July 1st:
Call: Psalm 130 (848) Text: Mark 5: 21-43 Touching This morning I feel like singing! Not just singing anything But singing something in particular I feel like singing the old hymn, "Count Your Blessings." It's not in our hymnal; and not in either FWS or W&S. But it was in the old "American Service Hymnal" That we used in Jordanville Which was a federation of UMC and American Baptist And the congregation didn't want the UMH Because it was like choosing sides Even though I don't believe that ABC had a hymnal The chorus goes like this Count your many blessings Name them one by one Count your blessings See what God has done. And today I feel blessed Today, I feel like counting this weekend's blessings. For it is a weekend of blessings. Yesterday I had the joy of marrying a really nice young couple And this afternoon, I have the honor of helping people say good bye To a man whom I held in such high regard That I went out of my way 35 years ago to hear him preach And whose presence in this congregation was the first thing I thought of when I found that the bishop wanted to appoint me here. And I have to tell you that I was awed To be the pastor of his congregation And I am awed To be a part of his service this afternoon. Yesterday's wedding and this afternoon's celebration are reasons enough to count my blessings But there is another reason You see, The timing of the wedding and the celebration of Russell Clark's life Could easily have made preparing for this morning's service an afterthought; something of secondary importance something that I did because I had to rather than because of the joy of doing so. But the scripture that I had chosen for my text Is such a great scripture That even with the wedding and Russell's service I found preparing for it and reflecting on it to be exciting Not just something I needed to do. And so, one of the blessings that I have to count Is having this magnificent scripture Not only to kick off a summer series of messages That I call "Tell Me The Stories of Jesus" But also to invigorate me, excite me, and inspire me On a busy and emotionally draining weekend. The scripture goes like this: Mark 5: 21-43 What is this scripture about? It could be about healing That is an intelligent thought Certainly the woman who was bleeding was healed And just as certainly, Jairus' daughter was healed But that is not what strikes me about this scripture. That is not what teaches me the most about Jesus the Christ Or about what I need to do to be more like him And more like he would want me to be. It could be about faith. That too is an intelligent thought And in fact it is indisputable that, in part, this scripture is about faith. Jairus had sufficient faith that he went to Jesus Asked for help And was confident that Jesus could do something about his daughter's illness The bleeding woman had sufficient faith To also seek Jesus out And was confident That if she could just touch his clothes Her physical problem would be over. Both Jairus and the woman Had faith so strong That they actively sought Jesus' help Instead of sitting in recliners hoping that Jesus would help But still that is not what strikes me about this scripture. That is not what teaches me the most about Jesus the Christ Or about what I need to do to be more like him And more like he would want me to be. What strikes me about this scripture What teaches me the most about Jesus the Christ and about what I need to do to be more like him And more like he would want me to be. Is the lesson that everyone was/is important and significant to Christ. Look at the remarkable differences between Jairus and the woman He was the leader of a synagogue He was an important, probably well off, man The type that about which some churches might think "I'll bet that if we please him He will give enough to make up the shortfall in our budget." He was someone to whom many people would pay attention And perhaps even make accommodations to keep him happy. He was import enough that Mark gives us his name The bleeding woman, however, was a nameless nobody Actually worse than a nobody - for she was someone to be shunned Because under the law her constant bleeding, Made her ritually impure and made anyone who touched her impure as well. She knew this She had used all her resources seeking a cure and was dead broke She had tried all the doctors and they had consistently failed her She knew this She didn't rush up and leap into Jesus' arms She didn't even try to touch his hand Her thought was, "If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well." She touched his cloak Her hemorrhage stopped. When that happened, Jesus swung around "Who touched me?" And while the disciples thought That it was hopeless to ask that question because of the size of the crowd The woman, scared and frightened as she was, didn't run away In fact, she came forward and admitted that it was she. And she told him her story. Now, Jesus was hurrying to heal the very sick daughter Of a very important man He did not need to be interrupted Certainly not by a relative nobody Certainly not by someone who could make him unclean By her very touch. But instead of scolding, berating, or dismissing her, his response was "Daughter, your faith has made you well." If you or I had been interrupted by an outcast like this woman While on our way to do something for someone Particularly someone who seemed more important to us, How would we have responded? With the tone of love that the word "daughter" conveyed? Or With a tone and words that conveyed irritation and condescension? As we accept Christ's invitation to His table We do so with the knowledge that Jairus and the bleeding woman and their modern counterparts are invited too. Whether we see them as greater or lesser than ourselves Their invitations are equal to ours And ours are equal to theirs Their invitations were made and sent with the same enthusiasm as ours were Their invitations were accompanied by the same love as accompanied ours That is what this story teaches us about Jesus the Christ and about what you and I need to do to be more like him And more like he would want us to be? That is why this story about touching Touches us so deeply as to be inspiring Even giving me so much energy on a weekend that is emotionally draining - That I feel like counting my blessings And singing about doing just that.