Mark 5:21-43; 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15
“Then, one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw Jesus, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.”
“She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,
for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.”
Jesus preached the shortest sermon of his life when he said to Jairus, “Do not fear; only believe.” Five words, two commands, one broken-hearted father. Can you imagine how he must have been feeling that day? There he was, a ruler of the synagogue—a position in his day that carried a lot of prestige and power.
Jairus’ responsibilities involved being the administrative head of the synagogue. He was the president of the board of elders and responsible for the good management of the synagogue. Not only that, he was responsible for the conduct of services—he did not usually take part in them, however; but he was the one who assigned the ritual duties and made sure that, in our terms, the bulletin was followed exactly as written—nothing changed, nothing omitted.
Jairus was a man of great importance in his synagogue, but “something happened to him when his daughter fell ill” (Barclay, p 126). No longer would he view Jesus as an outsider, a dangerous insurgent who confronted and threatened the Jewish hierarchy. None of that “rebellion” mattered any more because his beloved child was “at the point of death” (Mk 5:23a).
Jairus, the dignified ruler of the synagogue, feeling powerless and caring nothing for his personal dignity and pride, completely overcome with grief, dropped all his prejudices about this wandering rabbi and fell at Jesus’ feet, weeping, begging him to heal his 12-year-old daughter: “Come and lay your hands upon her, so that she may be made well, and live” (Mk 5:23b).
Now let’s turn for a moment to the unnamed woman, because that’s how Mark tells the story of these healings, right? Her story interrupts Jairus’ story.
This woman is outcast in her society. Her family, friends, those who knew her were bound by Jewish law to take a wide berth around her. She was unclean! Banished! Nobody else even sees her; it’s like she is invisible, and she is sick unto death. She, like Jairus, believed that Jesus had healing powers that could change her life.
Where did this woman get the strength to make her way to the shore of the Sea of Galilee, then to push her way through the “great crowd gathered around him” (Mk 521b)? Imagine the press of the flesh! It was a lot like trying to make your way through the crowds at the Strawberry Festival!
She had to break through all kinds of human barriers and laws that were in place to keep certain people out, people who were undesirable, leprous, possessed, different—and nothing sent people running like a dead body or a bleeding woman.
She was weak but she had faith, and in her weakened condition she encouraged herself toward Jesus. He was the only hope she had left, “for she said, ‘If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well’” (Mk 528).
Jairus, his unnamed daughter and the bleeding woman fared far better than what happened to a 16-year-old boy in Connecticut a few days ago. He was the subject of an exorcism at the Manifested Glory Ministries Church in Connecticut. This "healing" is supposed to chase out the gay demon that purportedly possesses the boy. The exorcism was filmed and posted on line by the church!
The video, which is very disturbing, shows the 16-year-old lying on the floor, his body convulsing, while members of the small Connecticut church stand over him, yelling, screaming, at the tops of their voices for the demon to come out of him. Apostle and Prophetess of the church, Patricia McKinney, said, “We don’t hate homosexuals. I just don’t like their lifestyle.” She also defended the action by saying that the youth is 18. The boy confirmed he is 16, but otherwise declined to comment, citing the advice of his pastor [emphasis mine] (Mail Foreign Service Last updated at 3:57 PM on 25th June 2009). Well, somebody’s not exactly speaking the truth.
The point is that what happened in the MGM church in Bridgeport, CT, was not anything like how Jesus healed people. There was abuse disguised as love in that church’s dealing with the boy. But with Jesus miracles, not exorcisms, are the path to healing and new life; Jesus uses Kingdom ways to release us from our dis-ease.
When the woman simply reached and barely touched Jesus’ cloak, the Lord felt it. Even in the midst trying to move through the crowd, he was “Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’” Mk 5:30).
Jesus knows a “faith touch” when he feels it. He is not an impersonal healer; he’s not into screaming at demons, either. Jesus wanted to know the identity of who touched his clothes and received power from him, not because he was angry but because Jesus is a personal healer. He knows the whole truth about each of us; and he responds in Kingdom ways to our deepest needs and hurts. “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease” (Mk 5:34).
When Jairus fell begging at Jesus’ feet, Jesus immediately picked him up and set out with Jairus to heal the daughter. Imagine Jairus’ anguish when Jesus stopped to find out who touched his clothes. Even the disciples were incredulous about Jesus’ question. Can’t you just hear them now, “Are you kidding me? Look at all these people…you want to know which one of them touched you!?” But Jesus does not operate within the human barrier of time.
