Gathering Around Jesus

Based on Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

First delivered July 22, 2018

Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr

            It’s a fishing trip I will never forget. Our family owned a timeshare on Padre Island, along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. One summer, when we were down there, we took a fishing charter to go out into the gulf to fish for red snapper. It was a particularly choppy day, causing the boat to go up and down the whole time. Well, for the whole time we were out there I fished for all of 15 minutes. The rest of the time I was either throwing up or trying not to. It was not a fun experience. I did manage to catch a snapper. But it was not exactly the fishing experience I had hoped for. Needless to say I was relieved when we finally got off that boat and was on solid ground, even though for a good two hours it felt even the land was rocking back and forth. If you asked me then, I would have told you that was my last time to take a fishing charter boat. And, in fact, I haven’t gone out again.

            I’m sure the disciples were glad to be on solid ground with the boat moored after their night time journey across the stormy sea. It was a frightful storm, even for these seasoned fisher men. But the choppy seas were not the only thing that frightened them that night. They saw Jesus walking out to them on the water! They thought it was a ghost. But Jesus climbed into the boat and instantly the wind ceased and the sea grew calm. They were utterly astounded. And now, having experienced a night on the sea they would never forget, they were safe and secure on solid ground.

            Have any of you been on a boat when the surf is rough and the boat is rocking back and forth? It’s not fun. It generates anxiety. It sometimes even makes you physically sick. Sometimes life is like that. Sometimes life hits us like a gale force wind and we find ourselves rocking back and forth from one crisis to the next. Just as we can’t control the wind, sometimes situations beyond our control come at us and knock us around. And sometimes our lives get so rocky and stressful that we can actually get physically sick from it. There are times we wish we could press pause on our life so we can get out of the storm and rest awhile on solid ground.

            And in a way that’s what we are doing right now. When we come to church on Sunday morning, it is sort of like mooring the boat that is daily life so that we can stand on solid ground. I’m talking about the solid ground that is the church, this living faith that is founded on the rock which is Jesus Christ. The church that we are gathered into today is an expression of a tradition that has stretched out for over 2000 years. Empires have risen and fallen but the church remains. And so when we gather here on Sunday morning we are able to step away from the restless sea that is our daily lives and rest on solid ground.

            It is good to be here in this place for a time of rest on this solid ground, this gathered community where we find safety and security. We need times to rest from the turbulent lives we live. But we need more than just a brief hour of rest. We have other needs that need met. What are those needs? What is available for us as we are gathered here on the solid ground that is the church of Jesus Christ?

            We heard in the scriptures this morning that the crowds rushed to Jesus. They didn’t wait for him to drop by their house. They went to where he was and gathered around him. And as they flocked to Jesus, Jesus was filled with compassion for them, looking upon them as sheep without a shepherd. They were a people in need of guidance, instruction, wisdom. And so, as the people gathered around Jesus, he taught them many things.

            In the same way, we gather together Sunday after Sunday. We gather as a people in need of guidance, instruction, wisdom. Importantly, you are not gathering around me. We are all gathering around Jesus who is the Word of God. The Word is opened to us in the reading of scripture, the reciting of a psalm, and the singing of hymns. It is my earnest hope that in these sermons I deliver that there is something in them that Jesus desires to impart to us and that anything I say that is not of God would drift away as chaff in the wind. The same goes for the Friendship Circle, where Susanne, Jean, and Melissa share insights from God’s Word.

            We also hear in the scriptures that the crowds rushed to Jesus, bringing those who were ill to him, so that they might touch him and be healed. The people needed more than just instruction. There were many sick people that needed healing. And it appears that it took more than Jesus offering up a pastoral prayer for healing. Neither a general prayer, nor a specific prayer request was sufficient. Those who were sick needed to be touched by Jesus. What was required for healing was a one-on-one direct encounter with the great healer. They begged to Jesus that they might be given permission only to touch the fringe of his cloak. And so we read that all who touched the fringe of his cloak were healed. Personal, direct contact was required for healing to take place.

