Elisha Heals Naaman: Unexpected Grace in Ordinary Waters -- A Message for November 8, 2026

 

Friends, this autumn, we are working our way through the Old Testament, as has been our practice each fall for the past few years. Today, we are going to highlight an event that occurred about a hundred years after our story from last week, when David’s son Solomon was made the wisest king in the history of Israel.

After Solomon’s death, his son Rehobaum became king. Unlike his father, Rehoboam was perhaps not very wise – his leadership and rule was so harsh that his people revolted. The northern portion of his country split off and called itself Israel-Samaria. The southern portion of his country, a much smaller portion, became Judah. Rehoboam became the king of Judah. One of Solomon’s former appointees, Jeroboam, became king of Israel-Samaria

Israel-Samaria and Judah, after their division, were not as strong as they were when they were a united country under David and Solomon.  

The ninth ruler of Israel-Samaria was called King Jehoram (Joram). He was more loyal to God than some of the other rulers of Israel-Samaria and was notable because he didn’t worship the Canaanite god Baal. Elisha, the prophet, sometimes told King Jehoram things he didn’t like to hear – so, occasionally, he cast Elisha out of his country or threw him in prison. Other times, he listened to Elisha and straightened up his ways. 

At the time of our reading, the much more powerful nation, Aram-Damascus, lay to the east of Israel-Samaria. King Jehoram was constantly afraid his land would be invaded by the Arameans – the two countries had frequent border squirmishes and he was worried he would lose his country to a full-blown invasion.

This is a lot of background information, but our story this morning is a little confusing, so I wanted everyone to have an introduction to what led up to the events of our reading.  This morning, we enter the book of 2nd Kings, during the time of the rule of King Jehoram. Listen now to 2nd Kings, chapter five, reading at verse one:

The Scripture 2 Kings 5:1-15a

 

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.

Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 

She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 

“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. 

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.”

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!”

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.” 

So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 

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.”

 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. 

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.

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’!” 

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.

Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.”

Amen.

Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Let us pray….

The Message Elisha Heals Naaman: Unexpected Grace in Ordinary Waters 

This morning, our story has a few unusual heroes – a little girl who was the slave of an Aramean general; a beleaguered prophet, Elisha, who regularly made his own king mad; and the servant of Naaman, that Aramean general. The heroes of the day were not considered experts. They had little to no power in their countries. They served other people – yet, they were faithful to God, they listened to God, and they trusted God.

Naaman was a powerful general, the commander of the army of the Arameans. Yet, he had a skin disease – leprosy. And, despite his wealth, and power, and people who did whatever he commanded them to do, he was ill. Money couldn’t cure him. Power couldn’t cure him. His faith couldn’t cure him.

Naaman’s wife was so worried she told her concerns to the young slave who served her. And, that girl, that victim, generously told her mistress about her faith in God ... and said that if Naaman would travel to Israel-Samaria the prophet of God, Elisha, would be able to help him.

It was humbling and humiliating for Naaman to ask for help. He was used to giving orders…not accepting help.

Naaman was also used to dealing with other powerful people – so he loaded up pack animals with fancy clothing and gold and silver – he had a letter from his king to give to the king of Israel-Samaria. He thought his gifts and letter would achieve his goal – if he just spoke to the right people, and paid the correct amount of money,  the powerful people would snap their fingers and “poof” he would be better. 

When Naaman’s entourage arrived at the palace of the king of Israel-Samaria, though, things did not go according to Naaman’s plans. King Jehoram didn’t have any way to personally help cure Naaman. He thought perhaps the letter was part of a plot that the Arameans were using to take over his kingdom. 

But, the prophet Elisha heard that Naaman was at the palace, so he sent a message to King Jehoram and told him to send Naaman to Elisha…to send the leporous general his way.

Naaman and his entourage then paraded to Elisha’s humble abode. Elisha didn’t come out to meet him or greet him or act impressed with Naaman’s chariots or glitz and glamor. Instead, Elisha sent out a message to the general: “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

Naaman was insulted. He expected Elisha to roll out the red carpet. He expected the Prophet to bow down and pay him homage. He didn’t expect to hear that he needed to go dunk himself in the muddy waters of the Jordan River. He had way better rivers to bathe in in Aram-Damascus! Naaman thought he was better than the people in Israel-Samaria – why would he lower himself to bathing in their river based on the message of a prophet who didn’t even bother to come out and greet him? Why would the powerful general Naaman debase himself by washing in the Jordan River?