The woman came forward “in fear and trembling” (5:33) and told him the whole truth about her life. As Jesus was blessing the woman into a new, a “clean” life, he overheard the news from Jairus’ messsengers that it was too late; no one could save his daughter now: she was dead. Yet, Jesus softly spoke to the now small-and-broken father who no longer resembled a ruler of anything, “Do not fear; only believe” (Mk 5:36b).
Jesus is our healer, too. He is the one who is always there for us when we are feeling ostracized or outcast, isolated and ashamed, sick and sorrow-filled. Jesus iis the one who is always there for us when we feel broken and defeated. All he asks of us is to tell the whole truth about our lives. We put into words that have sound the truth we know hides way and deep inside. Is there something that you need to tell Jesus today? Is there something that is dying inside of you that needs a resurrection? Are you afraid? Do you need a faith touch? Ask for his help, seek his healing power; knock at the door of new life and it shall be opened to you.
Barbara Brown Taylor, voted one of the twelve best preachers in America, says of this passage that “Mark addressed all of us who suffer from the human condition, who are up against things we cannot control” (“One Step at a Time” from The Preaching Life).
Each and every one of us as individuals and as a community have been in situations that seemed impossible to heal. Are you in one right now? Is there a place where you have little or no control and you are frightened of the possibilities? Are you even confused about what being healed by Jesus means? One theologian (John Pilch) tells us that “Healing is the restoration of meaning to people’s lives, no matter what their physical condition might be” (SAMUEL @ www.ucc.org. Reaching out in faith involves incredible risk. Are you willing to take the risk to receive healing and new life from Christ?
Imagine yourself as the father of the 12-year-old girl. Do you not feel winded by the long run to the sea—your lungs burn and your muscles cramp, and yet you push yourself to go faster because you are on a life-and-death errand. Aren’t you afraid that something might happen to her while you are away from home? Isn’t your heart already breaking because you feel so helpless to do anything to save your child’s life? Do you feel like a “bad father” and are you filled with regret over the things you did not do…or did do that you shouldn’t have? Will you risk it all—your job, your reputation, your personal pride, your own life even—to turn your life over to Jesus?
Imagine yourself as the woman who has been ostracized for 12 years with no one coming near her, disdaining her. And you’re so very, very tired. Your disease has taken everything you’ve got—your health, your money, your relationships—to get to this point of desperation. The only thing that has not been stolen from you is your faith. Will you risk it to reach out and simply touch the hem of the master’s cloak?
Imagine you are the sick child. You do not know what is wrong with you; you don’t understand why you’re hurting so bad, you’re burning up with fever, and you’re scared because this time Mom and Dad cannot fix it. You’re suddenly faced with the realization that death make take you away from all you know and all whom you love. You are overwhelmed by the darkness all around you. Will you risk your life to be touched by Jesus and hear him say, “Talitha koum!”? I should think that it would have been better for that 16-year-old boy to hear, “Son, get up!” rather than “Get out of his belly, you gay demon!”
The good news today is that Jesus’ power to heal our lives can cross any and all human barriers we put in his way. We can trust Jesus with the whole truth of our lives, and he WILL make us well one way or another. Remember the words of the Lord for your own healing today:
“Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
“Son, do not fear; only believe.”
“Little girl, get up!” (Little boy, get up!”)
Tell Jesus the whole truth; run to the Lord with every concern; be touched by Christ. In his words and in his touch we can seek—and find—the freedom of new life that comes from the healing power of a faithful relationship with Jesus Christ. And if these words don’t convince you of what Jesus can do in your life, how about these, Run; Reach; Rise and do everything in his name and as your heart warms with a growing faith, you will not only be made well, you will also be overcome by amazement because with your new way of life, you will see how the Kingdom of God has come near to you. Amen.
June 28, 2009
First Parish Federated Church of South Berwick, Maine
The Reverend Donna Lee Muise, Pastor
June 30, 2009
June 22, 2009
Inside and Out: How to be a More Beautiful Person
I Samuel 15:34-16:13; Mark 4:26-34; II Corinthians 5:6-10, 14-17
GOOD NEWS: God knows who we truly are because he looks inside our hearts and not on our outward appearance.
MESSAGE: Grow in your relationship with God, through his son, Jesus Christ, and you will become a more beautiful person inside and out.
She sang, “I Dreamed a Dream,” and a frizzy-haired 47-year-old Scottish woman, named Susan Boyle, knocked the world off its axis. With over 11m hits on YouTube, this plain-faced, , bushy-eye-browed woman is living proof that the old adage is true, you cannot judge a book by its cover.