            Is this not true for us? We gather together, not just to receive instruction from the word of God but also to be healed. We are all in need of healing. And this healing is not limited to physical healing. The healing we need includes emotional healing as well as spiritual healing. In the rough and tumble of life we get injured in a multitude of ways. Sometimes others hurt us by their words or their actions. Sometimes we hurt ourselves by our own self-talk and our own actions.

            And yes, prayer makes a difference. The pastoral prayer I give every Sunday is not a waste of time. Praying for the well-being of others, both in a general sense and with specificity, certainly doesn’t hurt. Prayer opens up the possibility for God to act, to work the healing that God desires for every person. Prayer is one way we co-operate with God’s healing work.

            But I submit to you that for healing to occur there is a need for a personal encounter with Jesus. Of course, I am talking in a spiritual sense. And because it is a personal, spiritual connection, it’s not something I can speak about with any sense of clarity or objectivity. To have that personal connection is a knowing that is subjective. It’s like when my sister asked me how I knew that Kim was the one I was meant to marry. All I could say was, “I just know.” It’s the same thing with a personal encounter with Jesus. When it happens, you know it within the depths of your soul. And that encounter has power that endures. It is an encounter that is imprinted on your very being. You carry that encounter with you for the rest of your days. And sometimes that encounter is renewed, and you feel the effects of that encounter. At least, that is my experience.

            There’s one thing I want to highlight for you that we heard in the scripture reading, specifically vv. 55 and 56, where we hear that the people brought the sick on mats to wherever Jesus was, laying the sick before Jesus so that he might touch them and be healed. They didn’t ask Jesus to come to the sick, they brought the sick to Jesus. These were people that for whatever reason were unable to get to Jesus. So they didn’t tell Jesus where to go, whose house to visit. No, they brought the sick to where Jesus was.

            So this gets me to thinking. I am trying to think of people I know who are in need of a personal encounter with Jesus, who are in need of healing, people that I need to take the initiative to bring to church, where Jesus is, so that they too might have that encounter and be healed from whatever ails them. Do you know of anyone? As you make a mental image of the people you know or associate with, is there anyone that you feel a prompting to bring with you to church some Sunday? This is something I invite you to keep in the back of your mind. If you ever find yourself in conversation with somebody who is expressing their need for healing, in addition to maybe saying, “I’ll pray for you,” also ask, “Are you free this Sunday? I would like to take you to my church. There are some great people there. It is a place where I find peace and encouragement. I think you might enjoy it.”

            And this leads me to the last thing I want to talk about. When Jesus looked at the crowd gathering around him, he had compassion for them. Compassion is not the same thing as pity. Pity is a feeling that comes from your heart. It’s a feeling that maybe makes you sad or weighs you down a little. Pity is like feeling bad for someone and maybe thinking to yourself, “But for the grace of God, that could be me.” But compassion is a feeling that comes from your gut, from the pit of your stomach. This is a feeling where you can relate in some way with what the person is going through. It hits home. And you are drawn to respond in some way. You can’t just shrug your shoulders and then move on. Compassion drives you to respond.

            I recently heard a great story about this guy who owns a bar in North Carolina who demonstrates for me what compassion is all about. It all started when a patron told him that her wallet had been stolen and inside the wallet was not just money but her wedding band. The bartender said he would do what he could. He personally reviewed hours of security video tape until he spotted her wallet sitting on the bench outside his establishment. He then watched a young man take the wallet. He later found the man, just a 17 year old kid. The boy confessed to taking the wallet. He was homeless, estranged from his family, and was trying to make it on his own. He took the money and then threw the wallet into a lake. The bartender then hired a diving crew to go search for the wallet. They found the wallet and inside of it was the woman’s wedding band. But the story doesn’t end there. The bartender took the boy into his own home. He also hired him to work at the bar. The boy can’t thank him enough for going the extra mile to help him get back on the right track. This bar owner embodies compassion. I would love to know his backstory, what experiences he had in his life that made it possible for him to be moved to action in such an abundant way to respond to the needs of others.

