Go to home page - diocesan shield

The Anglican Church in Tasmania                                                             Search

a healthy church...transformingLIFE

Tasmanian Anglican

March 2005

 

Editor's angle
K.I.S.S.

by Sheelagh Wegman

 

 

Organisers and managers know the value of the K.I.S.S. technique - Keep It Simple, Stupid. But how suspicious we are of simple solutions.

A recent lectionary reading was the story of Naaman, the highly esteemed Grand Champion of the king's army. He had a chronic skin disease, probably leprosy, and it sounds as if it drove the entire household nuts, because of his irritation. The simple faith of a little servant girl set him on a path to seek a cure for this disease from the land of Israel. In accordance with his exalted rank, off he set with a heap of money and (interestingly) ten changes of clothing - he was going to get a result from a very important person.

Bother

He had his letter of referral and eventually stood with his retinue outside the door of Elisha's house - you can imagine his expectations. But how ripped off must he have felt when Elisha himself didn't appear, and simply sent a message to tell him to take a bath in the Jordan?

This Elisha bloke had a nerve! Take a bath in that river? He could have saved himself the bother and had a wash in his own rivers. (I'd love to have been a fly on the wall at this encounter!)

Again the servants are somewhat wiser than the master and ask a very pertinent question: 'If the prophet had asked you to do something difficult, would you have done it?'

Pineapple

Hhmmm… sound familiar? I don't think people have changed much over thousands of years.

The simple solution is too simple. Nah, it can't possibly work. Nowadays we are puzzled if a dentist tell us to drink lots of pineapple juice before surgery; or a doctor advises us to rest and keep warm to cure a cold. That's too simple; we'd prefer the latest drugs or costly treatment with lots of tests and medical technology.

Fortunately Naaman took the advice and was healed.

Jesus, too, had a few simple things to say. Funny how the message of the gospel often seems too simple…