But, Naaman’s servant talked Naaman into doing what Elisha’s message said to do – Naaman had traveled all this way, he should just take a bath in the Jordan to see if it worked – to see what the fuss was all about.

And, low and behold, the waters of the Jordan did cure him. The God of Israel-Samaria did have the power to heal, unlike the false gods Naaman worshipped and the people of Aram-Damascus served. And, weirdly, he expected to pay for his cure – to deliver the gold and silver and fancy clothing in exchange for his return to health, but the prophet Elisha refused to accept payment. God cured him and didn’t expect anything in return.

After this surprising encounter, where the powerful man was cured by the powerless prophet at the recommendation of a powerless slave girl and a powerless servant, Naaman and his entourage returned to the home of the prophet Elisha. “Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.”

Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.

Naaman learned that power, wealth, and privilege were not the source of healing – what he needed couldn’t be bought or bartered. And, the source of healing was our God – and our God works through humble people, powerless people, poor people, regular people.

!!!

Even though we live in a very different world than the 9th century BC middle east, we still get confused about how to prioritize our values. We are constantly bombarded with messages that tell us the more money we have the happier we will be….we think rich and famous celebrities should be our role-models…we try to dress like famous athletes, or drive the same cars of tech-entrepreneurs, or follow the diet suggestions of tiktok influencers.

But, just as Naaman incorrectly thought power and wealth would influence his healing, when things go wrong in our own lives we quickly realize that the rich and powerful people the world puts up on pedestals don’t offer much help when we need support and healing. 

Instead, the people who teach us about our God, the people who teach us about our faith, the people who demonstrate Christian values to us are often humble and unassuming and normal…. we learn more from the people sitting in the pews with us on Sunday morning than we do from movie stars. We receive more support and guidance from the people we sing with in the choir or work alongside on the Property committee than we do from Instagram influences. We receive more love and support from the people we make hoagies with in the church kitchen or who sit next to us at women’s breakfast than we do from tech-entrepreneurs. God works through the prayers and petitions of regular people, not the rich and powerful and famous. God works through the hands and hearts and feet of people like you and me.

The Christian message is sometimes counter-intuitive. The weak become strong in the faith. The poor become rich in spiritual gifts. The broken become healers of spiritual wounds. We learn more from the regular people we worship with than we do from the people the world tells us are important and powerful. We receive love and support from our God through the loving actions and kind words of regular Christians like you and me.

 

So, let us work together. Let us pray for each other. Let us teach each other. Let us learn from each other. And, let us trust that our God works through us. Amen.

Solomon's Wisdom -- A Message for November 1, 2026

Friends, this week in our journey through the Old Testament, we are visiting the early period of the reign of King Solomon. King Solomon was the son of King David and his wife, Bathsheba. At the end of King David’s life, there was a lot of fighting among his sons over who would rule Israel and Judah after his death. God spoke to David about who to crown as the next king – Solomon was chosen. He wasn’t the oldest of David’s sons, but he was considered the best leader.

We enter the story of his life just after the death of King David. Solomon was installed as king….he went to a holy site to pray and make offerings to God. Listen to the story as we pick up our Bibles and open them to First Kings, chapter 3, starting at verse 4:

The Scripture 1 Kings 3:4-28

 4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 

5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

7 “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 

8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 

9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 

11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 

12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 

13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 

14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” 

15 Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.

He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.

16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 

17 One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. 

18 The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

19 “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 

20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 

21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”

22 The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”

But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.

23 The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’”

24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. 25 He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

26 The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”

But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”

27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”

28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.

Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Let us pray…

The Message Solomon's Wisdom 

In stories about Genies and magic lamps, the people who rub the lamps are granted three wishes. In the movie Aladdin, the villain Jafar wished for power and riches: to become the Sultan, to become a great sorcerer, and to become a genie – which led to his downfall because he was then trapped in a lamp. The hero Aladdin made slightly better choices: to become a prince, to be rescued from danger, and to free the helpful genie. And, Aladdin got to marry the beautiful princess and become part of the royal family in the end, so it all worked out for him.

We all have thought about these kinds of opportunities – what would I ask for if I could get three wishes from a genie? – what would I do if I won the lottery? There is even a whole reality tv show on HGTV, “My Lottery Dream House,” that shows recent lottery winners using their riches to buy a new home. Most people have a plan – things like: “I would pay off my mortgage.” or “I would travel.” or “I would give money to the church.” 