            We can be inspired by this man to have the same compassion for others. But I want to leave you with this thought. We would like to aspire to be the ones acting out of compassion, but do we ever think about how we are the ones in need of a compassionate response? We would much rather be givers of compassion than receivers of it. Most of the time we don’t want to consider ourselves in need of anyone’s care, much less pity. We strive to be self-sufficient. Maybe sometimes we don’t think we are deserving of anyone’s care, much less anyone’s compassion. We would rather suffer alone than be the recipient of someone’s loving care. Why is that? Why are we afraid to acknowledge our own vulnerability, our own hurts and loss, our own need for care? I just want you to know that when Jesus looked out over the crowd and was moved with compassion, that Jesus was looking at you and me. He knows what we need, even if we aren’t so clear ourselves of what we need. And Jesus does not pity us. He has compassion for us. He is moved to action, to respond to our needs. So be grateful that when Jesus looks at you, he sees you with eyes of compassion. And he will do whatever is possible to meet your deepest needs, so that you may be free from everything that prevents you from living an abundant life, so that you might be healed.

Telling the Truth with Love in Your Heart

Based on Mark 6:14-29

Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr

            The gospel of Mark is a story that’s told in a hurry. In chapter one alone we are introduced to John the Baptist, and then at verse 9 we read of Jesus being baptized by John. Jesus’ time in the wilderness is dealt with in two verses. Then we read of him calling his first disciples, healing several people, preaching all through Galilee, all of this in 31 more verses. The haste of the telling throughout the gospel is enhanced by the liberal use of the word “immediately.” Mark is the shortest gospel. It is told with an economy of words and with sparse detail. It’s almost like this gospel is an outline version that the teller has to then elaborate to fill in the detail.

            But today we hear a story that is full of detail. This story is almost 1/3 as long as the first chapter. There are a number of characters that interact with each other. But Jesus is somewhat behind the scenes. His shadow is cast over the story even though he is not one of the people involved.

            The story begins by reporting on who people thought Jesus was. People were saying Jesus was like John, or like Elijah, or like one of the prophets of old. But Herod was convinced Jesus was like John, like a reincarnated John. Specifically, he says that Jesus is John raised from the dead. We then hear about what Herod and John’s relationship was like, and how Herod ended up executing John. In this story we learn of Herod’s wife Herodias, who had been married to Herod’s brother, Phillip. Apparently Phillip divorced Herodias and Herod then married her, his former sister-in-law. We have Herodias’ daughter from her relationship with Phillip, which makes her Herod’s niece, now step-daughter, dancing at his birthday party. Although it is not explicitly stated, it is assumed that she danced in a provocative manner, which is gross to have your niece dance that way. But that’s how messed up this whole situation is. All this is taking place in the presence of Herod’s court and a bunch of other aristocrats and powerful people. This story portrays the debauched and vicious immorality of the elites, of which John the Baptist is the exact opposite, being by Herod’s own admission a righteous and holy man, a man who had the courage to tell Herod to his face that his marriage to Herodias was a scandal.

            What do you think Mark was up to by including this story? He barely said anything about Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness and said nothing about Jesus’ birth, yet presents this extended and highly detailed story about John and his execution. Why was this story so important to Mark?  I see this story doing a few things for Mark, a story that serves a number of purposes.

            First, it serves as a foreshadowing of what will happen to Jesus. Herodias wanted John killed because of the things he was saying about her, that he was calling out her wickedness, but she couldn’t do it. The religious leaders wanted to put Jesus to death because of the things he said about them, how he called out their sin, but they did not have the means to do it. Herod protected John, knowing that he was a righteous man. He enjoyed hearing what he had to say even though what he said often left him perplexed. Pontius Pilate protected Jesus, knowing that he had done nothing deserving of death. He was perplexed by the things Jesus said, or didn’t say in his silence. Because of the vow he had made before his court, Herod felt compelled to execute John, even though he didn’t want to do it. Because of the crowd and the pressure applied by the religious leaders, Pilate had Jesus executed even though he really didn’t want to do it. So you see how this account of John’s execution has a number of parallels with Jesus’ execution.

