Matthew 8:1-13

How much do you believe God is at work in this church and in your heart and life? Maybe you never doubt what God is doing; maybe you would like to think that God is at work but you have never really experienced it; maybe you feel that the idea of God being in charge is an ideal lifestyle but that it is something you will never see.

For me there is not a day that goes by without me being aware of the power of God at work in some way in my life and in the lives of those around me. Some people would say that's because I am a vicar and some people say that it happens because I have a direct line to God! If we look at the incident with the leper and the centurion in the reading tonight, we can see that Jesus responds to anyone who asks, not just those who are supposedly closer to their Maker!

Lepers were the total outcasts of society. Not only were they outcasts because no one wanted to catch their disease and therefore no one ever went near them, but they were also outcasts because they could never enter the synagogue.

According to the laws of Moses, they could not approach the high priest because of their skin complaint and therefore they could not receive atonement for their sins. Consequently, they were in a situation where they would never know the love of God and the cleansing of their sins because approaching the High Priest was the only way in which this could be done.

The centurion was a Gentile, a non-Jew and these people were also not allowed into the temple where the offerings for sins were sacrificed. Gentiles could gather on the outskirts of the temple walls, but if they ever wanted to get to the inner temple and worship God in a personal way, they were basically told that God wasn't interested.

How many of us have at some time or another been told the same thing? God isn't interested because you are different. How many of us have at some time or another implied to someone else that God wouldn't be interested in them?

We may not have actually said it in words but maybe we have shown it with our actions: by not speaking to someone who seems different is like saying "God isn't interested"; by not offering to help when we can see someone struggling with a heavy load either physical or emotional, is like saying "God isn't interested"; by standing by whilst others battle with problems that could so easily be solved with help from another person, is like saying "God isn't interested".

When Jesus approached both the leper and the centurion, He risked the likelihood of being ceremoniously unclean and not being allowed into the temple because he would have been in contact with so-called sinful people who supposedly "God didn't want around". Theoretically He would also not have been allowed into the temple once He had been in contact with either party.

I believe that the reading shows God's love is there for everyone, not just those who look as if they walk closely with God.

The leper would have desperately wanted to go to the temple to worship. Without that, he would have been unloved and unclean and having been rejected so much I guess he had little to lose by asking for help from Jesus, other than the pain of being turned down by the man who was said to be "different" from the other prophets and spiritual leaders who had gone before.

But Jesus was willing to take a risk to free this man from the pain he had carried for many years. The love that the leper had gone without for so long, was offered by a man who suddenly showed that actually, God was interested.

The centurion was so touched that it sparked more trust than ever. He could see who Jesus was and the strength of character that Jesus had, so he immediately said that Jesus could heal the servant from a distance. What an incredible witness to those who were followers of Jesus who had been members of the Jewish faith for years. How many of them would have been able to trust the power of God nearby let alone from afar!

I think what I really want to say is that we may all find ourselves in situations where we cannot see the way forward or we cannot imagine a way out of the problem, but the truth is that as we approach Jesus with gratitude for all that is on offer to us, yet without demands of what we think is due to us, it is then that we will release the freedom of the Holy Spirit to work.

It will be at this point that we will see how very much God is interested in our lives and the everyday things that trouble us. But let's not stand around waiting for Jesus to approach us, the idea is that we ask Jesus - He is there ready and waiting to show us that God is very interested in us and our lives because God loves us.

We are allowed to enter that inner sanctuary without any pre-conditions. You don't have to be a priest, a man, straight, old or able-bodied. All God asks is that you trust and God will do the rest - even from a distance.