But, we know that there are not always happy endings for the suddenly rich. Ned mentioned at Lunch Bunch on Tuesday the statistics – 70 percent of lottery winners have gone bankrupt within 10 years of winning – they spend all of their riches and then some….

This morning, our scripture reading for the day starts with Solomon’s answer to the question “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” But, instead of a mythical genie asking Solomon what he wanted and granting his wish, the deity who offered Solomon his heart’s desire was God. And, Solomon’s request comes down through history as the best answer to the question – Solomon asked for wisdom. He didn’t respond like a Disney villain and ask for riches and power, but since Solomon was already a prince and a king, perhaps he didn’t need power and riches.

Wisdom is the ability and knowledge to make good decisions. Solomon was considered wisest ruler of Israel – there are a few examples of his wisdom in scripture, and the book of Proverbs is attributed to him. 

Wisdom is complicated. Sometimes we are wise in some areas of our lives and are a mess in other areas. Even Solomon, a wise and fair ruler, apparently had hundreds of wives…in our society when marriages are complicated for just two spouses, it doesn’t sound wise to us to take on hundreds more. 🙂

Today, we celebrate All-Saints Day. On this day, we remember the Christians who have reunited with God and have passed away from this life-time. Many of them were exemplars of Christianity for us – our parents and grandparents, our Sunday School teachers and choir directors, our former pastors and faithful people who helped us grow to accept our faith for ourselves. Many of these wonderful people also demonstrated wisdom – they had the ability and knowledge to make good decisions. Also, they were willing to share about their failures and disappointments – times when perhaps they didn’t act with wisdom and what they learned as a consequence.

Part of what we are doing in this life-time is learning how to become wise – to learn how to live out our faith in God. Unlike the Disney characters with the magic lamp, part of our work is to learn to be humble, to learn that the temptations of the world only lead to temporary pleasure, and that true wisdom comes from God. As the letter of St. James says: “ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”

Following Jesus is not always simple. When we take on the Christian faith as our own, it doesn’t mean we will be showered with riches and power. But, the faithful witness of other Christians who endured challenges and continued to trust God guide us as we also face unexpected problems in our lives: uncertain diagnoses, wounded relationships, financial uncertainty. We have witnessed other faithful people endure the arrows that life shoots at them; like they, we will endure them as well. As we grow in wisdom, we also grow in trust for our God. 

Let us seek to live out true wisdom like the saints of the church who have come before us. Let us work to live lives of faith and implement God’s teachings in how we live. Let us be considerate, merciful, and wise, today and forever.

Amen. 

David and Bathsheba: Exposed by Grace, Restored by Truth -- A Message for October 25, 2026

 

Friends, last week, we heard the final speech of the leader Joshua….he led the Jewish people into the Promised Land after their long sojourn in Egyptian slavery and then 40 years in the wilderness. At the end of Joshua’s life, he asked the Jewish people to choose – would they serve God, or would they adopt the religions and ways of their non-Jewish neighbors?  

They chose to follow the Lord our God.

This morning, we are jumping forward in time. For many years, the Jewish people were led by judges – they settled disputes, conferred with God, led the people of Israel into military battles, and helped the tribes of Israel maintain peace among themselves.

But, the neighboring nations had kings. The people of Israel wanted a king of their own. God warned them that a king would consolidate power and use that power to enrich themselves….the people of Israel would start to have economic stratification – the haves and many have-nots. But, the people wanted a king.

So, God gave them a king. The first king was Saul – Saul’s reign was very unbalanced – he was ok at first, but his own mental health struggles torpedoed his leadership.

The next king was David. David is still considered the greatest king in the history of Israel. But, David was far from perfect.

This morning, we will focus on the story of David’s greatest failure.

Please turn with me to Second Samuel, chapter 11…. 

The Scripture 2 Samuel 11:1-5, 26-27; 12:1-9; Psalm 51:1-9 

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelites army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.

2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 

3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 

4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. 

5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”

…..

This is an ugly story in every way. Bathsheba was violated by King David. She became pregnant. When David learned of the pregnancy, he had Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband sent home from the battlefield. David wanted Uriah to sleep with his wife, and therefore assume her pregnancy was from their marital relations.