            This story also serves as a contrast to what Jesus and John were up to. John and Jesus are holy and righteous men while Herod and Herodias are unholy and unrighteous. Herod’s birthday feast turned into a macabre display as John’s head is brought in on a platter. Meanwhile, Jesus is feeding the five thousand. His last supper with his disciples initiates a new covenant that brings about life. Two very different banquets. And that’s the biggest contrast. The scene of Herod’s birthday party depicts debauchery and death. But Jesus’ banquet with his disciples is all about his sacrifice that brings about forgiveness and new life. Herod and Herodias are all about debauchery and death. But John and Jesus are all about repentance, holiness, healing, and life.

            And this is what I want us to focus on today. I want us to pay attention to what John was doing and why it got him into trouble. Of all that Mark was doing with this story, I think he takes the time to tell us what John did so that John can be a model, a source of inspiration, for the followers of Jesus. It would do us well to pay attention to what John is doing and wonder if this is something we can do.

            What we see in John is that he was a truth teller in spite of the risk to his own person. Whether he was intimidated or not, John would not give King Herod a pass for his wickedness. If Herod was doing something immoral or beneath his dignity, John would call him out on it. It didn’t matter if Herod was president, I mean king. John spoke out and called out immoral behavior, no matter who you were or how much power or status you had. No one was untouchable for John’s righteous indignation. And he would not stop. He made a pest of himself. He would not be silenced. And as a consequence, Herodias took the opportunity given to her to have John’s head cut off so she no longer had to hear his condemning voice, a voice that spoke the truth. For John, telling the truth about things was worth risking your life. And as history shows us, to be a truth teller is a risky proposition.

            But John wasn’t a truth teller because he had a big ego. He wasn’t an obnoxious know-it-all who gleefully pontificated about everyone else’s moral failures. John was no bully, knocking people down so that he could feel superior. John was also not a moralist. He was not holier-than-thou, or some kind of puritan prude. Again, John was not about presenting himself as morally superior to all other people. Nor was he a hypocrite. Herod himself acknowledged that he was righteous and holy. John not only called out bad behavior, he lived a righteous life. His hypocrisy was minimal. The way he lived his life gave him the authority to call out those who were in need of repentance. In other words, John was a credible truth teller because he lived by the truth that he proclaimed. His life matched his words. He was a person of integrity.

            But not only did John have integrity, I think that John was driven to speak the truth because he knew that right living was the best kind of life. He knew that living a life consistent with moral precepts leads to a better quality of life. Not that life won’t have challenges, pain, and tragedy. But it will be better, fuller, more vibrant. I mean, look what we have here. Herod is married to his former sister-in-law while her ex-husband Phillip, Herod’s brother, is still alive. How humiliating this must have been for Phillip. How disrespectful Herod was and shameful Herodias was. It’s a messed up relationship that generates a bad vibe. It’s weird for Herodias’ daughter, whose uncle is now her step-dad. And she goes out there dancing for his pleasure. Doesn’t the whole scene make you recoil? This is Jerry Springer territory. And this is the aristocracy, the ones who are supposed to be the guardians of the tradition and all that is good and honorable.

            What I’m trying to say is, John called Herod out, not to prove a point, not to stroke his ego or be a trouble maker, not out of any sense of animosity or disrespect, but because John loved Herod. He knew that Herod’s life would be so much better if he got out of this relationship, repented, made things right with his brother. He knew that if Herod would repent, that is life would be so much better. This is what drove John to call people out and to call them into repentance and living a holy life. It was love that drove John to be a truth teller. Not animosity. Not hate. Not ego or a need to feel superior. It was love, knowing that a right living life is the best life. John knew that facing up to your moral failure, repenting, and committing to living a holy life is the pathway toward healing.

            So who are you in this story? Maybe you resonate with Herod. He knew he wasn’t living right. He respects the man who tells the truth about his life. But he’s not willing to repent and when push comes to shove is willing to shut John up permanently. Do you resonate with Herodias? You have no use for people that are calling you out for the way you are living. Free to judge others you are quick to shut down anyone who dares to judge you.

            Honestly, we generally don’t like being told the truth about ourselves. We don’t like to have our stuff called out. We don’t go to the extent of cutting people’s heads off. But we do cut people off in other ways. We stop talking to them or hanging out with them. We change the subject and keep our conversations on the surface instead of talking about things that matter. We “unfriend” people on Facebook. We can cut off truth tellers in a variety of ways.