For the three judges and millions of witnesses, the heavenly sound that came out of Susan's mouth could only have come from the heart and soul of an angel. No one on either side of the Atlantic Ocean would ever have imagined the beautiful voice tucked away inside this odd-mannered woman. Today, she is living proof of “Fronti nulla fides,” which translates, “never have faith in the front” (Juvenal, Satires II, 8). And what we have learned about Susan since that night is that regardless of the strength and beauty of her voice, she is just as vulnerable to exhaustion, mood swings and fear as the rest of us.
The Good News for us is that God looks upon our hearts and not on our outward appearances when he considers who we really are. God never judges us by our packaging. God never keeps faith in the front we present to the world. No amount of beauty or brawn can hide our true hearts from God. We may be able to fool others about who we are, but we will never fool the Lord.
So, instead of trying to be perfect on the outside, why not explore how to be beautiful on the inside? Each scripture today can speak in its own way to this idea. The more we allow God to grow in our hearts, the more we walk by faith and not by sight, the more beautiful we will become on the inside; and a beautiful person on the inside radiates beauty on the outside.
Among many truths, one message today's scriptures reveal is this one: As we grow in our relationship with God, through faith in his son, Jesus Christ, we will become more beautiful, inside and out.
The anointing of the young and ruddy shepherd boy, David, as future King of Israel, demonstrates not only that God knows what is in our hearts, but also that God chooses us for the strength of our inner beauty and not for the attractiveness of our outer appearances.
Of the eight sons of Jesse, David was the least likely candidate to be king. Even Samuel the prophet, who was sent to do the anointing, was dumbfounded as son after handsome son was rejected by God. Samuel's problem was that he used human standards to judge who should be king.
The prophet is admonished by God for his supposition: “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look upon the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart” (16:7).
(1)
In I Samuel 17, David's heart is proved when he faces the giant Philistine, Goliath, with only a slingshot, five smooth stones and a heart beating with the unwavering belief that there is a living God in Israel. David's relationship with the living God empowered him to defeat the Philistines on his own. No king's armor or warrior's bravery were needed. Time after time, David showed courage and steadfast love for the Lord.
We also know that there were times when temptation overruled his heart, and David grieved God with his sin. Still, the scripture says that God loved David...David was a man after God's own heart (I Samuel 13:13-14).
We might think that God loved David so much because he was courageous and confident and strong...but those are human ways of judging others. No, God loved David because of his truthful and trusting heart. When David was confronted with his sin, he was broken by it. He fell on his face and asked the Lord's forgiveness. True repentance makes us beautiful in the sight of the Lord. In Psalm 51, David writes,
(6) Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
(17) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
What else makes us beautiful in the sight of the Lord? Let's look at the parable of the Mustard Seed.
In a world that confuses size with power and price, the parable of the mustard seed (“the smallest of all seeds”--at least at that time) presents a contradiction. The mustard tree grows very large, so large birds can make their nests in its branches. How can something so large come from a seed so small? And why does the mustard seed have anything to do with having a beautiful heart?
I see this parable as an experiment in encouragement. It is a parable about trust. William Barclay wrote, “Never be daunted by small beginnings” (Barclay, The Gospel of Mark, p 110). This parable once again shows us that human criteria do not apply in the kingdom of God; God looks at the heart of the matter.
In this story, Jesus is teaching that size or relative power at the beginning of the journey does not indicate the final result. “God's mysterious power as shown by the seed's growth cycle can be compared to how the gospel works in the hearts of believers” (Life Application Bible Commentary; Mark, p 115).
No matter how small we deem the seed of faith in our hearts, God can and will make it grow, if we are but willing to build the right relationship. The right relationship is with God's son, Jesus Christ. Understanding God's truth is linked to one's relationship with Jesus. If we keep Jesus at a distance, we can only observe his love from a distance. If we get close to Jesus, we understand his love from within. Jesus' love within us makes us beautiful, inside and out.
(2)
When I read Paul's words in his letter to the Corinthians, I am captured by the beauty of his joy. He embodies the beauty and love that comes from deep relationship with Jesus Christ. He is a walking witness to the incredible change that God can effect when the Lord lives in our hearts—Paul was transformed from persecutor to peacemaker, all from a close encounter with the risen Lord on a dusty road, traveling to Damascus.
From Paul we learn that one who walks by sight sees only the visible...and what is visible is temporary. The one who walks by faith will see beyond the visible to what is invisible, permanent and eternal (Preaching Through the Christian YearB, p 309).
What are we talking about here? We are talking about looking at the world the way God looks upon the world, by examining the hearts of his people. We are talking about the Christian's dual existence: the one we live in a mortal body on earth and the one we live in Christ, through the eyes of faith and a heart filled with love.