But, Uriah was so loyal to King David that he didn’t go home when he was in Jerusalem. He slept at the barracks outside of David’s palace. Uriah didn’t feel it was fair to visit his wife while his fellow soldiers were at war. Finally, in exasperation at Uriah’s loyalty, David sent him back to the front ... .and he also sent word to the generals that Uriah should be placed at the very front lines of the battles so he would be killed. So, Uriah was killed by David to cover up David’s rape of Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba.

26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 

27 After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.

12 The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 

2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 

3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

4 “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”

5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! 

6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 

8 I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 

9 Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.

….

David had it all: power, riches, wives…and David still wanted more. Nathan came and told him a parable, a story, so that David would take responsibility for his terrible failure…his sin…. his sin after sin after sin.

In response, David wrote this Psalm, Psalm 51. Listen now to his words:

Psalm 51

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
 

Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.

 

For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
 

Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
 

Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
 

Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

 

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
 

Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
 

Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

….

Amen.

Let us pray….may the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, Oh Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen. 

The Message David and Bathsheba: Exposed by Grace, Restored by Truth 

The lectionary we are using, the Narrative Lectionary, doesn’t shy away from tricky subjects. Today’s subject, the rape of Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah, is a particularly tough one. The contrast between King David, the little boy shepherd who killed Giant Golliath with his slingshot and a stone, who sang songs and played the lyre for ailing King Saul, who became king after a long, complicated journey – the contrast between good king David and the crimes he committed is really hard to swallow. 

We are used to thinking of David as the ideal king, a good guy….not a sinner….not a murderer….not an abuser of women.

He led a complicated life. He had his “faults” …and he had his ‘gifts.”

There was only one perfect person, and it definitely wasn’t king David.

Sometimes, you have to wonder why these stories are in the Bible. Why are the “Rated R” stories included…or maybe “Rated X” stories included? How does it help our faith to know how other people got things wrong?

I sometimes have the thought, when I am talking on the phone with my teenager, that I don’t want to know some of the things she is telling me.

And, I sometimes have the same kind of thought, or reaction, when I read the Bible – I don’t want to know some of the horrible things it is saying about our “heroes and heroines” of our faith.

But, just as I am probably a better mother when I know the real thoughts and dramas that surround my teenager’s life, I am probably a better Christian when I learn about how messed up, how full of mistakes and transgressions, were the lives of people of faith who came before us. 

Because God did indeed call King David out….God sent the Prophet Nathan to confront David. God made sure David knew God knew what he had done. There was no secret God didn’t know. God saw it all. 

But, God didn’t give up on David. God didn’t have Nathan say that now David you will die for your sins….now you will be punished forever. 

Instead, God wanted David to accept that he was wrong. And, God wanted David to do better.

We all get things wrong. We all make mistakes. We all have done things that are horrible. We are all walking around with secrets, or things we regret, or things we don’t like about ourselves or our behaviors. 

Like David, God wants us to accept that we are wrong….to accept that we have sinned. And, God wants us to do better.

Some of us like to watch movies about superheroes and villains….most of the time they are pretty cut and dry. We know who the good guys are. We know who the bad guys are. Sometimes, the bad guys even admit they are the bad guys….but the problem is that they keep dining the bad things…..they don’t seem to have remorse or regret enough to stop them from committing the bad actions in the future.

In our Biblical depictions of David, he continued to be a complicated guy. But, there was no more record of him setting up his own men to die to cover up David’s sins. 

And, this was the ancient world, so things were different than they are in 2026, but he tried to make things right with Bathsheba – he married her – she was treated well by ancient standards – she ended up having additional children including the son who would become King Solomon. Yes, she didn’t consent or have autonomy or a choice about what happened to her, but she was protected from additional horrific things happening to her.

God forgave David. This is key. God forgives us when we get things wrong too. 

In Psalm 51, David asks God to “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” And, that is what God does – God washes away our iniquity and cleanses us from our sins. The waters of baptism that washed over us worked whenever we were baptised and still work today – God washes away our sins. God forgives us even when we make terrible choices. God forgives us even when we can’t forgive ourselves.

And, this, my friends, is Good News. God loves us and forgives us no matter what.

But, key in that is the reality that if we know we have made a mistake, when we talk to God in prayer we should admit what we have done…and ask God to forgive us. And, if we have the option of apologizing to the person or people we have wronged, we should seek to do that as well. 

Following Jesus is not always easy. But, we walk in the footsteps of a lot of Christians who have come before us….other imperfect people working on getting things right. Other imperfect people following a perfect savior. 

Let us work to live out our faith and do better every day. Amen.