            Who do you need to be? I think we all wish we were a bit more like John. We want to be truth tellers, calling people out for their wrong doing and calling them in to repentance and living a better way, and to do that truth telling not from a place of arrogance, or self-righteousness, or as the morality police, but out of a place of love, convinced that a life lived right is the best kind of life, knowing that repentance is a key step toward healing. At least, that’s who I want to be more like. I want to become less like Herod and more like John. I hope you do too.

            Herod thought he had shut John up by having his head cut off. But here comes Jesus, who is John raised from the dead. Another holy man, speaking truth, and calling for people to repent. John may be dead, but the message of John continues. Herod can’t stop the truth being spoken. He can’t stop the call to repentance from happening. The healing work of God, to turn the world around, bringing forth new life, it can’t be stopped.

            The story prior to this one about John is the account of Jesus sending his disciples out two by two, scattering them to all the towns around with the same message Jesus was giving and with the authority to cast out demons and to bring healing to those who are sick. Not only is John’s message of repentance continued by Jesus, it is multiplied. And it’s not just a call to repentance, it is acts that bring about real healing. People are being redeemed and made whole, experiencing new life.

            Throughout the centuries and all around the world, truth tellers and healing workers keep coming. God’s work of redemption will not be stopped. Whatever obstacles are thrown in the way of God’s healing work, whether it be the execution of John, the crucifixion of Jesus, or the long train of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the gospel, nothing can prevent God’s redeeming, healing, life giving work to continue through the lives and actions of real people, people like you and me.

            This is where we find hope. Repentance is always available for us. Each day, each hour, each moment, we can choose to live the right way. And we are always able to join in on God’s healing work, speaking truth, calling for repentance, demonstrating what a life of love looks like. We are always able to continue the healing work of Jesus through our own actions and way of living.

            In U2’s recent album, they have a song that Bono wrote to be a source of encouragement. Like many other people who are concerned about the state of politics in the United States and all that is happening in the world, it sometimes feels overwhelming. So Bono wrote this song partly to serve as a source of encouragement for himself when he is feeling discouraged by the state of the world. The title is “Love is bigger than anything in its way.” That’s one of my takeaways from this story from Mark we have been reflecting on today. This is a truth that can carry us through, a truth that guides us in how to live and grounds us in our living. Love is greater than anything in its way. Out of a place of love, repent from what you need to repent from…speak truth…challenge others to be their better selves…demonstrate what the healing power of love looks like. In the spirit of John, the spirit of Jesus, the spirit of God, live a truth telling life, a life that tells the truth of God’s unlimited love.

Broken, But Not Dead

Based on Mark 5:21-43

First Delivered July 1, 2018

Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr

            What was your life like 12 years ago? It was 2006. In that year, there was an earthquake in Indonesia that killed 6,600 people; Julian Assange started WikiLeaks; North Korea conducted its first nuclear test; and NASA revealed photographs that suggested liquid water on Mars. It was half way through George Bush’s second term. My boys were not yet teenagers. I was beginning my appointment at a church in Cincinnati. Where were you? What was your family like? Your life?

            Think about all that has happened since 2006. We went through the Obama years. We endured the Great Recession and have come through on the other side for the most part. Twitter has become a primary means of communication, from pop stars to presidents. My boys are all teenagers now, with one out of high school. How has your family changed? What are some of the big events you have experienced since 2006?

            I know that the length of time doesn’t change. Time doesn’t speed up or slow down. Still, it seems to me that the older I get the faster time moves. That said, 2006, 12 years ago, may seem like a long time ago for you. Then again, maybe it doesn’t seem that long ago at all. I guess it depends on your perspective.

