First Reading: Lamentations 3:22-33
22The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end;
23they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
25The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.
26It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
27It is good for one to bear the yoke in youth,
28to sit alone in silence when the Lord has imposed it,
29to put one’s mouth to the dust (there may yet be hope),
30to give one’s cheek to the smiter, and be filled with insults.
31For the Lord will not reject forever.
32Although he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
33for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone.
Psalm: Psalm 30
I will exalt you, O Lord, because you have lifted me up. (Ps. 30:1)
1I will exalt you, O Lord, because you have lifted me up
and have not let my enemies triumph over me.
2O Lord my God, I cried out to you, and you restored me to health.
3You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead; you restored my life as I was going down to the grave.
4Sing praise to the Lord, all you faithful; give thanks in holy remembrance.
5God’s wrath is short; God’s favor lasts a lifetime.
Weeping spends the night, but joy comes in the morning.
6While I felt secure, I said, “I shall never be disturbed.
7You, Lord, with your favor, made me as strong as the mountains.”
Then you hid your face, and I was filled with fear.
8I cried to you, O Lord; I pleaded with my Lord, saying,
9“What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?
10Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; O Lord, be my helper.”
11You have turned my wailing into dancing;
you have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.
12Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing;
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:7-15
7Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.
8I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. 9For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 10And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something—11now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. 12For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has—not according to what one does not have. 13I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between 14your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. 15As it is written,
“The one who had much did not have too much,
and the one who had little did not have too little.”
Gospel: Mark 5:21-43
21When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. 22Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet 23and 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.” 24So he went with him.
And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. 25Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. 26She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. 27She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” 29Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” 31And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32He looked all around to see who had done it. 33But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
35While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” 36But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” 42And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. 43He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
CHILDREN’S SERMON: In Mark 8 the apostle Mark tells us of a group of people who brought their blind friend to Jesus to touch. Jesus took the man outside the village and spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him. He touched him. The man could see people but they looked like trees walking. Jesus touched the man’s eyes again and they were opened and his vision restored. Many of us struggle with wearing glasses or decreasing vision as we age. How does vision impact our ability to drive safely?
Let us pray: Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my Rock and my Redeemer.
SERMON
Last Sunday Jesus and the disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee by night and got caught in a storm. The disciples woke Jesus who was asleep in their boat, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” That question hangs in the air for all of chapter 5 of Mark. Let’s be honest, even we are prone to ask Jesus in times of crisis, “Lord, don’t you care?” Somehow we think he is asleep in the boat of our life. With a word, he calmed the storm but they still had to row to shore. The disciples were still catching their breath when they reached the other side and immediately encountered a man possessed by a Legion of demons. Some days are like that. While we are reeling from a surprise bill we had forgotten in our budgeting of our finances, we get the news that another major challenge is facing us. We feel like “the chosen people ” but wishing God would choose someone else for a trial. My mother used to say that bad news comes in threes. After two gasps, I start anticipating the third. I sometimes wonder if Satan is talking with God as in the first chapter of Job, “But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” In retrospect I realize I have taken my focus off God and have focused on how I would cope with one more thing.
Today’s text is something like that. Mark has moved from the challenge of a storm to a new level of challenge. A 12 year old girl and a woman are sick, perhaps dying. Whom will Jesus deal with? The text is moving closer to home, more personal. Yes, we know about storms but when problems touch those we love, God has our attention. We know about illness and medical problems the system can’t cure. Stop for a moment and think if there is someone you know and care about who is facing a serious, life threatening diagnosis. Thanks to FaceBook, cell phones and TV we are aware of many who face terrible terminal diagnoses.
“My little daughter is at the point of death. Come…”
Our text this morning speaks of two “daughters,” two children of God, two people at the point of death. Does it matter if they are male or female? I doubt it. Gender is not the focus of our text. I do note though that Jairus is a leader in the synagogue. Jesus did not just deal with outcasts but he cared about all people. Jairus valued his daughter enough to go against Jewish leadership and seek help from Jesus, the healer. I gather that Jairus was desperate. His little daughter is 12 years old, enfolded in a loving family, valued, and cared for. He pleads for her life.
Meanwhile another “daughter” from the opposite end of the social spectrum approached Jesus. Jesus also calls her “daughter.” She too is a daughter of Abraham but is invisible and seemingly has no man to speak for her. She has been sick for 12 years. She is a social outcast as her continued bleeding made her “untouchable.” Her resources are spent and I am guessing her social capital is spent too. She dare not touch Jesus but only hopes to touch the hem of his cloak.
Where were you in 2012? Now imagine that you had not experienced a human touch or hug up to today. That is a kind of starvation that most of us do not know. That is the kind of starvation that girls sold into human trafficking and people caught in addictions might know. It is the objectification of your body so that you are only touched to satisfy someone else’s desire. This second daughter is as close to death as the daughter of Jairus who fights illness in a loving environment.
Let me repeat, Jesus addresses the bleeding woman as “daughter.” In her helplessness, she actually is not alone, and it would seem that God has interceded for her. Power has flowed from Jesus, not because of a plea like Jairus’ but because he knows and sees this woman in her social invisibility, in her helplessness, and God’s power flows out to her. Both women, the young and the old, are dying, in fact are “at the point of death.” One is embedded in a loving family and one is “untouchable.”
Few of us realize how close we are to death in all its forms.
The healing of the elder woman is described as “power has gone forth from Jesus.” No mud is used as with the blind man. Jesus does not spit on her or touch her. No word of command is given as with the guy brought by his friends and lowered through the ceiling. No direct confrontation as with the wind and waves of last week. God’s power flows from Jesus, even when Jesus doesn’t seem to be paying attention. Sometimes he seems to be asleep in our boat or busy with important people like Jairus or focused on Ukraine or the Middle East, but he is aware of all that is going on.
