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.