            For the woman with a hemorrhage, 12 years must have felt like a long time. Can you women even fathom having a menstrual discharge for 12 straight years? Imagine 2006 being the year this began for you, all the way up to this very day. All that lost blood. This woman must have been anemic and alarmingly underweight. Surely her bodily organs were compromised. We don’t know how old she is, but we can guess that because of her illness she has not been able to bear children. It wouldn’t be surprising if her husband has left her. But not just that, because of her condition, she would be considered ritually unclean, and thus unable to enter the Temple for worship. Any person that touched her would be ritually unclean. Anywhere she sits would be unclean. This would have been for her not only 12 years of bodily discomfort and suffering, but also a period marked by abandonment. And to top it all off, she had spent all her money on physicians who were ineffective. In fact she was worse off than when she started going to doctors. Twelve long years of misery.

            But for Jairus and his daughter, 12 years wasn’t long at all. Here was his baby girl, having just made it to the critical stage in her life when she would experience her bat mitvah and become a daughter of the commandment, entering into young womanhood, and she is lying on her death bed. It is way too soon to lose your child. No parent should have to bury their own children, and especially a young child. And it’s one thing to lose your child when she is a baby, or even a toddler. But 12 years is enough time to have lots of memories, to build a close relationship, to see your child grow and develop and become a young woman. To only have 12 years with your daughter and then to have her taken from you, that’s not enough time. It’s too soon.

            Whether 12 years seemed a long time or a short time, both the woman and Jairus found themselves in a similar condition and had a few things in common: they were desperate, they believed Jesus could heal, and they would not be denied.

            They were desperate. The woman with her chronic condition had tried all that medical science could provide and nothing worked. The hemorrhage had taken such a toll on her body. Her social isolation must have been unbearable. Surely she can’t take this much longer. She is desperate to be healed. Jairus, about to lose his daughter to death, is desperate. He doesn’t want to lose his daughter. But he is running out of time. It may already be too late. He needed his daughter healed right now.

            They believed that Jesus could heal. The woman had heard about Jesus, about his healing power. She had tried everything else and nothing worked. Maybe Jesus could heal her. She had to make her way to Jesus, to put herself in his path and hope that she can get her healing. Jairus had also heard about Jesus’ power to heal. Sure, he taught some things that got him in trouble with some of his fellow religious leaders. He sometimes rubbed his colleagues the wrong way. But he also could heal. Raise someone from the dead? Doubtful. But maybe he could get to his daughter in time before she perished. Jesus was his only hope.

            They would not be denied. Jesus and his disciples were surrounded by a crowd and they were in a tight space. Everyone was pushing and shoving as they were making their way. But the crowd parted a little bit as Jairus himself approached Jesus and fell at his feet. He would not send one of his people to get Jesus’ attention. No, Jairus had to go himself. He would use the full weight of his prestige in a public display to plead for Jesus to come heal his daughter. He got Jesus’ attention and Jesus agreed to go with him. So the crowd begins to make its way toward Jairus’ house, moving along as fast as possible because they knew that time was not on their side. The girl could die any minute. They had to hurry.

            Jairus used his privilege as a religious leader to get the crowd to part a little so he could get in front of Jesus and let him know about his emergency. But the woman with the hemorrhage had no such privilege. If she was going to get to Jesus, she would have to push her way through a crowd that was moving away from her. But she would not be denied. She pushed and shoved her way toward the back of Jesus, making each person she touched ritually impure without them knowing it probably. Her relentless pursuit gets her close enough that she can reach out her hand to touch the fringe of Jesus’ cloak. And that was enough. Healing energy flowed from Jesus into the woman’s body and she could feel from her inside that she was healed. Jesus didn’t even know she was pursuing her. He only knew something powerful had happened because he felt it, not the tug of his cloak, for he was being pushed about in the crowd. It was the energy that went out of him. He knew he had healed someone without knowing who he healed. Jesus had to hold everything, in spite of the clock ticking on the life of Jairus’ daughter, to find out who he had healed. Falling on her knees before Jesus, the woman had the floor, proclaiming before everyone what Jesus had done for her. Her public witness ended her 12 years of suffering and social isolation. She was not only healed of her blood flow, but also able to reclaim her place in the community she had lost all those years ago.