Walking by faith and not by sight is the culmination of believing that what is visible to the mortal mind is transient and what is invisible is eternal. “The life of faith by definition transcends bodily existence as it draws its sustaining power from the risen Lord whom we know but cannot see, except with the eyes of faith” (PTTCYB, p 310). A life walked in faith makes us beautiful, inside and out.
We have examined at least three qualities that when allowed and encouraged to grow within our hearts make us beautiful, inside and out. We tend to think that we are stuck with the heart we are born with, that if it is selfish and weak from the start it will be selfish and weak at the end. If our hearts are trepidatious and vulnerable through most of our lives, we think we are too late to make an exchange for courage and strength.
This is how mortals think; it is not how God looks on us. God looks beyond the visible, beyond appearances, and sees the eternal good, the inextinguishable light that can shine from our hearts.
God gives all the growth, all the beauty the world has ever heard or seen, whether it is an angelic voice from a woman named Susan or the new eyes of faith from a man named Paul, who was blinded by the beautiful light of Jesus Christ.
And what have we learned about being beautiful? We have learned that God looks inside our hearts to judge us and not upon our outward appearances; we have learned that we are to trust in small beginnings, for in God's hands they shall bring inspirational results; and we have learned that to walk by faith and not by sight reveals the promised hope that lies beyond this world; the invisible eternal, heaven's home, the kingdom of God.
David was small, young and ruddy looking, yet God could see the light in his heart and that light shone on his face, in his eyes, throughout his life.
Mustard trees were considered a nuisance, yet they demonstrate the promise that large, heavenly benefits can come from small, earthly beginnings.
Faith gives us vision beyond the visible to the invisible, beyond what is temporary to what is eternal.
The ways of God are loving and beautiful; Jesus came to earth to teach us about God, and how to be loving and beautiful, too.
Go ahead and dream the dream; the more we allow God to grow in our hearts through developing a deepening relationship with Jesus Christ, the more beautiful we become, inside and out. Amen.
June 14, 2009
First Parish Federated Church, South Berwick, ME
The Reverend Donna Lee Muise, Pastor
GOOD NEWS: God knows who we truly are because he looks inside our hearts and not on our outward appearance.
MESSAGE: Grow in your relationship with God, through his son, Jesus Christ, and you will become a more beautiful person inside and out.
She sang, “I Dreamed a Dream,” and a frizzy-haired 47-year-old Scottish woman, named Susan Boyle, knocked the world off its axis. With over 11m hits on YouTube, this plain-faced, , bushy-eye-browed woman is living proof that the old adage is true, you cannot judge a book by its cover.
For the three judges and millions of witnesses, the heavenly sound that came out of Susan's mouth could only have come from the heart and soul of an angel. No one on either side of the Atlantic Ocean would ever have imagined the beautiful voice tucked away inside this odd-mannered woman. Today, she is living proof of “Fronti nulla fides,” which translates, “never have faith in the front” (Juvenal, Satires II, 8). And what we have learned about Susan since that night is that regardless of the strength and beauty of her voice, she is just as vulnerable to exhaustion, mood swings and fear as the rest of us.
The Good News for us is that God looks upon our hearts and not on our outward appearances when he considers who we really are. God never judges us by our packaging. God never keeps faith in the front we present to the world. No amount of beauty or brawn can hide our true hearts from God. We may be able to fool others about who we are, but we will never fool the Lord.
So, instead of trying to be perfect on the outside, why not explore how to be beautiful on the inside? Each scripture today can speak in its own way to this idea. The more we allow God to grow in our hearts, the more we walk by faith and not by sight, the more beautiful we will become on the inside; and a beautiful person on the inside radiates beauty on the outside.
Among many truths, one message today's scriptures reveal is this one: As we grow in our relationship with God, through faith in his son, Jesus Christ, we will become more beautiful, inside and out.
The anointing of the young and ruddy shepherd boy, David, as future King of Israel, demonstrates not only that God knows what is in our hearts, but also that God chooses us for the strength of our inner beauty and not for the attractiveness of our outer appearances.
Of the eight sons of Jesse, David was the least likely candidate to be king. Even Samuel the prophet, who was sent to do the anointing, was dumbfounded as son after handsome son was rejected by God. Samuel's problem was that he used human standards to judge who should be king.
The prophet is admonished by God for his supposition: “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look upon the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart” (16:7).
(1)
In I Samuel 17, David's heart is proved when he faces the giant Philistine, Goliath, with only a slingshot, five smooth stones and a heart beating with the unwavering belief that there is a living God in Israel. David's relationship with the living God empowered him to defeat the Philistines on his own. No king's armor or warrior's bravery were needed. Time after time, David showed courage and steadfast love for the Lord.
