Psalm 66:1-12; 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17:11-19
Today we hear in the prophetic book of Jeremiah words of counsel to the people who have found themselves in exile, far from home, not to give up but to find a way to ‘bloom where they have been planted.’ Perhaps that’s an odd bit of advice, or perhaps it’s very timely, to people who are feeling so very uprooted.
We also hear in the continuing conversation in Paul’s letter to young Timothy some sage advice not to get entangled in wars of words with people who might try to prove him less experienced or too young for this kind of work, but to not be ashamed and to speak the truth. And in the Gospel, we hear of how Jesus heals ten lepers and sends them to the Jewish priests to be admitted back into the community, but the Samaritan who realizes his healing returns to Jesus alone.
And today in the life of the church we observe Domestic Violence Awareness Sunday. This is something relatively new in the life of the church and in the self-understanding of Presbyterian Missions. However, it’s an integral part of what our mission agency and several of our ministries do.
The Church (meaning the church universal) has really failed on this point for as long as anyone can remember, and only recently started teaching that no one should have to experience violence in their homes, even if they are married to the person that abuses them. So the first thing that I want to say today, and on every other occasion where I have the opportunity to do so, is that abuse is not, and never has been, part of God’s plan for our lives. Abuse is sin, and the shame for it rests solely on the abuser, and not the abused.
I was also reminded this week that as the Church, (meaning the church universal), we’re not terribly good at defining what abuse is or who might experience abuse. Perhaps that doesn’t surprise anyone here after a decade or more of abuse scandals. But let me tell you how I was reminded, because I was really impressed. I met several students at the high school who are involved in a group called Imagine, which teaches awareness, prevention and intervention for domestic abuse. They were active in discussion about allowing men into the group. This is because we often think of abuse being caused by men against women. However, in recent years we’ve been increasingly aware that men can also suffer from domestic violence, whether their partner is male or female. And women can suffer whether their partner is male or female. Truly no one is immune from a situation such as this. I thought to myself that even though I was in a similar group in high school and college, I was not nearly so wise.
Violence in any form is a destructive force that damages and destroys life and well being. When violence is woven into the fabric of family relationships it distorts and destroys not only the violence between the victim and the perpetrator but the well-being and sense of self of each and every family member. So often, families enmeshed in violence have lost a sense of hope and the prospect of healing and restoration seems to be a remote possibility.
I think that you can be at home, and still feel like you are in exile, that you have no home. I think you can also have a church home that doesn’t really feel like home, a place where you find yourself all alone in a room full of people, because of whatever it is you are wrestling with or don’t want other people to know.
So then, you have a choice, albeit a difficult one: do you stay where you feel you have no true home, and try to make the best of it, or do you pack up and go? Sometimes, just such questions really are the biggest ones of our lives.
Well then, when is it okay to bloom where you are planted? When is it okay to go? Actually, the same Bible and the same God tells the same group of people different things at different times in their journey. And so it is with us.
A lot of people facing abuse don’t leave because they fear what may happen to themselves, or their children, or their pets. And that is a legitimate fear demonstrated far too often--the deadliest time in an abusive relationship is often when the abused person tries to leave. However, others get out because they realize what’s going to happen to them or the children or the pets if they don’t go.
At this particular point in the Israelite’s lives, so recently exiled, so weakened from the journey, and so traumatized, God tells the people to bloom in exile. Find a happy home. Raise a healthy family. Thrive, don’t just survive, and don’t give up. A day will come when there will be healing and joy. Even if you’ve had to leave everything behind just to save your own life, there is hope.
Now God is not being Pollyanna about this, God’s just being realistic. God knows they’ll never physically make it back home, or anywhere good, in the physical state that they’re in. They have to get their strength back. They have to build up a few resources, build up their numbers, and multiply--surround themselves with a supportive community that will be a force to reckon with when it is time to get up and go. They’re going to have to be wise about this, and prepare for the journey. They’ll get home someday, we’ll cover that story in a few weeks, but for now, it’s time to figure out a plan for the meantime, even though they are faced with difficult truths.
Alright.
Now for something a bit different...let’s talk a bit about leprosy. We’ve talked about it before: that nasty flesh-eating disease that makes you look like a zombie; no easy cure back then like there is today; nobody wants to be around you because you stink and look awful and they don’t want to catch it from you, so you’re in exile, (see a theme here?) living in a leper colony until you die. You can’t even go to worship, because the priests don’t want you bringing your mess in there. But then Jesus comes along and heals these ten lepers he meets. Why does the Samaritan come back? The lepers whose spiritual home is in Jerusalem are begging to be freed from their stigma. When they go to the priests, the priests will admit them back into the community, and that’s what they desire most. The Samaritan isn’t going to be accepted into that community anyway; that’s not his people. Because there is no fear of stigma in him, because he is not ashamed, he can recognize the truth and come back praising Jesus.
There is no need to be ashamed when speaking the truth, especially when the truth heals you and sets you free. This is the philosophy behind the new shelter being built here in Dane County, that the women who live there have no need to be ashamed, and that by being in the light, they are safer, than trying to hide in stigma and fear.
I want to share with you something else from our Presbyterian Mission website on this issue, because it’s so well put: When domestic violence occurs, hope and restoration are never easily attained. Sometimes they are decades in the making, especially if the victim or survivor of domestic violence and her family have no community of support to assist them on their long journey. This is precisely where the Church should be. As Christ’s agents of hope, we are charged to be “a light, shining in the darkness,” to those whose hope has been thwarted and do not know where to turn.
The Psalm today says, “we went through fire and water; yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.” Ours is a God who turns the sea into dry land, who has kept his people among the living, and has not let our feet slip. Ours is a God who will not let us be lost, no matter in what situation or where we find ourselves. And our God is a God of justice, a God of compassion, a God of healing. We are not alone. Thanks be to God! Amen.
Prayers this Week
For all who are caregivers for loved ones struggling with extended illness, that they may find respite, courage, and strength for the journey.
For those struggling with illnesses that have not yet been fully diagnosed, that they may find the answers and the treatments they need.
For all who are suffering from domestic violence, that they may find safety, hope, and healing.
For ministries of healing and hope in the PCUSA and around the world.
For families of children with special needs, that they may find the support, welcome, and access they need for full inclusion.
For families who are homeless, whether living with a relative or friend, living in their car, or living in a shelter or on the street, that they may find a true home.
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