            Now, admittedly, these two healing miracles are just that: miracles. They were uniquely possible because of the physical presence of Jesus. There are many people in the world today who have just as much faith as this woman and Jairus who in similar circumstances do not receive a dramatic and instant healing or have their daughter brought back to life. I do not say that miracles such as these never happen. I believe miracles do happen and anything is possible. But miracles can’t be counted on, nor can miracles be the foundation of our faith and hope. We must not be naïve and sentimental about how healing works with Jesus. Not everyone with faith experiences physical healing. Tragedy is something that people of faith can experience. Not every story has a happy ending. And, of course, we will all die no matter how much faith we have in Jesus to heal. These stories of healing we hear about this morning are not so much about the faith of the woman and of Jairus, although that is part of it. They both had faith Jesus could heal and were desperate enough to have that faith because they saw no other option. But these healing miracles are more about revealing who Jesus is as the Son of God. They testify to his power. It’s just naïve to think that all you have to do is have faith that Jesus can heal you and that’s that. Not everyone with faith gets healed. Young people die, no matter how much faith in Jesus their parents might have.

            Still, there is something we can take from these miracles that can serve us through times of suffering and death, either the death of someone we love, the deaths of strangers in newsrooms or high school campuses, or any other tragedies we experience. When Jairus was told that his daughter had died, Jesus said, “Do not be afraid, only believe.” There’s power in that. Jairus was given factual information. His daughter was dead. But the subtext of that statement, the narrative behind it, was “Jesus can’t help you now. It’s hopeless.” It’s that narrative that Jesus came into this world to refute. See, in this life, no matter how bad things get, Jesus can always help us. Because of Jesus we always have hope. If we would but believe that to be so. It is belief, trust, faith that Jesus is our help in time of need, that in Jesus there is an abundant hope, it is this belief that gets us through the tough times. It is this belief that even can help us heal from the hurts and cuts that life brings us.

            I suspect for each one of us, in the years since 2006, some things have happened in your life that you need healed from. Maybe it is a chronic physical condition. Maybe it is a strained or broken relationship. Maybe your heart continues to hurt after the passing away of someone you dearly love. Surely over a 12 year period, something has happened to you that needs healing. I think that as we bring to mind even those points of hurt, injury, illness, brokenness, that Jesus would say to you and me, “Do not be afraid, only believe.” No quick fix. No instant healing. And maybe the healing never fully realizes in this life. But faith in Jesus does make it possible for you and me to keep moving forward, moving toward our own healing, if we not be afraid and believe in Jesus.

            Twelve years from now will be 2030. We will be at the beginning of the third decade of the 21^st century. Imagine how much healing and hope will be needed for the next 12 years: not just in your own life, or that of your family, but of this nation, and of this world. As we open our eyes wider and look around us, and particularly on the body that is the United States, we find countless wounds. And we hear the cries, from street corners, detention centers, prison cells, drug houses, and sweat shops. We live in a time perhaps closing in on desperation, a time that demands of us not to be afraid, and to only believe in the power of Jesus to heal. This kind of faith will be required of us for the next 12 years and beyond. Friends, now is the time to believe that Jesus can heal. And then, like the woman and like Jairus, it is time to pursue Jesus, to push through the crowd and noise, the distractions, the provocateurs perpetuating hate and division and the false hopes of discredited ideology, and pursue Jesus, reach out to Jesus, touch Jesus, the one who is found among the least of these, the one who is found among the discarded and dismissed, the one who is found in the halls of power and privilege. Jesus is everywhere and is ready to bring about healing, if we but reach out and point others to his healing presence. No one is without Jesus. No one is without hope. There is so much healing work that we all need to be about doing. And I don’t see it letting up any time soon.

            Even as we turn to Jesus and reach out to be healed from our past, let us be encouraged that Jesus our healer will be with us in the years ahead. As long as we are alive there is hope. And even when we reach life’s end on this earth, faith, hope and love endure. So we must press forward with our faith in Jesus, our hope in God, and the spirit of love working her way through all we think and do. Now is the time to persevere. I read of someone meeting her Lyft driver to go somewhere and he asked her how she was doing. She said “fine” and asked how he was doing. He said, “Broken, but not dead. Broken, but not dead.” Isn’t that true for all of us? We are all broken, and we live in a broken church, located in a broken city, in a broken nation on a broken world. But we are not dead. And so we live, and move, and do healing work, with hope.