Jesus knows what has happened but he also knows the woman is not totally healed. She is like the blind man who sees people walking like trees. She may be physically healed but is still socially invisible and condemned. Jesus draws this shamed woman into speech and draws her back from social death into social life. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked and the woman spoke and became alive socially. The woman became visible and important as Jesus called her forward. It is good that we believe in the work God is doing in our lives but as we share our experiences something else happens. But that is another sermon.
Jairus’ daughter, on the other hand, is very visible, very visibly dead to all the people in the house. They are wailing and weeping. Jesus sends them away and has his disciples and the mother and father go into the room of their dead daughter. Please note that the mother is included and not treated as a second-class citizen even though her husband is socially important. Jesus speaks, “Little girl, get up!” and she does.
Mark has gone from parables and the teachings of Jesus that the religious leaders question to experiences that demonstrate the reality of the power of Jesus and the presence of the kingdom of heaven in our midst. Jesus is pushing the envelope of our understanding of the implication of the presence of God in our world. God is not just up in heaven waiting for us to arrive. We are not the victims of fate, of bad luck, of bad karma nor as Christians can evil touch us without God’s presence and awareness. As Christians we are not alone in the midst of our trials. Our Savior, God, has power. He is not just a teacher to be obeyed and followed. He is God who reaches into our lives and circumstances and walks with us. Jesus walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death.
Whether we have someone to stand with us in prayer as with Jairus’ daughter or whether we feel alone and abandoned by others as with the older woman, we have the God of the universe watching and caring for us. Yes, God does not resolve all illness at the point of death by calling the person back from the brink but that is the truth about life. For this sermon I want to affirm that we believe in a God who sees our plight and can act without an intermediary like Jairus. Likewise whether in crisis illness or long drawn out draining circumstances, we are all at the point of death and on God’s radar screen.
“…lay your hands on her…”
“Come and lay your hands on her” is Jairus’ plea. We Lutherans might be a bit challenged here. We use laying on of hands for rituals like baptisms and ordinations. The calling together of the elders to lay hands on the sick is probably considered more a spiritual disciple Pentecostals practice that we don’t talk about too much. In any case, I do think we are looking at the power of prayer. Remember we are at the beginning of Mark and so Jairus probably did not acknowledge Jesus as God but he did know Old Testament stories of his faith tradition about the power of prayer to heal. The Old Testament is full of God’s prophets healing the sick.
Elijah healed the widow of Zarephath’s son who died.
Elisha healed the Shunaminte’s son who died.
Naaman was healed of leprosy.
The Israelites were healed by looking at the snake on the pole.
Prophets of God often healed people and so Jairus pleads, “Come.”
I note that this request is a bit open ended. He wants his daughter to live and he looks to God for how that might look after the healing. Faith seems to be a key element as Jesus commands them to keep believing. “Don’t fear but believe.” I also note the faith of the little girl, unlike the older woman, is not an issue. This text speaks to the importance of holding others in prayer. James chapter 5 also speaks of calling the elders together to pray for the sick but James also links it with confession of sin.
God’s presence makes a difference in any dilemma. His presence does not guarantee the outcome we want but we call on him to enter the process of healing and often that calms our fear and gives faith room to breathe. I do not know what situation is challenging your faith today, but may we take a moment and bow our heads and silently pray, “Come Lord Jesus! Lay your hands on my life. I leave it in your hands.”
“…so that she may be made well, and live.”
Jairus continues, “so that she may be made well, and live.” Jesus called the older woman out of invisibility, out of rejection, out of her illness and back into society and relationship. I suspect that “living” is more than just being alive. “Wellness” is more than the absence of disease. The desire of Jairus’ heart for his daughter is here expressed. He wants her to be well and live. The elder woman is alive but she is not living. She is somehow only existing. The apostle John in John 10:10 quotes Jesus as saying, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Wellness is more than the absence of disease, it is maximizing our total potential as we are able. I receive wellness checks for diabetes, not because it is out of control but to help me keep it in control. Silver Sneakers gives us the privilege of exercising to stay well. Jairus’ plea for his daughter is that she will be “well”, maximizing her life potential as she is able and that she will “live,” not just be alive.
So, let’s summarize. All of us are somehow near death. We are all aging and our vision is not as good as when we were kids. We might be like our healed blind man seeing people walking like trees. We just don’t know what tomorrow or the next hour will bring. We all need Jesus to come and lay his hands on us that we might be well and ”live.” That was Jairus’ request. Perhaps you are like Jairus and have the confidence or desperation to go right up to Jesus and ask. It may not be your daughter dying but we all have a friend who needs God’s help. But then again you might be like the older woman who thought, if only I can get close enough to touch his clothes. She would have been happy to see people walking like trees…but Jesus was not. He wanted her healed physically and socially. She did not believe anyone would care enough to intercede for her. But Jesus did. Bethany stands like Jairus, bringing the needs of our friends, our family and our world to the Lord in prayer. But then sometimes Bethany is like the older woman, thinking if we can only be close enough to touch the hem of his gown, perhaps a miracle will happen. It’s easy to think God is asleep in our boat or busy with important issues. The lives of all at Bethany are seen by God and God cares. Jesus’ word calmed the chaos of the seas and winds last week and this week his touch restores to wellness and life. May we be faithful as we pray for the seen and unseen crises surrounding us. When we cry, “Lord, don’t you care?” Let us remember he said, “Do not fear, only believe.”
Let the people of God say, “Amen!”
On the Way to Wonder 