All the Earth Shall Worship

All the Earth Shall Worship
Pentecost 18; Luke 17:11-19, Psalm 66:1-11, 2 Timothy 2:8-15
Ten lepers were cleansed
and one returned to give thanks.
He praised God with a loud voice
and Jesus said to him:
“Your faith has made you well.”

Yet he was a Samaritan
and some despised his faith
for worshipping on a mountain
and not in the temple
and for incorporating beliefs
from pagan religions.
Jesus said to the Samaritan:
“Get up and go on your way.”
He didn’t say: “Come with us
and go on our way.”

Perhaps faith is not a matter
of having the only right beliefs:
rather faith is a grateful response
that gives honour to the divine
and understands that there is One
who holds our souls in life
and heals that which isolates us.

In the letter to Timothy
Christians are strongly urged
to avoid wrangling over words,
which does no good
and ruins the listener.
Do Christian denominations today
take that warning to heart?

It is not for us to judge
another’s words of interpretation,
although we might dare to offer
a re-imagined vision
of liberty and justice
as prophets are asked to do.

If all the Earth is to worship,
let us respect each other’s words,
valuing the insights of other traditions
and meeting in the joy
of shared gratitude and praise.

Whatever the words mean to us,
let us share in singing praises
and in praying our thanks 
for mountains and hallowed buildings,
for healing and cleansing
and for seeing people brought
into places of liberty.
	Barbara Messner 9/10/2025