We also know that there were times when temptation overruled his heart, and David grieved God with his sin. Still, the scripture says that God loved David...David was a man after God's own heart (I Samuel 13:13-14).
We might think that God loved David so much because he was courageous and confident and strong...but those are human ways of judging others. No, God loved David because of his truthful and trusting heart. When David was confronted with his sin, he was broken by it. He fell on his face and asked the Lord's forgiveness. True repentance makes us beautiful in the sight of the Lord. In Psalm 51, David writes,
(6) Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
(17) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
What else makes us beautiful in the sight of the Lord? Let's look at the parable of the Mustard Seed.
In a world that confuses size with power and price, the parable of the mustard seed (“the smallest of all seeds”--at least at that time) presents a contradiction. The mustard tree grows very large, so large birds can make their nests in its branches. How can something so large come from a seed so small? And why does the mustard seed have anything to do with having a beautiful heart?
I see this parable as an experiment in encouragement. It is a parable about trust. William Barclay wrote, “Never be daunted by small beginnings” (Barclay, The Gospel of Mark, p 110). This parable once again shows us that human criteria do not apply in the kingdom of God; God looks at the heart of the matter.
In this story, Jesus is teaching that size or relative power at the beginning of the journey does not indicate the final result. “God's mysterious power as shown by the seed's growth cycle can be compared to how the gospel works in the hearts of believers” (Life Application Bible Commentary; Mark, p 115).
No matter how small we deem the seed of faith in our hearts, God can and will make it grow, if we are but willing to build the right relationship. The right relationship is with God's son, Jesus Christ. Understanding God's truth is linked to one's relationship with Jesus. If we keep Jesus at a distance, we can only observe his love from a distance. If we get close to Jesus, we understand his love from within. Jesus' love within us makes us beautiful, inside and out.
(2)
When I read Paul's words in his letter to the Corinthians, I am captured by the beauty of his joy. He embodies the beauty and love that comes from deep relationship with Jesus Christ. He is a walking witness to the incredible change that God can effect when the Lord lives in our hearts—Paul was transformed from persecutor to peacemaker, all from a close encounter with the risen Lord on a dusty road, traveling to Damascus.
From Paul we learn that one who walks by sight sees only the visible...and what is visible is temporary. The one who walks by faith will see beyond the visible to what is invisible, permanent and eternal (Preaching Through the Christian YearB, p 309).
What are we talking about here? We are talking about looking at the world the way God looks upon the world, by examining the hearts of his people. We are talking about the Christian's dual existence: the one we live in a mortal body on earth and the one we live in Christ, through the eyes of faith and a heart filled with love.
Walking by faith and not by sight is the culmination of believing that what is visible to the mortal mind is transient and what is invisible is eternal. “The life of faith by definition transcends bodily existence as it draws its sustaining power from the risen Lord whom we know but cannot see, except with the eyes of faith” (PTTCYB, p 310). A life walked in faith makes us beautiful, inside and out.
We have examined at least three qualities that when allowed and encouraged to grow within our hearts make us beautiful, inside and out. We tend to think that we are stuck with the heart we are born with, that if it is selfish and weak from the start it will be selfish and weak at the end. If our hearts are trepidatious and vulnerable through most of our lives, we think we are too late to make an exchange for courage and strength.
This is how mortals think; it is not how God looks on us. God looks beyond the visible, beyond appearances, and sees the eternal good, the inextinguishable light that can shine from our hearts.
God gives all the growth, all the beauty the world has ever heard or seen, whether it is an angelic voice from a woman named Susan or the new eyes of faith from a man named Paul, who was blinded by the beautiful light of Jesus Christ.
And what have we learned about being beautiful? We have learned that God looks inside our hearts to judge us and not upon our outward appearances; we have learned that we are to trust in small beginnings, for in God's hands they shall bring inspirational results; and we have learned that to walk by faith and not by sight reveals the promised hope that lies beyond this world; the invisible eternal, heaven's home, the kingdom of God.
David was small, young and ruddy looking, yet God could see the light in his heart and that light shone on his face, in his eyes, throughout his life.
Mustard trees were considered a nuisance, yet they demonstrate the promise that large, heavenly benefits can come from small, earthly beginnings.
Faith gives us vision beyond the visible to the invisible, beyond what is temporary to what is eternal.
The ways of God are loving and beautiful; Jesus came to earth to teach us about God, and how to be loving and beautiful, too.
Go ahead and dream the dream; the more we allow God to grow in our hearts through developing a deepening relationship with Jesus Christ, the more beautiful we become, inside and out. Amen.
June 14, 2009
First Parish Federated Church, South Berwick, ME
The Reverend Donna Lee Muise, Pastor
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