The Gospel for Friday after Epiphany is taken from Luke 5th chapter 12:16. It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was. And when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleading with him, and said, lord, if you wish, you can make me clean. Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said, I do. Will it be made clean? And the leprosy left him immediately.

Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but go show yourselves to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed. That will be proof for them. The report about him spread all the more, and great crowds assembled to listen to him and to be cured of their ailments. But he would withdraw to deserted places to to pray. Jesus as a human being had to know that the more that he healed people, the more difficult it would be for him to move around. But what I love about this passage is the question, what do you really want to do, Jesus?

Do you want to teach us all the things that the temple didn’t teach us? Do you want us to learn more about our background? No. What he wants more than anything else is to take away darkness, take away pain, take away leprosy, which is an image of the sinful nature that we’ve all inherited. That’s all he wants. And if it costs him in the sense of having a hard time getting to people, he’s not ever going to let go of this most amazing gift.

The Kingdom of God is about healing and transformation, not information. After the music, I will close with a prayer. Closing Prayer Father Power is a hard thing for human beings to deal with. Our ego loves to think that it’s something that comes from us, then puts us in a position of importance. But the real gift of the Kingdom of God is not to be somehow empowered to do great things for our own ego’s sake, but rather simply to have a heart that longs for human beings to find peace and light and life. It’s our intention that is so important, and we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.