Jesus Heals
Posted by stpauls on February 12, 2012 under Sermons | 
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Jesus heals.
This is an outrageous and courageous statement. It is what today’s reading from Mark proclaims.
But can we believe it?
Well, maybe looking back 2000 years this is not so easily done. What proof is there besides the witness of our sacred text? And it is hard for us in the busyness of our lives to find our way into the sacredness of our Holy Scriptures. Too often we get sidetracked. Too often we find ourselves distant and at odds with what we have heard. Or too often our thoughts jump around in our minds like monkeys in a tree. Maybe you tuned out as it was read, doing the shopping list for today’s grocery-run instead, or thinking about the food you might order at brunch, or wondering if the preacher really has anything to say to you, or worrying about the bills that need paying, or struggling with the dark sides of your life, or doubting if this really is a story that can be trusted and relied upon, or, or, or… It’s not easy to focus on the message of the text.
But maybe there is another way to find substance and truth in the proclamation that Jesus heals. Maybe we need to look not so much to the past. Maybe we need to look at those who follow Jesus today for confirmation of this statement. Maybe this is how we learn to trust that God was revealed in time among us in Jesus the Christ and that the story of Jesus did not end on the hard wood of the cross, but continues after the resurrection here in our reality as a story of healing.
Jesus heals.
I believe this is not just a historical statement, but it proclaims a theological truth when I look at the mission, ministry, and life of St. Paul’s Anglican Church, of those who follow Jesus in this place.
It has been an incredible year. And I think in our worries and concerns we too often forget to celebrate what we have accomplished. This is not a call to be Pollyanna. When things are not working as they should, we must identify and work on them. We all make mistakes and we all can improve. Being human means we screw up and sin. I do. And I have done it both in my personal life and I have done it in the past year in my ministry among you. And I do want to apologize to those I have offended.
However, should our mistakes be our focus?
There are people out there, who search for fault like there was a prize in it. But operating out of scarcity rather than celebrating abundance is not only harmful to community-building; it also violates the spirit of Gospel.
There is so much goodness in this place. There are so many amazing things happening here. There are so many incredibly beautiful people involved with and connected to this parish. Together we are making God’s mission real in so many astonishing, life-giving, and wonderful ways. And this is more than mere statistics!
Yes, in 2011, we celebrated five baptisms, five weddings, and offered up five people for confirmation by our bishop. Yes, we had to say final good-byes to parishioners and friends thirteen times, celebrating thirteen lives that touched us. We gathered 30 times for non-Eucharistic celebrations last year and made 83 Home Communion visits. The Eucharist was celebrated 133 times during the week and 144 times on Sundays, for total of 277 times in 2011.
Yet, these statistics do not include
- · the multitudes of pastoral conversations,
- · or the uncountable prayers offered here,
- · or the extensive planning and brainstorming for our future,
- · or the generous hospitality offered to all regardless of age, gender-identity, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, relationship-status, socio-economic background, or theology,
- · nor do these statistics include the cacophony of laughter exploding regularly at St Paul’s and the thousands of tears shed hear.
Furthermore, these statistics do not speak about the over-abundant commitment of the staff and of those parishioners who are part of leadership, like the wardens, the treasurer, the secretary, the financial assistants, or the church committee members!
And, the above statistics also do not bring to the forefront
- the lives healed through the work of our advocacy office, which saw and amazing increase from 2700 to 3400 client visits last year,
- or the ministry of our Labyrinth, which held the sorrows and joys of so many walkers,
- or the profound magnificence of our music ministry, which mends broken hearts through beauty and wonder,
- or the holiness of our two sacred spaces, which are maintained by volunteers and staff,
- or the heart-warming hospitality offered by ushers and coffee-hour-ministers,
- or the fervor of Our House, which restores homeless addicts to the beauty God intends for them,
- or the prophetic insights and deep spiritual truths accessible through our library, the monthly book-studies, and Education for Ministry classes,
- or the hard work offered by our healing guild, through whose ministries aching souls are restored, wholeness is offered, and darkness and despair are dispelled,
- or the profound depth of our worship services, which reconnect us to the One, who loved us into being and who continues to rejoice in the beauty of life in each and every one of us.
It is overwhelming and breath-taking to realise the amount of ministry that goes on in this place, undertaken by all of us: all of us, who follow The Way of Jesus in this place.
When Screening in Faith, under the amazing leadership of Warden Sharon Connaughty, collated job description for each ministry position, we discovered that there are almost 50 different kind of ministry opportunities at St. Paul’s. Fifty! And in a recent Parish Mission Review, conducted by our diocese, it became clear that we are sustainable, viable, and mission-oriented.
There indeed is a lot going on here! And there is a lot for which we can be thankful and which we need to celebrate. We have done great things as we continue to be Christ’s agent of healing in a hurting, suffering, confused, and searching world. It is not so much that we bring about God’s mission, but God’s mission to heal and restore has found us here at St. Paul’s as willing agents. And thanks be to God for this– and thanks be to you!
Jesus heals.
Yes indeed!
And you can experience this here in this place.
Jesus heals.
What great news.
What a great message to proclaim!
So, what then to do with Jesus’ stern instructions to the healed leper to shush and not talk about the healing? Shouldn’t I take my cue from Jesus and do what most Anglicans do anyhow as they insist that faith-matters are private and should never be broadcasted?
Well, no. God does indeed call us to preach the Gospel at all times through word and prayer and action.
However, there are two things we need to keep in mind as we ponder today’s reading from Mark:
While God’s love is made manifest in Jesus’ acts of healing, which remain rather problematic for our 21st century minds to grasp, God’s true identity and character are revealed not in these healings, but in Jesus’ birth of our sister Mary, in his death on the cross, and his rising from the grave. God did not become one of us to be just another faith-healer or a magic trickster. That would not be good enough! But God was born as one of us, so that God will forever be inextricably linked to our human experience and our human fate. And God died a human death so that no aspect of our human lives, however dark or painful it may be, will ever be God-less. The Easter morning completes this revelation as it finalizes God’s triumph over evil and death and offers each and every one of us life in abundance. Healing in Jesus’ name does not reveal who God is, but it is a result of God’s ever-abundant love that seeks to penetrate every aspect of our lives. Looking at healings and miracles as means in themselves falls short of exploring God’s true character and identity.
No wonder Jesus was edgy about how people should talk about healings and miracles!
The second thing to remember in the story, though, is this: because the leper ran around telling everybody what was going on, Jesus could no longer do what he was called to do. The over-glorification of the leper hindered the mission of God.
And this is our challenge as we take stock at our 122ndannual general meeting, aka our Annual Vestry.
Yes, we have lots of reasons to celebrate and rejoice at what we have accomplished. And we should and will celebrate and rejoice. By all means! My heart overflows with gratitude, when I think of the hard work of our wardens, treasurer, and secretary and the amazing amount of ministries and ministers here in this place.
However, this should not make us blind to the work of healing that is still waiting. God sends us out, all of us, into the city. God’s mission for this place is to become agents of healing not just for our own sake, but also for the sake of the people in our neighbourhoods.
And we are on the move!
- The vision for mission and ministry, discerned together in the Ministry Assessment Process, is taking shape. We have created working groups for each of our ministry identities of healing, worship, reflection, and hospitality. Exciting and life-giving opportunities await us as these working groups implement our vision.
- Our stewardship campaign is taking shape in ways we have not explored before.
- And we have finally found the right set of parishioners to create a vision for our buildings.
There is a great future ahead of us!
May Jesus continue to be a healing presence in this place. And may we continue to be willing to assist Jesus in healing what is broken in the lives of individuals, broken in the life of our community, broken in the life of our world, and broken in the life of our planet.